Search Results
All Results
Characters
Compendium
Spells
Items
Monsters
Vehicles
Forums
Returning 35 results for 'secrets of runes descent variants'.
Other Suggestions:
secrets of rules descend variant
secrets of rules deceit variants
secrets of rites deceit variants
secrets of rules desert variants
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
Handbook, although some variations are possible; see the “Half-Elf Variants” sidebar. HALF-ELF VARIANTS
Some half-elves in Faerûn have a racial trait in place of the Skill Versatility trait. If your DM
allows it, your half-elf character can forgo Skill Versatility and instead take a trait based on your elf parentage:
A half-elf of wood elf descent can choose the wood elf’s Elf Weapon Training
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->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
Traveler, and Touched by the Far Realm: A Wizard’s Lamentable Descent into Lunacy. Tucked among these mundane tomes is Melissara’s spellbook, which bears the (right side up) Shadowdusk family crest on the
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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
About the Adventure Designed for an adventuring party of four to six 1st-level characters, Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure that begins in the city of Baldur’s
Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual. Use the first session of the game to help your players create their 1st-level characters. As part of this process, the players can choose their party’s dark secret (see "Dark Secrets").
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->Baldur’s Gate Gazetteer
Dark Secrets During character creation, once players have developed their own characters, they should collectively choose a dark secret shared by the entire party. Every member of the party is
blackmail the characters or push them toward a course of action. For more information on the NPCs in this table, see chapter 1 of Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus. Who Knows? d8 NPC 1 Captain
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
intellects to stalk through the Mists. A wandering scholar, Firan Zal’honan is quick to claim his descent from a noble pedigree. In another life, he claims, he could have ruled as a wizard-king. But his
seeks assistance traversing them. His most noteworthy partner is the Vistani leader Madame Eva, who secretly allows him to barter strange secrets for her agents’ guidance through the Mists. Firan is an
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss
Chapter 10: Descent into the Depths Having survived Mantol-Derith and obtained Ghazrim DuLoc’s ring, the adventurers and their allies continue on into the Underdark. This time, rather than escaped
its secrets. The events described in chapters 13 through 16 can be interspersed among the material in this part of the adventure, as the characters work to fully understand the new menaces that have
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->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->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->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->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
”). Each apparition takes a harmless swing at any creatures that pass through the area before sinking back into the fog. 9c. Unpleasant Descent This 10-foot-high passage slopes down gently as it runs
higher to pass through this gate (see “Jhesiyra 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 34a on level 6, in the closest unoccupied space next to the identical gate located there.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh
broke in half during its descent, its bow section gone missing but its stern plunged backward into the seafloor like a spike.
The sandy bed around the wreckage is scattered with partially buried
to be inscribed with ancient runes. A character who succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check deduces that the slab is the product of magic. A subsequent successful DC 16 Intelligence
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->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
, after which Halaster will seize power as the city’s Shadow Lord. The Shadowdusk family motto used to be “No secrets without truth.” After the family’s fall, its motto changed to “We do not fear the
darkness.” The family’s crest is a lit torch with three embers rising from the flame, set against a purple background. In the wake of the family’s descent into Undermountain and madness, this crest has
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation
obvious risks, Orvex looks forward to exploring more of the city and unlocking its secrets. If he’s still with the characters when they retrieve all nine puzzle cubes, he jumps at the chance to accompany them on their descent into the Tomb of the Nine Gods.
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->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
and Darkness is an invisible presence around it, her voice thundering from the Night Diamond or whispering secrets directly in the ears of her courtiers, and sometimes both at once. The Prince of Frost
collects warlocks like one might collect butterflies. His favorite collection, the Troil Thirteen, includes warlocks of blood descent from the thirteen who first made a pact with Asmodeus. Malkizid is a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Sigil and the Outlands
accompany fools on their descent for cheap. Monsters and unusual pests plague Undersigil and its inhabitants. Screams of terror echo in its deserted halls, muffled by the leathery wings of vargouilles
, cling to life in the darkness, searching the underground for secrets that could lead to their ascension. Undersigil Encounters d6 Encounter 1 A vargouille reflection (see Morte’s Planar Parade
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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
runes. The doors have neither handles nor hinges. The writing on them reads, “THE THREE KEYS. BRING THEM FORTH.” The doors part, sliding back into the walls, when the three correct keys are brought
side of the hammer that was facing the wall is the following inscription in Dwarvish runes: “Let hearts be lifted and battles won.” The hammer must be removed from its indentation for the inscription
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants
treasures, and the secrets of the earth. It is said he gave Surtur the secret of smelting, showed Thrym how to carve magic runes on weapons, and crafted spears for Hiatea so she could complete her tasks of
her father of her clever deeds rather than her feats of strength: she solved a sphinx’s riddles, plumbed the secrets of the ocean, and stole a string of pearls from a god of the kuo-toa. Through these
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
: Escape Tunnel This tunnel stretches one hundred feet before ending at a flat wall.
The secret door in the wall is obvious: emblazoned on the masonry is a wide circle of dimly glowing runes. A character
who examines the secret door immediately realizes they can trace the runes to cause that circular section of wall to disappear, revealing the remainder of the tunnel on the other side. The wall re
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
warrior researches ways to assert his will over the artifact known as the Hand of Vecna, so he can use its secrets to free the evil dragon queen Tiamat from the Nine Hells. Arkhan has traveled to a nearby
shell is carved with Draconic runes that spell out prayers to Tiamat, is joined by four ghouls that serve as his assistants. The ghouls gnaw on bones and eye the characters hungrily as Krull negotiates
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants
Encounters
Cloud Giant Encounters Cloud giants and related creatures thrive where there is fantastic wealth to be earned, plundered, or swindled; where there are secrets to be uncovered; and where
diplomacy or guile can carry the day. Cloud Giant Encounters d12† Encounter
1 1 cloud giant seeking to learn the secrets of 1 spectral cloud* (attitude for both: 1d8)
2 1 cloud giant
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Nest of the Eldritch Eye
catacombs several months ago, whispering about strange rituals and secrets. Delvin. Chanelle saw a man matching Delvin’s description flee through the rotunda from deeper within the catacombs, pursued by
the symbol of Vecna, a powerful lich and god of secrets known and feared on many worlds. Any loud noises here awaken the cultists in area N13, who investigate at once. N13: Cultist Quarters If the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
dictates that he cannot draw first blood. Thus, he tries to goad characters into wounding him first. S5. Shrine of Mind and Spirit An eight-foot-tall stone inscribed with runes stands in the middle of
). GRIFFON TAMING
Goliaths of the Akannathi clan can learn to raise and tame griffons using secrets passed down through the generations. The clan’s griffon trainer, Rahi, shares these secrets with clan
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
of her wizards, the destruction of her kingdom, and her failure at attaining godhood all contributed to her descent into an unquenchable sorrow. At the same time, the energy of the corrupted ritual was
individuals are adventurers who know of the Raven Queen’s terrifying power yet nevertheless travel to the Shadowfell to undergo her trial, letting the secrets of their souls be unfolded and revealed. The
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Keys from the Golden Vault
secrets of longevity, but difficult to decipher.” This oversized tome is full of esoteric, archaic text that would require extensive research to decipher. A character who spends 12 weeks studying it
and succeeds on a DC 22 Intelligence (Arcana) check finds a page that serves as a spell scroll of sequester. (The thesis is worth 500 gp.) Each item is protected by two separate abjuration runes that
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated
player until each character has an NPC. (If your group has more than seven players, you’ll need to come up with additional NPCs and secrets.) Describe the NPCs and their relationships to all the
characters have a different plan, they can execute it now. The party can contact Flabbergast to have him perform the ritual at any time. Secrets. No secrets specifically activate at this time. However
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries
stairs has the word “HAVEN” and a crude picture of a quill scratched into it, left by Machil before he made his descent. A narrow spiral staircase descends fifty feet from the ruins on the surface. A
anything short of a wish spell. Opening the door requires fitting the three key runes carried by the haven’s stone golems (see below) into the three indentations on the door. Any character who has