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Returning 35 results for 'secrets of runes deities variant'.
Monsters
The Book of Many Things
much damage on a successful one.Living portents are embodiments of prophecy sent by deities or other cosmic forces. These Celestials descend to Material Plane worlds in the form of falling stars. When
encounter.
Variant: Servants of Living Stars
Some stars in the sky are Elder Evils, alien beings of godlike power from the reality-defying Far Realm.
A living portent can be a fragment of these beings
Classes
Player’s Handbook (2014)
libraries and universities, or promote the practical knowledge of craft and invention. Some deities hoard knowledge and keep its secrets to themselves. And some promise their followers that they will gain
tremendous power if they unlock the secrets of the multiverse. Followers of these gods study esoteric lore, collect old tomes, delve into the secret places of the earth, and learn all they can. Some gods
Knowledge Domain
Legacy
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Classes
Player’s Handbook (2014)
libraries and universities, or promote the practical knowledge of craft and invention. Some deities hoard knowledge and keep its secrets to themselves. And some promise their followers that they will gain
tremendous power if they unlock the secrets of the multiverse. Followers of these gods study esoteric lore, collect old tomes, delve into the secret places of the earth, and learn all they can. Some gods
classes
Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn
Unearth Secrets and Master the Mind
The Knowledge Domain values learning and understanding above all. Clerics who tap into this domain study esoteric lore, collect old tomes, delve into secret
draw on the power of the Knowledge Domain.
Gods of knowledge vary from masters of arcane magic to patrons of craft and invention. In Faerûn, Clerics of the Knowledge Domain worship deities of learning and ingenuity such as Oghma and Gond, among many others.
Backgrounds
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
fortunately, maintaining that deception might require you to stay in hiding until you actually are.
3
You study the puzzles of mortal natures. You’ve seen followers of evil deities perform
miracles for the helpless at Twin Songs, and you’ve seen patriars who worship good deities turn their backs on the poor daily. Bearing witness to such things, and meditating on their
Monsters
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
warrior devoted to a pantheon of elven deities called the Seldarine. In this role, she defended the Feywild against dragons, demons, and other threats. In time, her heroics caught the eye of an
, but not without casting a spell that made Isolde forget about Zybilna and her Feywild domain, thus preventing the eladrin from divulging the archfey’s secrets. As a further punishment, Zybilna
Classes
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
Magic is an energy that suffuses the multiverse and that fuels both destruction and creation. Gods of the Arcana domain know the secrets and potential of magic intimately. For some of these gods
of this domain are often associated with knowledge, as learning and arcane power tend to go hand-in-hand. In the Realms, deities of this domain include Azuth and Mystra, as well as Corellon Larethian
classes
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
Magic is an energy that suffuses the multiverse and that fuels both destruction and creation. Gods of the Arcana domain know the secrets and potential of magic intimately. For some of these gods
of this domain are often associated with knowledge, as learning and arcane power tend to go hand-in-hand. In the Realms, deities of this domain include Azuth and Mystra, as well as Corellon Larethian
Criminal / Spy
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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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
sold the secrets you uncovered to the highest bidder.
Suggested Characteristics
Criminals might seem like villains on the surface, and many of them are villainous to the core. But some have an
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
Bugbear
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
deities who are brothers, Hruggek and Grankhul. Hruggek is the fearsome elder sibling, possessed of legendary might and prowess in battle. Bugbears believe their strength and bravery come from him
spell). Sometimes the heads of people who have information the bugbears need speak their secrets amid blubbered pleas for mercy (as with the speak with dead spell).
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->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Sigil and the Outlands
Moradin’s Anvil Hammers ring out in Moradin’s Anvil, a dwarven mining city tucked under the icy mountains spireward of Glorium. The realm is divided among three dwarven deities: Dugmaren Brightmantle
, god of invention and discovery; Dumathoin, god of exploration and buried secrets; and Vergadain, god of luck and wealth. Impeccable smiths, the dwarves of Moradin’s Anvil produce some of the best
Yuan-ti Pureblood
Legacy
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
keen intellect and magic to discover the secrets of making steel. Its military shattered rival tribes and developed advanced tactics for fighting in forests and open plains.
The civilization grew into a
can more easily pronounce the name in this altered form. An adopted name of this sort is recognized as a variant of the birth name, rather than a unique name unto itself. A yuan-ti might refer to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur’s Gate Gazetteer
variant feature that ties the background to a group in Baldur’s Gate, provided to give characters an additional connection to the city. Characters may choose to replace the standard feature of their
background with one of these variant features. Each background also includes a bonus feature that marks a character as a native of Baldur’s Gate who’s familiar with the city — both its streets and its
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
variant feature that ties the background to a group in Baldur’s Gate, provided to give characters an additional connection to the city. Characters may choose to replace the standard feature of their
background with one of these variant features. Each background also includes a bonus feature that marks a character as a native of Baldur’s Gate who’s familiar with the city — both its streets and its
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
. Local Nobility. Mordent is governed by town mayors and local lords. Few nobles remain, and some have only decrepit manors left to their names. Old Faiths. People casually worship vague deities in
charlatans. Tradition and Shame. The people of Mordent follow traditions that prioritize hard work, self-sufficiency, and avoiding public embarrassment. Locals overlook blatant strangeness so not to shame their neighbors, and every family has secrets.
Backgrounds
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
always occur in shady venues.
Variant Criminal: Spy
Although your capabilities are not much different from those of a burglar or smuggler, you learned and practiced them in a very
different context: as an espionage agent. You might have been an officially sanctioned agent of the crown, or perhaps you sold the secrets you uncovered to the highest bidder.
Suggested
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual
themselves to dominance, often kidnapping people to learn their secrets or making dubious sacrifices to bizarre gods. To facilitate such plots, kuo-toa try to capture creatures alive using nets or strange
frequently serve depraved masterminds such as aboleths and krakens. Such kuo-toa believe these powerful creatures are avatars of kuo-toan deities or gods in their own right. Kuo-toa might temporarily ally
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
Loose Pantheons Most D&D worlds have a loose pantheon of gods. A multitude of deities rule the various aspects of existence, variously cooperating with and competing against one another to administer
nobly and in the cause of justice. People in most D&D worlds are polytheistic, honoring deities of their own and acknowledging pantheons of other cultures. Individuals pay homage to various gods
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things
Living Portent Living portents are embodiments of prophecy sent by deities or other cosmic forces. These Celestials descend to Material Plane worlds in the form of falling stars. When the living
world. Living portents seek out beings who will play a part in the prophecies they serve, and as the living portents search, they relate fragments of the prophecies to those they encounter. Variant
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
gods are worshiped by some clans and ignored by others. These deities include Dugmaren Brightmantle, the Gleam in the Eye; Dumathoin, the Keeper of Secrets under the Mountain; Gorm Gulthyn, the Golden
religion of the dwarves is at the root of the societal roles that dwarves follow. Where most other creatures view their deities as ultrapowerful beings who stand forever apart from their worshipers
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual
to spread radical beliefs. Some privately pursue esoteric secrets, while others form shadowy cabals seeking to bring about terrifying ends. Cultists often follow obscure mystical traditions or obsess
over interpretations of ancient prophecies. They might worship supernatural patrons—deities, otherworldly creatures, manipulative alien minds, or stranger forces. Roll on or choose a result from the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur’s Gate Gazetteer
puzzles of mortal natures. You’ve seen followers of evil deities perform miracles for the helpless at Twin Songs, and you’ve seen patriars who worship good deities turn their backs on the poor daily
remains of dead patriar families’ manors, or a collection of religious texts stuffed into an attic and forgotten when a believer’s patron deity died. In this solitary work, you’ve learned secrets no
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual
Kuo-toa Sanctuaries Kuo-toa typically organize their communities around sites they believe to be important to their deities. These might be structures or series of caverns, and most feature both air
-filled and submerged chambers. Important places within these sites suggest the rituals of kuo-toa faiths, the demands of kuo-toa deities, or the whims of omen-seeking archpriests. As with kuo-toa
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
You study the puzzles of mortal natures. You’ve seen followers of evil deities perform miracles for the helpless at Twin Songs, and you’ve seen patriars who worship good deities turn their backs on
, you’ve learned secrets no one else knows.
5 You killed a patriar’s scion in an illegal duel. The family swore revenge, and you fled to the slums rather than risk bringing their wrath down on your
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->Monster Manual (2014)
Sphinxes In sacred isolation, a sphinx guards the secrets and treasures of the gods. As it calmly regards each new party that comes before it, the bones of supplicants and quest seekers that failed
half. Divine Guardians. Sphinxes test the worth of those who seek the treasures of the gods, whether forgotten secrets or mighty spells, artifacts or magical gateways. Creatures that choose to face a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
Anubis or Nephthys need not be. Egyptian Deities Deity
Alignment
Suggested Domains
Symbol
Re-Horakhty, god of the sun, ruler of the gods LG Life, Light Solar disk encircled by serpent Anubis
flail Ptah, god of crafts, knowledge, and secrets LN Knowledge Bull Set, god of darkness and desert storms CE Death, Tempest, Trickery Coiled cobra Sobek, god of water and crocodiles LE Nature, Tempest Crocodile head with horns and plumes Thoth, god of knowledge and wisdom N Knowledge Ibis
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
Dwarven Deities The gods of the dwarves are a pantheon, or clan, collectively known as the Morndinsamman. Forge Father and Revered Mother Moradin, the Soulforger, leads the dwarven gods. Known as
of Craft Dumathoin, the Keeper of Secrets under the Mountain, is the patron of the shield dwarves, as well as the god of buried wealth, mining, gems, and exploration, and the guardian of the dead
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
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->Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn
fit in other settings. A royal heir trapped in Ravenloft is just another prisoner, and in the world of Eberron, deities don’t interfere in mortal affairs. But in the Forgotten Realms, characters with
illustrious histories or campaign-changing secrets are common. Keep an open mind when players suggest such characters for your campaign, and try to accommodate them. For players that create more down-to