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Returning 35 results for 'some of rather degree variant'.
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
Investigation rather than Athletics.
Suggested Characteristics
Use the tables for the soldier background below as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to
Backgrounds
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
wish to use the background’s standard feature might have gained their standing in Baldur’s Gate from business rather than inheritance.
Skill Proficiencies: History, Persuasion
Tool
; without question, and any corruption among guards or government officials tends to work in your favor, not against you—at least until you make some effort to expose it.
Variant Noble: Knight
A
Criminal / Spy
Legacy
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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
new place is note the locations of everything valuable—or where such things could be hidden.
4
I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy.
5
I am incredibly slow to trust. Those
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
often difficult because I’m so easily distr… oh my goodness, is that circlet made of silver?
7
I find the waking world tedious and mundane and would much rather spend my time asleep
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
Backgrounds
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
a patriar’s scion in an illegal duel. The family swore revenge, and you fled to the slums rather than risk bringing their wrath down on your kin.
6
You aren’t originally from Baldur
homeless and unfortunate. You know where to go in the Lower City and Outer City for anonymity. In these slums and alley camps, you can get a damp bed and a bad meal, but also a degree of privacy and no
Yuan-ti Pureblood
Legacy
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
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
of evil that calls for them to butcher or eradicate all who oppose them. In keeping with their goal of domination, the yuan-ti would rather capture potentially useful opponents than kill them. They use
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.
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
could be hidden.
4
I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy.
5
I am incredibly slow to trust. Those who seem the fairest often have the most to hide.
6
I don’t pay
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
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
to regain spell slots of 6th level or higher. Gritty Realism This variant uses a short rest of 8 hours and a long rest of 7 days. This puts the brakes on the campaign, requiring the players to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things
Inspiration for the DM Another way to use the inspiration deck is to make its effects available to monsters and villains. In this variant, each time a player expends inspiration, the DM also draws a
card from the deck. Rather than adding it to the communal hand, you keep that card secret until you play it on behalf of one of the characters’ opponents. You can play your inspiration cards soon
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
, mercenary company, or newspaper is much more exciting than working for someone else. Founding your own organization offers a greater degree of autonomy, though potentially at the cost of support and reliable
to worry about; when you run your own mercenary company, for example, you need to stock your own armory rather than drawing on an existing organization’s stockpile. The organization brings in income
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
Espionage Agency Contacts Your assignments come from a superior in the agency who typically works at a desk rather than in the field—compiling intelligence into reports for their superiors and
coordinating the activities of multiple groups. Use the Agency Contacts table to determine the character of your superior, which can shape the kinds of missions you undertake and the degree of support you
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
sort is recognized as a variant of the birth name, rather than a unique name unto itself. A yuan-ti might refer to itself by its birth name, by its adopted name, or (especially among purebloods) by a
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->Out of the Abyss
nalfeshnee named Slaughtertusk to watch over the crevasse and prevent any creature from approaching the device. Slaughtertusk would rather be helping the Horned King track down and kill Yeenoghu. The
nalfeshnee is bored with its assigned task, although it knows better than to disobey the Horned King. Still, rather than immediately destroying any intruders, it toys with them for as long as possible
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
where to go in the Lower City and Outer City for anonymity. In these slums and alley camps, you can get a damp bed and a bad meal, but also a degree of privacy and no questions asked. Living here
, you’ve learned secrets no one else knows.
5 You killed a patriar’s scion in an illegal duel. The family swore revenge, and you fled to the slums rather than risk bringing their wrath down on your
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur’s Gate Gazetteer
where to go in the Lower City and Outer City for anonymity. In these slums and alley camps, you can get a damp bed and a bad meal, but also a degree of privacy and no questions asked. Living here
one else knows. 5 You killed a patriar’s scion in an illegal duel. The family swore revenge, and you fled to the slums rather than risk bringing their wrath down on your kin. 6 You aren’t originally
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Turn of Fortune’s Wheel
adventure, the first time a character dies, invite all the players to create two variant versions of their character using the guidance in this section, then continue the adventure. Prepared Incarnations
“Running Glitch Characters” section. Let players discover that dead characters return in new incarnations during play rather than revealing this outright. When an incarnation appears, they are attuned to
Orc
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
they are more interested in grabbing plunder and food rather than in wanton slaughter. The elderly, children, and any who seem weak or meek enough might escape death. If they leave the population more
represent darkness.
The unwritten laws that govern the status of individual orcs within a tribe are manifested to a degree in how each orc uses these colors on itself and its personal items. For
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
miniatures or other tokens, follow these rules.
Squares. Each square on the grid represents 5 feet.
Speed. Rather than moving foot by foot, move square by square on the grid. This means you use your speed
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Armor Class 15
Hit Points 500 (damage threshold 20)
Control: Helm
Armor Class 16
Hit Points 50
Move up to the speed of one of the ship’s movement components, with one 90-degree turn. If
10)
The galley has advantage on all saving throws relating to crashing when it crashes into a creature or an object. Any damage it takes from the crash is applied to the naval ram rather than to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
tier 2 adventure. 1 treasure point is awarded for every 1 hour played in a tier 3 or tier 4 adventure. As with the variant rules for gaining levels, this award is based on the adventure’s projected
playing time, rather than the actual time a group spent at the table. If a character completes an adventure of a tier higher than that character’s tier, the character receives 1 additional treasure point
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
emphasize action-packed heroics. For such campaigns, consider allowing inspiration to be spent after a d20 roll, rather than before. This approach turns inspiration into a cushion against failure — and
your campaign is one where you let the dice fall where they may. It’s a good option for gritty campaigns or ones where the DM focuses on playing an impartial role as a rules arbiter. Variant: Only
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
opportunity to develop the character’s story and that of your world, rather than shutting down possibilities. Substituting Class Features If one or more features of a given class don’t exactly fit the theme
an existing feature that can be used as a model? How does the new class feature compare to other features of the same level? Variant: Spell Points One way to modify how a class feels is to change how
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated
activity indicates any degree of success, the DM describes how the franchise’s pirates manage to grab some valuable cargo, in addition to other benefits as noted in the write-up for the shady
business practice activity. With treasure aboard, the ship is ready for the characters’ eventual return. Ongoing Story Rather than treating franchise tasks as isolated episodes, the DM can weave the story of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
, is one of the most powerful in the city, thanks to the information it gathers from its clients. Some crews are simply neighborhood-based, their association based on territory rather than trade, such as
some degree of collective protection. NOTEWORTHY LAWS
Of the city’s nuanced and unreliably enforced laws, the following tend to be the most surprising to newcomers.
Foreign Agents. While traders and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
significant amount of time on the Material Plane — adventurers and scholars, primarily — still demonstrate these attitudes, but to a lesser degree. Although eladrin have the closest connection to Corellon
because of their ancestry, they are alone among elves in feeling little affinity for Arvandor. Eladrin don’t long to end their cycle of rebirth and rejoin Corellon, but rather to meld with the Feywild
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica
companies of mortal soldiers from above or fly ahead of roc-mounted skyknights. They don’t shy away from the blood, pain, and confusion of combat; rather, they immerse themselves in the shifting tides
? For now, Aurelia has decided to let Nevena have an unprecedented degree of freedom, but if she betrays any hint of corruption, she will quickly be brought back under close scrutiny.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
series of such creatures. Like its predecessors, the beholder uses “the Xanathar” as a title rather than its personal name (which is Zushaxx). The guild has been in operation for nearly two hundred years
a human megalomaniac rises to power in an evil organization, that individual is always at risk of being killed or replaced by a power-hungry rival. When such a group is led by a beholder rather than
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur’s Gate Gazetteer
, is one of the most powerful in the city, thanks to the information it gathers from its clients. Some crews are simply neighborhood-based, their association based on territory rather than trade, such
some degree of collective protection. Noteworthy Laws
Of the city’s nuanced and unreliably enforced laws, the following tend to be the most surprising to newcomers.
Foreign Agents. While traders
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
could be hidden. 4 I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy. 5 I am incredibly slow to trust. Those who seem the fairest often have the most to hide. 6 I don’t pay attention to the risks in a
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)
could be hidden. 4 I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy. 5 I am incredibly slow to trust. Those who seem the fairest often have the most to hide. 6 I don’t pay attention to the risks in a
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->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
Given the opportunity, I eat to excess and then fall into a long, deep sleep.
4 I would rather let my fearsome reputation scare away intruders than fight them off.
5 Other dragons would
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->Player's Handbook (2014)
every foot it moves there, and it has disadvantage on attack 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 miniatures or other tokens, follow these rules.
Squares. Each square on the grid represents 5 feet.
Speed. Rather than moving foot by foot
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
fears. Mind flayers will sometimes harvest a brain rather than devour it, using it as part of some alien experiment or transforming it into an intellect devourer. QUALITH
On the rare occasion that
the effect on itself on a success.
VARIANT: MIND FLAYER ARCANIST
A few mind flayers supplement their psionic power with arcane spells. However, they are regarded as deviants by their illithid