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Returning 35 results for 'setting sense'.
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setting serve
Magic Items
Acquisitions Incorporated
Also at rank 1, you are given use of an Acquisitions Incorporated sending stone, an uncommon magic item that resembles a gemstone in a bold setting. It functions like a normal sending stones;sending
Mill feature, the DM provides you with a sense of which parts of a particular rumor are inaccurate, if any. You do not necessarily learn the truth behind those false rumors.
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
become overwhelmed with a sense of unresolved anger and frustration that demands an outlet—usually violence and destruction. The mites' influence can thus turn even the most orderly group into a mob of
Genasi
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Species
Elemental Evil Player's Companion
chip away at even a genasi’s sense of self, so they constantly push themselves to improve, honing their talents and perfecting their craft.
Genasi Lands
As rare beings, genasi might go their
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->Dungeon Master’s Guide
adventuring party If you’re using a published campaign setting, pick any location in that setting and develop it as you like. A published setting or adventure might give you all the details you need. The
setting, start small by detailing only this starting area. The rest of your setting can remain undeveloped for now. Don’t spend too much time fleshing out the geopolitical landscape of your world or
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
Eberron With its emphasis on mystery and exploration, the Eberron campaign setting is a natural fit for Princes of the Apocalypse. Most of the work in adaptation involves changing place names to fit
into Eberron. As you do, consider ways you can use the specifics of the Eberron setting to heighten certain adventure motifs. Eberron is a place of mystery, and there’s already plenty of that in
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver
set a short distance from the city of Neverwinter in the Sword Coast region of the Forgotten Realms setting. The Sword Coast is part of the North — a vast realm of free settlements surrounded by
wilderness and adventure. You don’t need to be a Forgotten Realms expert to run the adventure; everything you need to know about the setting is contained in this content. If this is your first time
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Nightmare Logic By the standards of what other worlds’ inhabitants consider true and sane, the Domains of Dread don’t make sense. The setting’s domains don’t neatly flow into one another, histories
don’t record a collectively remembered past, fictions spawn terrible facts, and sheltered villagers remain stubbornly ignorant about the world beyond. Ravenloft is a setting designed to cultivate
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
important locations, events, organizations, races, and features of the Eberron campaign setting, this gives a sense of what a player character might know about the world, while providing additional character
Eberron Sourcebooks These resources are currently available as ebooks via the Dungeon Master’s Guild at: DMsGuild.com The Eberron Campaign Setting and Eberron Campaign Guide both provide an overview
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
. Weaving these themes together, or exploring either one in isolation, can give Eberron stories a unique feel. Adventures that take advantage of those themes help to reinforce a sense of place
villains, and for keeping the action moving over the course of an adventure. It discusses how to use the Last War as a theme and a setting for adventures, and details the Mournland as an adventure location
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
. Even in a dungeon setting, you can present NPCs that aren’t meant to be fought but rather helped out, negotiated with, or just talked to. Think about your preferred style of play by considering these
questions: Are you a fan of realism and gritty consequences, or are you more focused on making the game seem like an action movie? Do you want the game to maintain a sense of medieval fantasy, or do
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Cultural Specifics As you develop your domain, consider the culture and how it emerges from this tragic setting. What might be most unsettling for the Darklord: if the culture is one with familiar
out. These details can fade into the background as your adventures focus on more exciting threats, or you can highlight the cosmic dread that declares, yes, this place doesn’t make sense at all, yet it
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
the pulse-pounding action of a pulp adventure, noir typically relies on intrigue — in every sense of the word — to keep the protagonists engaged as they move deeper into the story. Setting the Stage
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
atmosphere of the adventure. Don’t consider fear a tactical disadvantage or something to be avoided. As part of playing a frightening game, you’re a participant in building and reinforcing a sense of dread
rules every time something frightening occurs, but your group might use them as a way to highlight individual fears and build an adventure’s overarching sense of dread. FROM THE MISTS OR BEYOND
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
characters might be tempted to visit the Palace of Heart’s Desire as well (see chapter 5), but they can avoid this location and still accomplish their goals. Setting the Stage After the players create their
near a ticket booth by the entrance at twilight, just as the carnival is about to open. There you meet others who look as troubled as you. Without knowing how or why, you sense that each of them has
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
. Here are some questions you can ask the players as they create characters to get a sense of the party’s relationships: Are any of the characters related to each other? What keeps the characters together
perform tasks both in and out of combat, including things such as setting up camp and carrying gear. Ideally, a sidekick’s abilities should complement those of the main character. For example, a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries
Dewlight A narrow path leads north from Polvarth Plateau, wending its way between densely packed trees. Less than an hour after setting out, the characters reach their next stop: Moss-covered trees
Dewlight detected their approach, turned invisible for safety’s sake, and fled into their homes for good measure. The lone exception is Wheeldoli, an elderly sprite whose curiosity outweighs his sense of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
locations suitable for adventure, where the heroes confront the Darklord’s threats. For inspiration, refer to the Setting and Adventure Sites tables in the “Genres of Horror” section later in this
might instantly sense visitors entering their domain, while the heroes have no reliable means of identifying the Darklord. Describe why the Darklord is interested in the characters. The Darklord
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants
establish the setting of the adventure, or use them in a nonhostile capacity. For example, if you’re creating encounters for a 6th-level party, a fight against two storm giants would make for a dreadfully
inspiration to fit the encounter into the location you’re populating. If that context doesn’t make sense for the situation you’re building, consider using the context to inspire the creature’s general
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
up with explanations for how their characters know each other and have some sort of history together, however brief that history might be. To get a sense of the party’s relationships, here are some
shared sense of purpose. Happenstance. Someone puts out a call for adventurers to complete a quest, and the characters answer the call. Alternatively, all the characters could meet by accident, only to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
destruction for its own sake. Creatures of elemental fire are most likely to take up this reckless philosophy; even non-intelligent fire monsters sense the reckless lust for destruction lurking in the hearts
. But even as she enjoyed the gifts he lavished on her, Vanifer hated the pasha for seeing her as a mere trophy. She left before long, robbing the pasha of a small fortune in jewelry and setting fire to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1
and goings of monsters and adventurers, setting traps to vex and annoy whenever possible. A trip wire might be set at the top of a flight of stairs to send creatures crashing down. Locks might be
like gross incompetence. Simple tasks become increasingly difficult. Those who undertake those tasks become overwhelmed with a sense of unresolved anger and frustration that demand an outlet—usually
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
Sanctuary Dozens of townsfolk have barricaded themselves inside the temple to Chauntea (area 3), which is surrounded by raiders. The attackers tried setting fire to the stout structure but had little
before the doors burst open depends on your group. What’s important is that players feel pressed. To create a sense of pressure, give the front doors 30 hit points and let each thud of the battering
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Sanctuary Dozens of townsfolk have barricaded themselves inside the temple to Chauntea (area 3), which is surrounded by raiders. The attackers tried setting fire to the stout structure but had little
allow before the doors burst open depends on your group. What’s important is that players feel pressed. To create a sense of pressure, give the front doors 30 hit points and let each thud of the
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
see little sense in risking injury if a trap of that sort malfunctioned or was accidentally triggered by a dwarf. A defensive measure isn’t doing its job if it ends up hurting those it was meant to protect.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
Multiattack. Istrid makes two melee attacks.
Maul. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (2d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage.
Treasure Sense (3/Day). Istrid magically pinpoints
, setting up a cover in the Trades Ward in the form of a cramped little shop called Weirdbottle’s Concoctions. Most of his potions and elixirs are nonmagical, but he crafts magical ones for his Zhent
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
have limitations: the Keeper of the Flame loses her powers if she leaves her citadel. The mighty great druid is… well… a tree. Most of the powerful people in the setting are driven by selfish goals. If
? This isn’t something every group will enjoy, and you never want players to feel as though they can’t succeed. But for some groups, this sort of collaboration can produce a compelling story and a sense of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated
at rank 1, you are given use of an Acquisitions Incorporated sending stone, an uncommon magic item that resembles a gemstone in a bold setting. It functions like a normal sending stone, except that
cannot use it again until dawn seven days later. Improved Rumor Mill At rank 3, when you use your Rumor Mill feature, the DM provides you with a sense of which parts of a particular rumor are inaccurate
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat
additional encounter also provides a sense of the wider scope of the setting. Monstrous Uprising A charismatic half-red dragon veteran leads a band of 21 kobolds and 7 lizardfolk, taking advantage of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
additional encounter also provides a sense of the wider scope of the setting. Monstrous Uprising A charismatic half-red dragon veteran leads a band of 21 kobolds and 7 lizardfolk, taking advantage of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Hoard of the Dragon Queen
additional encounter also provides a sense of the wider scope of the setting. Monstrous Uprising A charismatic half-red dragon veteran leads a band of 21 kobolds and 7 lizardfolk, taking advantage of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
escapes to fight another day. A well-developed recurring villain can put a face to the sinister conspiracies that lurk in the darkness and thus strengthen the players’ sense of immersion in the world. You
the setting. Ultimate Evil. Some mysterious villains wield enough power to threaten the entire world through colossal strength, mastery of magic, dizzying intellect, or overwhelming charisma (or
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
Dale, although age has clouded her eyes with cataracts, limiting the range of her vision to 60 feet. Her blindsight, hearing, and sense of smell are undiminished, however. Fortunately for the residents
harm. They adapt quickly to almost any natural setting and occasionally offer supernatural gifts to those they glom onto. But a blizzard can drive a chwinga insane, causing it to behave unpredictably
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
Knowledge, Trickery Rainbow sphere
Labelas Enoreth CG Time, history, memory Arcana,** Knowledge, Life Setting sun
Melira Taralen CG Poetry, songs Knowledge, Life, Trickery Lute
how one might become able to sense Corellon’s presence, the priests often say, “First, truly know yourself. Only then can you feel our creator near.” Services in Corellon’s honor are typically conducted
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
The Greyhawk Setting Coupleofkooks The planet Oerth is at the very center of a Wildspace system called Greyspace. (See chapter 6 for more information about Wildspace). Oerth has two moons: Luna (a
individual gain. In the same way, villainous organizations create an ongoing sense of menace beyond the threat of solitary foes.
Having different characters tied to different factions can create
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
. They talk about Brandobaris as others might refer to a mischievous and dashing uncle. They don’t beseech the gods for daily favors, and they have no sense of metaphysical distance or separation
rowboat becomes the setting for a swashbuckling adventure. And for some — the youngsters who are said to “have a bit of Brandobaris in them” — that play-acting is the prelude to a life of living as






