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Returning 35 results for 'setting of rules direct variant'.
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Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
Variant Rules A shared campaign might use some variant rules to handle certain aspects of the game. The Adventurers League, for instance, has variant systems for gaining levels and acquiring treasure
. These “house rules,” presented below, serve as a sort of common language, ensuring that the rewards all characters receive are equivalent no matter what kind of adventure a character experienced.
Magic Items
Dungeon Master’s Guide
Long ago, in the Dragonlance setting, elves and humans waged a terrible war against chromatic dragons. When the world seemed doomed, the wizards of the Towers of High Sorcery came together and forged
action to cause the orb to issue a telepathic call that extends in all directions for 40 miles. Chromatic dragons in range feel compelled to come to the orb as soon as possible by the most direct
Monsters
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
Amphibious. The grung can breathe air and water.
Poisonous Skin. Any creature that grapples the grung or otherwise comes into direct contact with the grung’s skin must succeed on a DC 12
Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 minute. A poisoned creature no longer in direct contact with the grung can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on
Monsters
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
Amphibious. The grung can breathe air and water.
Poisonous Skin. Any creature that grapples the grung or otherwise comes into direct contact with the grung’s skin must succeed on a DC 12
Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 minute. A poisoned creature no longer in direct contact with the grung can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on
Monsters
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
Amphibious. The grung can breathe air and water.
Poisonous Skin. Any creature that grapples the grung or otherwise comes into direct contact with the grung’s skin must succeed on a DC 12
Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 minute. A poisoned creature no longer in direct contact with the grung can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on
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
Monsters
Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1
that wrap around existing passages and chambers. They use these hiding spots to watch the comings and goings of monsters and adventurers, setting traps to vex and annoy whenever possible. A trip wire
threatened with direct violence, content to otherwise take joy in watching mundane or simple tasks become frustrating, painful experiences.
Fey Influence. When mites are about, creatures become
Variant Human
Legacy
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Species
Basic Rules (2014)
If your campaign uses the optional feat rules from the Player’s Handbook, your Dungeon Master might allow these variant traits, all of which replace the human’s Ability Score Increase trait.
Monsters
Monstrous Compendium Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures
fae kindguards are in direct service to Talion, the Kindly Lord. Nine times nine have these high fae sworn a binding oath to protect the Kindly Lord, each time pricking their hand on a hawthorn
operate under inviolable rules of their own: gifts must always be repaid, promises must be honored, and outright lies must never be spoken (though misdirection and riddles are always welcome). To
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
explicitly include dragon turtles in the variant rules for making a dragon a spellcaster, you can apply those rules to these aquatic dragons.)
Dragon Turtle Personality Traits
d8
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
characters, and use the Dragon Turtle Spellcasting table to help select spells for a spellcasting dragon. (Though the Monster Manual doesn’t explicitly include dragon turtles in the variant rules for
making a dragon a spellcaster, you can apply those rules to these aquatic dragons.)
Dragon Turtle Personality Traits
d8;{"diceNotation":"1d8","rollType":"roll","rollAction":"Trait"}
Trait
Species
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
Planes, each genasi can tap into the power of one of the elements. Air, earth, fire, and water—these are the four pillars of the Material Plane and the four types of genasi. Some genasi are direct
At 1st level, you choose whether your character is a member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical race, follow these additional rules during character creation
Species
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
the power of one of the elements. Air, earth, fire, and water—these are the four pillars of the Material Plane and the four types of genasi. Some genasi are direct descendants of a genie, while
whether your character is a member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical race, follow these additional rules during character creation.
Ability Score Increases
When
Criminal / Spy
Legacy
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Backgrounds
Basic Rules (2014)
than most people to the world of murder, theft, and violence that pervades the underbelly of civilization, and you have survived up to this point by flouting the rules and regulations of society
; 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
Backgrounds
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
easily pick out the dens of criminal activity in a community, although you’re more likely to be welcome in the former locations rather than the latter.
Variant: Investigator
Rarer
hell hound without flinching.
6
I enjoy being strong and like breaking things.
7
I have a crude sense of humor.
8
I face problems head-on. A simple, direct solution is the best path to
Deep Dragon Wyrmling
Legacy
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Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
other dragons, but we are superior beings and should not lower ourselves to direct conflict.
4
I have no interest in going to the surface world. It’s where one sends one’s servants
it to the surface world. Lost and confused, the wyrmling has been captured by a group of cruel adventurers.
3
A deep dragon wyrmling whimsically rules over a worshipful group of kobolds, sending
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
table to help select spells for a spellcasting dragon. (Though the Monster Manual doesn’t explicitly include dragon turtles in the variant rules for making a dragon a spellcaster, you can apply
those rules to these aquatic dragons.)
Dragon Turtle Personality Traits
d8;{"diceNotation":"1d8","rollType":"roll","rollAction":"Trait"}
Trait
1
I speak slowly and deliberately
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
section offers three variant dragonborn race options that can be used to create a character with clear connections to a specific draconic ancestry. When you’re making a new character using one of these races, use the rules under “Creating Your Character” to fill out the details.
dragonborn race in the Player’s Handbook is the most direct way to reflect a character with dragons somewhere far back in their ancestry. But for players who want to try a more nuanced approach, this
Species
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
power of one of the elements. Air, earth, fire, and water—these are the four pillars of the Material Plane and the four types of genasi. Some genasi are direct descendants of a genie, while others
your character is a member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical race, follow these additional rules during character creation.
Ability Score Increases
When
Species
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
the power of one of the elements. Air, earth, fire, and water—these are the four pillars of the Material Plane and the four types of genasi. Some genasi are direct descendants of a genie, while
whether your character is a member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical race, follow these additional rules during character creation.
Ability Score Increases
When
Backgrounds
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
underbelly of civilization, and you have survived up to this point by flouting the rules and regulations of society.
Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Stealth
Tool Proficiencies: One
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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
Rewards Adventures in a shared campaign that uses variant rules for gaining levels and acquiring treasure (such as those described below) don’t include experience point awards or specific amounts and kinds of treasure.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
Creating a Dragonmarked Character Dragonmarks manifest on certain members of a few species, represented in the rules by variant race options: For humans and half-orcs, a dragonmark is a variant race
that replaces traits associated with those races. For half-elves, a dragonmark is a variant race that lets you keep some half-elf traits and replace others with the traits associated with your mark
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
HUMAN TRAITS
If your campaign uses the optional feat rules from chapter 6, your Dungeon Master might allow these variant traits, all of which replace the human’s Ability Score Increase trait
with, including obscure dialects. They are fond of sprinkling their speech with words borrowed from other tongues: Orc curses, Elvish musical expressions, Dwarvish military phrases, and so on. VARIANT
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
player do it), and the game continues. Sometimes mediating the rules means setting limits. If a player tells you, “I want to run up and attack the orc,” but the character doesn’t have enough movement
how. That chapter also contains optional rules for unusual situations or play styles, such as the use of firearms in a fantasy setting.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Astarion's Book of Hungers
Chapter 1
Vampiric Character Options CYNTHIA SHEPPARD Revelers at this decadent ball in Baldur’s Gate don’t realize that vampires are in their midst and on the prowl This chapter includes rules to
flesh out characters who have ties to the vampiric underworld, whether in Baldur’s Gate or another setting of your choosing.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
Tying Knots The rules are purposely open-ended concerning mundane tasks like tying knots, but sometimes knowing how well a knot was fashioned is important in a dramatic scene when someone is trying
Sleight of Hand with Intelligence, rather than Dexterity. This is an example of how to apply the rule in the “Variant: Skills with Different Abilities” section in chapter 7 of the Player’s Handbook.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
way that will make the game fun for everyone. Referee. When it’s not clear what ought to happen next, the DM decides how to apply the rules. Storyteller. The DM crafts adventures, setting situations in
session and for creating situations that facilitate fun. Improviser. A big part of being the DM is deciding how to apply the rules as you go and imagining the consequences of the characters’ actions in a
Yuan-ti Pureblood
Legacy
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
yuan-ti know they can’t resort to direct attacks in order to reclaim their rightful place in the world. Operating out of the subterranean ruins of their buildings in foreign lands, yuan-ti
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->Spelljammer Academy
Running the Encounter Use the following guidance for running and resolving the encounter between the characters’ hammerhead and the githyanki ship. The Battle Begins Using the side initiative variant
rules from chapter 9 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, the players roll a d20 for their initiative as a group, and you roll a d20 for the githyanki aboard the enemy ship. Neither roll takes any
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Horror Toolkit Setting the stage for horror isn’t entirely a product of good storytelling. As highlighted throughout this book, any rule might take on a terrifying cast, whether you present it as
having some grim source or you customize it with ominous new options. This section goes a step further, providing options to make existing rules more terrifying and presenting systems that encourage unique horror experiences.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
Rest Variants The rules for short and long rests presented in chapter 8 of the Player’s Handbook work well for a heroic-style campaign. Characters can go toe-to-toe with deadly foes, take damage to
within an inch of their lives, yet still be ready to fight again the next day. If this approach doesn’t fit your campaign, consider the following variants. Epic Heroism This variant uses a short rest
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
way that will make the game fun for everyone. Referee. When it’s not clear what ought to happen next, the DM decides how to apply the rules. Storyteller. The DM crafts adventures, setting situations in
session and for creating situations that facilitate fun. Improviser. A big part of being the DM is deciding how to apply the rules as you go and imagining the consequences of the characters’ actions in a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Adventure Atlas: The Mortuary
Appendix: Mortuary Creatures This appendix provides lore and stat blocks for five creatures that, while connected to one of many factions in the infinite and wondrous Planescape setting, are suitable
before proceeding further. It explains stat block terminology and gives rules for various monster traits—information that isn’t repeated here.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
Iuz Iuz (EYE-ooze or eye-OOZE) is a cambion and the son of Iggwilv and Graz’zt (see chapter 6). He is every bit as evil as his father and as bent on conquest as his mother at her very worst. He rules
a significant portion of Eastern Oerik (in the Greyhawk setting), and some fear that he aspires to conquer even more territory. See “Greyhawk’s Premise” in chapter 5.