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Returning 35 results for 'setting of rites driven variant'.
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Monsters
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
have no personalities or memories; they’re driven only by the desire to commit evil. The amnizus that patrol here drill the rules of the Nine Hells into the new arrivals’ minds and marshal
them into legions.
Amnizu (Summoner Variant);Variant: Devil Summoning
Some amnizus have an action that allows them to summon other devils:
Summon Devil (1/Day). The amnizu summons 2d4
Acolyte
Legacy
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Backgrounds
Basic Rules (2014)
, from the Forgotten Realms setting. Were you a lesser functionary in a temple, raised from childhood to assist the priests in the sacred rites? Or were you a high priest who suddenly experienced a call
You have spent your life in the service of a temple to a specific god or pantheon of gods. You act as an intermediary between the realm of the holy and the mortal world, performing sacred rites and
Monsters
Eberron: Rising from the Last War
Lady Illmarrow is no folk tale. She is the greatest necromancer in Eberron, and after centuries of silence, she is setting ancient plots into motion at last. She is the power behind the Order of the
island domain.
Long ago, it was revealed that the elven line of Vol — a house that practiced the art of necromancy and bore the Dragonmark of Death — was engaged in secret blood rites
Backgrounds
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
between the realm of the holy and the mortal world, performing sacred rites and offering sacrifices in order to conduct worshipers into the presence of the divine. You are not necessarily a cleric&mdash
;performing sacred rites is not the same thing as channeling divine power.
Choose a god, a pantheon of gods, or some other quasi-divine being, and work with your DM to detail the nature of your
Backgrounds
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
Guild took over your family business, ran it into the ground, and burned the building for insurance money. You were driven into crime yourself, but you’ll never work for the Guild. You take
; but what you learn you pass on to the Guild.
4
The inequality of Baldur’s Gate has driven you to take matters into your own hands. You steal from patriars and rich Lower City residents
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
Genasi
Legacy
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Species
Elemental Evil Player's Companion
, seeing them as accidents. Many feel nothing for their genasi children at all.
Some genasi live as outcasts, driven into exile for their unsettling appearance and strange magic, or assuming leadership
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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon of Icespire Peak
Centaur of Attention After being driven from his home in Neverwinter Wood by marauding orcs, Xanth the centaur has taken refuge in the hills around the barrow. When he spots the characters, Xanth
overrun with orcs in league with half-orc spellcasters. Deep in the forest, atop a cave-riddled hill, is a circle of standing stones where the evil half-orcs perform their dark rites.” Xanth avoids
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
Greyhawk Many long-time D&D players regard Oerth, the world of the Greyhawk campaign setting, as the natural and proper home for the Elemental Evil campaign. The Temple of Elemental Evil, the classic
as the elemental prophets, the cults’ use of devastation orbs, and the search for the missing delegation make this a much more far-reaching and event-driven adventure than the original site-based campaign.
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->Princes of the Apocalypse
planes — and they lost. The gods were slain or driven into exile, leaving Athas under the dominion of elemental beings who took little interest in the affairs of mortals. In the grim age that
only the strongest survive. One of the hallmarks of the Dark Sun setting is that the heroes don’t need to seek out forgotten dungeons to find adventure — mere survival is adventure enough. But there is no reason you can’t successfully adapt Princes of the Apocalypse to your Dark Sun campaign.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
Setting Sail In Waterdeep, the characters are outfitted with cold weather gear, including snowshoes suitable for traversing deep drifts, and have passage north arranged on a ship specially built for
. Frostskimmr is a light longship with a shallow draft, driven by a single sail or by oars when necessary. The combination of wind and oar power is needed for picking a course through close-packed ice
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
made for him (the Sword of Kas, described in chapter 7) by his liege. But the evil sword convinced Kas to betray Vecna, and now Kas is driven primarily by his hatred for his former lord. Keraptis
According to legend, Keraptis (kuh-RAP-tiss) was an evil archmage who long ago seized power as a petty tyrant somewhere in the northern mountains of the Greyhawk setting. When his demands on the local
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat
Setting Sail In Waterdeep, the characters are outfitted with cold weather gear, including snowshoes suitable for traversing deep drifts, and have passage north arranged on a ship specially built for
. Frostskimmr is a light longship with a shallow draft, driven by a single sail or by oars when necessary. The combination of wind and oar power is needed for picking a course through close-packed ice
Yuan-ti Pureblood
Legacy
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
rather than among other creatures, including my own kind.
4
I sometimes become consumed by philosophy.
5
I believe I am superior to others of my caste.
6
I am driven by wanderlust
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->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->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
If It Exists In D&D, There’s A Place for It in Eberron … But It May Not Be the Place You’re Used To. Eberron draws on the core elements of D&D. It’s a world of wizards and rogues, a setting with
driven by Gruumsh’s fury, and the gnolls aren’t tied to Yeenoghu. The exceptions to this rule are creatures whose identities are shaped by magic. Fiends and celestials embody pure ideals of good and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica
Dungeons & Dragons campaign to explore. A vast, sprawling city that covers the whole of the known world, Ravnica teems with intrigue and adventure, driven by the conflicts among the ten powerful guilds that
rule the city. Ravnica originally appeared as a setting for the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. It has been the subject of eight card sets: 2005–6’s Ravnica: City of Guilds, Guildpact, and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
Bone Devil (Osyluth) Driven by hate, lust, and envy, bone devils act as the cruel taskmasters of the Nine Hells. They set weaker devils to work, taking special delight in seeing fiends that defy
in combat with their claws, bone devils also wield hooked polearms made of bone, which they use to subdue enemies before striking with their venomous tails. VARIANT: BONE DEVIL POLEARM
Some bone
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants
and Rites. Thanks to his prolonged absence from mortal giants’ affairs, Annam has few priests. On some worlds, he has no priests and his name is all but forgotten. On other worlds, a priest of Annam
they recognize is “might makes right.” Priests and Rites. Grolantor’s priests often boast of having experienced a personal interaction with their god—a dream, waking vision, or even an encounter with
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
with demonic fury, rushing into battle seeking vengeance against those who bound their fiendish masters. Rakshasas are described in the Monster Manual. A martial variant—the zakya rakshasa—is
presented here. Zakya Rakshasa Zakya rakshasas are the bloodthirsty foot soldiers of the rakshasa horde. They are driven to free their fiendish rulers, seeking vengeance against the dragons and those who
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
Setting the Tone A Morgrave campaign is a coming of age story in a fantasy world. In between delving into ruins and uncovering demonic schemes, the player characters need to decide what to do with
campaign isn’t driven by material wealth. Even when you go on expeditions, the University will lay claim to most of the treasures you find. Instead, the rewards of Morgrave adventures are measured in
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
peevishness brings the worst of the sun god’s qualities into focus. As a campaign villain, Heliod is most likely driven by his desire to assert his rulership over the other gods of the pantheon and his
kingship over everything: Nyx, the mortal world, and the Underworld. He might begin, through his agents, by enacting laws that make participation in Heliod’s rites mandatory for the citizens of a polis
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
Dis and Stygia. They collect the souls arriving in the form of lemures (see the Monster Manual). Lemures have no personalities or memories; they’re driven only by the desire to commit evil. The
amnizus that patrol here drill the rules of the Nine Hells into the new arrivals’ minds and marshal them into legions. Variant: Devil Summoning Some amnizus have an action that allows them to summon other
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
blighted banks, where it flows through Dis and Stygia. Souls arriving in the form of lemures have no personalities or memories; they’re driven only by the desire to commit evil. The amnizus that patrol
here drill the rules of the Nine Hells into the new arrivals’ pitiful brains and marshal the lemures into legions. VARIANT: DEVIL SUMMONING
Some amnizus have an action that allows them to summon
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things
imperfect things (by definition) don’t last forever. The only true perfection is the Void, and the only future is the Void. Feeding the All-Consuming Star. The rites of the Heralds of the Comet, including
Things is key to the destruction of the multiverse. Performing a reading with this Deck of Many Things won’t simply reveal the future; it will determine the future, setting a date for the arrival of the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
tables that can help you establish the important elements of a dungeon, wilderness area, or urban setting. 4. Find the Ideal Introduction An adventure can begin with a social interaction encounter in which
goals and setting of the adventure. Let the entries in the Adventure Introduction table inspire you. Adventure Introduction d12 Introduction 1 While traveling in the wilderness, the characters
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated
practice activity (introduced later in this section), and quickly sketches out a few ideas for the task. Opening Scene The DM describes the beginning of the task activity, setting the stage for the NPCs
the characters will eventually meet, setting up a future plot twist. DOWNTIME ACTIVITIES
This section introduces the following new downtime activities, all of which can be used as franchise tasks in
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
days equal to his or her current renown multiplied by 10, the character’s renown increases by 1. Performing Sacred Rites A pious character can spend time between adventures performing sacred rites in
a temple affiliated with a god he or she reveres. Between rites, the character spends time in meditation and prayer. A character who is a priest in the temple can lead these rites, which might
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
driven 10 feet underwater and restrained there. The creature can use its action to make a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check, ending the restrained condition on a success. Aboleth Whispers Whenever the
characters explore a new area, roll a d6. On a roll of 1, choose one character to receive an image of the setting features (but not creatures) in area P4, area P5, or area P6. The aboleth living in the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd
went on to inspire the creation of a campaign setting of the same name in 1990: Ravenloft, home of the Domains of Dread.
Module I6: Ravenloft, written by Tracy and Laura Hickman, broke new ground by
presenting a D&D adventure that was as much story-driven as location-based, featuring a villain who was complex and terrifying. Castle Ravenloft, with its amazing three-dimensional maps, remains to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
Motives. Not every conflict is a fight between light and darkness. In Eberron, the vast majority of people are driven by simple motives: Greed. Fear. Pride. Ambition. One person just wants to get some
gold in their pocket. Another wants to impress their paramour. A leader forcing the Five Nations into war is driven both by fear of their neighbors and the sincere belief that Khorvaire would be
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
grand scale. Other holy days are important only to people particularly devoted to a single deity. Still others are observed by priests, who perform private rites and sacrifices inside their temples on
provide excuses for local celebrations. Fantastic Events Since your setting is a fantasy world and not a mundane medieval society, add in a few events of an obviously magical nature. For example
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
Satyr Satyrs are raucous fey that frolic in wild forests, driven by curiosity and hedonism in equal measure. Satyrs resemble stout male humans with the furry lower bodies and cloven hooves of goats
might have to scrounge for excuses to explain their disordered state to parents, employers, family, or friends. VARIANT: SATYR PIPES
A satyr might carry panpipes that it can play to create magical
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