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Returning 35 results for 'secrets of runes down victims'.
Monsters
Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica
tracking those who have stolen guild secrets, then wiping those secrets from their victims' minds to ensure that they are never shared.
Limited Sentience. A Nightveil specter is created when the mind magic
Monsters
Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica
secrets, then wiping those secrets from their victims’ minds to ensure that they are never shared.
Limited Sentience. A Nightveil specter is created when the mind magic of House Dimir erases a
Monsters
Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse
before returning to their masters with delicious secrets. Unlike illithids, which overwhelm their foes with psionic power, eaters of knowledge use their physical strength to hold prey while burly feeding
tentacles crack free their victims’ brains. Consuming brains fuels these brutes’ psionic power, making eaters of knowledge deadlier with each brain devoured.Psychic
Monsters
Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse
primal evil power before other yugoloths or that they come from an epoch before the current manifestation of the planes. Baernaloths refuse to say, but most obsess over secrets and obscene lore regarding
Hades, to turn friends against each other and then savor the horror that rises when their victims realize how they’ve betrayed one another. Baernaloths use their wicked power to keep mortally
Monsters
Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica
target’s general emotional state but not its thoughts.When vampires join House Dimir, they can learn to siphon mental energy and memories along with the blood of their victims. They also study
the so-called mind drinkers. His secrets are passed on only to other members of his guild, and mind drinkers who leave House Dimir become enemies of the guild — the only exceptions to a rule
Monsters
Mythic Odysseys of Theros
;s victims have dwindled, tales of the medusa queen and the divine secrets she hoards have not. Hythonia eagerly trades the mysteries she knows but demands a constant price: a beautiful individual to
","rollDamageType":"piercing"} piercing damage for every 5 feet it moves on those spikes.Theros’s reclusive medusas often delight in collecting and expanding their galleries of petrified victims
Monsters
Storm King's Thunder
), water (drowning), or air (throwing the victims off a great height). Sacrifices ensure the Forgotten God’s benevolence.
The Forgotten God enabled the yakfolk to enslave dao for a time. It is
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
(immolation), earth (live burial), water (drowning), or air (throwing the victims off a great height). Sacrifices ensure the Forgotten God’s benevolence.
The Forgotten God enabled the yakfolk to
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
Backgrounds
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
special joy in hitting its targets first, tipping off its con victims and otherwise frustrating its schemes.
3
It’s always been about money. You’re not paid what you’re worth
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->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
The Power of Secrets Wade Acuff Cults of Vecna everywhere are conducting rituals to siphon victims’
secrets, which will fuel the lich’s ritual to remake the multiverse Vecna uses stolen secrets to
power his ritual to remake the multiverse. When the characters stumble on the cult of Vecna, whose members are trying to extract secrets from a captive, they gain access to magic fueled by powerful
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk
their ritual gate. Together, these runes strengthened the gateway, allowing the fanatics to pass through with their pieces of the Netherese obelisks, as well as their victims kidnapped from Phandalin. The
flesh, hair, and blunt teeth called gnawbles (see “Gnawbles” in the “Far Realm Rifts Features” section). The runes are too faded to be effective, but the gnawbles formed from the runes’ residue can
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
Yuan-ti Pureblood
Legacy
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
cannibalizing their victims, and then performed a sorcerous ritual while writhing in pools filled with living snakes that enabled them to mix their flesh with that of serpents, becoming like the gods in
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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries
Lower Level B10-B13 B10. Ossuary This dark, dead-end chamber holds a mound of charred bones, desiccated body parts, and skulls scattered across a linen sheet. Strange red-black runes mark the sheet’s
edges, seemingly scribed in blood.
On Gaernoo’s instructions, Lord Viallis and the cultists have been gathering the remains of dozens of ritually slain victims in this area. A character who has
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Shadows of Sithicus
doors glow with a dark energy, which forms runes and letters across the surface. A whispered voice hisses in your minds: “His name echoes through the realm. His fury reverberates and duplicates his power
.” The individual runes glow brighter.
The Door Puzzle The doors are sealed and can’t be opened through normal means. To open the doors without taking damage and risking the lives of the innocent
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
Graveyard. Cult members have been kidnapping city residents who carry significant secrets, draining their knowledge and their souls in a fell ritual and passing the collected secrets to Vecna as he
gathers power for his Ritual of Remaking. (See the introduction for more information about Vecna’s plot.) In the process, the kidnap victims become creatures robbed of their knowledge and volition.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
Expertise d6 Investigation 1 Find People. You seek people who are lost, in hiding, on the run, or victims of foul play. 2 Find Items. Whether it’s a stolen painting or a family heirloom, you excel at
finding lost items. 3 Justice for All. The powerful often escape justice due to their wealth and influence. Their victims sometimes turn to you, hoping you’ll help set things right. 4 Help Law
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Astarion's Book of Hungers
, is Cazador’s second spawn.
Aurelia, once a tiefling, is Cazador’s first spawn. Her calm surface demeanor conceals countless secrets.
Dalyria, once an elf and physician general to the Parliament
tormenting her siblings and strives to please her master.
Yousen, who is Small, was once a gnome. He hunts victims for Cazador.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual
orchestrate plots that unfold across ages. These elusive, amphibious immortals physically and mentally overwhelm their victims and transform creatures with a slimy, aberrant infection, reshaping other
multiverse’s earliest eons. Their secrets are innumerable and unfathomable. Aboleths lurk in places awash in primordial mysteries: the ruins of aquatic empires, hidden magical nexuses, or weak places
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Astarion's Book of Hungers
vampire Cazador Szarr, a worshiper of the archdevil Mephistopheles. Each night, Astarion and Cazador’s other vampire spawn delivered victims their master would feed upon and kill. To cope with Szarr’s
: secrets he’s divulged herein.
For players and Dungeon Masters alike, Astarion’s Book of Hungers offers new character options and tools for those drawn to vampires, whether in Baldur’s Gate or
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things
, allowing all the victims of the avatar of death to truly die at last. This thesis, however, can be proven only by the final destruction of all the decks—a nigh impossible task since the decks manifest on
worlds throughout the infinite multiverse. The Grim Harrow seeks any information regarding decks, those who’ve had a deck, and those who know the decks’ secrets. These foul menaces are wary of agents of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
, then takes on the identities of its victims. 4 A changeling bard gathers incriminating information about members of the King’s Dark Lanterns, then blackmails them. 5 A Brelish changeling veteran of the
Last War was distrusted by fellow soldiers because of the shapechanger’s heritage. The veteran now exposes those soldiers’ darkest secrets to their friends, families, and employers. 6 A changeling
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
new victims. Angry ghosts continue to fight their final battles. The only thing that’s predictable about the Mournland is that nothing is predictable; any sort of monster or horror could be found
within its borders. And yet, it also holds the wealth and treasures of an entire nation, along with the secrets of House Cannith and everything else that was left behind. It’s dangerous. It’s mysterious
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->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
at a secret sanctuary in the Isles of Agony called Hope’s Heart. Here, she shelters other victims and creations of Viktra, showing them the esteem their creator denies them. Those in Elise’s care have
can’t re-create it and is obsessed with reclaiming it and rediscovering its secrets. Unbreakable Heart This heart-shaped, clockwork device installs itself, fastening into place if positioned where a
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->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
Viktra’s Tale From an early age, Viktra Mordenheim sought to understand the complexities of anatomy. She pursued medicine not to aid patients but to reveal the secrets of life. Eventually, her
, Viktra hastened her experiments. On the doctor’s operating table, victims were killed, returned to life, and died again as Viktra sought a breakthrough. When finally Elise passed away, Viktra refused
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Recovering Memories Knowing that secrets lurk within one’s own mind holds unique terror. When running adventurers featuring hidden memories, consider how those memories might be revealed. Magical
Recovery. Both the mind flayers of Bluetspur and the Mists surrounding the domain employ methods similar to the modify memory spell to obscure victims’ memories of their abduction, replacing them with
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual
occurred. Kuo-toa hate the civilizations of the surface and the Underdark, believing themselves to be victims of age-old slights and ongoing conspiracies. Kuo-toa undertake contrived plots to propel
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
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->Monster Manual
plague their victims, shape-shifting to pose as other creatures and make their targets believe the world has turned against them. By night, these hags reinforce their tortures with terrifying dreams. Once
they force their targets to desperate limits, night hags claim their victims’ tormented spirits, capturing them in sinister traps called soul bags. The hags then slip between planes of existence to