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Returning 35 results for 'shifting of rule diverse variant'.
Monsters
Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
damage on a successful one.Mimics are shape-shifting monsters described in the Monster Manual. The variant presented here is a particularly large and voracious specimen—the result of Netherese experiments on ordinary mimics—that spits acid.Acid
Shifter
Legacy
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Species
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
they can temporarily enhance their animalistic features by entering a state they call shifting.
Shifters are similar to humans in height and build but are typically more lithe and flexible. Their
choose the kind of lycanthrope in your past, or you can determine it randomly by rolling on the Lycanthrope Ancestor table. The table also provides a suggestion for the Shifting option you might have
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
refuse to recognize my rule over these waters suffer my displeasure. (Lawful or Evil)
5
Preservation. I am the ocean’s steward, tending reefs and waters to ensure that they remain unspoiled
Species
Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
diminutive Humanoids who look like humans with pointed ears and diverse appearances. Kender have a supernatural curiosity that drives them to adventure. Due to this inquisitiveness, many kender find
determining your character’s ability scores, increase one of those scores by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you
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
the surface world. (Any)
4
Supremacy. Creatures who refuse to recognize my rule over these waters suffer my displeasure. (Lawful or Evil)
5
Preservation. I am the ocean’s steward
Changeling
Legacy
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Species
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
changelings today—even in those changelings who have never set foot in the fey realm. Each changeling decides how to use their shape-shifting ability, channeling either the peril or the joy of the
Score Increases
When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless
Shifter
Legacy
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Species
Eberron: Rising from the Last War
can’t fully change shape, they can temporarily enhance their animalistic features — a state they call shifting. Each shifter walks on the knife’s edge between the wilds and the
different in personality. With any shifter, identifying the beast within is a crucial part of understanding the character.
Similar and Diverse
Shifters are similar to humans in height and build but are
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
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.
to untie a knot or slip out of one. Here’s an optional rule for determining the effectiveness of a knot. The creature who ties the knot makes an Intelligence (Sleight of Hand) check when doing so. The
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
expended. Variant: Training to Gain Levels As a variant rule, you can require characters to spend time between adventures training or studying before they gain the benefits of a new level. This
variant slows the passage of time in the game world, which can help support a more realistic or gritty tone in your campaign. If you choose this option, after earning enough Experience Points to attain a
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
great thinkers, and spur adventurers to heroic deeds. They sometimes give guidance to those in need or request help from adventurers to encourage them to greatness.
As a rule, moonstone dragons are
a night hag (coven variant);night hag coven are determined to prevent an adult moonstone dragon from contacting creatures in the dream realm, and the dragon has no idea why.
7
An adult
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
—humans are innovative, adaptable, and aggressive, always pushing their limits and pursuing new ideas. Humans are extremely diverse; a barbarian from the Demon Wastes has little in common with a Brelish
Lhazaar pirate with a knack for the mystic arts. The variant human presented in the Player’s Handbook provides an additional opportunity to capture some of the flavor of Eberron. Does your choice of skill proficiency and feat reflect the culture you were raised in?
Backgrounds
Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica
clade — a diverse group of individuals combining disparate talents in pursuit of a common goal — or a researcher on a specialized, short-term project focused on addressing an immediate
offer bribes, favors, or other incentives to induce people to reveal their secrets.
Your DM might rule that the knowledge you seek is secreted away in an inaccessible place, or that it simply can
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
)
3
Curiosity. I want to know about everything that enters my domain, especially oddities from the surface world. (Any)
4
Supremacy. Creatures who refuse to recognize my rule over these waters
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
remembering where you are in the list can bog the game down. If you want quicker combats, at the risk of those combats becoming unbalanced, try using the side initiative rule. Under this variant, the
Initiative Variants This section offers different ways to handle initiative. Initiative Score With this optional rule, creature don’t roll initiative at the start of combat. Instead, each creature
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
the following variants. Choose whichever one best suits your campaign. Ability Check Proficiency With this variant rule, characters don’t have skill proficiencies. Instead, each character has
distinction among characters. For example, a character can’t choose to emphasize persuasion or intimidation; he or she is equally adept at both. Background Proficiency With this variant rule, characters don’t
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
Variant Abilities When a beholder’s dream-imagination runs wild, the result can be an offspring that has an unusual or unique set of abilities. Rather than the standard powers of a beholder’s central
eye and eyestalks, the creature has one or more variant abilities — guaranteed to surprise any enemies who thought they knew what they were getting themselves into. This section provides several
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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
to the next. There’s no hard-and-fast rule about how long to spend on each character’s activity, but make sure no one is waiting for their turn for too long. You can build tension in an exploration
encounter by shifting focus right before a character makes an ability check or opens a chest, leaving everyone eager to hear what happens next. Ability Checks in Exploration When a character tries to do
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
affecting the dragon’s challenge rating (as noted under “Customizing Dragons” earlier in this chapter). Likewise, if you use the Monster Manual variant rule to make dragons innate spellcasters, you could
Shape-Shifting The time a dragon spends in a humanoid form is not directly related to our opinion of said form. In fact, dragons generally disagree with mortals about visual taste.
Most of you are
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
Difficulty Class It’s your job to establish the Difficulty Class for an ability check or a saving throw when a rule or an adventure doesn’t give you one. Sometimes you’ll even want to change such
ability score of 20 still needs a 19 or 20 on the die roll to succeed at a task of this difficulty. Variant: Automatic Success Sometimes the randomness of a d20 roll leads to ludicrous results. Let’s
Yuan-ti Pureblood
Legacy
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
the blood, as it once did.
Because their population is so small, the yuan-ti are aware they are vulnerable in open warfare. Instead, their current plans assume they will never rule outwardly in
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->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
Mimic Mimics are shape-shifting monsters described in the Monster Manual. The variant presented here is a particularly large and voracious specimen—the result of Netherese experiments on ordinary
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
minotaurs rub shoulders with gnolls and goblins. Gargoyles and wyverns circle in the sky, while harpies call work crews to the quarries with their songs. Under the rule of the enigmatic Daughters of
ogres and mangy gnolls, King Boranel’s legendary courage has apparently faltered. We can only assume he means to yield to Cyre next.
Thanks to the guidance of the hags, the diverse inhabitants of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
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
my rule over these waters suffer my displeasure. (Lawful or Evil)
5 Preservation. I am the ocean’s steward, tending reefs and waters to ensure that they remain unspoiled. (Lawful)
6
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Astral Adventurer’s Guide
ballistae and crossbows 1,000 feet Beyond the range of most ranged weapons Initiative The Dungeon Master’s Guide presents a variant rule called side initiative, which is ideal for ship-to-ship engagements
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
conflicts flare but are resolved through hard work, patient negotiations, and compromises by all sides. Overall, the people of Atagua embrace the idea that they form a complicated, diverse culture—and that
Builders bear accessories made from feathers and flowers, paired with snakeskin kilts. Faith and Fortune Religion in Atagua revolves around the Suwa, a shifting pantheon of hundreds of folk heroes
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
Material Plane Worlds of the Material Plane are infinitely diverse, but it was not always so. Some legends speak of a primordial state, a single reality called the First World, where many of the
use a nexus point to travel from one world to another. Depending on the place, shifting worlds might require the use of magic, an object from the desired destination world as a sort of key, or nothing
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
Horror in Borca Adventures in Borca often include the following elements. Nobles of Borca Twelve depraved families rule over every aspect of life in Borca. Each is a core family of fifteen or fewer
versions of your own design—perhaps with signature cosmetic effects. Monsters. Monsters can serve as threats but also agents of noble houses. Shape-shifting creatures such as Imps and Wererats excel at
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
Players Award Inspiration As a DM, you have a lot to track during the game. Sometimes you can lose track of inspiration and forget to award it. As a variant rule, you can allow the players to handle
spice that you can use to enhance your campaign. Some DMs forgo using inspiration, while others embrace it as a key part of the game. If you take away anything from this section, remember this golden rule
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
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
druid spells feels different from one who casts warlock spells. You can also give a dragon spells of a higher level than the variant rule allows, but such a tweak might increase the dragon’s
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
, and the greater wards placed on Undermountain by Halaster prevent it from getting away by plane shifting. Before he died, Yarek used a sending spell to warn the headmaster about the escaped devil
Devil Devil. Beyond the illusory wall waits a bone devil armed with a hooked polearm (see the “Variant: Bone Devil Polearm” sidebar in the “Devils” entry in the Monster Manual).
Statue. A raised stone
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
this event are marked by colorful citywide parades that display San Citlán’s diverse culture. Olvidados In rare circumstances, the deceased remain in San Citlán as Undead following the Night of the
her rule indefinitely. Names Those native to San Citlán often have up to three names: a given name and two family surnames, inherited from their parents. The following are common names in San Citlán
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
rolls and Dexterity saving throws. Attack rolls against the creature have advantage while it's in the smaller space. VARIANT: PLAYING ON A GRID If you play out a combat using a square grid and
adjacent to the square you’re in. (The rule for diagonal movement sacrifices realism for the sake of smooth play. The Dungeon Master’s Guide provides guidance on using a more realistic approach.)
If
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
Phantasmal Forest The Phantasmal Forest dominates the haunted land of Avonleigh, a shifting, surreal woodland cloaked by perpetual night. A dreamlike place controlled by Ebonbane, the forest changes
undoing, but they endlessly squabble over how best to rule after her downfall. Shadowborn Manor Ebonbane tempts virtuous souls to Shadowborn Manor, crushes their faith, and takes control of their bodies
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
planar convergence could reduce the time or cost required to make an item with an effect tied to that plane. Ultimately, this is a story, and there are exceptions to every rule. Complications. These
complications can arise. If you use this rule, there’s a 10 percent chance of a complication arising for every five workweeks spent on crafting the item. Xanathar’s Guide to Everything presents a number of