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Returning 35 results for 'setting of rarely down variant'.
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Monsters
Mythic Odysseys of Theros
, where they serve the vicious will of Tymaret the Murder King (see chapter 3).
Returned have escaped the Underworld and dwell among the living once more, but their second lives are rarely what they
. They think and speak and even feel emotions based on their new experiences, but given their circumstances, those emotions tend to be muted.
VARIANT: RETURNED KAKOMANTIS
Although the dead typically
Genasi
Legacy
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Species
Elemental Evil Player's Companion
the households of their genie parents.
Wild and Confident
Genasi rarely lack confidence, seeing themselves as equal to almost any challenge in their path. This certainty might manifest as graceful
accustomed to a variety of different people.
GENASI ON ATHAS
Although any world that includes one or more elemental planes can feature genasi, on Athas, the world of the Dark Sun campaign setting
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
abundance of endearing, if not redeeming, characteristics. There might be honor among thieves, but criminals rarely show any respect for law or authority.
d8
Personality Trait
1
I
Half-Elf
Legacy
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Species
Basic Rules (2014)
Flint squinted into the setting sun. He thought he saw the figure of a man striding up the path. Standing, Flint drew back into the shadow of a tall pine to see better. The man’s walk was
, wandering the wilds as trappers, foresters, hunters, or adventurers and visiting civilization only rarely. Like elves, they are driven by the wanderlust that comes of their longevity. Others, in
Bugbear
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
instead of killing them, he showed mercy and even honored them in a way by setting them free — under his control — so that bugbears could continue to employ their talents against his enemies
terrifying to them as bugbears are in the eyes of many other races. His name is rarely spoken, and never above a whisper. Skiggaret’s influence manifests at times when bugbears are forced to act
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
among thieves, but criminals rarely show any respect for law or authority.
d8
Personality Trait
1
I always have a plan for what to do when things go wrong.
2
I am always calm, no
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual
dragons, what they lack in ferocity they make up for in zeal and ingenuity. They are especially adept at creating traps and setting ambushes. Kobolds’ scales resemble those of chromatic dragons that live
near their warrens. Rarely, kobolds possess features evocative of metallic dragons or other dragon-like creatures.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
Difficult Terrain Combat rarely takes place in bare rooms or on featureless plains. Boulder-strewn caverns, briar-choked forests, treacherous staircases--the setting of a typical fight contains
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
Difficult Terrain Combat rarely takes place in bare rooms or on featureless plains. Boulder-strewn caverns, briar-choked forests, treacherous staircases — the setting of a typical fight contains
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
It’s Your World In creating your campaign world, it helps to start with the core assumptions and consider how your setting might change them. The subsequent sections of this chapter address each
champions of the first great empires, such as the empires of Netheril and Cormanthyr in the Forgotten Realms setting. The World Is Known. What if the world is completely charted and mapped, right down to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
Regarding Dragons Even with the suggested changes to the factions and locations, a key component of the Dragonlance setting is still missing: dragons! If you want to add a draconic influence to the
campaign, consider the following changes and additions. Draconic Influence In this variant, the Dragon Highlords are also interested in the power that the elemental nodes represent. They dispatch
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
Nine Hells (see chapter 6), where she is served by devils and enjoys the worship of mortals across the multiverse. In the Dragonlance setting, where she is known as Takhisis (ta-KEE-sis), she is the
greatest of the gods of evil. On many worlds, she is known as a god of greed, wealth, and vengeance. Chromatic dragons might fear, respect, envy, and appease Tiamat as a sovereign, but they don’t worship her. Their devotion to her rarely supersedes their devotion to their own goals.
classes
Basic Rules (2014)
—knowledge of the people who constructed the monument and the mythic saga it depicts.
A stern human warrior bangs his sword rhythmically against his scale mail, setting the tempo for his war chant
set bards apart from their fellows.
Only rarely do bards settle in one place for long, and their natural desire to travel—to find new tales to tell, new skills to learn, and new discoveries
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
Creating a Shadow Dragon Use the Shadow Dragon Personality Traits and Shadow Dragon Ideals tables to inspire your portrayal of distinctive shadow dragon characters. If you use the variant rule in the
endless consumption, always looking for the next thing to possess or devour.
2 I am rarely satisfied with what I have. I envy others’ lives and belongings.
3 I’m constantly calculating my
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
Domain Details To reinforce the types of horror your adventures explore and give domains their own malicious personalities, consider these setting elements. Sylvain Sarrailh Those who enter the
create a unique adventure. Twisted Tropes. Wildly deviating from tropes can create unique locations, but doing so requires more explanation to help players understand the setting. Consider instead
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
closely tied to the distant land of Xen’drik. The following optional rules are a way to explore this aspect of the setting. Optional Rule: Common Languages
Common is the language of the Five Nations
regions or cultures. The DM may change the languages assigned to a monster or NPC to reflect this.
Giant is the common tongue of Xen’drik. It is rarely encountered on Khorvaire. Monsters in Khorvaire
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
Government A settlement rarely stands alone. A given town or city might be a theocratic city-state or a prosperous free city governed by a merchant council. More likely, it’s part of a feudal kingdom, a
ruler could be immortal or undead. Aundair and Karrnath, two kingdoms in the Eberron campaign setting, have autocrats with royal blood in their veins. Whereas Queen Aurala of Aundair relies on wizards
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
of Borcan high society, each family is expected to host at least two formal balls, banquets, or other extravagances annually. These events provide the setting for intrigues, politics, business
rarely overlap—that is, until suitably intriguing characters arrive.
Ivana and Ivan are opposite sides of the same tarnished coin. Ivana fought for all she has and now loathes it; Ivan was given
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
portfolio and is responsible for advancing that portfolio. In the Greyhawk setting, Heironeous is a god of valor who calls clerics and paladins to his service and encourages them to spread the ideals
, regardless of alignment. In the Forgotten Realms, a person might propitiate Umberlee before setting out to sea, join a communal feast to celebrate Chauntea at harvest time, and pray to Malar before going
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
hail from another D&D setting, a place of your own design, or a more mysterious homeland?
If you decide your character calls some corner of Ravenloft home, ask your DM which domains they could
, collaborate with the DM to determine how you came to the Land of the Mists. As they’re familiar with true terrors, inhabitants of the Domains of Dread rarely mistake characters from even the most outlandish worlds for actual monsters.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
rarely warrants such a blessing, but slaying the high priest of Tiamat as he attempts to summon the Dragon Queen might. A blessing is an appropriate reward for one of the following accomplishments
a perilous quest. For example, a paladin could receive one before setting out on a quest to slay a terrifying lich that is responsible for a magical plague sweeping the land. A character should
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
their secluded villages, and are also quite happy living in the communities of other races, working as farmers, innkeepers, cobblers and bakers.
In the Dragonlance setting, kender are the
grasslands or hills. They are lightly covered with hair over most of their bodies, especially on the backs of their hands and the tops of their feet, and they rarely wear shoes. The three subraces are the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
swamps. Citizens who were away from home were left stranded. Those survivors and their descendants assimilated into the other cities, bringing Manivarsha’s traditions of gem-cutting and jewel-setting
Ashwadhatu rarely engage in major conflicts—living in a land that constantly changes with the caprices of the riverines is precarious enough. The shadow of the lost city of Manivarsha hangs over the remaining
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
unlike devils, they are rarely true to their word. Yugoloths can be found anywhere, but the high cost of maintaining a yugoloth army’s loyalty typically exceeds what any warlord on the Material Plane
fiend finds the General unless the General desires it. His personal name is unknown, and even the Books of Keeping contain no mention of this powerful, thoroughly evil entity. VARIANT: YUGOLOTH
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
, characteristics. There might be honor among thieves, but criminals rarely show any respect for law or authority. d8 Personality Trait 1 I always have a plan for what to do when things go wrong. 2 I am always
prison for a crime that I committed. I’m okay with that. Variant Criminal: Spy Although your capabilities are not much different from those of a burglar or smuggler, you learned and practiced them in a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
, characteristics. There might be honor among thieves, but criminals rarely show any respect for law or authority. d8 Personality Trait 1 I always have a plan for what to do when things go wrong. 2 I am always
prison for a crime that I committed. I’m okay with that. Variant Criminal: Spy Although your capabilities are not much different from those of a burglar or smuggler, you learned and practiced them in a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
together—a tried and true trope! Setting the Stage Session zero is a great time to share basic information about the campaign with your players. Such information typically includes the following
the variant rules presented in this or any other book, let your players know about them. Remember, you’ll always know more about your campaign world than the players do. Having spent all their lives in
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
nearby stone surfaces
18 Manifests small signs of the breath weapon, such as exhaling smoke rings, setting arc lightning dancing over teeth, or blowing acid bubbles
19 Sighs restlessly, giving
proficiencies, particularly if the dragon spends time in Humanoid form. Spells. The Monster Manual’s variant rule about making dragons innate spellcasters is an easy way to add variety to dragons
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
black dragon’s intelligent followers tend to worship draconic majesty and typically include kobolds, troglodytes, lizard folk, and (more rarely) yuan-ti. Black Dragon Wyrmling Connections d6
types of blights to spread prodigiously and upset nature’s balance.
4 A black dragon wyrmling is setting cunning traps along local roadways, hoping to injure horses and draft animals for easy
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
return with the spoils of war. The githyanki sky ships attack from above in the dead of night, gaining an instant advantage since communities on the surface rarely offer strong defenses against
mobile tactics combining psionics and magic to devastate their foes. They hit hard, setting buildings aflame and killing all in their path, to foster a panic among their victims that cripples any hope
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
patience of his duergar followers is wearing thin, and he loses nothing by setting the adventurers loose against the planetar. In exchange, Valtagar guarantees safe passage through his domain whenever
. Fazrian rarely leaves its throne hall and keeps the cleric’s headless corpse as a memento. Fazrian takes advice from four yugoloths. These fiends arrived shortly after Fazrian’s madness took hold. Aximus
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
. Dwarves use a variety of approaches and devices in setting their defenses. The strongholds of many clans are honeycombed with secret passages designed to enable the dwarves to ambush and flank enemies
other races that guard their territory by creating features that actively deter invaders, dwarves rarely use arrow traps, pit traps, and other such measures that could cause harm to clan members. They
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
mages sometimes imbue items with magic to enhance their effectiveness. However, such magic fades when exposed to sunlight, so that magical drow weapons and armor rarely retain their enhancement bonuses
and magical properties when brought to the surface. VARIANT: DROW MAGIC ARMOR AND WEAPONS
Drow often wear magic armor and carry magic weapons that lose their enhancement bonuses permanently if they
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
creatures that rarely have a fixed shape. They are mostly subterranean, dwelling in caves and dungeons and feeding on refuse, carrion, or creatures unlucky enough to get in their way. Black puddings and
to make it into something more useful for you, perhaps by borrowing a trait or two from a different monster or by using a variant or template, such as the ones in this book. Keep in mind that modifying
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Returned Returned have escaped the Underworld and dwell among the living once more, but their second lives are rarely what they expected—not that they remember what it was they expected. As a result
attacks.
Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) poison damage.
VARIANT: RETURNED KAKOMANTIS
Although the dead typically