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Returning 35 results for 'strange serve'.
Monsters
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
organize members to work together to make a big kill, however. If they succeed, everyone in the group shares the spoils, with the best parts going to those caring for their young.
Girallons’ strange
appearance and attraction to ruins lead sages to believe they were created through magic to serve as guardians for some lost empire. When that empire fell ages ago, girallons turned feral and spread
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
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
consider beneath their dignity.
Smiling ones take their name from the strange two-faced masks they wear. The smiling half of the face often looks more like a smirk or a triumphant sneer than a
pleasant grin. The frowning half represents the displeasure smiling ones feel about cloud giants’ place in the ordning—second to storm giant;storm giants. The masks serve as symbols of smiling
Monsters
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
each: arcane gate, detect thoughts, true seeingWarlocks of the Great Old One gain their powers through magical pacts forged with eldritch entities from strange and distant realms of existence. Some
wickedness inspired by bizarre beings from beyond the stars.
Warlocks
Warlocks gain arcane might through magical pacts with mysterious entities. While some use their abilities to serve the sources of their power, others use them to undermine or even destroy these entities.Psychic
Monsters
Spelljammer: Adventures in Space
priests draw their strength from the pantheon of elven gods and oversee religious practices in astral elf society. It’s common for them to serve aboard spelljamming ships, not only as emissaries
sustenance.
Astral elves were among the first creatures to dwell in the Silver Void. As other explorers have reached for the stars, astral elves have had to reckon with violent neighbors and strange
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
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
of psychic forces has begun to affect the local fauna in strange ways.
Sapphire Dragon Lairs
Sapphire dragons make their lairs in enormous caverns and complex tunnel systems. As they grow
of natural tunnels and chambers the dragon has adapted to serve as a lair. The lair has few natural entrances, so whole sections are inaccessible without excavation or magic, as the dragon can simply
Monsters
Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1
damage.Deep within the Ethereal Plane are the demiplanes, miniatures worlds built by powerful archmages and other mighty entities to serve as a private domain. Each demiplane is a designed realm
realities. Such is the realm that spawned the xill, horrific, insectoid creatures created long ago to serve an ancient, evil master.
Gruesome Collectors. Xills are horrid, four-armed creatures that seem to
Firbolg
Legacy
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
, typically those used to mask their presence, and many go on to master nature magic.
Firbolgs who become druids serve as stronghold leaders. With every action the tribe takes, the druids weigh not only
’ 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
Aarakocra
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Species
Elemental Evil Player's Companion
beyond — from the boundless vistas of the Elemental Plane of Air.
They are immigrants, refugees, scouts, and explorers, their outposts functioning as footholds in a world both strange and alien
back into the air. Those that make it to a world in the Material Plane find it a strange place. They sometimes forget or ignore vertical distances, and they have nothing but pity for those earthbound
Human
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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
Just as readily as they mix with each other, humans mingle with members of other races. They get along with almost everyone, though they might not be close to many. Humans serve as ambassadors, diplomats
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual
territories and plunder the wilds. In groups, they form hierarchical, martial societies bent on conquering lands and stripping them of resources to serve their expansionist zeal. Hobgoblins often
subjugate animals, monsters, and destructive Fey—particularly goblins and bugbears—to serve their plans. Hobgoblins might ally with dragons, warlords, the servants of warlike gods, or other powerful
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
columns that seem to change shape slightly every few minutes. 31b. Threshold of Insanity Far Realm Proximity. A strange energy can be felt emanating from the double door to the west. The closer a
creature comes to the doors, the more uneasy it feels.
Slaadi. Four invisible death slaadi stand in front of the double door leading to area 32. The slaadi serve at the pleasure of Dezmyr and Zalthar
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation
archlich turned some of his victims into undead and flesh golems, then locked them inside the tomb to serve as guardians. Acererak then resumed his wanderings. In Acererak’s absence, the tomb snared
, add treasure to its vaults, and reap a bounty of hoarded souls. His planar wanderings have influenced the tomb’s mishmash of architectural styles, and have populated it with strange and deadly monsters.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual
Kuo-toa Fishlike Fanatics of the Deep Habitat: Coastal, Underdark; Treasure: Relics Eric Belisle An adventurer stumbles on a kuo-toa archpriest and servants of its strange gods Kuo-toa have slimy
themselves to dominance, often kidnapping people to learn their secrets or making dubious sacrifices to bizarre gods. To facilitate such plots, kuo-toa try to capture creatures alive using nets or strange
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
from the shadows. When creating a character from the Carrion Tribes, consider the following:
Sworn to an Overlord. Your tribe is devoted to an archfiend. This can serve as the roots of a warlock’s pact
to this new world, or are you doing your best to learn the ways of this strange realm?
Why Did You Leave? You began your life as a servant of darkness. Have you embraced the light? Are you fighting
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
linger in grimlocks’ bodies, and they channel these eerie forces into their attacks. Roll on or choose a result from the Grimlock Tasks table to inspire how grimlocks serve illithids. Grimlock Tasks
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
firbolgs are entrusted by their clan with an important mission that takes them beyond their homes. These firbolgs feel like pilgrims in a strange land, and usually they wish only to complete their quests
and return home as quickly as possible. The Firbolg Adventurers table can serve as inspiration for determining why a firbolg character leaves home. Firbolg Adventurers d8 Reason for Adventuring 1
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
Mounts and Vehicles Many stories tell of hags using strange, enchanted creatures and objects for travel, and most of those stories are accurate. Instead of the usual horse or pony, a hag might ride
a mortal hero might require that hero to serve as her mount for a year as part of fulfilling her bargain. The giant raven that carries a hag aloft could be in actuality one of the hag’s victims
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
, sacrifices to strange gods or placations to lurking monsters are everyday events. For outsiders, though, these practices reveal the subjectivity of normalcy, societal truth, and taboos. Folk horror explores
traditions have ways of excising blasphemers. Consider the following genre tropes when creating your folk horror domain: Strange and potentially dangerous traditions flourish in isolated or otherwise private
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Hoard of the Dragon Queen
three hounds dragging down a white boar, and it shimmers with strange light. The black armor is a helmed horror built to serve the cult, and disguised by an illusion to appear as ordinary armor. It
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
you were destined to serve an evil purpose—perhaps even serving as an avatar for an imprisoned demon Overlord—and you are fleeing from that destiny. Other tieflings are shaped not by demonic powers
, but by the influence of the planes. Such tieflings may be born in manifest zones when planes are coterminous. Planar tieflings are isolated oddities, often seen as exotic and strange, but not
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk
serve a greater force. Once Humanoids—such as humans, dwarves, and elves—the cultists embraced the power of the Far Realm and transformed into Humanoid mutates (see appendix A). They believe the
individuals they find in Talhundereth and feed them to the encephalon cluster as sacrifices to their strange god—if the gemmules don’t eat the captives first. The Cult of the Obelisk is led by Ontharyx
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
sewers. Stop the spread of a deadly drug or strange disease flowing from a well tied to Khyber. Khyber is an ever-present threat. Any deep passage could connect to a realm of fiends or spew out an army
uncovered. Wherever a passage to Khyber appears, monsters and dark powers can rise up to threaten the world above. Cults of the Dragon Below often have ties to Khyber. Some serve aberrations or fight
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1
Xill Deep within the Ethereal Plane are the demiplanes, miniature worlds built by powerful archmages and other mighty entities to serve as a private domain. Each demiplane is a designed realm, built
. Such is the realm that spawned the xill, horrific, insectoid creatures created long ago to serve an ancient, evil master. Gruesome Collectors. Xills are horrid, four-armed creatures that seem to be
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monsters of the Multiverse
to work together to make a big kill, however. If they succeed, everyone in the group shares the spoils, with the best parts going to those caring for their young. Girallons’ strange appearance and
attraction to ruins lead sages to believe they were created through magic to serve as guardians for some lost empire. When that empire fell ages ago, girallons turned feral and spread out across the world
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
Distressed Magistrate As the characters question the locals or otherwise demonstrate that they’ve experienced a strange event, a local magistrate notices them. The magistrate approaches if the
am, and I know my limits.” Bond. “Magistrates should do everything in our power to serve those who need assistance.” Flaw. “I have to check to reassure myself that my work has been done right, even if
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
unmistakable sign. I dropped everything to serve the divine. 4 Although I was always devout, it wasn’t until I completed a pilgrimage that I knew my true calling. 5 I used to serve in my religion’s bureaucracy
why I was chosen to serve. Druid d6 I became a druid because … 1 I saw too much devastation in the wild places, too much of nature’s splendor ruined by the despoilers. I joined a circle of druids
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Locathah Rising
, conical shell. When startled, she can tuck in her head and pull her tentacles up into the shell protectively, like a strange hermit crab. When the characters peer into these chambers, read or paraphrase
strung across the back of the chamber to serve as underwater beds, and a variety of hooks have been driven into the walls with netting attached to serve as shelving.
Caught up in the netting of the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Locathah Rising
it grew there naturally. Likewise, a strange, upright X-shaped symbol, linked by a line across the bottom, has grown naturally from the altar’s front-facing surface. A pair of ornate helms rest on
into the face of one of the empty ornate helms on the altar.
This is Shoalar Quanderil, who was reincarnated by Gar to serve him in his new mission. Once jovial and quick to laugh, Shoalar has
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
countryside or asked to defend the last holdout of civilization against a relentless horde. The zombies could serve as direct threats or motivate others to monstrous deeds, with the ends supposedly
—attacks work bands from Lekar and survivors upon the roads. The characters are enlisted to serve as guards.
5 The characters are sent to investigate a fallen star that crashed near the village
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss
Veldyskar the Basilisk When the characters are within a day’s travel of Gravenhollow, they hear someone singing strange tunes in various languages, the voice echoing down adjacent tunnels
basilisk trained to serve the keepers as a guardian and general-purpose helper. The basilisk adapted readily to the timeless nature of the library and embraced his new duties with great dedication
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
of arcane magic unknown on Khorvaire. The massive island of Aerenal is the ancient kingdom of the elves. Its jungles are a source of strange and valuable lumbers: the soarwood used for the hulls of
elves, the honored dead walk among the living. Heroes who died in glorious battle return to serve the Sibling Kings. And in the depths of Shae Mordai, the deathless lords of the Undying Court study
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
rivalries with humans, elves, and dwarves. A hobgoblin kingdom might serve as a buffer between a human kingdom and a blighted region overrun by the spawn of Kyuss. Kobolds might be city builders, the
dwarves and have adopted their culture. 4 At a young age, you adopted a human religion and now serve it faithfully. 5 You received divine insight that sent you on your path, and occasionally receive new
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual
these bizarre servants. Many chuuls serve aboleth overlords, carrying out their whims amid lightless seas and primeval swamps. Other chuuls obey new aberrant masters, such as beholders, grells, or mind
massive pincers before rendering foes helpless with their paralytic tentacles. Chuuls don’t age and can lie dormant in hidden places for millennia before threats, ancient orders, or strange