strange of rather down variant - Search

Firbolg Legacy

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

City Watch / Investigator

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

Far Traveler

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

Noble - Baldur's Gate

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

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

Tabaxi Legacy

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

Adult Moonstone Dragon

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

Hermit - Baldur's Gate

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 Legacy

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

Tying Knots

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.

Criminal - Baldur's Gate

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

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

Rest Variants

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

Inspiration for the DM

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

Human Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

pages were tales of bold heroes, strange and fierce animals, mighty primitive gods, and a magic that was part and fabric of that distant land. — Elaine Cunningham, Daughter of the Drow In the

, humans champion causes rather than territories or groups. Human Names and Ethnicities Having so much more variety than other cultures, humans as a whole have no typical names. Some human parents

Seekers of New Lore

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

Seekers of New Lore Nothing excites an artificer quite like uncovering a new metal or discovering a source of elemental energy. In artificer circles, new inventions and strange discoveries create the

most excitement. Artificers who wish to make their mark must innovate, creating something fresh, rather than iterating on familiar designs. This drive for novelty pushes artificers to become

Seekers of New Lore

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War

Seekers of New Lore Nothing excites an artificer quite like uncovering a new metal or discovering a source of elemental energy. In artificer circles, new inventions and strange discoveries create the

most excitement. Artificers who wish to make their mark must innovate, creating something fresh, rather than iterating on familiar designs. This drive for novelty pushes artificers to become

Mysterious Monsters

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

Mysterious Monsters Use conflicting descriptions and strange behaviors to cultivate mystery around your monster. The less characters know about a creature, the more they’ll speculate about terrifying

possibilities. You can develop uncertainty about a creature even after it appears. Keep players guessing about an adventure’s threat by referring to a monster by a flavorful description rather than

Yuan-ti Names

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

Variant Abilities

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

Flumph

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

Flumph Strange Ally from a Strange Place Habitat: Underdark; Treasure: Arcana Axel Defois Bizarre creatures with aberrant agendas inhabit the Underdark. Flumphs number among the few that are helpful

to strangers. These tentacled, telepathic creatures jet through the air in short bursts, venting gases with a sound that gives them their name. Rather than speaking, flumphs communicate

Reaching the Engine

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

Suggested Characteristics

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

) 2 Reserved. As someone new to these strange lands, I am cautious and respectful in my dealings. (Lawful) 3 Adventure. I’m far from home, and everything is strange and wonderful! (Chaotic) 4 Cunning

careful, for I have no way of telling friend from foe here. (Any) Bonds d6 Bond 1 So long as I have this token from my homeland, I can face any adversity in this strange land. 2 The gods of my

Character Incarnations

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

The Carnival

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

, colorful ticket, strange prize from a Carnival game Resplendent with bright banners, calliope music, and the smells of rich food, the Carnival promises visitors a surreal wonderland where any dream is

the wise know strangers are intrinsically dangerous. The Carnival doesn’t exist to entertain its visitors. Rather, it’s a traveling domain, capable of visiting other domains and lands beyond the Mists

Whymsee

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Locathah Rising

in her head and pull her tentacles up into the shell protectively, like a strange hermit crab. Whymsee (Kraken Priest Variant) Medium humanoid (human), neutral evil Armor Class 17 (natural armor

Adventure Overview

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

Adventure Overview The strange happenings on campus in this adventure are caused by a corrupted substance known as eldritch balm. Used at Strixhaven for decades, eldritch balm is an alchemical salve

the resulting chaos would disrupt life at Strixhaven. A Standalone Adventure If you’re running this chapter’s adventure as a standalone, the corruption of Sedgemoor’s waters is not the result of a sinister plot. Rather, a surge of wild magic caused the corruption, but the outcome is the same.

Bard

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

, decipher old tomes, travel to strange places, or encounter exotic creatures. Bards love to accompany heroes to witness their deeds firsthand. A bard who can tell an awe-inspiring story from personal

Eyes of Blood

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

acting strangely. Read or paraphrase the following: As part of the crowd begins another verse of the Awakening Song, four people wearing the garb of farm folk wander into their midst. Rather than singing

yet, but this is a mark of the soul shaker’s control (see the “Soul Shaker” section at the end of this adventure). The festival-goers closest to the strange farmers panic and flee. Unless the

Hidden Shepherds

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters

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

firbolgs’ presence is marked by an absence of animals and a strange quiet, as if the forest wishes to avoid attracting attention to itself. The faster travelers decide to move on, the better. If these

Across the Fungal Fields

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss

behind this strange sensation. Then you feel the ground beneath you shift as something moves — a number of a thick, spiky tendrils bursting from the ground. Two fungal creatures resembling otyughs

rise up and attack the characters. Created by Araumycos to perfectly duplicate the abilities, traits, and actions of otyughs, these creatures are plants rather than aberrations. They attack until slain

Grimlock

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

Humanoids, expose them to strange forms of Underdark radiation, and implant new directives into their brains. The process of creating a grimlock rends the creature’s mind such that no semblance of the

individual’s former personality remains. Grimlocks have shallow depressions rather than eyes. A sixth sense allows grimlocks to perceive their surroundings. Psychic energies from their transformations

The Noble Knife

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated

for the greater good. The organization doesn’t “take jobs” as such. Rather, its leadership assesses the moral and political landscape of the realm and selects targets thusly. The Noble Knife is named

shape, as is normal for their abnormal kind, but are also able to transform into strange dogs that say “woof.” Not that they bark. They say “woof” like a person would. Unless you were a member of the

Bluetspur

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

Bluetspur, and none who witness them remember. This alien domain etches itself not upon the waking mind, but rather upon the body as inexplicable scars and on the psyche through nightmares. Not all the

Bluetspur for all manner of experiments. Many abductees are returned with only psychic scars, while others are never seen again. An unlucky few find themselves set upon strange routes leading back to the alien realm, arriving only to realize they’ve visited Bluetspur before.

Re-created by the Doctor

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

provide an opportunity to put players in control of strange creatures or unique bodies. Either as part of an adventure or a longer campaign, the characters might awaken with their minds transplanted into

. Worse Than Death? The characters are legitimately defeated during another adventure. Rather than the campaign ending, they awake in Dr. Mordenheim’s clutches, delivered there by the Mists.

Search Results