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Returning 35 results for 'secrets of runes defeat variants'.
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Monsters
Storm King's Thunder
said that the Forgotten God journeyed to the Elemental Plane of Earth and, through guile and deception, defeated the Grand Khan of the dao. The price of that defeat was harsh: the dao were forced to
that yakfolk are lazy—quite the contrary. They simply consider most menial tasks beneath them.
Yakfolk have a drive for learning, particularly when it comes to the secrets of elemental magic
Monsters
Storm King's Thunder
enslave dao for a time. It is said that the Forgotten God journeyed to the Elemental Plane of Earth and, through guile and deception, defeated the Grand Khan of the dao. The price of that defeat was harsh
secrets of elemental magic and dark knowledge that might serve to corrupt or dominate others. Knowledge that the yakfolk can’t gain or use is to be destroyed. Unsentimental by nature, yakfolk
Backgrounds
Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica
5th
dominate person
Your magic often takes the form of blue or golden runes floating and glowing in the air in circular patterns or of shimmering azure barriers of magical energy. If you
recruited me into the Azorius left and joined the Boros.
3
I have a friendship with a Dimir agent who sometimes funnels me secrets about Azorius activities.
4
A Golgari spore druid would love to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants
mystic shapes of our runes.
—Diancastra
You’ve dedicated your life to studying runecraft. Whether you were taught by a master rune carver or learned by poring over ancient engravings, you can tap into
the supernatural power held within runes. The art of runecraft was initially created by giants, but over time, the practice has been adopted by many peoples. As such, though Giant runes are the most
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
Level 6: Lost Level The Lost Level is designed for four 9th-level characters, and characters who defeat the monsters on this level should gain enough XP to advance halfway to 10th level. This level
was a temple complex dedicated to the dwarven god Dumathoin, the Keeper of Secrets under the Mountain. Hidden inside is the tomb of Melair, king of the Melairkyn dwarves. Before running this level
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
never known defeat, and all who oppose him live in torment. By the time this adventure begins, the lich has gathered a hoard of secrets and is nearly ready to begin the Ritual of Remaking. Only the characters can stop Vecna’s evil plan.
The Ritual of Remaking Vecna’s Ritual of Remaking involves gathering powerful secrets, extracting energy from them, and interweaving this energy with the lich’s essence and magic. After Vecna and his
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
facing the might of one of the multiverse’s most powerful good-aligned spellcasters, so the warlord devised a plot to trick Alustriel into helping him defeat Vecna. With the help of spies, Kas learned
to dispel the collective power of the secrets Vecna gathered, rendering the lich’s Ritual of Remaking useless. Despite looking identical to Mordenkainen, Kas has no significant magical power. This
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
came here to learn secrets and receive divine guidance. While attuned to the room and inside it, a dwarf can cast the divination spell at will. Answers provided by the spell come from an unknown source
(perhaps the Keeper of Secrets under the Mountain, perhaps the mountain itself). Too many castings of the spell in a short amount of time can lead to false readings, as noted in the spell’s
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Turn of Fortune’s Wheel
cleft surrounded by foul, bleeding runes. Inside is the Book of Vile Darkness. Secrets of Eternity If a character agrees to let the Scholar share a forbidden secret, the baernaloth requests that the
was meant to know with one interested character (see the “Secrets of Eternity” section below). If the characters ignore the baernaloth, leave its cave, or refuse its offers, it lets them go. If the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
; it isn’t maug, but it isn’t maat, either. Mastering the secrets of magic, though, demands a degree of devotion that would take giants away from pursuits that are valued by the ordning. As a
consequence, it’s a path rarely taken. The exception is rune magic. Giants are drawn to the solidity and permanence of magical runes. Stone giants are great practitioners of rune carving, both because of the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
Jhesiyra Kestellharp Among the greatest of Undermountain’s secrets is the story of Jhesiyra Kestellharp, who was one of Halaster’s most gifted apprentices until it became clear to her that Halaster
, inhabiting the very dungeon itself. Halaster is unaware of Jhesiyra’s presence but also wonders over her disappearance following the Spellplague. Jhesiyra’s plan is to use adventurers to defeat Halaster so
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
by Melissara. Inside is a small black journal. The first page of the book is trapped with a glyph of warding spell, whose explosive runes deal fire damage (save DC 15). The glyph is keyed to go off if
anyone but Melissara opens the journal (a precaution to prevent her cousins from reading it and discovering her secrets). The journal details Melissara’s unease with her family, as well as her growing
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual
Archmage Archmages have mastered incredible magical power. While some use their magic to protect the world, others become tyrants or pursue forbidden secrets. Many archmages retain magical servants
and collect magic items and occult lore. Have you gazed on the Runes of Chaos, held the Death Moon Orb in your trembling hands, entered the Devouring Portal and walked the Paths of the Doomed, or sat
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal->a3
stone around it can be chipped away over several hours of tedious labor until the edge of the slab no longer holds in place. A knock spell can also defeat the locking mechanism. Treasure. The silver
. Written on the side of this figurine are strange runes. On the slimmer end is a small arched square panel.
The runes are in a script similar to Elvish and spell out the name Ilnedraw. Deft fingers
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
had risen again, becoming an evil god of secrets and magic on Oerth. Vecna’s defeat of Kas grates on the warlord’s ego. Kas aches to annihilate Vecna. Meanwhile, Vecna has been building his power, though the lich yearns to finally destroy his former lieutenant.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants
with the Giant type, or you could write enmity toward giants into the tenets of your paladin’s Sacred Oath. Giant Lore You might have learned magic, martial techniques, or other secrets from studying
) might use the magic of Giant runes, or a paladin’s Sacred Oath could involve allegiance to the tenets of a philosophy or organization of giants (such as those described in chapter 2). Giant-Made
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
front of the ship. During the Lambent Zenith’s crash, arcane wards should have sealed the safe room’s doors. The safe room is inaccessible while the wards are active. Ward Runes. Two runes hidden on the
ship power the wards. Kycera knows one rune was placed in the ship’s stateroom, but she doesn’t remember the second rune’s location. She believes that magic or a pass phrase can deactivate the runes
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
damage is real. A character free of the vision can free another character from it by using an action to shake or slap them. If the characters defeat Hexacali, their last collective memory is of pinning
Kestellharp”). The first creature to pass through the gate triggers an elder rune (see “Elder Runes”). A creature that passes through the gate appears in area 25b on level 10, in the closest unoccupied space next to the identical gate located there.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk
include Chalnefaaz, a community of myconids that bud tiny, wailing faces, and the Bulwark of Secrets, an abbey of guardian nagas who protect dangerous lore. You can use the nodules in the Endless Void
interlocked links of Ilvaash’s runes (knots of tentacles, brains, and jagged lines reminiscent of jaws). A brain breaker uses the stat block of an infected elder brain (see chapter 7) with the following
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated
approach the characters take, remember that learning the full scope of the orrery’s history, the secrets of its creator, and the range of its powers is the goal of the whole campaign. Whatever small bits
Waterdeep can undertake research to study its mysterious runes, which can lead to information regarding That-Which-Endures (see the sidebar in the “New Race: Verdan” section in chapter 3.) Gorkoh the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm King's Thunder
grants immortality to its wearer, was last seen in the possession of a human adventurer (and former Harper) named Artus Cimber. Guided by magical runes of tracking, Storvald plans to find the ring and
empower his runes. Unbeknown to Storvald, the runes are steering the frost giants not to Artus Cimber but to other, closer individuals who carry the Cimber bloodline — Artus’s living relatives, most of whom
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
. As characters adventure in a Darklord’s domain, they learn about the Darklord, hear reports of the Darklord’s infamy, and eventually discover secrets to frustrate or undermine the villain. Consider
memories, might also reveal secrets. Such truths might be hidden, but the Dark Powers ensure they survive to torment the Darklord. Jane Katsubo The Tome of Strahd recounts the
tale of Strahd von
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice & Errata
enslave dao for a time. It is said that the Forgotten God journeyed to the Elemental Plane of Earth and, through guile and deception, defeated the Grand Khan of the dao. The price of that defeat was
yakfolk are lazy—quite the contrary. They simply consider most menial tasks beneath them.
Yakfolk have a drive for learning, particularly when it comes to the secrets of elemental magic and dark
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Giants of the Star Forge
. To fill the gaps in her knowledge and learn the secrets of the Star Forge, Brimskarda has kidnapped the renowned human smith Theldin and forced him to toil at the forge alongside her. Complicating
territorial dragon distracted. Work on the runic colossus is almost complete. Unless capable heroes arrive to rescue Theldin or defeat Brimskarda, it’s only a matter of time until the region is turned
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
broadly accepted reality? Stories and Secrets. Are tales of other domains or settings treated as facts, lore known only to a few, legends, or nonsense? Is that true for all places beyond a domain’s borders
potential defeat of a Darklord? Or would you rather keep a Darklord in the background and focus on other stories? Darklord Downfalls. Can a Darklord be defeated, or are they an enduring and recurring threat
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Find a long-lost artifact that bestows oracular visions upon the user.
5 Defeat the champion of another god in a battle of wits (perhaps Phenax, Mogis, or Klothys).
6 Find and restore a
prophecies, potentially drawing in secrets of the other gods or of reality itself. It is relatively easy for a mortal to lose Keranos’s favor because the god is quick to anger and doesn’t suffer failure
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants
slaying a many-headed monster.
What such deeds have you done?”
“The sphinx’s riddles I solved to claim her prize.
I plumbed the secrets of the sea.
I ventured to the vault of the venerated
,
Perfectly imperfect and unformed.
You cannot perfect potential.”
Laughter filled Annam’s hall, loud as thunder,
Shaking floor and firmament.
The All-Father acquiesced, admitting defeat,
And
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
Mordenkainen is Kas in disguise, it counts as a secret for the purposes of the Power of Secrets rules in this book’s introduction. If They Find Out? Diana Cearley Malaina van Talstiv Although it’s unlikely, the
eventually defeat Kas, they learn where Vecna weaves his ritual and can proceed to chapter 11. The Characters Defeat Kas. If the characters defeat Kas, allow them to decide how to proceed. They might still
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated
) bludgeoning damage from the fall. Climbing the rough walls requires a successful DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check. Development. If the characters defeat the scarecrows and search the constructs, large
desiccated and skeletal humanoid corpses litter the floor of this small chamber. The stone of the north wall has been etched with intricate runes, but the pattern ends abruptly.
Bodies and Runes. A closer
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm Lord’s Wrath
thieves’ tools. Also, the doors and windows have an AC of 12 and break with 25 points of damage. Magical runes, as per the glyph of warding spell, protect the cloak room and barn doors. If the party
opens the doors without first removing or disabling the runes, they take thunder damage as per the spell. A window at the back of the inn on the second floor is open (see “The Upstairs” below). A
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
more than create life—she could defeat death! She wished to breathe sentience into dead flesh and produce sturdier shells than the bodies of fragile, temporary mortals. She added corpse theft to her
as Mordenheim sought to glimpse the secrets hidden in the instant of death. One moonless night, Elise fell into a sleep from which she wouldn’t wake. Bringing Elise to her lab, Dr. Mordenheim worked
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
gods, whether by mediating, forcing a truce, or siding with the weaker group to defeat the stronger one.
A Kruphix Campaign A campaign structured around champions of Kruphix can embrace moral
balance, either to enrich themselves or to serve what they see as the greater good. Kruphix would then become a villain, as he sends other agents to suppress the secrets the adventurers carry with them
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
find out what lies beyond the basalt doors. When the characters arrive, she tries to forge a truce with them, promising them safe passage through the Lost Level if they defeat the golem and depart the
in pursuit of fleeing creatures. If the characters defeat the golem or lure it away, any duergar in the temple seize the chance to approach the black basalt doors and inspect them more closely
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
the location of another temple of mystery.
10 Lead dangerous creatures into the temple to trap them there.
11 Defeat a cabal of mages that has claimed the temple.
12 Defeat a
secrets of existence. The four-armed sculpture at the maze’s heart is said to hold a great secret, perhaps a mysterious treasure or a riddle that the statue alone can speak. Each other chamber in the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
or fewer, Kavil switches sides and offers information in exchange for his life. He knows one random Undermountain secret, determined by drawing a card from the Secrets Deck (see appendix C), as well as
through the gate triggers an elder rune (see “Elder Runes”). A creature that passes through the gate appears in area 16 on level 18, in the closest unoccupied space next to the identical gate located