need cults readily pdf

Sword of Zariel

Magic Items Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

. Ideals D6 IDEAL 1 Charity. I always help those in need. (Good) 2 Faith. I choose to follow the tenets of a particular lawful good deity to the letter. (Lawful

1 I am too quick to judge others. 2 I offer forgiveness too readily. 3 I will sacrifice innocent lives for the greater good. 4 Flaw? What flaw? I am flawless. Utter perfection

Yuan-ti Malison (Type 3) Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

time, the serpent gods heard those prayers, their sibilant voices responding from the darkness as they told the yuan-ti what they must do. The yuan-ti religion grew more fanatical in its devotion. Cults

are cunning and ruthless tacticians who readily sacrifice lesser yuan-ti if potential victory justifies such losses. They have no sense of honorable combat and strike first in decisive ambush if they

Leonin

Species Mythic Odysseys of Theros

need in their shimmering homeland and knowing the treachery of strangers. Still, some leonin wonder what lies beyond Oreskos’s border mountains and seek to test themselves in a wider world

-shaking roars, gives most leonin an air that readily shifts between regal and fearsome. Leonin often act with confidence, which can come off as imperiousness. While this can reassure their allies, it can

Serpent Cults

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

encourage cults to gather the special herbs and magic they need to perform the ritual for evolving into a more powerful form. And just as the yuan-ti have rituals to transform their own bodies, they

Serpent Cults Some humans believe that not only are the yuan-ti superior to humans and worthy of emulation, but they are also the blessed emissaries of the serpent gods. From these entwined beliefs

Yartar

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

Harpers and Zhentarim are well established in the city, but her path only crosses with theirs when the wellbeing of Yartarrans is at stake. The elemental cults have begun abducting Yartarrans who won’t

). Reason to Visit. The “Dark Dealings in Yartar” side trek (chapter 6) brings the characters here. More broadly, characters affiliated with the Lords’ Alliance can readily receive support in Yartar, and Harpers and Zhentarim can get aid, too, if they’re discreet and know how to contact an agent in town.

Rooting Out Evil

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

Rooting Out Evil The characters might want to assault the four elemental temples as quickly as possible, but they also need to deal with the cults’ continuing efforts to corrupt and terrorize the

people of the Dessarin Valley. While the characters are busy smashing one temple, the other three cults can do great harm in the area. Between expeditions to Tyar-Besil, the characters would be well

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

hatred of the civilized races of the world and their need to satisfy the demands of their deities, the orcs know that if they fight well and bring glory to their tribe, Gruumsh will call them home to

, 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

Player's Handbook plus One

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything

official D&D source, such as a book or a PDF, to create a character. This restriction ensures that players don’t need to own a lot of books to make a character and makes it easier for DMs to know how all

Using the Maps

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

might have unusual shapes or features. Your hand-drawn maps need not be faithful to the originals, and you can alter a map’s features as you see fit. Nor do your maps need to be painstakingly

rendered. You can omit details that are not readily visible (such as secret doors and other hidden features) until the characters are able to detect and interact with them. Poster Map The double-sided poster

Using the Maps

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin

, and you can alter a map’s features as you see fit. Nor do your maps need to be painstakingly rendered. Omit details that aren’t readily visible (such as secret doors and other hidden features) until

the characters detect and interact with them. For example, locked doors are indicated on the maps with dots, but you need not include this detail in your hand-drawn maps. One of the maps within shows

Using the Maps

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

might have unusual shapes or features. Your hand-drawn maps need not be faithful to the originals, and you can alter a map’s features as you see fit. Nor do your maps need to be painstakingly

rendered. You can omit details that are not readily visible (such as secret doors and other hidden features) until the characters are able to detect and interact with them. Slopes and Staircases. On all

Elf Queen's Palace

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Scions of Elemental Evil

evil directly, but this task requires discretion. The temple is outside my realm, and my spies haven’t the combat prowess needed to eliminate our enemies. I need true heroes to stop these cults; I need

nods in appreciation. She continues: “What I am about to tell you requires the utmost discretion,” the queen says. “My spies have uncovered evidence of several new cults based in the Temple of

Using the Maps

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

don’t need to be exact replicas of the originals, and you can alter their features as you see fit. Omit details that aren’t readily visible (such as secret doors and other hidden features) until the

Recovering from Defeat

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

, reorganizing its cult and bringing the scattered remnants of the other cults to heel. This time allows the characters to plan a second assault. The factions the characters are affiliated with take a more

time and saw how the battle unfolded. If the characters need better gear or spells cast on their behalf, the factions get to work. No one wants a second assault to fail for lack of potions of fire

Preserve the Balance

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

power over the others, the world could be destroyed, drawn into one of the elemental planes and broken apart into its component elements. Thus, druids oppose cults of Elemental Evil and others who

promote one element to the exclusion of others. Druids are also concerned with the delicate ecological balance that sustains plant and animal life, and the need for people to live in harmony with nature

Preserve the Balance

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

power over the others, the world could be destroyed, drawn into one of the elemental planes and broken apart into its component elements. Thus, druids oppose cults of Elemental Evil and others who

promote one element to the exclusion of others. Druids are also concerned with the delicate ecological balance that sustains plant and animal life, and the need for civilized folk to live in harmony

Fiery Fangs

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

Fiery Fangs The fire cult is less concerned with maintaining appearances than the other elemental cults. When Vanifer or her lieutenants receive word that a band of adventurers is trying to ferret

out the cult, they send a pack of three hell hounds after the party. The hounds need only get the scent of the characters through spilled blood or discarded items. This encounter can take place wherever

Sparkrender's Kobold Allies

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragons of Stormwreck Isle

), but they’re more likely to warn intruders to leave the ruins than to immediately attack. They readily threaten violence and back up their threats with combat if necessary. As an action, a character

blue dragon as a semidivine figure and trust him to provide for their every need. Big Plans. Sparkrender has big plans that will allow him to manifest his full power. The wyrmling is waiting for the

The Golden Vault

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

can provide unexpected help. For instance, if the characters lack vital information needed for a heist, their handler might share a recent discovery. If the characters need special equipment, their

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

Intelligence

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

Intelligence Intelligence measures mental acuity, accuracy of recall, and the ability to reason. Intelligence Checks An Intelligence check comes into play when you need to draw on logic, education

) check measures your ability to recall lore about deities, rites and prayers, religious hierarchies, holy symbols, and the practices of secret cults. Other Intelligence Checks The DM might call for an

Intelligence

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

Intelligence Intelligence measures mental acuity, accuracy of recall, and the ability to reason. Intelligence Checks An Intelligence check comes into play when you need to draw on logic, education

) check measures your ability to recall lore about deities, rites and prayers, religious hierarchies, holy symbols, and the practices of secret cults. Other Intelligence Checks. The DM might call for

Loviatar

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

, her faithful are more numerous than might be expected. Loviatar is the chosen deity of those who inflict pain as a matter of course, including torturers and others who need to break the will of

cults sometimes operate secret slavery rings, which can draw the attention of the authorities. The open worship of Loviatar and temples clearly dedicated to her are rarely seen except in lands where slavery is an accepted practice.

Starting the Adventure

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

Phandelver (the adventure in the D&D Starter Set), players can use characters from that adventure in Princes of the Apocalypse. In this case, the characters are likely to be 5th level, a fact you need to

account for when considering encounter difficulty in the adventure. Such characters also have no existing motivation to pursue the cults of Elemental Evil. As experienced adventurers, though, they

The Quest Board

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Divine Contention

includes an overview that briefly describes what the characters can expect to find there. This overview is followed by information you’ll need to run the encounters at that location. Starting Quests

cults, one of which has an ancient dragon in its employ. The gnomes of Gnomengarde have offered to supply a magical weapon to drive off this beast should it trouble the town. Meet the gnomes at

Other Religious Systems

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

on two opposing deities or forces), mystery cults (involving personal devotion to a single deity, usually as part of a pantheon system), animistic religions (revering the spirits inherent in nature

. These are usually evil deities and enemies of the pantheon, such as the Greek Titans. These deities have cults of their own, attracting social outcasts and villains to their worship. These cults

Rudolph van Richten

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

with the knowledge they need to confront the dark. Though he’s made many devoted allies, he keeps them at arm’s length, fearing the threat of his curse. When not traveling, van Richten lives out of his

from my enemies.” Flaw. “I am cursed. I will never find peace.” Adventures with Rudolph van Richten Van Richten readily provides mentorship to characters devoted to fighting the creatures of the night

Keranos as Campaign Villain

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

Keranos as Campaign Villain Because Keranos doesn’t readily concern himself with quandaries of good versus evil, it is easy to use him as a villain. The god might be driven by frustration at mortals

over their lack of vision, or by a consuming need to trigger unrestrained creative impulses that have far-reaching effects, by anger at a real or perceived slight. His will might be expressed through

Remarkable Heroes

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War

Remarkable Heroes Eberron is a world in need of heroes. Lingering tensions of war remain. From the fanatics of the Emerald Claw and the mad cults of the Dragon Below to the flesh-warping daelkyr and

Using the Maps

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

originals, and you can alter a map’s features as you see fit. Nor do your maps need to be painstakingly rendered. You can omit details that are not readily visible (such as secret doors and other hidden

the map on graph paper, a wet-erase mat, or another surface to help your players visualize locations that might have unusual shapes or features. Your hand-drawn maps need not be faithful to the

Erebos's Influence

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

, certain that his lesser brother can’t possibly prevail within Erebos’s own territory. Erebos holds a special grudge against Phenax. Phenax readily teaches others how to escape the Underworld as the

him, Erebos occasionally feels the need to remind them that the dead are his, and other gods’ acceptance of death’s inevitability doesn’t make them masters of it. Erebos has no true allies but operates

Gnome Adventurers

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

is almost always curiosity — an insatiable need to seek out and experience what the world has to offer. Sometimes the adventuring life is the natural outgrowth of a gnome’s research project or

of them take readily to life in the outside world and don’t come back on schedule, returning to the burrow only after spending years or decades away as a member of an adventuring party. The Pull of

Roleplaying

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

Roleplaying You don’t need to be a practiced thespian or comedian to create drama or humor through roleplaying. The key is to pay attention to the story elements and characterizations that make your

readily get involved in social interactions, you can create situations tailored for their characters. Perhaps the NPC in question is a family member or a contact of a particular adventurer and

Detailed NPCs

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

need a name for any NPC who plays a prominent role in your campaign. You can pick a given name and a surname from any of the accompanying tables; a name can include options from different tables. If

game statistics. You don’t need to do this if you don’t expect the NPC to engage in combat or use any special abilities (such as casting spells). You can customize the stat block using the guidelines

Campaign Setting

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

-forgotten empires. Greyhawk As tensions rise among warring nations, heroes plunder dungeons to gain the magic and might they need to defeat the growing forces of evil. Planescape Sigil, the City of Doors

want it to be. Your players will never know more about the world than you do, which can be both a comfort to you and a source of wonder to your players. Moreover, you don’t need to memorize any source

Chapter 2: Raiders' Camp

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

reward from what’s left of the town treasury. Recovering treasure, however, is a lesser goal when compared to the other objectives he brings up. Any gear or supplies the characters need for the trip

monks were returning to Berdusk from the great library at Candlekeep, where Leosin was consulting the librarians and researching ancient writings on dragon folklore. Dragon cults are his special

D&D Beyond

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