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Demilich (Variant) Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

its existence. Few liches seek to become demiliches, for it means an end to the existence they hoped to preserve by becoming undead. However, time can erode the lich’s reason and memory, causing

skull it remains a deadly and vexing enemy. Enduring Existence. Even after a lich is reduced to a demilich state, its phylactery survives. As long as its phylactery is intact, the demilich can’t

Rest Variants

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

Adventure Background

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon Delves

Adventure Background A deadly heat wave bakes an unprepared pastoral land. Crops have failed, rivers have run dry, and prospects are grim. While the reason for the unprecedented heat is unclear, the

Ashen Grotto

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

their dead to be interred within this nexus of giants’ magic. Many giants hold strong beliefs and taboos about the grotto. Some might put aside a deadly enmity with their rivals to defend it against

intruders. Others might refuse to enter for any reason other than during funerary rites to inter a family member’s remains. Remains laid to rest within the grotto remain peaceful, and the power of the cave is anathema to Undead.

Den of Villainy

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Astarion's Book of Hungers

Den of Villainy Underneath the veneer of Rat’s Run, reality is harsh. Thieves, smugglers, racketeers, and other criminals see Rat’s Run as a haven, and for good reason. Staff members warn any patron

Predators The rampant criminality at Rat’s Run means purses frequently disappear from drunken patrons, bar fights occasionally turn deadly, and sometimes individuals go missing and never return. For the

Customizing the Puzzle

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

Customizing the Puzzle Consider using this puzzle’s structure to create any number of thematic word searches hiding deadly traps. Once you’ve created a hint suggesting what types of words to look for

can undertake the puzzle and cross the room safely. You can also increase the difficulty by introducing trap variants, as described below. Trap Variants Rather than have the same poison gas trap on

Denizens of the Necropolis

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

Netherese Tongue” sidebar). Immortal servants known as magen (see appendix C) tirelessly perform their duties or wait in silence for new orders. Deadly living spells (see appendix C) guard a handful

percentile dice and consult the Ythryn Encounters table to determine if the party has a random encounter. Some random encounters have variants if Avarice or Auril is present in the necropolis (see

Caves Overview

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragons of Stormwreck Isle

all visitors away. The reason for this sudden shift in the myconids’ behavior is that a blight has spread through the caves and is poisoning the myconids, twisting their gardens, and even laying low

, visitors to Seagrow Caves must face one additional threat: the stirges that nest in the caves. These blood-sucking monsters aren’t much of a threat individually and don’t bother the bloodless myconids, but they can be deadly in large numbers.

Chapter 3: When Home Burns

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

to nowhere. To the village’s north, scattered woods and shady brooks give way to the deadly badlands known as the Northern Wastes. Across the Vingaard River to the south stretches a land of grim

a reason for attending the funeral of Ispin Greenshield and experienced a fateful event during their journey to Vogler, as detailed in chapter 2. Draconians spy on the unsuspecting villagers of Vogler

House Lyrandar

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

who travels by land or sea, or who has an economic stake in the weather, has good reason to work with House Lyrandar. But those who cross the house find it a deadly and implacable foe. Some rumors

Horror in Valachan

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within

. Participants can kill one another for any reason—particularly to take a shrine. The trial doesn’t stop for any reason until Chakuna arrives at both shrines and acknowledges any winners there. The

other than the Darklord herself. Valachan Exploration Valachan is a dense and deadly wilderness. When creating adventures here, refer to chapter 2 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide for details on travel and

Travelers in the Mists

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

inquisitive individuals simply vanish, the Mists delivering them to deadly domains from which they never return. But others manage to band together, learning the ways of the Mists, how to travel through them

likewise be remarkable or have a desperate reason to have braved the Mists. Learning about such wanderers can drive the characters from a single adventure into a larger campaign that explores other

Orog

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)

makes them ideal leaders, and thus deadly rivals to orc war chiefs, who must be wary of orog treachery. Detached Killers. Wanting nothing more than to hack their enemies to pieces, orogs are a

foremost — because they believe that the gods have strength beyond reason, and physical might is all they respect. Servants of Darkness. Mistrusted by orcs, some orogs form independent mercenary war

Assassin

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)

exterminate the enemies of their deity. Stealth, poison, and disguise help you eliminate your foes with deadly efficiency. Bonus Proficiencies When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain

reason not to. Impostor At 13th level, you gain the ability to unerringly mimic another person’s speech, writing, and behavior. You must spend at least three hours studying these three components of the

Elysium

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide

contentment seep into the bones and souls of those who enter Elysium. The longer a visitor remains on the plane, the less reason they find to ever leave. An adventure in Elysium can challenge

characters’ devotion to doing good by offering them the opportunity (or the temptation) to rest from their labors and enjoy a well-earned reward. Belierin is said to be the prison of some deadly creature

Designing Simple Traps

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything

and damage values as shown below. Purpose Before diving into the details of your trap, think about its reason for being. Why would someone build such a trap? What is its purpose? Consider the trap’s

creator (in the adventure), the creator’s purpose, and the location the trap protects. Traps have context in the world — they aren’t created for no reason — and that context drives the trap’s nature

Assassin

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual

assassins kill for a reason, perhaps hiring themselves out to wealthy patrons or slaying for an unscrupulous cause. They use poisons and other deadly tools, and they might carry equipment to help them

Adventure Structure

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

all for themselves, however. Chapters 5, 6, 7 and 8 describe the lairs of the story’s villains and can be used at any time, in any order, or not at all. The characters might have reason to visit one

lair are difficult for characters of lower than 5th level to overcome. You can gently steer characters in a different direction, drop hints that urge them to use extreme caution, or make deadly

K62. Servants' Hall

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd

K62. Servants’ Hall This hall stands in deadly silence. Heavy beams support a sagging, ten-foot-high ceiling. Fog clings to the floor, obscuring everything that lies less than three feet above it. A

to himself from time to time for no clear reason. He also likes to tell poor jokes at the most inopportune moments. Stairs at the east end of the north wall lead up to area K23. Along the east wall is

Alanik Ray and Arthur Sedgwick

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

. The pair’s adventures—including several deadly encounters with the Kargat—eventually led them to relocate to Port-a-Lucine in Dementlieu. A mystery involving a shape-shifting serial killer resulted in

published two volumes to date: The Life of Alanik Ray and The Casebook of Alanik Ray. Alanik Ray’s Traits Ideal. “Logic is a guide but also an illusion. Order and reason don’t supersede what is right

Vaeve's Offer

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin

the battlefield for some reason. Vaeve asks the characters to escort Naxa from the citadel back to Carapace Ridge. There’s significant treasure in the citadel, Vaeve says, and Vaeve would be grateful

recently freed from imprisonment, but he hasn’t left the citadel yet—Vaeve doesn’t know why. Miska’s forces are varied spyder-fiends as well as flying demons that drip deadly blood. Vampire’s

Inside the Cult

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica

incorporate deadly acts into their performances in hopes of catching his eye and earning his favor. Stages for Rakdos performances appear on streets and plazas throughout Ravnica every night, and

fear that any other guild might gain enough power to overwhelm all the others and impose its own values on everyone. For this reason, they focus their efforts on subverting other guilds’ schemes, by

Nocturnal Raiders

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

ground for good reason — beyond the light lies unmapped enemy territory where everything they meet is likely to be hostile. In special circumstances, such as if one of the raiders’ captives is a

royal heir or the scion of a wealthy family, adventurers might be hired to mount a rescue mission. Otherwise, it’s rare for any rescuers to follow the kidnappers’ trail deep into the deadly darkness

Demilich

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)

becoming undead. However, time can erode the lich’s reason and memory, causing it to retreat into its ancient tomb and forget to feed on souls. The spells it once knew fade from its mind, and it no longer

channels the arcane energy it wielded as a lich. However, even as a mere skull it remains a deadly and vexing enemy. Enduring Existence. Even after a lich is reduced to a demilich state, its phylactery

I'Cath

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

I’Cath Domain Trapped in a Dream Darklord: Tsien Chiang Genres: Body horror and cosmic horror Hallmarks: Endlessly changing labyrinth, deadly jiangshi, inescapable dreamworld Mist Talismans: Scrap of

? Did you discover a secret way out of the city? Did a family member make a bargain with Tsien Chiang that gave you a chance at a better life? Did Tsien Chiang send you forth for a reason? Whom did

Journal of Rudolph van Richten

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd

, they chose to surreptitiously take my son in exchange for their loss! By the time I realized what had occurred, they were already an hour gone. Incensed beyond reason, I strapped the body of the dead

into a vampire. He begged me to end his curse, which I did with a heavy heart. The darkness had torn him from my loving arms forever, and I foolishly believed that the curse had exacted its deadly toll. I wept until an insatiate desire for vengeance filled the bottomless rift in my heart.

Eyes of Blood

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel

characters do the same, the attackers target them. Only one local holds their ground: a surprised woman named Aunt Dellie (commoner). She clearly recognizes some of the strange farmers and tries to reason

deadly predators. While the locals speculate about the fates of other farmers in the Rattle, Aunt Dellie has no patience for debates on what to do next. Aunt Dellie implores the characters to go to the

Creating a Rival

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Sibling or ally of defeated enemy 12 Official seeking to restore a tarnished reputation 13 Deadly foe disguised as a social rival 14 Fiend seeking to tempt the characters to evil 15 Spurned romantic

methods the rival can bring to bear against the characters. Goals. An effective rival has a clear reason for interfering with the characters’ lives. Think about what the rival wants, how and why the

Demon Lords

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)

matriarch when she manifests to her followers in the mortal realm, which she does with unusual frequency. When battle breaks out — or if she has a reason to remind her followers to fear her — Lolth’s lower

’ flayed skins. Yeenoghu can summon a triple flail he calls the Butcher, which he wields to deadly effect or wills to fly independently into battle as he tears foes apart with teeth and claws. Other Demon

Cult of the Crushing Wave

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse

Cult of the Crushing Wave Cultists of the Crushing Wave worship the awesome power of water, from the surging tides and deadly maelstroms of the sea to the raging torrents of rivers in flood and the

can immerse themselves. Water cultists prize water-breathing magic and seek it out for no other reason than to spend hours meditating underwater. Few cultists gain any profound insights from these

Monastic Orders

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

natural thing in the world, from their perspective, and to expire in service to its principle is one of the most profoundly holy experiences a living being can hope to enjoy. It is for this reason

dwell, and they travel the countryside gathering information for isolated groves and fastnesses. They don’t ever seek to provoke violence, but are quite deadly when defending themselves, their charges, and their holy sites.

Criminal Syndicate

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

a greater cause. 3 Magical Arms Dealer. The syndicate has cornered the market on deadly magical devices. They offer their services and wares for a price and acquire staggering magical might for those

for that reason. 4 Bon Vivant. The boss of a local den of vice—whether gambling, narcotics, or other pleasures—aids you when they’re not distracted by their own debauchery. 5 Traitor. You know your

The Dark Seldarine

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

companion nearby to hold culpable for your crimes. Gossip can be as deadly as the venom on an assassin’s blade. Use the poison of words to destroy your rivals, that you may claim for yourself all they

Keptolo. But Vhaeraun represents a different aspect of drow masculinity: strong, silent, obedient, swift, and deadly. He is thought of as Lolth’s favored son, in contrast to Keptolo’s role as her beautiful

Thundertree Areas

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver

piles of debris. Several young trees have grown up in the midst of the ruins. The overgrowth conceals a deadly threat—six twig blights lurking among the ordinary foliage. Spotting them requires a

dragon in area 7. If they succeed, Reidoth will honor his part of the agreement but will not accompany the party inside the mine. If the characters attack him for any reason, Reidoth transforms into a

City Celebrations

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

honors the Lady of Joy with dances and balls throughout the city. Pink beverages, ranging from healthy juices to deadly strong intoxicants, are imbibed. The boom and crackle of smokepowder explosions go

reason to doubt your standing in the eyes of the law, avoid Waterdeep for at least a tenday after Howldown. With no real hunting to do of their own, the children of Waterdeep spend Howldown engaging in

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