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Returning 35 results for 'strange of rather desire variant'.
Monsters
Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn
megalomaniacal.
Sammaster’s travels brought him into contact with people who revered dragons as icons of primeval might. Masquerading his desire to dominate dragonkind as devotion, Sammaster
efficiently as he can. Sammaster personally checks in on the cult’s most important plots, often surprising his minions with his presence.
Rather than keep a soul jar as liches do, Sammaster keeps
Monsters
Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn
.
Sammaster’s travels brought him into contact with people who revered dragons as icons of primeval might. Masquerading his desire to dominate dragonkind as devotion, Sammaster established himself
can. Sammaster personally checks in on the cult’s most important plots, often surprising his minions with his presence.
Rather than keep a soul jar as liches do, Sammaster keeps a magical soul
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
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
been. A redcap’s desire to slay is rooted in its will to survive.
VARIANT: MADCAPS
A madcap is a redcap that soaks its hat in demon ichor instead of blood. Contact with demon ichor makes the
Monsters
Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
live in the mountains and hills of Icewind Dale are among the hardiest of their kind. Drawn to the north by a desire to find and serve white dragons, these kobolds adapted as best they can to the
into Ten-Towns to escape the dreadful cold, hoping to trade what few skills they have for some warm soup and shelter. The people of Ten-Towns, accustomed to the presence of strange outlanders, allow
Monsters
Curse of Strahd
present since birth. The Abbot became consumed with a prideful, obsessive desire to rid the poor Belviews of their lingering imperfections. The Belview family, however, had strange ideas of what it
giving the devil his heart's desire, I bring salvation to him and his land.”
Bond. “I love the creatures I create, including my beautiful golems and mongrelfolk.”
Flaw. “I can't be corrupted. My
Firbolg
Legacy
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
the group’s needs, but the effect each action will have on the forest and the rest of the natural world. Firbolg tribes would rather go hungry than strain the land during a famine.
Hidden
Shepherds
As caretakers of the land, firbolgs prefer to remain out of sight and out of mind. They don’t try to dominate nature, but rather seek to ensure that it prospers and survives according to its
Tabaxi
Legacy
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
lazy, but when Linene came around looking for a missing broach, she was out the door before I could blink an eye.
— Toblen Stonehill, innkeeper
Hailing from a strange and distant land
of the world beyond their home.
Barterers of Lore
Tabaxi treasure knowledge rather than material things. A chest filled with gold coins might be useful to buy food or a coil of rope, but it’s
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
Monsters
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
of reprisal. This nilbog also gains strange powers that drive others to do the opposite of what they desire. Attacking the possessed goblin is foolhardy, and killing them just prompts the spirit to
Nilbog
Legacy
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Monsters
Volo's Guide to Monsters
fearless of reprisal. It gives the goblin strange powers that drive others to do the opposite of what they desire. Attacking a goblin possessed by a nilbog is foolhardy, and killing the creature just
Madam Eva
Legacy
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monsters
Curse of Strahd
the master of Ravenloft, but she has all the power she desires and doesn’t seek to supplant him. She would rather help Strahd find someone else to succeed him, although she has grave doubts about
her ability to locate such an individual.
None of Madam Eva’s Vistani kin know her true identity or purpose. They puzzle over her desire to remain in Barovia.
Madam Eva’s Traits
Ideal
Monsters
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
archfey named Zybilna, who had forged secret pacts with some of the fiends Isolde and her companions had slain. Rather than be angry at Isolde, Zybilna was impressed by her. She enlisted a powerful fiend
Isolde place her devotion to the carnival above her desire to leave it.
When Isolde’s fey carnival crossed paths with another carnival from the Shadowfell, the eladrin found the escape she
Backgrounds
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
you might or might not choose to share.
Although you will undoubtedly find some of this land’s ways to be strange and discomfiting, you can also be sure that some things its people take for
have heard of the strange skyships the Halruaans sail, and a few know of the tales that even the least of their people can work magic.
Halruaans usually make their journeys into Faerûn for
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
Urchin
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Backgrounds
Player’s Handbook (2014)
shaped by lives of desperate poverty, for good and for ill. They tend to be driven either by a commitment to the people with whom they shared life on the street or by a burning desire to find a better
;d rather kill someone in their sleep than fight fair.
5
It’s not stealing if I need it more than someone else.
6
People who can’t take care of themselves get what they deserve.
Monsters
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
, transforming it into a star spawn seer. Whoever the mortal once was largely vanishes beneath the mass of tumorous skin than builds up in strange whorls all over the seer’s body. The mortal’s
hands become bulky, flipper-like appendages able to grasp the seer’s strange staff formed of a blend of flesh, bone, and star stuff.
A star spawn seer is almost always accompanied by one or more
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
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
Queen of Fungi, Lady of Rot and Decay, Zuggtmoy is an alien creature whose only desire is to infect the living with spores, transforming them into her mindless servants and, eventually, into
;{"diceNotation":"1d10", "rollType":"roll", "rollAction":"Days"} days.
Cultists of Zuggtmoy
Zuggtmoy’s cultists are primarily mindless victims of her children’s strange spores. The spores burrow into
Backgrounds
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
of desperate poverty, for good and for ill. They tend to be driven either by a commitment to the people with whom they shared life on the street or by a burning desire to find a better life &mdash
from a fight.
2
Gold seems like a lot of money to me, and I’ll do just about anything for more of it.
3
I will never fully trust anyone other than myself.
4
I’d rather
Backgrounds
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
bond might involve other bounty hunters or the organizations or individuals that employ you. Your ideal could be associated with your determination always to catch your quarry or your desire to maintain
.
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
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
Reborn
Legacy
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Species
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
sensations or visions of the past to come rushing back.
Rather than sleeping, reborn regularly sit and dwell on the past, hoping for some revelation of what came before. Most of the time, these are dark
, silent stretches. Occasionally, though, in a moment of peace, stress, or excitement, a reborn gains a glimpse of what came before. When you desire to have such a dreamlike vision, roll on the Lost
Backgrounds
Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica
fervent desire to share the joy you have experienced with Ravnica. Along with the rest of the conclave, you are committed to resisting the ambitions of the other guilds — with military force if
1
I never raise my voice or lose my temper.
2
I feel the pains and joys of everyone around me, friend or foe.
3
I would rather make a friend than thwart an enemy.
4
I’m
Backgrounds
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
While some might think it strange to find hermits in a bustling city, others know that sometimes the most profound solitude exists in the midst of a crowd. Baldur’s Gate holds a handful of
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
Yuan-ti Pureblood
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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
Kenku
Legacy
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
. Every kenku is born with a desire to take to the air, and those who learn spellcasting do so in hope of mastering spells that will allow them to fly. Rumors of magic items such as flying carpets, brooms
capable of flight, and similar objects provoke a great desire for the kenku to acquire the items for themselves.
Despite their lack of wings, kenku love dwelling in towers and other tall structures
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.
classes
Basic Rules (2014)
would rather make one precise strike, placing it exactly where the attack will hurt the target most, than wear an opponent down with a barrage of attacks. Rogues have an almost supernatural knack for
an angry thieves’ guild master? Or did you leave your guild in search of bigger risks and bigger rewards? Is it greed that drives you in your adventures, or some other desire or ideal?
What
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
Lizardfolk
Legacy
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
If you’re considering taking a scaled one along on an adventure, remember this important fact. The strange, inhuman glint in its eyes as it looks you over is the same look you might give a
pleasurable creatures and things are ones that allow lizardfolk to assess more situations as benign rather than fearsome.
Cold and Calculating
Most humanoids describe cold-blooded people as lacking in
classes
Basic Rules (2014)
necessary, using their magic to bolster their swords and armor. Their spells lean toward charms and illusions rather than blatantly destructive spells. They have a wide-ranging knowledge of many
set bards apart from their fellows.
Only rarely do bards settle in one place for long, and their natural desire to travel—to find new tales to tell, new skills to learn, and new discoveries
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
Fleeting Fancies Wandering tabaxi are mercurial creatures, trading one obsession or passion for the next as the whim strikes. A tabaxi’s desire burns bright, but once met it disappears to be replaced
with a new obsession. Objects remain intriguing only as long as they still hold secrets. A tabaxi rogue could happily spend months plotting to steal a strange gem from a noble, only to trade it for
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