masters some with only accept family for led

Black Viper

Monsters Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

, Esvele gossips about the Black Viper's exploits to lend credence to the villain's mystique. The Rosznar family was convicted of slave trading — highly illegal in Waterdeep — and banished over a hundred

houses don't have skeletons in their closets. But just because of a little family squabble that went public, the Rosznar name has been said with a sneer for a century. As part of the family's constant

Gray Dwarf (Duergar) Legacy

Species Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

grim, ashen-skinned dwarves now take slaves of their own and are as tyrannical as their former masters. Physically similar to other dwarves in some ways, duergar are wiry and lean, with black eyes and

of Moradin and his false promises. Their period of enslavement and the revolt against the mind flayers led by their god, Laduguer, purged the influence of the other dwarven gods from their souls and

Vladimir Horngaard

Monsters Curse of Strahd

Strahd's armies time and again as they swept across the land. When it became clear that Strahd couldn't be stopped, the knights of the order led hundreds of refugees to Argynvost's valley, but Strahd

battled Strahd's armies to the bitter end. Deadly Vengeance. Unwilling to accept his failure, Vladimir returned as a revenant. So great was his hatred of Strahd and his thirst for vengeance that those

Vecna the Archlich

Monsters Vecna: Eve of Ruin

Vecna, Afterthought is a Dagger, +2;+2 Dagger. Undying. If Vecna is slain, his soul refuses to accept its fate and lives on as a disembodied spirit that fashions a new body for itself after 1d100

scribe. He spent the better part of his childhood secretly educating himself in his masters’ arts. Once Vecna learned all he could, he massacred the wizards. He then recorded his every foul thought

Relentless Juggernaut

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

Relentless killers come into being and undertake their terrifying sprees for a spectrum of reasons. When creating a relentless killer, consider what circumstances led to their transformation and

was left for dead and granted new life to seek revenge. 2 It was turned into a weapon of vengeance by a family member’s bargain with sinister forces. 3 It was marked by a fiend before

Luba's Tarokka of Souls

Magic Items Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

realm of Barovia. These travelers have learned many secrets of these domains and encountered countless others wandering amid the Shadowfell’s horrors. Most Vistani bands accept well-intentioned

wayfarers from diverse walks and of disparate origins, embracing any who seek to find a home amid the endless roads and vistas hidden amid the mists. A halfling Vistani, Mother Luba led one of the

Aereni High Elf

Species Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

to perfect the techniques of their ancestors. With centuries to devote to their studies, the elves are masters of their chosen crafts; at the same time, their society has changed very little over the

you an exile, banished from your homeland for some crime against the Undying Court? As one of the Aereni, think about your history. What is your family known for, and how can you prove yourself to be a

Relentless Slasher

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

relentless killer, consider what circumstances led to their transformation and signature methods. Roll or choose options from the Relentless Origins and Relentless Methods tables when creating your own

, unique monstrous slayers. Relentless Origins d6 Origin 1 It was left for dead and granted new life to seek revenge. 2 It was turned into a weapon of vengeance by a family member

Guild Artisan / Guild Merchant Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

in the guild’s good graces. Variant Guild Artisan: Guild Merchant Instead of an artisans’ guild, you might belong to a guild of traders, caravan masters, or shopkeepers. You don&rsquo

family) with interests across the region. Perhaps you transported goods from one place to another, by ship, wagon, or caravan, or bought them from traveling traders and sold them in your own little shop

Isolde

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

become the masters of hers. To appease Zybilna, this arrangement would remain in place only until the two carnivals crossed paths again. Zybilna was intrigued enough by the shadar-kai to let Isolde go

vengeance have become all-consuming. Roleplaying Isolde The Carnival is the closest thing Isolde has to a family and a home, and she expects everyone who works for her to carry their weight. She

Drow Matron Mother

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Spell (Costs 2 Actions). The drow uses Spellcasting.Among drow followers of Lolth, each noble house is led by a matron mother, an influential priestess of Lolth charged with carrying out the god

’s will while also advancing the interests of the family. Matron mothers embody the scheming and treachery associated with the Queen of Spiders. Each stands at the center of a vast conspiratorial web

Folk Hero Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

disaster. 3 I stood alone against a terrible monster. 4 I stole from a corrupt merchant to help the poor. 5 I led a militia to fight off an invading army. 6 I broke into a tyrant

after I led a symbolic act of protest against it. 9 A celestial, fey, or similar creature gave me a blessing or revealed my secret origin. 10 Recruited into a lord’s army, I rose to

Satyr Legacy

Species Mythic Odysseys of Theros

all, and the proper response to such a gift, as far as most satyrs are concerned, is to accept it with relish. Born of the Wild In their physical forms, satyrs embody a fusion of humanoid

raucous revels his people had ever known. However, when fate led him to discover the nature of the gods and how they were beholden to mortals for their very existence, the whole order of the world

Aereni Wood Elf

Species Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

to perfect the techniques of their ancestors. With centuries to devote to their studies, the elves are masters of their chosen crafts; at the same time, their society has changed very little over the

you an exile, banished from your homeland for some crime against the Undying Court? As one of the Aereni, think about your history. What is your family known for, and how can you prove yourself to be a

Barbarian Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

the closeknit family structures of the tribe, but eventually find them replaced by the bonds formed among the members of their adventuring parties. Creating a Barbarian When creating a barbarian

stranger in the area of the campaign? Or is the campaign set in a rough-and-tumble frontier where barbarians are common? What led you to take up the adventuring life? Were you lured to settled lands

Rogue Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

was the trigger that led you away from your previous life? Did a great con or heist gone terribly wrong cause you to reevaluate your career? Maybe you were lucky and a successful robbery gave you the

coin you needed to escape the squalor of your life. Did wanderlust finally call you away from your home? Perhaps you suddenly found yourself cut off from your family or your mentor, and you had to find

Criminal / Spy Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

; specifically, you know the local messengers, corrupt caravan masters, and seedy sailors who can deliver messages for you. Variant Criminal: Spy Although your capabilities are not much different

everyone. (Good) d6 Bond 1 I’m trying to pay off an old debt I owe to a generous benefactor. 2 My ill-gotten gains go to support my family. 3 Something

Azorius Functionary

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

was traumatized by witnessing a crime as a child. 5 I’m incapable of deception. 6 I wish I had joined the Boros, but I fear they’d never accept me. Contacts The Azorius

see me slip up and break the law. 5 A lesser Gruul chieftain seems to think I could be useful. 6 The black sheep of my family is putting their maniacal genius to use in the Izzet. 7

Hermit - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

number of personal choices or ill-fated circumstances might have led you to turn away from society. You may, if you wish, choose or roll an origin event from the Hermit Origins table. d8 Life

of Seclusion 1 You led an ill-fated expedition into the Riverveins. Your friends were swept away by flooding, and you’ve never been able to shake the guilt of causing their deaths over

Chapter 2: Guilds of Ravnica

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica

recruit new members, while others simply accept those who seek membership. People within a family might join different guilds, which can lead to strong connections between the guilds in question or to

Chapter 2: Guilds of Ravnica VICTOR ADAME MINGUEZ The ten guilds are the lifeblood of Ravnica, making up the foundation of its society. They are voluntary associations led by guildmasters, but

Criminal - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

Guild took over your family business, ran it into the ground, and burned the building for insurance money. You were driven into crime yourself, but you’ll never work for the Guild. You take

, funneling the money through charitable fronts to help the needy. 5 You got into crime as a bored patriar looking for excitement. Your family has no idea of your activities, and neither does the

Guild Artisan - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

your district. Variant Guild Artisan: Guild Merchant Instead of an artisans’ guild, you might belong to a guild of traders, caravan masters, or shopkeepers. You don’t craft items yourself

but earn a living by buying and selling the works of others (or the raw materials artisans need to practice their craft). Your guild might be a large merchant consortium (or family) with interests

Uthgardt Tribe Member

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

among the people as living embodiments of his power. Perhaps they needed a reminder of who they were and from whence they came. The Chosen of Uthgar led bands back to the old ways, and most of your people

Uthgardt stands for. Outlander d8 Personality Trait 1 I’m driven by a wanderlust that led me away from home. 2 I watch over my friends as if they were a litter of

Goblin Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

. Beast Masters and Slave Drivers Goblins know they are a weak, unsophisticated race that can be easily dominated by bigger, smarter, more organized, more ferocious, or more magical creatures. Their god

with goblins for at least as long as humans have worked with dogs and horses, and in goblin society those two animals serve similar purposes. Family Matters A goblin tribe is organized in a four

Kenku Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

. They settle in places that accept them, usually bleak cities that have fallen on hard times and are overrun with crime. Dreams of Flight Above all else, kenku wish to regain their ability to fly

groups called flocks. A flock is led by the oldest and most experienced kenku with the widest store of knowledge to draw on, often called Master. Although kenku can’t create new things, they have

Hired by Markos's Family

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

concerned about Markos and fear his recent studies have led him down a troubled path. One of Markos’s family members hires the characters to travel to Delphi Mansion and stop Markos from doing anything that

Hired by Markos’s Family Shortly after Markos stole The Celestial Codex from the library of Vasil Talistrome, the incident was reported to Markos’s wealthy family. Several family members are

Golgari Agent

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

affairs of other guilds is a great way to get squashed like a bug. (Neutral) Bonds d6 Bond 1 I cherish the finger of a family member who was petrified by a

me for turning the tide. 6 An Izzet scientist resents that I sold a scrapped invention I found in the sewer. 7 My undercity explorations led me into an Orzhov vault, and a spirit thinks I

All for One: The Clan

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

led by a king or a queen who sits at the head of a noble family. Dwarf nobles are members of families that claim direct ancestry to the first dwarves crafted by Moradin. To the dwarves, leadership is a

lucky to see the morning. — Tordek The clan is the basic unit of dwarven society, an extended family that dwells together. Everything a dwarf does in life is devoted to improving or helping the

Low-Level Followers

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

Low-Level Followers Your campaign might allow player characters to take on lower-level NPCs as followers. For example, a paladin might have a 1st-level paladin as a squire, a wizard might accept a

account for. Since lower-level NPC party members receive equal party shares of XP, they will gain levels more quickly than the adventurers (the benefit of studying under such experienced masters

Upper Tavick's Landing

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

elite soldiers hone the psionic abilities they learn from their quori masters in the Dream Dark. A family of Karrnathi vampires inhabits an ancient manor in the opulent Ocean View district, serving the

Cult of Glasya

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

interpretation of that and offers gifts that can be turned against family members. Goblins who risk insurrection against their hobgoblin masters make pacts with Glasya, as do kenku who form criminal gangs. Glasya

exploiting the law for her own good, Glasya is a patron of thieves and other criminals, especially corrupt nobles. Her influence is supposed to strengthen family bonds, but she has taken a liberal

Frody Dartwild

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

see, Frody died almost a month ago. Everyone in town attended his funeral. Now, he’s crawled from his grave and returned to the cabin where he was born and where he spent his childhood. The family that

owns the cabin now is out of sorts, to say the least. The family that lives there—a father, a mother, and their three daughters—is staying with neighbors until this grave matter is resolved. The

Cult of the Obelisk

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

Henlifel. Ontharyx abandoned his family to follow the malign whispers that led him to the obelisk. Ontharyx’s sons have come with a few retainers to see whether they can talk some sense into their father. These drow are in Talhundereth’s reading room (area T14) and might parlay with the characters.

individuals they find in Talhundereth and feed them to the encephalon cluster as sacrifices to their strange god—if the gemmules don’t eat the captives first. The Cult of the Obelisk is led by Ontharyx

Tragedy

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

of the ghost’s crimes. 5 In life, the ghost was cut off by family members and denied a rightful inheritance. 6 The ghost refuses to acknowledge any living heirs as family members and tries

society. 9 In life, the ghost’s efforts to do good led them to be cursed by a hag, fiend, or powerful spirit. 10 The ghost foils their victim’s efforts to do good.

Using This Book

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

Using This Book This book explores the Domains of Dread, the mysterious expanses of the Shadowfell that serve as backdrops for excitement and terror. It guides players and Dungeon Masters through the

lineages and backgrounds that provide ominous pasts for any character as well as Dark Gifts and subclasses to shape their fates. Chapter 2 explores how Dungeon Masters can create their own new

D&D Beyond

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