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Returning 29 results for 'player instance'.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Flee, Mortals! Rule Primer
NPCs with Companions Companion creatures are designed to accompany player characters on adventures. If an NPC has a pet or creature servant, it’s recommended you use the creature’s normal stat block
. For instance, if an NPC ranger has an owlbear they work with, that creature would use the normal owlbear stat block and be played by the GM as normal. But if the characters are charged with rescuing
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
. In these adventures, the player characters are students attending the university, and they become heroes in their own right as they navigate plots, overcome monsters, and thwart dangers that arise
in each adventure. Chapters 1 and 2 contain all the information the players need to play Strixhaven students. Each adventure takes place over the course of one academic year. For instance, “Campus
Inspiration
Legacy
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Rules
Time. You can never have more than one instance of Heroic Inspiration. If something gives you Heroic Inspiration and you already have it, you can give it to a player character in your group who lacks
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
singling them out. For instance, a player might be hooked by a passing reference you make to a street urchin and try to strike up a conversation with the youngster. Suddenly, an extra on whom you placed
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
to make life easier for both kinds of people, whether you’re naming a player character, a nonplayer character, a monster, or even a place. Each table contains names that are associated with a nonhuman
determine a name. Even though names are associated with races in this appendix, a character might not have a name from their own race. For instance, a half-orc might have grown up among dwarves and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
bypassing or disabling traps are all part of exploration.
Not everything in your world needs to be explored painstakingly. For instance, you might gloss over an unimportant journey by telling the
all sorts of unusual environments
Maps designed for use with miniatures (see “Miniatures” in this chapter) tend to be player facing, revealing nothing that would spoil the adventure.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
affect a character must be clear to a player before they choose whether or not to accept. The offer of a Dark Gift might manifest in a dream, in a moment of frozen time, or when the character is alone
instance presents itself, such as in any of the following cases: A Darklord will negotiate with a party only if a character seals the deal by accepting their Dark Gift. Time stops while a character is
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver
moving, allowing creatures to easily wade through it. Cragmaw Hideout View Player Version ADVENTURE MAPS
Maps that appear in this adventure are for the DM’s eyes only. A map not only shows an
either 5 feet on a side or 10 feet on a side.
Compass Rose. A compass rose comes in handy when you’re describing locations. For instance, you might need to tell players about “barrels along the north wall” or “the staircase descending to the west.”
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
those of humans and other intelligent creatures. The difference is one of degree. For instance, where a prideful, confident human might be cowed by a serious threat, the arrogance of a beholder knows
no such bounds: it believes that it is superior to every other creature, even including other beholders. A human chess player becomes a master by honing the ability to look several moves ahead during
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
to reroll any die immediately after rolling it, and you must use the new roll.
Only One at a Time. You can never have more than one instance of Heroic Inspiration. If something gives you Heroic
Inspiration and you already have it, you can give it to a player character in your group who lacks it.
Gaining Heroic Inspiration. Your DM can give you Heroic Inspiration for a variety of reasons
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
, although the focus lies on motivation and personality, not game statistics. Expect long digressions from each player about what his or her character does, and why. Going to a temple to ask a priest for
part of the game. For instance, you might gloss over an unimportant journey by telling the players that they spend three uneventful days on the road before moving along to the next point of interest
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook
never have more than one instance of Heroic Inspiration. If something gives you Heroic Inspiration and you already have it, you can give it to a player character in your group who lacks it.
Gaining
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
to do. Sometimes one player speaks for the whole party, saying, “We’ll take the east door,” for example. Other times, different adventurers do different things: one adventurer might search a treasure
chest while a second examines an esoteric symbol engraved on a wall and a third keeps watch for monsters. The players don’t need to take turns, but the DM listens to every player and decides how to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
inspiration, or you can develop a unique location. Work with the players to develop the connections that each character has to the site. If the location is a tavern, for instance, a bard character
creative exercise, you could also allow each player to add a physical detail to the place or to describe one of the location's NPCs—the stuffed gorgon head over the hearth, another regular among the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
Roleplaying Roleplaying is, literally, the act of playing out a role. In this case, it’s you as a player determining how your character thinks, acts, and talks. Roleplaying is a part of every aspect
and how he or she does it. For instance, Chris plays Tordek the dwarf. Tordek has a quick temper and blames the elves of the Cloakwood for his family’s misfortune. At a tavern, an obnoxious elf minstrel
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
Roleplaying Roleplaying is, literally, the act of playing out a role. In this case, it’s you as a player determining how your character thinks, acts, and talks. Roleplaying is a part of every aspect
and how he or she does it. For instance, Chris plays Tordek the dwarf. Tordek has a quick temper and blames the elves of the Cloakwood for his family’s misfortune. At a tavern, an obnoxious elf minstrel
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
Irritable 10 Ponderous 11 Quiet 12 Suspicious Useful Knowledge In a sentence, describe one bit of knowledge the NPC possesses that might be of use to the player characters. The NPC might know something as
banal as the best inn in town or as important as a clue needed to solve a murder. Ideal In a sentence, describe one ideal that the NPC holds dear and which governs his or her greater actions. Player
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
life. Experiment with different speech patterns. For instance, a barmaid and a city magistrate probably use their words differently. Similarly, peasants could speak in earthy dialects, while rich folk
something to do during a roleplaying-heavy game session, consider one or more of the following approaches. Appeal to Player Preferences. There are in-game activities that players enjoy more than others, as
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Borderlands Quest: Goblin Trouble
is the best option, because you can then adjust their personalities and actions to tell the best story. If a player asks the other players about potentially manipulating them, for example, you might
the trap with the tripwire?
This is more of an art than a science. If a player says that their character moves quickly through the area, or if they do so during combat while distracted, you can simply
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
spellcasting), and a bipedal form. The most common humanoid races are the ones most suitable as player characters: humans, dwarves, elves, and halflings. Almost as numerous but far more savage and brutal, and
something in the game, such as a magic item, might refer to them. For instance, a spear that is especially effective at fighting demons would work against any monster that has the demon tag.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook
monster and a player character. Your Turn On your turn, you can move a distance up to your Speed and take one action. You decide whether to move first or take your action first. The main actions you
to use an action for any of these activities when it needs special care or when it presents an unusual obstacle. For instance, the DM might require you to take the Utilize action to open a stuck door
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
monster and a player character. Your Turn On your turn, you can move a distance up to your Speed and take one action. You decide whether to move first or take your action first. The main actions you
to use an action for any of these activities when it needs special care or when it presents an unusual obstacle. For instance, the DM might require you to take the Utilize action to open a stuck door
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
learn spellcasting), and a bipedal form. The most common humanoid races are the ones most suitable as player characters: humans, dwarves, elves, and halflings. Almost as numerous, are the races of
certain creatures. The tags have no rules of their own, but something in the game, such as a magic item, might refer to them. For instance, a spear that is especially effective at fighting demons would work against any monster that has the demon tag.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
work that into your narration of the journey so the player feels good about choosing that skill proficiency. You can also assume the characters can load their mounts with enough Rations for their
chapter. Tracking A specific instance of searching on a journey is when adventurers choose their path by following the tracks of other creatures. To track, one or more trackers must succeed on a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd
the threat as quickly as possible. This NPC, whoever it ends up being, gains the following additional action: Inspire. While within sight of Strahd, this character grants inspiration to one player
. Characters can manipulate him into going by preying on his good heart. For instance, he might go there to help rescue missing Barovians, or to save the life of Ireena Kolyana, who is very beautiful. The
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
these skills. For instance, you might spot hidden messages in a map, identify when the map was made to determine if geographical features have changed since then, and so forth. Nature. Your familiarity
Catch a player cheating 15 Gain insight into an opponent’s personality 15 Glassblower’s Tools Someone who is proficient with glassblower’s tools has not only the ability to shape glass, but also
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Keys from the Golden Vault
Brimstone Hold Locations The following locations are keyed to map 13.2. Map 13.2: DM’s Map View Player Version B1: Bridge A broad stone bridge spans the fiery river, its arches luridly lit from
warning the first time anyone makes unapproved contact with a prisoner, and they turn hostile after a second instance, attempting to subdue and capture the offender. Most of the prisoners are too fearful
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Ship Locations The following areas are identified on map 2.3. Map 2.3: Sea Ghost View Player Version 1. Main Deck Though the light is dim at best, you can see details of the ship’s main deck. In the
fall into the wrong hands and have concealed as much of the real meaning of the request as possible — for instance, using words like “goods” instead of “weapons.” The two desk drawers are locked; a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd
following to that character’s player: A flash of light explodes around you, and then you are plunged into absolute darkness, suddenly lying in a confined space choked with dust. This vault contains fifteen
and engaging in mischief. For instance, it warns the characters that the sarcophagus is trapped, and that opening the lid will free a pit fiend bound within. Treasure. Characters who take the time to






