Chapter 1 | Player Options 51 High Deck Readings At 6th level, you begin to regularly include the high card deck in your personal readings. In addition to the three cards from the common deck, you also draw two cards from the high deck and flip them during the reading. Until you next complete a long rest, these cards grant you access to an additional magical effect. Once you use one of the two cards you cannot use the other high deck card until the next time you take a reading when you finish a long rest. Common Reread Beginning at 6th level, whenever you take a moment of respite, you can twist fate by replacing one of the common deck cards. When you finish a short rest, you can draw a replacement card for any of the common cards you have not used. Do not put used cards back in the deck for the reread. Tarokka Common Deck Table 1d4 and 1d10 1 - Glyphs (Hearts) 2 - Swords (Spades) 3 - Coins (Diamonds) 4 - Stars (Clubs) 10 (Master) When you or a creature you can see makes a saving throw, you can grant advantage or disadvantage to that saving throw or if succeeding on the saving throw would allow for a creature to only take half damage, they take no damage on a success instead. When you or a creature you can see makes a melee weapon attack roll, you can grant advantage or disadvantage to that roll or that melee attack scores a critical hit on a roll of 19 as well as 20. When you or a creature you can see makes a ranged weapon attack roll, you can grant advantage or disadvantage to that roll or that ranged attack scores a critical hit on a roll of 19 as well as 20. When you or a creature you can see makes a spell attack roll, you can grant advantage or disadvantage to that roll or that spell attack scores a critical hit on a roll of 19 as well as 20. 1-2 When you or a creature you can see makes a saving throw, you can grant advantage or disadvantage to that saving throw. When you or a creature you can see makes a melee weapon attack roll, you can grant advantage or disadvantage to that roll. When you or a creature you can see makes a ranged weapon attack roll, you can grant advantage or disadvantage to that roll. When you or a creature you can see makes a spell attack roll, you can grant advantage or disadvantage to that roll. 3-5 When you or a creature you can see makes a saving throw, if a success on the saving throw would allow for a creature to only take half damage, they take no damage on a success instead. When you or a creature you can see makes a melee weapon attack roll, that melee attack scores a critical hit on a roll of 19 as well as 20. When you or a creature you can see makes a ranged weapon attack roll, that ranged attack scores a critical hit on a roll of 19 as well as 20. When you or a creature you can see makes a spell attack roll, that spell attack scores a critical hit on a roll of 19 as well as 20. 6-9 When you or a creature you can see makes a saving throw, you can grant a +1 or a -1 to that saving throw. When you or a creature you can see makes a melee weapon attack, you can grant a +1 or a -1 to that attack roll. When you or a creature you can see makes a ranged weapon attack, you can grant a +1 or a -1 to that attack roll. When you or a creature you can see makes a spell attack, you can grant a +1 or a -1 to that attack roll. No Tarokka Deck? No Problem! You can simulate the Tarokka deck using ordinary poker cards (including two jokers) or with dice. If you’re using dice, roll a d4 and a d10 together for each card drawn from the common deck. The d4 correlates to the suit of the card, and the d10 is the numerical value of the card drawn. A 10 represents the master of the particular suit and is the highest card in a particular suit, but otherwise the lower numbered cards are a higher strength. For the high deck: roll a d100, rerolling results of 00 and 99 and consult the chart for the high deck cards. In either case, reroll any duplicate cards, keeping in mind that with the common deck you might still wind up with two different cards that have the same effect. If you’re using poker cards, it is important to separate the aces and the numbered cards from the face cards and the jokers. For the common deck: hearts represent glyphs, spades represent swords, diamonds represent coins, and clubs represent stars. Like with dice, the 10 represents the master of the suit but otherwise the numbers represent at face value. For the High deck: consult the chart to find the specific cards that represent them.
52 Chapter 1 | Player Options Stronger Reading At 10th level, the high cards now have an even stronger pull at the threads of destiny, and as such are capable of producing a more powerful effect. You can still choose the lesser effect if you wish. Trading Fortune At 10th level, you can draw bad luck onto yourself in the hopes that it will pay off later. Whenever you make an attack roll, a saving throw, or an ability check, you can gain disadvantage on that roll. Then within the next hour, when you make the same type of roll, you can gain advantage on that roll. Once you use this feature you cannot use it until you finish a long rest. If you do not grant yourself advantage using this feature before you finish your next long rest, you can use your common reread feature immediately after taking your common deck reading. Full Reading Beginning at 14th level, you are able to realize the full potential of any reading you perform. You can use both of the high cards drawn during your reading once per long rest. Additionally, when you use your common reread feature, you can draw a replacement card for both high cards, but only if you haven’t used either one. If you replace one high card, you must replace them both. Tarokka High Deck Table Tarokka Card Playing Card (d100) Effect The Artifact Joker 1 (01-07) As an action, you can cast the spell animate objects as if using a 5th-level spell slot. At 10th level, this spell is cast as if using an 8th-level spell slot instead. The Horseman Joker 2 (08-14) You can cast the spell phantom steed without expending a spell slot. Beginning at 10th level, you can cast it in this way up to four times. The Donjon King of Clubs (15-21) As an action, you can cast the spell banishment as if using a 4th-level spell slot. At 10th level, as an action, you can choose to cast the spell forcecage instead. The Raven Queen of Clubs (22-28) As an action, you can summon an enchanted raven which will last for one hour. This creature acts as though it were summoned by the find familiar spell. At 10th level, as an action, you can summon four swarms of ravens which will obey you for one minute, after which they fly away. The Seer Jack of Clubs (29-35) When you flip this card as part of your reading, roll two d20s and record your choice of one of the two numbers rolled. You can replace any attack roll, saving throw, or ability check made by you or a creature that you can see with the chosen roll. You must choose to do so before the roll. At 10th level, you roll three d20s and record two of them. If you do, you can use each of the two recorded rolls before the card is fully expended, but you can replace a roll in this way only once per turn. The Broken One King of Diamonds (36-42) As an action, you can cast Tasha’s mind whip or Tasha’s hideous laughter as if using a 2nd-level spell slot. At 10th level, as an action, you can cast confusion as if using a 4th-level spell slot. The Tempter Queen of Diamonds (43-49) As an action, you can cast suggestion as if using a 2nd-level spell slot. At 10th level, as an action, you can cast mass suggestion as if using a 6th-level spell slot. The Beast Jack of Diamonds (50-56) As an action, you can cast polymorph, except you can only target yourself. At 10th level, you can choose to target another creature instead. The Ghost King of Hearts (57-63) As an action, you can cast gaseous form as if using a 3rd-level spell slot. At 10th level, as an action, you can cast etherealness as if using a 7th-level spell slot. The Innocent Queen of Hearts (67-70) When you flip this card as part of your reading, you are immediately under the effect of the sanctuary spell, except that the spell will last until you next complete a long rest or until you make an attack or cast a spell that affects an enemy creature. At 10th level, you can choose to forgo the sanctuary effect and instead, as an action, you can cast mind blank. The Marionette Jack of Hearts (71-77) As an action, you can cast the spell dominate person as if using a 5th-level spell slot. At 10th level, that spell is cast as if using an 8th-level spell slot instead. The Darklord King of Spades (78-84) When you flip this card as part of your reading, you gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet until you next complete a long rest. If you already have darkvision, its range is increased by 60 feet. Additionally, as an action, you can cast darkness. At 10th level, when you cast darkness using this card, you gain the ability to see normally in that darkness. The Mists Queen of Spades (85-91) As a bonus action, you can cast misty step. At 10th level, as an action, you can cast dimension door. The Executioner Jack of Spades (92-98) As an action, you can cast phantasmal killer as is using a 4th-level spell slot. At 10th level, as an action, you can cast finger of death. – 99-00 Reroll the dice and use the new result.
Chapter 1 | Player Options 53 The Deceiver You have made a pact with a being of lies and deceit, marking yourself as a servant in their machinations. The nature of your patron’s deceptions may vary, from simple acts of trickery, to grand schemes of domination. Deceivers are as varied in shape as they are in nature, such examples include: Beshaba, Lady Doom; Cornelia, the Blamed Lady; Cyric, Lord of Strife; Eldrantulku, the Oathbreaker; Gargauth, the Tenth Lord; Laira, the Teacher of Men; Mask, the Lord of Shadows; Sora Katra, the Spinner of Gold and Lies; Scorcha, the Dusk Reveler; or Wysara, the Lady of Lies. Expanded Spells The Deceiver lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you. Spells with an asterisk (*) can be found in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. Deceiver Expanded Spells Spell Level Spells 1st command, dissonant whispers 2nd blindness/deafness, Tasha’s mind whip* 3rd blink, nondetection 4th confusion, greater invisibility 5th dominate person, modify memory Deceiver’s Dagger Beginning when you choose this patron at 1st level, your patron gifts you with a magical blade that contains a fragment of their beguiling power. The blade is a magical dagger that you can use as a spellcasting focus for your warlock spells. The dagger returns to your hand immediately after it is used to make a ranged attack. Additionally, you can use a bonus action while you hold the dagger to create a tunnel, a 5-foot-wide one-way magical portal that connects two points in space for 10 minutes. Tunnels are two-dimensional, jagged tears filled with a glowing energy, hovering in space. A tunnel is only visible from one side, which is the side that functions as the portal. The tunnel entrance appears in a space within 5 feet of you, facing towards you, While the exit appears in a space within 60 feet of you, facing in a direction you choose. It can be a place you can see, or one you can clearly visualize. Any creature or object entering the entrance portal arrives at the exit portal as if the two were adjacent to each other. Passing through a tunnel from the nonportal side, or through the exit side, has no effect. A creature that looks through either end of the tunnel can see through to the other side. You can create a tunnel once, after which you must complete a short or long rest to do so again. You can use this feature more times as you gain warlock levels, increasing by one at 6th (two times) and 14th (three times) level. If your dagger is destroyed or you lose it, you can perform a 1-hour ceremony to receive a replacement from your patron. This ceremony can be performed Whilst I would call many warlocks fools, those who would bargain with a being of chaos and discord I find especially idiotic. -Drizzt
54 Chapter 1 | Player Options during a short or long rest, and the previous dagger is destroyed if it still exists. The dagger vanishes inexplicably when you die. If you later gain the Pact of the Blade feature, your dagger vanishes and cannot be recovered. Instead, any weapon you summon with your Pact of the Blade feature gains the capabilities of your dagger, as long as that weapon deals piercing or slashing damage. Mystic Mirage From 6th level, you can use your deceiver’s dagger to cut yourself into two distinct shapes: one real, one fake. Whenever you begin to move on your turn, you can send an illusory double to another unoccupied space that you can see up to a number of feet away equal to your remaining movement. You must be holding your deceiver’s dagger to use this feature. The illusion has your AC. It vanishes whenever it takes damage or at the start of your next turn, whichever comes first. The illusion can travel through your tunnels. A creature can use its reaction when you first use this feature, making a Wisdom (Perception) check against your warlock spell save DC. On a success, the creature discerns the duplicate as an illusion. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once), regaining all expended uses whenever you complete a long rest. Arcane Tunneling Also at 6th level, whenever you create a tunnel with your dagger, you can choose for that tunnel to be two way, allowing creatures to enter either end of the tunnel. Fleet of Falsehoods At 10th level, you can create backnetworks through reality with great ease and precision. Whenever you move, you can teleport that distance instead of moving. When you teleport in this way, you can use your Mystic Mirage feature as if you were moving. When you move the illusion created by that feature, you can also cause it to teleport in this way. Additionally, whenever you create a tunnel with your deceiver’s dagger, you can create the exit up to 120 feet from you. Deceiver’s Prison By the time you reach 14th level, you can use your deceiver’s dagger to send your foes far away. When you hit a creature with an attack using your deceiver’s dagger, you can attempt to force that creature to your patron’s realm. The target must make a Charisma saving throw against your warlock spell save DC. On a failure, the target takes up to 6d6 force damage and is banished to a harmless demiplane for 1 minute. While there, the target is incapacitated. At the end of each of its turns in the demiplane, the target can repeat its saving throw. On a success, the target reappears in the space it left or in the nearest unoccupied space if that space is occupied. If the target fails its saving throw against this feature three times before succeeding once, it becomes permanently trapped in the demiplane until you use an action to release it, or until you successfully trap another creature. In either case, the target reappears in an unoccupied space that you can see within 60 feet of you. Once you have used this feature, you must complete a short or long rest before you can do so again.
55 Wizard At 2nd level, a wizard gains the Arcane Tradition feature. The following options are available to a wizard, in addition to those offered in the Player’s Handbook. Planar Weaving Each plane thrums with its own energy, its own essence, a pervasive and potent force capable of altering, with subtle splendor or profound horror, all those who touch it. For written into the very fabric of each realm is the fundamental ethos of that reality, a power that reshapes matter and souls alike to the rules governing those planar domains. Even magic itself, which winds and writhes through all places and all times, is influenced by the rules of these realities. And for those with knowledge and daring, the planes exist as a torrent of potential, an endless wellspring that promises control not only oneself but of all reality. But those who research such places, who treat with such power, should do so with great wariness. For it was not meant for mortals. Planar Imbuement Beginning when you select this school at 2nd level, you can tap into the planar energies you have studied to enhance yourself. You can select two planes from which to draw power. Each planar source offers a permanent bonus listed in the Passive Effect column of the Planar Powers. When you reach 6th, 10th, and 14th level, you can replace one of your known planar sources with a planar source of your choice. Planar Weaving Beginning at 6th level, you learn to harness a third planar power source. You can infuse yourself and your spells with planar essence. As an action, you create a planar weave for a single planar power source you know. This planar weave grants you the ability in the Weave Effect column of the Planar Powers table for the chosen plane. If an ability in this column has an instantaneous effect, it can only be used once each turn. The planar weave lasts for a number of minutes equal to your wizard level or until you end it as a bonus action, at which point you lose access to the ability it grants. In addition, when you cast a spell, you can spend a use of your Planar Weaving to change the spell’s damage or saving throw type to one corresponding to a planar power you’ve learned as seen in the Planar Power column of the Planar Powers chart. If a Planar Power column offers a choice, you decide each time you use this feature to alter a spell you cast. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Dimensional Warding Beginning at 10th level, when you or a creature within 30 feet of you takes damage or makes a saving throw that corresponds to a damage or saving throw type of one of your planar powers, you can use your reaction to grant the target resistance to that damage type for that instance of the damage or advantage on that saving throw. In addition, as an action, you can use your Dimensional Warding feature to grant all creatures within 30 feet of you immunity to the negative effects of planar exposure for planes you have selected for your Planar Weaving feature for 1 hour. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Walk Between Worlds Starting at 14th level, you learn to harness a fourth planar power source. In addition, you can expend a use of your Planar Weaving to cast plane shift targeting a plane you have selected with your Planar Weaving feature. When you cast plane shift in this way, you do not require material components. Wizards are no strangers to traveling between the many planes, or so I’ve heard many a wizard boast. However, those who practice Planar Weaving are indeed a wondrous surprise, for they do not just galavant between the planes, but wield their very energies. -Drizzt
56 Planar Powers Plane 2nd Level 6th Level 6th Level Passive Effect Planar Power Weave Effect The Infinite Layers of the Abyss You speak, read, and write Abyssal. A creature that fails a saving throw against a spell cast by you that uses a spell slot has disadvantage on ability checks for 1 minute. Acid or Poison; Constitution If a creature succeeds on a saving throw against a spell cast by you, the next saving throw it makes within 1 minute has disadvantage. Instantaneous effect. The Infinite Battlefield of Acheron You speak, read, and write Abyssal or Infernal. You gain proficiency with martial weapons or light armor. Lightning or Thunder; Strength You add your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1) to Dexterity (Initiative) checks and your AC while you are not wearing medium or heavy armor. The Peaceable Kingdoms of Arcadia You speak, read, and write Celestial. You gain resistance to poison damage, and you are immune to diseases and the poisoned condition. Radiant; Charisma Creatures of your choice (including yourself) within 30 feet can’t be frightened and are immune to diseases, poison, and the poisoned condition. The Olympian Glades of Arborea You speak, read, and write Celestial. You are immune to the charmed condition, and magic can’t put you to sleep. Radiant; Strength You add your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one) to your Constitution, Dexterity, and Strength checks and saving throws. The Astral Plane You gain telepathy out to 30 feet. Communication is two-way and works with any creature that understands a language. Psychic; Intelligence When you cast a spell that deals damage, you can have the spell deal additional psychic damage equal to twice your wizard level to one target of the spell. You can use this feature once each turn. Instantaneous effect. The Wilderness of the Beastlands You speak, read, and write Celestial. You gain proficiency in two of the following skills: Animal Handling, Perception, and Survival. Thunder; Constitution or Strength You can transform into a beast (as the polymorph spell) for a number of minutes equal to your wizard level. You retain your intelligence and ability to speak (allowing you to cast spells that have only a verbal component). The Twin Paradises of Bytopia You speak, read, and write Celestial. When you make a Charisma (Persuasion) check or Charisma saving throw, you can add your Intelligence modifier to the check or saving throw. Radiant; Charisma When you cast a beneficial spell with a range of self or touch that normally only affects one creature, you can target an additional creature within 5 feet. Instantaneous effect. The Tarterian Depths of Carceri You speak, read, and write Abyssal or Infernal. You have advantage on checks and saving throws to avoid being restrained or grappled. You can spend 5 feet of movement to automatically escape from nonmagical restraints, such as manacles. Cold; Intelligence As a reaction when a creature or object within 60 feet of you is the subject of a spell or an effect that teleports it or allows it to move to another plane, you can choose to stop the spell or effect. Instantaneous effect. The Bleak Eternity of Gehenna You speak, read, and write Abyssal or Infernal. When you make a spell attack with a cantrip that deals acid or fire damage, you score a critical hit on a roll of 18, 19, or 20. Acid or Fire; Constitution When a creature within 10 feet of you casts a spell, you can use your reaction to force the creature make a Charisma saving throw against your spellcasting DC. On a failure, you can pick a new target for the spell. Instantaneous effect. The Elemental Plane of Fire You speak, read, and write Ignan. You are immune to the effects of extreme heat, as described in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. In addition, you can light a small fire with a touch as an action, and fire sources you carry shed bright light for an additional 10 feet. Fire; Constitution You gain immunity to fire damage. In addition, spells you cast that deal fire damage ignore resistance to fire damage and treat immunity as resistance. The Elemental Plane of Air You speak, read, and write Auran. You don’t need to breathe and your speed increases by 10 feet. Lightning; Dexterity You gain a fly speed equal to your walking speed. The Elemental Plane of Earth You speak, read, and write Terran. You add your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1) to ability checks involving stone; including Strength (Athletics) checks to scale natural rock and Wisdom (Perception) checks to detect cave ins and avalanches. Acid; Strength You add your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one) to your AC when you are not wearing armor. In addition, you can glide through the earth, gaining the ability to burrow through nonmagical, unworked earth and stone. While doing so, you don’t disturb the material you move through. You can breathe while burrowed.
57 Plane 2nd Level 6th Level 6th Level Passive Effect Planar Power Weave Effect The Elemental Plane of Water You speak, read, and write Aquan. You can breathe both air and water, and you gain a swim speed equal to your movement speed. Cold; Constitution You transform into water, gaining resistance to nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, and you can enter a hostile creature’s space and stop there. You can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. The Ethereal Plane You learn to speak, read, and write one language of your choice. You can see a faint aura around any visible creature or object within 30 feet of you that bears magic, and you know its school of magic, if any. Force; Wisdom You can become ethereal, gaining resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. In addition, you can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. You take 1d10 force damage if you end your turn inside an object. The Feywild You speak, read, and write Sylvan. You add your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one) to saving throws you make against spells. Psychic; Charisma If a creature takes damage or fails a saving throw from a spell you cast, you can give it disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks targeting you for 1 minute as it forgets about you. Instantaneous effect. The Gray Wastes of Hades You speak, read, and write Abyssal or Infernal. You have advantage on saving throws against spells or effects that cause you to move or be changed against your will, such as by petrification, being knocked prone, and the polymorph spell. Cold; Constitution or Wisdom If a creature fails a saving throw against a spell cast by you that uses a spell slot, you can weaken it, giving it disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls until the beginning of its next turn. This effect can occur once each turn. Instantaneous effect. The EverChanging Chaos You learn to speak, read, and write two random languages determined by the Dungeon Master. You gain a fly speed equal to half your walking speed. You are able to hover, but you cannot fly more than 5 feet above the ground. Psychic; Intelligence As a bonus action, you can make an Intelligence check to mentally move an object that you can see within 30 feet of you. The DC depends on the object’s size: DC 5 for Tiny, DC 10 for Small, DC 15 for Medium, DC 20 for Large, and DC 25 for Huge or larger. On a successful check, you move the object 5 feet plus 1 foot for every point by which you beat the DC. The Seven Heavens of Mount Celestia You speak, read, and write Celestial. When you finish a long rest, you gain the benefits of a lesser restoration spell. Radiant; Wisdom When you make an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can roll 1d6 and add it to the check or roll. The Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus You speak, read, and write Modron. You gain proficiency with two tools of your choice and you add twice your proficiency bonus to checks with those tools. Force; Intelligence When a creature within 60 feet of you that you can see would make an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw you can use your reaction to substitute their result on a d20 roll with a 10. . Instantaneous effect. The Nine Hells You speak, read, and write Infernal. When you make a Charisma (Deception) check or Charisma saving throw, you can add your Intelligence modifier to the check or saving throw. Fire; Intelligence You can add your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1) to the DC of spells you cast that impose the charmed condition. The Shadowfell You speak, read, and write Sylvan. You gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision, its range increases by 30 feet. Necrotic; Charisma Your darkvision doubles and you can see in magical darkness. In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. The Windswept Depths of Pandemonium You speak, read, and write Abyssal. You gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision, its range increases by 30 feet. Cold; Wisdom If a creature takes damage or fails a saving throw from a spell you cast that uses a spell slot, you can cause it to be buffeted by great winds and moved 30 feet in a direction of your choice. This can occur once each turn. Instantaneous effect. The Heroic Domains of Ysgard You speak, read, and write Celestial. While you have temporary hit points, you can’t be charmed, frightened, or fail concentration checks. Radiant; Constitution or Strength When you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points with a spell, you can gain a number of temporary hit points equal to twice the hit dice of the creature. Instantaneous effect.
58 Chapter 1 | Player Options Somniamancy The waking and subconscious mind are deeply linked, and the bridge between the waking world and the world of dreams is linked by one thing: sleep. A few wizards have pioneered the arcane tradition of Somniamancy and are able to harness this mysterious power, extending their spellcasting prowess beyond the waking world. When a Somniamancer harnesses the power of the unconscious mind, they can force their dreams past the barriers of sleep and into reality. Sleep Casting At 2nd level, even while asleep, your spellcasting instincts remain vigilant. When determining whether you are surprised, you are always considered awake. If you are unconscious when you roll initiative, you can immediately enter into a trancelike state and can stand up if you choose. In this state, you are considered awake and aware of your surroundings. Additionally, you have full control of your own sleep. You can fall asleep immediately at will, and you can choose how long you will sleep for or what sorts of stimuli will wake you. Unless you choose otherwise, magic can’t put you to sleep. Slumber Magic Also at 2nd level, you learn the spell sleep if you did not know it already. You can cast sleep at the highest level for which you have spell slots without expending a spell slot or requiring material components. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining expended uses whenever you complete a long rest. Restorative Repose Beginning at 6th level, you add the catnap spell to your spellbook if it is not there already. When you cast catnap, you can target one additional creature and each affected target can choose to gain one of the following additional benefits: • The target reduces its exhaustion level by one. •The target rolls any hit dice it expends during the short rest twice, taking the higher of the two results for each die. Dream Familiarity Also at 6th level, your ability to control your own dreams allows you to better deal with dreams and nightmares in the waking world. You can use your reaction to grant yourself advantage on ability checks to see through illusions and saving throws against illusions and fear. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining expended uses whenever you complete a long rest. I have always seen sleep and rest as a foe: a necessity, yes, but also an enemy of productivity and action. My naïve thought was dispelled in more ways than one when I met and conversed with a wizard practitioner of Somniamancy. -Drizzt
Doze Starting at 10th level, you can briefly enter a sleeplike state and sort through your magical thoughts. As an action, you can choose a number of wizard spells you have prepared and replace each of them with another wizard spell from your spellbook. You can replace a number of spells with a combined level equal to your wizard level. Once you have used this feature, you cannot do so again until you complete a long rest. Lucid Dreaming When you reach 14th level, the power of your subconscious alters the waking world. As an action, you can make an Intelligence check to mentally alter a Large or smaller nonmagical object that is not being worn or carried that you can see within 30 feet of you. The DC depends on the object’s size, as shown in the Lucid Transformation table below. On a success, you change the object into another object you are familiar with of equal size and of equal or lesser value. This feature cannot be used to create objects that ordinarily require a high degree of craftsmanship, such as jewelry, weapons, glass, or armor, unless you have proficiency with the type of artisan’s tools used to craft such objects. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining expended uses whenever you complete a long rest Lucid Transformation Object Size DC Tiny 5 Small 10 Medium 15 Large 20 Heavy Slumber Also at 14th level, your Slumber Magic is imbued with the essence of true weariness. As an action, you can choose a number of creatures you can see within 60 feet of you equal to your proficiency bonus and spend all of your remaining uses of Slumber Magic (minimum 1) to inflict exhaustion on them. Each target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or gain three levels of exhaustion. This cannot raise a creature’s exhaustion level above five. This exhaustion is temporary and lasts for one minute, but an affected target can use an action on each of its turns to repeat the saving throw on its turn, removing one of the inflicted exhaustion levels.
60 Chapter 2 | Magic Items Chapter 2: Magic Items Magic items are gleaned from the hoards of conquered monsters or discovered in long-lost vaults. Such items grant capabilities a character could rarely have otherwise, or they complement their owner’s capabilities in wondrous ways. According to the Dungeon Master’s discretion, party members may encounter some of the following magic items in their adventures. Magic items are presented in alphabetical order. A magic item’s description gives the item’s name, its category, its rarity, and its magical properties. Aspect Mirror Wondrous item, rare An aspect mirror looks like a plain, circular, silvered mirror, usually 1.5 feet in diameter. Aspect mirrors come in pairs, and mirrors in a pair match each other. As an action, you can touch an aspect mirror and establish a link to its paired mirror. For the next minute, you can see, hear, and speak as if you were in the same space as the paired mirror. While using the mirror like this, you and your surroundings are visible to those who see through the paired mirror as if the paired mirrors were a window. Communication through the mirrors ignores distance, but you can only use the mirrors when they are on the same plane of existence. You cannot cast spells through the mirrors. Once an aspect mirror is used in this manner, the mirrors can’t be used again until the next dawn. If one of the mirrors in a pair is destroyed, the other one becomes nonmagical. Backpack of Flying Wondrous item, uncommon This backpack is fitted with heavy gnomish equipment at its base and has storage space akin to that of a standard rucksack above. It has 5 charges, and regains 1d4 +1 expended charges at dawn. As a bonus action, you can expend one charge to activate the backpack, sending you flying 50 feet in a straight line in any direction. If used to go up, the backpack shimmers faintly, causing you to fall harmlessly to the ground as if under the effects of the feather fall spell. If you expend two charges, each creature within 5 feet of you when the backpack is activated takes 1d4 + 2 fire damage. If the backpack reaches 0 charges, roll 1d10. On a 1, the backpack malfunctions and cannot be used until a creature succeeds on a DC 15 check with tinker’s tools to repair it. An attempt to repair the backpack that fails by 5 or more destroys the backpack. Beholder Personal Tank Wondrous item, legendary This item first appears to be a Large sealed iron sphere weighing 250 pounds. The sphere has a hidden catch, which can be found with a successful DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check. Releasing the catch unlocks a hatch at one end of the sphere, allowing a Medium or smaller creature to crawl inside. Twelve levers are set in a row at the one end, each in a neutral position, able to move either up or down. When certain levers are used, the sphere transforms to resemble a beholder. The beholder personal tank is a Large object with the following statistics: Armor Class: 20 Hit Points: 200 Speed: 0 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover) Damage Immunities: poison, psychic To be used as a vehicle, the tank requires one pilot in the compartment. The pilot can use an action to move as many as two of the tank’s levers up or down. After each use, a lever goes back to its neutral position. Each lever, from left to right, functions as shown in the Beholder Personal Tank Levers table. Magic items are wonderfully useful in the right hands, so much so that it is not uncommon for adventurers to form a sort of friendship with their tools. Of course, this is also true in the literal sense if your weapon happens to be sentient. -Drizzt
Chapter 2 | Magic Items 61 Beholder Personal Tank Levers Lever Up Down 1 The tank’s mechanical eyes extend, as well as a motor that allows the tank to fly. The tank begins to hover 5 feet off the ground. Levers 8-11 allow the pilot to fire a ray from the relevant mechanical eye at a creature it can see within 60 feet. The eyes must be extended to use these effects and each ray can only be used once per round. The eye rays and motor retract, reducing the tank’s speed to 0 and making it unable to benefit from bonuses to its speed. 2 Front window shutter opens. Front window shutter closes. 3 Side window shutters open (two per side). Side window shutters close (two per side). 4 The apparatus floats up to 15 feet upward. The apparatus floats downward up to 15 feet, to a minimum of 5 feet off the ground. 5 The apparatus flies up to 30 feet forward. The apparatus flies up to 30 feet backward. 6 The apparatus turns 90 degrees left. The apparatus turns 90 degrees right. 7 The tank emits bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. The light turns off. 8 Disintegration Ray. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 18 (4d8) force damage. If this damage reduces the creature to 0 hit points, its body becomes a pile of fine gray dust. If the target is a Large or smaller nonmagical object or creation of magical force, it is disintegrated without a saving throw. If the target is a Huge or larger nonmagical object or creation of magical force, this ray disintegrates a 10-foot cube of it. 9 Enervation Ray. The targeted creature must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 36 (8d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. 10 Fear Ray. The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. 11 Paralyzing Ray. The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. 12 The rear hatch unseals and opens The rear hatch closes and seals. Bertie’s Favor Wondrous Item, common Six gleaming white alligator teeth dangle from this necklace. You can detach a tooth from the necklace and throw it up to 20 feet. When a tooth is thrown upon the ground, the terrain in a 5-foot radius immediately becomes swamp-like difficult terrain. If a tooth is thrown into terrain that is already swamp-like, it transmutes into an alligator and attacks any creatures hostile to you. An alligator created by this necklace disappears after 1 minute. Bladeslinger Dye Wondrous Item, uncommon This clear, paint-like liquid is contained in a small bucket decorated with rainbow designs and images of weapons. You can spend 10 minutes coating the blade or head of any melee weapon with this liquid. Once fully coated, you can choose a color and the weapon will instantly be dyed that color permanently and become a magical weapon. If the weapon was already magical, it maintains its enchantment and simply changes colors. If no color is named within an hour of coating the weapon, the liquid evaporates and the weapon remains unchanged. The bucket contains enough liquid to cover up to three weapons. Bracers of Elvenkind Wondrous item, uncommon These leather bracers are inscribed with Elvish runes of primal magic. While you wear them, you ignore difficult terrain created by dense foliage. In addition, you have advantage on Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks and Charisma (Persuasion) checks made when dealing with woodland creatures.
62 Chapter 2 | Magic Items Bulb of the Stranger Wondrous Item, very rare This bulb comes from an alien plant and bulges with purple veins. As an action, you can plant the bulb in a corpse within 5 feet of you. Doing so consumes the bulb. After 10 minutes, the corpse is returned to a semblance of life as a Bizarre Stranger. A Bizarre Stranger uses the statistics of the original creature with the following changes: • It has confused memories of the original creature’s life. • Its type is construct. • It has immunity to psychic damage. • It has 100 hit points. • After 8 hours, it is reduced to 0 hit points and dies. The Bizarre Stranger acts on its own accord, though is friendly to you and your allies. Claws of the Bear Strangler Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) While wearing these large fur mitts, you have advantage on Strength checks to attempt or maintain a grapple against creatures that are Large or smaller. These mitts are equipped with claws that you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you can deal slashing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. Additionally, you can grapple or shove creatures up to two sizes larger than you. Coin of Enhanced Luck Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement by a halfling or a creature with the Lucky feat) This coin was forged by halflings, and has an image of Yondalla engraved on it. While attuned to this coin, you gain the following benefits: • If you spend a luck point or use your Lucky trait to affect one of your attack rolls or an ability check, the d20 you choose gains a +2 bonus. • If you spend a luck point to affect an attack against you, the d20 roll you choose suffers a -2 penalty. • You regain one luck point up to your maximum at the end of a short rest. Once you have used a benefit, you can’t use that benefit again until you finish a long rest. Couatl Gem Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement by a creature of good alignment) This gem houses the spirit of an ancient serpent loyal to Tyr. You can use a bonus action to whisper a prayer to the gem, calling on the services of a couatl. A beam of blue light flashes in a direction of your choice and a couatl appears in an unoccupied space on the ground in that direction within 30 feet of you. It is friendly to you and your companions and acts on your initiative, starting with the round on which it was summoned. You can communicate with the couatl telepathically. The couatl won’t attack any unaligned monsters. If it sees a creature under a magical compulsion to fight you (e.g., via a charm spell) it doesn’t attack that creature, but attempts to end its compulsion (using greater restoration if needed) and ensure it is acting of its own volition. The couatl remains for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma or Wisdom modifier (whichever is highest), disappearing immediately after its final turn. If it casts a spell that requires concentration (such as a bless), that spell ends once the couatl disappears. The couatl’s celestial spirit is immortal. If its physical form is killed while it is summoned, its spirit retreats to the gem to recover and it cannot be summoned again until 3d6 days have passed. Once you summon the couatl, you cannot summon it again until you complete a long rest. While it is not summoned, you can telepathically communicate with the couatl through the gem. The couatl is happy to share old tales of the god Tyr, reciting stories such as how the god of justice lost his hand to Kezef, the Chaos Hound. If you show a genuine interest in the couatl’s stories, your religious knowledge will be expanded. By spending an hour during a long rest listening to these tales you gain advantage on Intelligence (Religion) checks for 24 hours (you can also use the couatl as a teacher if you wish to train that skill—as per the downtime activity in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything).
Chapter 2 | Magic Items 63 Darcy’s Dinner Triangle Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) This mithril triangle has musical notes etched into its surface. Tapping one side of the triangle will cause it to chime with a pleasant sound and glow like a torch. When all three sides of the triangle are struck, roll 1d4. On a result of 2-4, each creature in a 15-foot cone that can hear the triangle must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you as they hear the voice of a loved one who they know to be dead calling them home. An affected creature is frightened until the end of your next turn and must use their reaction, if available, to move 20 feet away from you. On a result of 1 on the d4, the sound of the triangle echoes around you and you suffer the effect instead. Unless you succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw, you are frightened of each creature you see in the 15 foot cone until the end of your next turn and must use any movement you have remaining to move 20 feet away from those creatures. Dawnbolter Weapon (heavy crossbow), very rare (requires attunement) Crafted to fight off the horrors of the night, this crossbow is made of dark oak inlaid with the holy symbols used by its previous wielders. It is strung with a silver thread that glows slightly with radiant energy. You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage made with this magic weapon. This weapon is wielded as a typical heavy crossbow, but requires no ammunition. Instead, when an attack is made with this weapon, it creates a magical bolt that deals radiant damage in place of piercing. These bolts dissipate moments after impacting their target. You can choose to use ammunition with this crossbow instead of firing radiant bolts. When you do, you gain the attack and damage benefits of this magical weapon as normal. If you score a critical hit on a creature that is considered an undead or fiend with this crossbow, the attack deals maximum damage. Deadwalker’s Ring Ring, very rare (requires attunement) While attuned to this ring, whenever you cast a necromancy spell with a casting time of 1 minute, you can cast it as an action instead. You can also create one additional undead creature if you cast a spell that creates or summons undead creatures. In addition, the undead created or summoned by your spells gain a bonus to their attack rolls equal to half your proficiency bonus. Dissonant Microphone Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement by a bard) This device was crafted by a team of renown Lantanese engineers. The magic within it allows it to amplify the voice of someone who speaks into it. Using a bonus action, you can speak a command word to turn the device’s amplifying feature on or off. While it is on, you can speak normally into the microphone and be heard up to 500 feet away. While holding the microphone, you can use an action to cast one of the following spells from it, using your spell attack bonus and spell save DC: command, dissonant whispers, sleep, or Tasha’s hideous laughter. Once you have cast a spell with the microphone, you can’t cast that spell again until you finish a long rest. Divining Eye Amulet Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement) This silver amulet has the shape of an eye, similar to a symbol often ascribed to those who study the arcane art of divination. While attuned to this amulet, you have advantage on Initiative checks and cannot be surprised. You can also cast the augury spell without the need for material components by staring into the eye of this amulet. Once you do so, this spell cannot be cast in this way again until the following dawn. Cursed. Once attuned to this amulet, you cannot unattune or remove this amulet without the use of a remove curse spell or similar magic. While attuned, you always feel a strange sort of dread regarding the future and have disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws made against effects that cause you to be frightened.
64 Chapter 2 | Magic Items Eiliastraee’s Blessing Weapon (greataxe), rare (requires attunement) This greataxe has been blessed by the drow goddess Eilistraee. You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. In addition, using the axe, you can cast the freedom of movement spell as an action once per day. Moonlight. While holding the greataxe, you can use an action to cause the weapon to glow. This glow sheds bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. The glow lasts until you stop wielding the weapon or you use an action to dismiss the light. Empowering Orb Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) This crystal orb is about the size of a grapefruit. A latch on one side opens it up and reveals its contents: a miniature hamster with glowing turquoise eyes. As an action, you can release the hamster; it runs up to 30 feet in a random direction and rolls on the Wild Magic Surge table as a Wild Magic sorcerer. Once the hamster is loose, you can use a bonus action to command the hamster to run up to 30 feet in a direction of the your choosing and roll on the Wild Magic Surge table. At the end of each turn that the hamster is loose, roll 1d6. On a 1, the hamster is tired and sits down where it is and refuses to do anything more. The hamster and the orb are invulnerable to damage and magical effects of any kind unless inside an antimagic field. After 1 hour or when the hamster sits down and refuses to act, you must return the hamster to the orb and wait 1d4 days before releasing the hamster from the orb again. Any attempt to let the hamster out sooner fails as the hamster simply refuses to move. Engulfing Carpet Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement) This 20-foot-square carpet can be folded up into the dimensions of a handkerchief. You can use an action to unfold an engulfing carpet and place it on or against a solid surface. When you do so you decide whether it is visible or if it adjusts its color to blend in with the surface. While unfolding the carpet, you can designate creatures of your choice to be immune to its engulfing power. When a creature steps on the carpet, it must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or sink 2 feet into the carpet and become restrained. At the start of each of a restrained creature’s turns, it sinks another 2 feet until fully submerged. As long as the creature isn’t completely submerged into the carpet, it can attempt to escape by using an action to make a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. Another creature can use an action to pull the restrained creature out of the carpet, if it is within reach, by using its action to make a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. A creature that is completely engulfed in the carpet is blinded and can’t breathe. Destroying the carpet frees any restrained or engulfed creatures. Faerie Bomb Wondrous item, uncommon This fist-sized gray ball feels powdery and is pliable to the touch. It can be thrown or set to be triggered when a creature comes within 5 feet of it. When it hits a target or is triggered, the bomb explodes, covering each object within 10 feet in blue, green, and violet dust. Creatures in this area are also covered in dust if they fail a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. A creature or object covered in dust sheds dim light in a 10-foot radius and cannot benefit from being invisible. Attack rolls have advantage against them if they are visible to the attacker. The dust lasts for 24 hours and cannot be washed off by mundane means, but magical effects including prestidigitation can be used as normal to remove the dust.
Chapter 2 | Magic Items 65 Ghost Robe Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement) This cloak is almost insubstantial to the touch. When you wear it, you become equally insubstantial, able to move through Medium or smaller creatures and walls thinner than five feet as if they were difficult terrain. If you end your turn inside a creature or object, you take 2d8 force damage. You cannot move through magical barriers or lead of any thickness. Golden Rise Cookie Tin Wondrous Item, very rare This round, metallic tin of cookies displays an image of the holder’s current surroundings, including anyone next to them, on its lid. Inside the container are 30 shortbread cookies nestled within fluted paper wrappers. There are six different types of cookie, each with a different symbol: King, Queen, Knight, Bishop, Rook, and Pawn. As an action on your turn, you can pull a cookie from the tin and eat it. Roll 1d8 to determine what type of cookie is pulled from the tin. On a 1, the cookie is transformed in your hand and you receive sewing supplies, such as a needle or bobbin. On an 8, if you eat the cookie, you regain 2d4 hit points, but no other effect occurs. When consumed, each cookie generates a different effect. If the cookie has not been eaten by the beginning of your next turn, it crumbles into dust. 2 - King. You summon a ghostly apparition of a crowned warrior that appears in an empty space within 10 feet of you. At the beginning of your next turn, the warrior summons a bundle of phantom swords and casts them at an enemy of yours that they can see up to 40 feet away. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 3d12 piercing damage. The warrior disappears after casting its swords. 3 - Queen. You summon a ghostly apparition of a veiled woman holding an ornate cup that appears in an empty space within 10 feet of you. While within 30 feet of the apparition, you and allies of your choice that you can see can use an action to regain 2d8 hit points. You also gain +2 to attack rolls and advantage on Charisma ability checks while the apparition remains. The apparition disappears after one minute or when its healing ability has been used three times. 4 - Knight. You summon a ghostly apparition holding a spear that appears in an empty space within 10 feet of you and disappears after 1 minute. For the duration, you and up to three creatures you can touch are filled with a burning energy and gain resistance to fire damage and deal an extra 1d4 fire damage on your melee weapon attacks. 5 - Bishop. You summon a ghostly apparition of a priest that appears in an empty space within 10 feet of you. You and each of your allies that you can see within 60 feet regain 1d10 hit points and at the beginning of your next turn undead within 30 feet of the apparition must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or be turned as if by an 11th level cleric, with undead of CR 2 or lower being immediately destroyed if they fail this save. Before disappearing at the end of your next turn, the apparition will tell you the damage vulnerabilities of any undead or fiends you can see. 6 - Rook. You summon a ghostly fortress which surrounds you. For the duration, a spectral wall forms to protect you. The wall appears as translucent stone that is 5 feet thick, and can be a maximum of 15 feet high and up to 30 feet in length. It has 60 hit points and AC 15. The wall can either be a straight line, part of which must be no more than 5 feet from you, or a ring with you on the interior. The wall lasts for one minute or until it is destroyed. 7 - Pawn. You summon a ghostly apparition of an eager youth that appears in an empty space within 10 feet of you. The apparition functions as an unseen servant that lasts for 1 minute or until it is destroyed. If you give the apparition a command while in combat, there is a 50% chance that it will move 15 feet in a random direction instead of following your command. No more than two cookies can be consumed in one day. If a third cookie is eaten, you must make a DC18 Constitution saving throw. On a success, the cookie tin seals itself closed for one day, becoming unusable. On a failed save, you feel ill and are incapacitated until the end of your next turn and the tin’s contents are completely replaced with sewing supplies for 1d4 days. Once a total of 30 cookies are removed from the tin, the tin becomes nonmagical.
66 Chapter 2 | Magic Items Heliotropic Seeds Wondrous Item, rare This small pouch has a sun and moon design on it. Inside are six seeds. When one of the seeds is planted during the day, a sunflower grows, reaching full size in 1 minute. When planted at night, a moonflower grows in the same amount of time. Each time a hostile creature enters within a 15-foot radius of the sunflower during its turn, it is attacked with a scorching ray. Upon the same conditions, the moonflower attacks with moonbeam. The flower’s spell save DC is 15. In all other ways, these flowers act normally: they have AC 5 and 1 hit point, and their seeds are normal seeds for the type of flower they are. Helm of Warlord’s Sacrifice Wondrous item (helmet), very rare (requires attunement) While you are wearing this helmet, allies within 60 feet of you gain advantage on death saving throws. In addition, it has the following ability: Brave Camaraderie. If a creature you can see reduces one of your allies to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to make one melee attack with advantage against the creature. If the creature is not within your reach, you can—as part of your reaction—momentarily double your speed and take the Dash action if doing so allows you to make the melee attack. Attacks of opportunity against you during your dash are made with advantage, but you gain a bonus to your attack roll equal to the number of attacks of opportunity you provoke. Kaleidoscope Shooter Wondrous Item, uncommon This oblong metal tube is decorated with rainbow swirls and is capped on each end with clear glass. When a creature looks into one end of the tube, a dazzling array of colors appears inside. You can use an action to attack a creature you can see within 30 feet with the kaleidoscope by expending a charge and blowing into one end of the tube. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be covered in technicolor light, take 2d12 psychic damage, and be stunned for one minute. A stunned creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. If the target attempts to speak, it will only result in it naming colors. On a successful save, the target takes half damage and is not stunned. The kaleidoscope has 3 charges and regains 1d3 charges at each dawn. Karshin’s Volatile Armor Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement) When you stare into this small mirror you see your reflection grinning mischievously back at you. Once per day, while you’re holding this item you can use your action to summon an illusory double of yourself. The illusion appears in an empty space you can see within 30 feet of you, and you can move it up to 15 feet each turn as a bonus action. Creatures that see the illusion can make a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw. Success on this saving throw allows a creature to discern the illusion’s true nature. You can use your action to cause the illusion to explode. Each creature within a 20 feet of the illusion must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. A target takes 4d8 magical slashing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Once this property is used, the mirror can’t be used again until the next dawn. Lagoon Submersible Wondrous item, uncommon This Large capsule-shaped vehicle is adorned with green seaweed and is colored the same as dark oceanic rock. It can snugly fit up to two Medium or smaller creatures inside and can be controlled by either creature via a control console of well-labeled buttons and levers. The submersible has a swimming speed of 60 feet. If it descends below 500 feet, its movement speed is halved, and if it descends past 600 feet, its movement speed is reduced to 0. While in the submersible, you have blindsight out to a range of 120 feet and you can breathe normally. Lenses of Darkness Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) These two glass lenses fit over your eyes. It takes 1 minute to put on the lenses. While wearing these lenses, you can see normally through darkness, both magical and nonmagical. In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against being blinded, as well as on ability checks to discern magical illusions. While in sunlight while wearing these lenses, you have disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight. Liquid Luck Potion, rarity varies When you drink this potion, you begin to feel very lucky. You gain a number of luck points based on the rarity of the potion imbibed. These luck points last for up to 7 hours. When you make an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can spend 1 luck point to roll an additional d20. You can use this ability after the original roll, but before the outcome is revealed. You choose which of the two results is used. You can also spend one luck point when an attack roll is made against you. Roll a d20, and choose whether the attacker’s roll uses their result or yours. If multiple creatures use a luck point on the same roll, they cancel out, resulting in no additional dice.
Chapter 2 | Magic Items 67 Immediately after you use the last luck point, your luck runs out and you become unlucky. You must make a Charisma saving throw with a DC determined by the rarity of the potion (Unlucky DC). If you succeed on the saving throw, you are unlucky for 13 minutes. If you fail the saving throw, you are unlucky until you complete a long rest. While you are unlucky as a result of this potion’s effects, whenever you make an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you are at disadvantage. Additionally, whenever an attack roll is made against you, that attack has advantage. Liquid Luck Varieties Name Luck Points Gained Unlucky DC Rarity Potion of Liquid Luck 1 13 Uncommon Potion of Greater Liquid Luck 2 11 Rare Potion of Superior Liquid Luck 3 9 Very Rare Potion of Supreme Liquid Luck 5 7 Legendary Magebane Weapon Weapon (any melee weapon), very rare (requires attunement) While wielding this weapon, you gain the following benefits: • You have advantage on attack rolls made with this weapon against any creature that is concentrating on a spell. • You have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects • If you succeed on a saving throw against a spell or magical effect by 5 or more, you are unaffected by the spell and can use your reaction to reflect the spell or effect back at the creature who cast it using the initial caster’s attack bonus and save DC. Spells with an area of effect that are reflected back on their caster will originate from the caster’s space. Mirror Shield Armor (shield), uncommon This shield is fashioned out of an enchanted mirror. Due to its weight and fragility, It does not grant any bonus to AC. You cannot benefit from both this item and a standard shield at the same time. While wielding this shield, you can use your reaction when you are targeted by a ranged spell attack or a linebased spell effect to reflect the spell back on the caster who is affected as if they were the target of the spell. Once the shield has reflected an effect in this fashion, it cracks and is unusable until it is repaired. The glass will slowly flow back together to repair itself over the course of 2d6 days. Alternately, the mirror can be repaired with a successful DC 15 ability check with Glassblower’s Tools made over the course of a short rest. Mithral Mist Armor Armor (medium or heavy, not hide), rare (requires attunement) Mithral is a light, flexible metal. A mithral chain shirt or breastplate can be worn under normal clothes. If the armor normally imposes disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks or has a Strength requirement, the mithral version of the armor doesn’t. While wearing this armor, you can use an action to cause one of the following effects: Billowing Mist. Your space fills with billowing silver mist. You are heavily obscured while in the mist, which lasts until the end of your next turn. Gaseous Form. You cast the gaseous form spell on yourself. Once you have used an effect, you can’t use that effect again until the next dawn.
68 Chapter 2 | Magic Items Nascent Forest Weapon (spear), very rare (requires attunement) This spear is beautifully crafted to resemble a tree, with its wide spearhead fashioned to look like a single sharp leaf made from dark green jade. You have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. When you use this weapon to make an attack from an elevated position, including attacks made during a leap, you make that attack with advantage. You can use your bonus action to strike the ground with the butt of this spear, immediately causing a sapling to grow under you, lifting you to a height of 5 feet. The sapling can always hold your weight. If you jump while atop such a sapling, you can jump as though you had moved 10 feet before doing so. As an action, you can grab a sapling created by this spear and uproot it. An uprooted sapling can be used as a +1 javelin. After 1 minute, the javelin becomes a sapling again, rooting itself into the ground if possible. Once you uproot a sapling to create a javelin, you cannot do so again until you complete a short rest. Powder of the Black Veil Wondrous item, uncommon Found in a small container, this sooty, black powder resembles very fine sand. There is enough for one use. When you use an action to throw a handful of this powder into the air, it creates a 10-foot radius sphere of dark, dense dust, centered on you. The area is heavily obscured and lingers in the air for 1 minute. When a creature enters the area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there it must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become blinded for 1 minute (you can avoid this by closing your eyes when you throw the dust and keeping them closed until you leave the area). A blinded creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. On a successful save, a creature is immune to the effects of this dust for 24 hours. Rear Guard Weapon (longbow), uncommon This longbow is beautifully crafted from a fine graystained oak. A single cat’s eye stone is set into the center of the bow facing outwards. You have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. When you are targeted by a ranged attack while wielding this bow, you are magically made aware of the attacker’s location until the end of your next turn. Additionally, you can use your reaction to make one ranged attack against the attacker. If your attack succeeds, the next attack that creature makes before the end of its next turn is made at disadvantage. As an action, you can use this bow to shoot an arrow and cause it to stop mid-flight at any point along its trajectory, where it will magically float in the air for up to one hour or until you use a bonus action to end the magic, at which point the arrow falls to the ground. While the arrow is suspended in the air, you can use your action to concentrate on the arrow and gain sight and hearing from the arrow’s location as if you were standing at the arrow’s location. This effect lasts until the start of your next turn, and you can use your action on subsequent turns to maintain this connection, extending the duration until the end of your next turn. While concentrating your senses through the arrow, you are blinded and deafened to your own surroundings. This sight grants you darkvision within 60 feet, as well as the ability to see invisible objects and creatures within the same range. Wisdom (Perception) checks made through this magical sight have advantage. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until the next dawn. Relampago Weapon (greatclub), rare (requires attunement) The end of this large weathered club is shaped like a storm cloud. It hums with electrical energy. This magical weapon gains 1 charge when you hit an enemy with a melee attack made with it and can hold up to 3 charges. When you hit with a melee weapon attack with relampago, it deals 1 point of lightning damage for each charge it currently has in addition to its normal damage. As a bonus action you can expend 3 charges to deal an additional 3d8 lighting damage on your next successful melee weapon attack with relampago before the end of your turn. Unused charges expire after 10 minutes.
Chapter 2 | Magic Items 69 Ring of Abjuration Ring, rare (requires attunement) This copper ring has shield-shaped carvings on it. While wearing this ring, you permanently gain the benefits of a detect magic spell, without needing to concentrate on it. If a creature within 60 feet of you casts a spell that uses a somatic or material component or a verbal component you can hear, you can immediately make an Intelligence (Arcana) check with advantage (DC 10 + the spell’s level). If you succeed, you learn the spell and its level. In addition, when you make an ability check as part of casting an abjuration spell (such as counterspell or dispel magic), you can add half your proficiency bonus to that ability check. If you already benefit from a feature or ability that allows you to add any of your proficiency bonus to this ability check, you don’t gain this benefit. Ring of Anti-Propaganda Ring, uncommon (requires attunement) While wearing this ring, you have advantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks. When you learn that a creature has deliberately lied to you or about you, you can use your reaction to force it to make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw, taking 1d10 psychic damage on a failed save. You do not need to know the creature’s location and this effect functions at any range as long as the creature is on the same plane of existence as you. A creature that succeeds on its saving throw is immune to the effects of the ring for 24 hours. Ring of Chromatic Orb Ring, rare (requires attunement) While wearing this ring in dim light or darkness, you can use an action to cast the dancing lights spell from it. The ring has 6 charges. While holding it, you can use an action to expend one or more charges to cast the chromatic orb spell from it. For 1 charge, you can cast the 1st-level version of the spell. You can increase the spell slot level by one for each additional charge you expend. Your spell attack bonus with this spell is +5. The ring regains 1d6 + 1 expended charges daily at dawn. If you expend the ring’s last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the ring crumbles into ashes and is destroyed. Ring of Nine Lives Ring, very rare (requires attunement) Once you attune to this ring, you can’t remove it or unattune from it while it retains any charges unless you are in an antimagic field or use a wish spell or similar magic. This ring has 9 charges. If you are reduced to 0 hit points while attuned to this ring, one of the ring’s charges is expended, granting you the benefit of a death ward spell. Once the ring’s last charge is expended, it crumbles into ashes and is destroyed. Once the ring has depleted its charges, if you are ever reduced to 0 hit points, you are considered to have failed two death saving throws. This effect can only be alleviated via a wish spell or divine intervention. Scimitar of the Arcanaweave Weapon (scimitar), legendary, (requires attunement) This weapon is old beyond measure and clearly from another plane, carved and etched with whirling patterns. An aura of shadow emanates from it. The scimitar of the arcanaweave is possessed by a type of living spell—a person who out of desperation or intellectual curiosity turned themselves into a spell, or a spell given life and agency by its creator or some unusual effect. The living spell is sentient and can communicate with or assist you, but often struggles to understand things in corporeal terms and may veer off on highly intellectual tangents. The scimitar of the arcanaweave requires attunement. Upon attuning to it, a tattoo of the same whirling patterns appears on your dominant arm, extending up to your chest. It remains for as long as the attunement does, disappearing slowly over 1d6 + 1 days if the attunement ends. The arcanaweave is aligned, but no alignment is presented here; the alignment of the spell will determine the role that the scimitar of the arcanaweave plays in a campaign. A good-aligned spell might contribute useful advice at key moments, while an evil-aligned spell may subtly manipulate you. A spell can also cease to function for you if it does not share your alignment, rendering the weapon a +1 scimitar until it can be persuaded to help again. Arcanaweave Statistics Int: 22 Wis: 18 Cha: 14 Skills: Special, see weapon properties Senses: blindsight 5ft Languages: six of DM’s choice, communicated via telepathy and audible whispering The scimitar of the arcanaweave has a +2 to attack and damage. On a hit, it does 2d4 slashing and 2d6 necrotic damage to its target. If you make an attack with the scimitar as part of the Attack action, you can use a bonus action immediately after to make a melee attack with it. This bonus action attack deals 1d4 slashing and 1d6 necrotic damage. In addition, you can spend an action to roll 1d6 and add it to a skill check of your choice. Once you have used this property, it cannot be used again until dusk.
70 Chapter 2 | Magic Items Sea Jouster Weapon (lance), rare (requires attunement) While wielding this magic weapon, you gain a swimming speed equal to your base walking speed. Additionally, you can cast find steed. When you do, any creature you summon gains a swim speed equal to its walking speed, the ability to move across liquid surfaces at will as if under the effects of a water walk spell, and the ability to breathe water as well as air. Once the lance is used to cast this spell, it cannot be used in this way again until the next dawn. Seryl the Laughing Bow Weapon (longbow), legendary (requires attunement by a creature of good alignment) Seryl is an elven longbow, crafted over five hundred years ago from serren, a rare and exotic wood found on the first layer of Arborea. You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. In addition, while attuned to the weapon, you can cast the calm emotions and faerie fire spells three times per day each. When you cast these spells, you do not require any material components and your spell save DC is 15. Aversion to Violence. While attuned to Seryl, you gain the effect of a sanctuary spell at the end of every long rest. This lasts until the start of your next long rest (the spell can end early as normal). The save DC for the spell is 15. Distracting Chuckle. When a creature you can see within 30 feet of you makes an attack against you, you can use your reaction to cause Seryl to release a distracting giggle and impose disadvantage on the creature’s attack roll. After you have successfully used this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest. Good Listener. While attuned to the weapon, you gain proficiency in the Insight and Persuasion skills. In addition, if you talk to a creature for more than five minutes, you have advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks made to negotiate peace with or calm that creature until you next finish a long rest. Sentience. Seryl is a sentient chaotic good weapon with an Intelligence of 10, a Wisdom of 15, and a Charisma of 15. It has hearing and darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. Seryl can speak, read, and understand Elvish, and can communicate telepathically with its wielder and any creature within 30 feet of it. While you are attuned to it, Seryl also understands every language you know. Personality. Although it is over five hundred years old, Seryl views the world with a child’s sense of wonder. For reasons that elude it, Seryl finds dwarves especially hilarious and enjoys spending time around them, laughing at their jokes and marveling at their tales. It does not enjoy inflicting pain on others and strongly advocates taking prisoners over needless slaughter. Stacked Deck Wondrous item, common This deck is enchanted to benefit its owner and use of it in gaming is considered cheating. Once per day, you can use the deck to give yourself advantage on a gambling-related check, as long as that check is not to pretend that you are not cheating. Steelsilk Mantle Wondrous item, rare This dull gray, hooded cloak feels unusually heavy. On rare occasions, it seems to shine with a bit of reflected light. When targeted with an attack, you can use your reaction to whip this cloak around your body, causing it to harden into a solid, metallic barrier. Until the end of your next turn, you have half–cover and resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until the next dawn. Stone King’s Sling Weapon (sling), uncommon This magic weapon bears the faded symbol of an old dwarvish king. When you hit with a ranged weapon attack using this sling, you can expend one of its 5 charges, causing the sling’s ammunition to grow in size as it hits its target doing an extra 2d6 damage at short range or 3d6 damage at long range.
Chapter 2 | Magic Items 71 In addition, on a critical hit, if the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. The sling regains 1d4 + 1 expended charges daily at dawn. Stoneheart Essence Potion, rare This pale gray liquid regularly pulses with a silvery shine, calling to mind a heartbeat. When you drink it, your heart turns to stone for 24 hours. Drinking this potion removes any exhaustion you are suffering and cures any disease, and removes the poisoned, charmed, and frightened conditions. While under the effects of the potion, your emotions are dimmed, you cannot become exhausted due to lack of rest or sleep, and your movement speed is reduced by half. Storm Lord’s Charm Wondrous item, uncommon This small pin is shaped like a lighting bolt. While wearing this item, whenever you deal lightning damage to a target, you deal an additional 1d8 lighting damage to a different creature of your choice within 5 feet of that target. Thought Bottle Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement) This flask is made of thick green glass and always appears empty inside. It can be used to store knowledge, memories, and even spells. While attuned to the bottle and holding it, you can store a bit of knowledge, memory, or spell in it. Storing a piece of knowledge requires an action, storing a spell requires you to cast the spell (the spell has no effect other than to be stored in the bottle when cast this way), and storing a memory requires an amount of time equal to the memory’s duration. While attuned to the bottle, you can touch it and use an action to speak a command word. Doing so allows you to determine the general contents contained within the bottle, but doesn’t provide access to specific knowledge, memories, or spells stored inside. In order to access a bottle’s contents, you must use an action while holding the bottle to enter a state of deep concentration (as though concentrating on a spell). While in this state, you are incapacitated and can’t move. You also automatically fail Dexterity saving throws. If you remain in this state until the end of your next turn, you recover one whole thought, memory, or spell stored within the bottle. Knowledge. Knowledge can include an idea or conclusion, such as a particular course of action or the answer to a problem or the name of a murderer, as well as passphrases and command words for magic items and effects. A piece of knowledge must be able to be phrased in a single sentence of 25 words or less. When you store knowledge in the bottle, it disappears from your mind, but you know the general contents of what you stored. Memories. One memory counts as your entire recollection of events lasting up to a single day. When you store a memory into the bottle, it disappears from your mind, but you know the general contents of what you stored (for example, “the night I first ventured into Dagult Neverember’s vault under the city of Waterdeep”). Spells. When you retrieve a spell, you know the spell, it doesn’t count against the number of spells you know or can prepare, and you can cast it using a spell slot as normal. Once you cast a spell retrieved from the bottle, you lose memory of it unless you can retrieve the same spell again or know it by some other means.
72 Chapter 2 | Magic Items Torch of Shadows Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement) When you use an action to activate this torch it burns in a blackish flame and emits darkness in a 20-foot radius and reduces bright light to dim light for an additional 20 feet. The torch burns for up to 8 hours or until you use an action to douse it. Twin Moons Weapon (dagger), very rare (requires attunement) These twin, crescent-shaped daggers are silvered and expertly balanced for throwing. When thrown, each of these magic weapons has a short range of 60 feet and a long range of 120 feet. When you are attuned to these daggers, you can draw or stow both daggers when you would normally be able to draw or stow only one. Additionally, being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn’t impose disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls made with these daggers. You can use your bonus action to recall one of these daggers as long as you hold its twin. A recalled dagger reaches your hand at the end of your turn. If you somehow lose these daggers while attuned to them, you can perform a minute-long ritual that will summon the pair of daggers to your hands. When you throw one of these daggers, you can choose one of the following options: • Full Moon—The dagger glows brightly and deals an extra 1d6 radiant damage. • Crescent Moon— The dagger automatically returns to your hand at the end of your turn. • No Moon—The dagger becomes invisible until the end of your turn, providing your attack with advantage unless the target can see the dagger while it is invisible. Yolchicachuac, the Proud Warrior’s Armament Weapon (longsword), artifact (requires attunement) Yolchicachuac is a Maztican macuahuitl, a sort of “sword” consisting of a long wooden paddle with razor sharp shards of jet-black obsidian inserted along the edge. The name means “courageous” in the Nexalan language, and it is a weapon that has been passed down from legendary warrior to legendary warrior for over a thousand years. Over time, rather than the wood decaying and the obsidian chipping away, the macuahuitl became imbued with the martial spirit of all its wielders, developing into a magic weapon with a strong personality. While attuned to Yolchicachuac, you gain the rewards and suffer the penalties of Yolchicachuac’s Favor. The bottle can hold up to 12 thoughts worth of content. One thought is equivalent to a single piece of knowledge or up to 6 hours of continuous memory. Spells are more complex and each spell stored in the bottle takes up 3 thoughts worth of space per spell level. If your attunement to the bottle ends, the contents of the bottle are lost unless a wish spell or similar magic is used. Toothpick of the Wanderer Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) This toothpick is gilded with silver. When carried between your teeth, this toothpick grants you advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) and Initiative rolls. In addition, you can use your bonus action to grant yourself advantage on a ranged weapon attack roll, but once you have used the toothpick in this way, you can’t do so again until dawn. When you would be reduced to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to spit out the toothpick. If you do so, roll on hit die and add your proficiency modifier. Your hit points are set to the result of this roll instead of 0. If you use the toothpick in this way, it immediately vanishes, only to be discovered by another wanderer somewhere far away.
Chapter 2 | Magic Items 73 Sentience. Yolchicachuac is a sentient lawful good weapon with an Intelligence of 15, a Wisdom of 15, and a Charisma of 10. It has hearing and darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. Yolchicachuac can speak, read, and understand one language of its current wielder, and can communicate telepathically with its wielder and any creature within 30 feet of it. While you are attuned to it, Yolchicachuac also understands every language you know. Yolchicachuac will state his terms and conditions when a new wielder picks the weapon up for the first time: he expects his wielder to behave as an honorable warrior and earn true glory and, thereby, Yolchicachuac’s favor. As you gain his favor, he will reward you with power. As you lose his favor by behaving dishonorably and cowardly, he will penalize you. Personality. For over a thousand years, Yolchicachuac has been wielded by one great Maztican warrior after another, and has developed a warlike personality amalgamated from all who wielded it. Traits: I am decisive, straightforward, honest, and fearless. I am usually level-headed and reasonable, but get quite passionate during a challenge or battle. Ideals: Battle allows a warrior to prove their valor and greatness. One’s conduct in battle clearly demonstrates their honor. Bonds: I shall be a peerless weapon for a worthy wielder, and serve them as best as I am able. Flaws: Some say my craving for battle is cruel, but I do not heed the opinions of others easily. Yolchicachuac’s Favor. As you behave in a way that Yolchicachuac deems worthy of a true warrior, you will rise in his esteem, or fall if you behave in a way he deems unworthy. Yolchicachuac grants rewards and imposes penalties based on the amount of favor his bearer gains from him as shown in the Yolchicachuac’s Favor table. Gaining and Losing Favor. Yolchicachuac is constantly judging you, causing you to gain and lose favor with him depending on what you do. The more you act in accordance with his personality and alignment, the greater the favor you will gain, and the Yolchicahuac’s Favor Favor Modifier Property 15 and above Favored Tier 5. Yolchicahuac grants the rewards of Favored Tiers 1-4. Additionally, you are filled with a sense of valor and vitality that fuels and restores you. You have advantage on Wisdom saving throws and death saving throws, and regain the maximum number of hit points possible from any healing. 12 to 14 Favored Tier 4. Yolchicahuac grants the rewards of Favored Tiers 1-3. Additionally, you gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons. 9 to 11 Favored Tier 3. Yolchicahuac grants the rewards of Favored Tiers 1-2. Additionally, you are immune to the frightened condition. However, if you attempt to flee from a fight or surrender to an enemy, you take 6 (1d12) psychic damage at the end of each of your turns until you make an attack. If you are reduced to 0 hit points by this damage, you are stable. 6 to 8 Favored Tier 2. Yolchicahuac grants the rewards of Favored Tier 1. Additionally, when you see an allied creature within 30 feet of you take damage, you can use your reaction to divide that damage evenly between yourself and the creature, taking half the damage yourself. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. 3 to 5 Favored Tier 1. You can cast the following spells three times per day each, without requiring any material components: compelled duel and hold person your spell save DC for these spells is 15. -2 to 2 Neutral. Yolchicahuac regards you neutrally. He functions as a +3 magical weapon but has no additional properties or penalties. -3 to -5 Scorned Tier 1. Yolchicahuac reserves his power for a more worthy wielder. He functions as a +1 magical weapon. -6 to -8 Scorned Tier 2. Yolchicahuac imposes the effects of Scorned Tier 1. Additionally, you suffer disadvantage on attack rolls made to attack with Yolchicahuac as he resists you. -9 to -11 Scorned Tier 3. Yolchicahuac imposes the penalties of Scorned Tiers 1-2. Additionally, you become physically repugnant to all who behold you, suffering disadvantage on Charisma-based ability checks. -12 to -14 Scorned Tier 4. Yolchicahuac imposes the penalties of Scorned Tiers 1-3. Additionally, your ability to communicate is restricted. Every time you attempt to talk, your words come out as senseless babbling no matter what language you choose to speak. If you would ordinarily be able to communicate telepathically, your thoughts are conveyed as incoherent screams, inaudible whispers, or a simple repetitive noise such as a cricket chirping. Further, you are unable to write in any language, even through pictographic writing. Any attempt to do so creates incoherent scribbles or absurd doodles. -15 and below Scorned Tier 5. Yolchicahuac imposes the penalties of Scorned Tiers 1-4 as a permanent curse before forcibly unattuning you from himself. The penalties of Scorned Tiers 1 and 2 are modified as follows: Tier 1. any magical weapon you use acts as +1 weapon with no other benefits, and Tier 2. you have disadvantage on attack rolls made with any weapon. These penalties can be removed by a remove curse or similar spell, but the effects of each tier must be removed separately.
74 Chapter 2 | Magic Items more you go against his will or act in opposition to his alignment, the more favor you will lose. Below are some examples of actions you can take that will increase or decrease your favor with Yolchicachuac. If you think you have done something similarly worthy of favor, you can work with your DM to negotiate an increase in favor, but be cautious! Your DM can alternatively choose to impose a decrease in favor if they feel you have acted against the will of Yolchicachuac. Cowardice. Acts such as letting an ally take damage for you, refusing to take part in a duel, or fleeing from combat show Yolchicachuac your cowardice. Depending on the severity of the action, you will lose 1 or more points of favor. For instance, refusing to accept a duel with someone of an equal level or CR to you would lose 1 point of favor. Fleeing from the middle of a battle and abandoning your allies to hide and then claiming glory with your victorious companions later would lose 2-3 points of favor. Performing Feats. Successfully performing a feat of prowess in combat or taking down that dragon that you swore to slay can earn you favor with Yolchicachuac. The greater the feat, the greater the favor. For instance, saying you will kill the leader of the bandits before any other enemies and then doing so could earn you 1 point of favor—as long as you keep your word. If you claim you can take down the head of a pack of demons on your own and successfully do so, you may gain 2-3 favor or more depending on the difficulty of the fight. But beware! If you fail to keep your word, you will lose 1 point of favor for every 2 points of favor that you would have gained. Noble Victory. Once per day when you take prisoner a creature whose level or CR is of a level equal to or greater than your own without killing it, you gain 2 points of favor with Yolchicachuac. The creature cannot be killed by you or any of your companions within 3 days or you lose 3 points of favor. Slaying a Mighty Foe. Once per day when you slay a creature whose level or CR is of a level equal to or greater than your own, you gain 1 point of favor with Yolchicachuac. Underhanded Methods. If you attack a creature that is unaware of you or regards you as an ally, this displeases Yolchicachuac, causing you to lose 1 point of favor.
Chapter 3 | Dungeon Master Tools 75 Chapter 3: Dungeon Master Tools Creature Domestication The wolf slunk around the edge of the campfire, yellow eyes glinting in the firelight. It growled, low and fierce at the goblin on her belly, proffering a bone. “Here, doggy doggy doggy! Heeeere, doggy doggy doggy!” The wolf sniffed, then cautiously approached, one massive paw in front of the other. “Who’s a good doggy? I’m going to ride you into combat, yes I am!” The instinct to adopt a pet is a common one, and not limited to druids and rangers. A cavalier fighter may want to tame their own warhorse; a swashbuckling rogue may have a parrot that sits on her shoulder; or a wizard may seek to tame a creature to use as a familiar as per the find familiar spell. This section provides rules for domesticating an animal at all levels of play. In general, it’s a good idea to not let a character domesticate an animal with a CR greater than half their character level rounded down. Such an animal can dominate play, granting the character a substantial advantage over others. It’s also important to note that while a domesticated creature need not necessarily have the beast type, it should not have a high enough intelligence to be considered sentient. A sentient creature can neither be tamed nor domesticated; instead, it can be befriended and should follow the rules for Loyalty laid out in the Dungeon Master’s Guide or another method of determining the friendship of NPCs. Where you draw that line will depend on the worldbuilding of your campaign, but the line should be drawn deliberately and consistently. Domestication of evil-aligned creatures can also present issues. It can be tempting to roleplay such creatures as constantly undercutting their trainer’s wishes, but if it is too adversarial, it can undercut fun at the table. Allowing such a creature to be slowly won over by a dedicated trainer can be a great way to reward player investment into the world and create scenes that will be remembered long after the campaign concludes. Initial Domestication When a character encounters a creature and decides that they would like to domesticate them they can attempt to develop a relationship with that creature if it is of an appropriate CR. The character can make a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check with a DC equal to 10+ the creature’s CR (minimum 1). Certain situations may warrant making the check with advantage, such as feeding the creature, treating its injuries, or rescuing it from captors that were mistreating it. Likewise, if the character has been in combat with the creature, the check is made at disadvantage. If the check fails, the creature is uninterested in a relationship with the character and flees at its earliest opportunity; more aggressive creatures may attack on a roll that fails by 5 or more. On a success, the creature is willing to follow the character, although it may do so only in hopes that it will receive more food. Habituation Before a creature can be trained, it must first become used to humanoid contact. This habituation period varies and is recorded in the table below. A character attempting to habituate Not everyone is able to form a bond with such a loyal spirit companion as I have with Guenhwvyar, though it is not uncommon to see efforts made to tame or form a bond with an animal companion. Perhaps one of the most curious cases I have come across was that of a young lady who formed a bond with a mimic over their mutual appreciation for altering their form. -Drizzt
76 Chapter 3 | Dungeon Master Tools their creature must spend a minimum of one hour per day playing with, feeding, and helping the creature become comfortable with humanoid presence and touch. If the creature has a habituation time longer than a week, an additional Wisdom (Animal Handling) check may be made at the end of each week. On a success, the time to habituate the creature decreases by 1 week. Habituation Creature Background Example Creatures Habituation Time Previously domesticated Stray cat, performing monkey, quasit 1 week Can be domesticated, but currently feral Wild horse, feral dog, pigeon 4 weeks Wild creature Wolf, griffon, young remorhaz 8 weeks Wild and resistant Displacer beast, wyvern, mimic 16 weeks Training Once the creature has been habituated, it may spontaneously begin to use its natural abilities to the benefit of its trainer. A remorhaz may recognize that its humanoid gets cold at night and lie just close enough to serve as a space heater, while a tressym may spot an ambush while flying ahead and circle back to warn the party. Training helps the creature do these behaviors on command, rather than whenever it feels like it. The creature may be trained to perform tasks listed in its stat block, such as a Bite attack or a scent-based Wisdom (Perception) check made with advantage. In addition, it may be trained to perform a variety of behaviors such as scouting, riding, or learning to shake paws on command. Training a creature to perform a specific task requires a successful Wisdom (Animal Handling) check versus the creature’s DC and an amount of time equal to half the creature’s habituation time. If training occurs as a downtime activity, where the trainer spends their full attention on the creature, the trainer may choose whether to make the roll with advantage or to reduce the training time in half again. If the trainer fails a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check to train a skill, the DM may, at their discretion, determine that the creature cannot learn that skill. Alternatively, the creature may misbehave and require the services of a professional trainer, specialized in training that type of creature. Rates for such a trainer should start at the skilled hireling rate of 2gp/day, as outlined on pg. 159 of the Player’s Handbook; for trainers specializing in wild creatures, the rates may be much higher. Creatures in Combat Some trained behaviors can be used in combat. If the creature is being ridden, it follows the rules for mounted combat for a non-intelligent creature. Otherwise, the creature acts directly after the character in combat. If the character has invested time in training the creature to attack or otherwise act in combat, they can use an action or bonus action to command the creature. An action command is always successful; a bonus action must be accompanied by a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check against the creature’s DC. If the command goes against the creature’s nature, such as commanding a mimic to “drop it”, the check is made at disadvantage. If no command is given, the creature acts according to its nature. Depending on the nature of the creature, it can be targeted during combat as any other creature would be. If pets dying is something you’d prefer to minimize in your game, you have several options depending on the level of risk you and your table are comfortable with. You can give the creature death saves just like a player character; you can allow the trainer to spend their reaction to make a DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check to stabilize the creature if it drops to zero hit points; or you can simply rule that pets cannot die and are always simply knocked unconscious. Bear in mind that pet death is something that conjures up memories of real-life grief for many people and make sure that your players are comfortable with your ruling. Roleplaying Pets In most cases, domesticated creatures will be played by the DM like any other NPC. As the character forms a bond with the creature, however, it is appropriate to slowly pass over control of the creature to the player, representing the strengthening of their bond. A creature should not be actively hostile to a character who has succeeded on the initial domestication check; it may be wary or snappish, but it should be able to be won over with a little luck and care. As it becomes more comfortable, describing its affection toward the character can create memorable, special game moments. Even when a creature’s actions are not in the party’s favor, they should still be mischievous rather than actively hostile; a skittish wolf may snap at a character, but it shouldn’t howl while the party is trying to sneak past a group of bandits. If the creature was domesticated as a baby or adolescent of its species, it might eventually grow up. Refer to the creature’s description and stat block to determine its approximate lifespan and what its process of maturation looks like, bearing in mind that its adult CR should not exceed half the character’s level.
Intrigue and Mystery Namiri examined the blood spatters, then bent and tasted it. “Mm.” She spat it out. “Gnome, I think.” “Orcs.” Varan rolled his eyes. “Must you taste everything?” “Well, what have you found out about our missing merchant?” “Only,” Varan bent to examine a paper on the desk, “that he was shipping pearls. Looks like a shipment was supposed to arrive tonight.” “On the Umberlee,” Fredrek piped up, from where he was lounging on the merchant’s couch. Varan and Namiri turned to stare at him. “How did you know that?” Namiri asked incredulously. “Obvious.” Fredrek held up a worn diary. “He kept a record.” The experience of solving a mystery can be deeply satisfying— or, if clues can’t be found, incredibly frustrating. These rules provide a framework for setting up satisfying mysteries and intrigues and can be used in any situation where the party needs to discover information through roleplay or skill checks, rather than simply receiving it from a helpful NPC or item. Whether a mysterious death at a king’s court, or the disappearance of all the pots and pans in a countryside village, Intrigue inevitably complicates the life of an adventurer. While the truth might sometimes be buried or obscured, like a puzzle, all the clues will make sense of things when put in their right place. -Drizzt
78 Chapter 3 | Dungeon Master Tools Important Questions Any good mystery or intrigue needs to answer six questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how. • Who is usually a villain; however, it could also be almost any individual or group, such as a lost civilization, a wizard with the magical key to the next part of the adventure, or a kidnapped prince. • What is happening, or has happened, is the inciting incident, a secret, or the plot: the kidnapping, the city, or the villain’s plan. • When usually indicates the time at which the what will—or did—occur. Adding a ticking clock may not always be appropriate, but it can add some tension to a mystery or intrigue. • Where is the location that the party needs to go next or the place that the what occurred at. • Why is the motivation that the who had for their act or secret. • Finally, how fleshes out the what more thoroughly, tying it to the other factors and providing a satisfying resolution to the mystery. When writing a good mystery or intrigue, identifying the answer to each of these questions will provide you with a starting place for writing clues. Each of the questions has either a known answer (often what motivates the party to solve the mystery), an answer that can serve as a clue, or an answer that resolves the mystery. If you are trying to set your party on the trail of a serial killer, the what may be fairly obvious—someone is killing people, usually with a specific method (how). When and where the killings occurred may provide further information; at night in the victim’s homes, on the full moon in a cornfield, or behind the inn after it closes are all possible examples. When and where can also be crucial information to attempt to intercept the killer—perhaps the characters can catch them at the scene of their next murder. Why is the motivation for the murders, and ultimately, you want your characters to discover who did it. Clue Order In the example above, it is clear that the answers to some questions can result in the resolution of the intrigue, possibly prematurely. If the party discovers the identity of the murderer, the case is solved; likewise for the location of the forgotten city, the motivation behind a lover’s departure, or any other form of intrigue. There are two ways to handle this, which can—and usually should—be used in conjunction. The first is to make all other clues available to the party before they can determine the answer to the final question. For example, if your party is investigating a serial killer, they may work out the what and the how within minutes of setting foot on the scene. Determining if there is a pattern to when and where the murders are being committed may take some time, and figuring out why the murderer is killing people may take inductive reasoning to solve. Only then can the party identify who the murderer is. The other strategy is to break up the answer to the resolving question into multiple smaller clues. Perhaps the party learns that the killer has brown hair when they discover a strand left at a crime scene; that the lost city is located east of a major river, or that the lover has been acting erratically. None of these are, in themselves, enough to solve the mystery, but several such smaller clues can, together, point toward a resolution. Number of Clues The challenge of running a mystery or intrigue at the table is that players can get stuck if they miss a crucial clue. This can be solved by creating multiple clues for each of the six questions that are essential to resolving the mystery. Placing three clues that answer each crucial question in different places is a good rule of thumb. The trope of having a single clue that unravels the entire mystery is a satisfying one, but remember: your players don’t know about the clues that they don’t discover, so any clue that they find can potentially be that clue for them. In practice, having there truly be only one crucial clue is likely to result in the party standing around awkwardly, hoping for guidance. Foreshadowing and Genre Some mysteries benefit from having the solution appear completely obvious once it is solved; others do better if they preserve a sense of wonder. A serial killer can be someone known to the party, and discovering their identity can have great emotional impact, while discovering the location of a lost city should lead to a completely novel experience. You can look to genre expectations when you are deciding how you might want to foreshadow a mystery’s resolution. In a murder mystery, the party will almost always already know the person who is revealed to be the killer. When searching for a lost city, a dream or prophecy might provide hints at the city’s nature. However, the interpersonal dynamics of a missing lover don’t typically benefit from foreshadowing, unless there is another mystery folded into that intrigue.
Chapter 3 | Dungeon Master Tools 79 Example Clues This section provides sample who, what, when, where, why, and how statements to help you build your own mysteries. Roll on the tables below, or use them as inspiration to write your own. Who d8 Who 1 A secret werewolf 2 A petty noble 3 A rival 4 A foreign visitor 5 A mage with even less sense than talent 6 A cat with supernatural gifts 7 A djinn 8 An ancient wizard What d8 What 1 Murder 2 A hidden or lost location 3 A shameful secret 4 A betrayal 5 A powerful magical item 6 The truth 7 A mysterious alchemical gadget 8 Divine intervention When d8 When 1 On the solstice 2 Tomorrow night 3 Coronation of a new monarch 4 Every full moon 5 Dawn 6 When opportunity strikes 7 During a wedding 8 During a funeral Where d8 Where 1 A lost ruin 2 In plain sight 3 The sewers 4 A noble manor 5 A religious site 6 A graveyard 7 A body of water 8 A business Why d8 Why 1 Revenge 2 Intellectual curiosity 3 Unmet needs, such as hunger 4 At the command of another 5 Greed 6 To start an apocalypse 7 Jealousy 8 Desperation How d8 How 1 In the study with the candlestick 2 Dark ritual 3 Accidentally 4 With a new kind of weapon 5 Magic 6 The forces of nature 7 Complete chance 8 A stroke of genius
80 Chapter 3 | Dungeon Master Tools Negotiation Zan’iyah folded her arms. “And why, pray tell, should I share the elves’ vast knowledge with simple humans? Your lives are so short. You would simply misuse it for petty, shortsighted gains.” Moss simply smiled, putting their feet up on the table. “I’ll give you that—and I’m not saying tell us everything. Now, here’s what I propose.” Negotiation, or attempting to resolve conflicts with words, rather than weapons, can be as tense —and as profitable—as a battle. This chapter provides rules for resolving negotiations designed to satisfy both the roleplay-heavy table, who would prefer to act out the negotiation in character, and the more tactical table who would prefer to roll the dice and move along. It details a simple, flexible system for determining what each side wants and what they’re willing to do to get it. The Negotiators In most negotiations at your table, the party will be on one side and a NPC or group of NPCs will be on the other. In more complex situations, the party may be called in to moderate a negotiation between warring factions or seek to achieve their goals without offending others at the negotiating table. Regardless, a negotiation assumes that those involved are negotiating in good faith. Deceptions may occur, but DMs should use them sparingly when first implementing this system to avoid scaring players off attempting negotiations altogether. When building a negotiation-based encounter, the DM must first establish the sides. This may be one NPC and the party, or it could be six noble houses; the important thing is that each side is identified and named. Once you have determined the participants in a negotiation, you need to record their goals. There are three types of goals: requirements, interests, and deal-breakers. A side will not consider the negotiation successful unless they get their requirements. An interest, on the other hand, is something that the participant might want, but isn’t their primary reason for negotiating. A side will not willingly accept a negotiated agreement that includes a deal-breaker. Negotiators do not need to have all three of these items, but they must have at least one requirement or a few interests—otherwise they don’t want anything and there is no reason for them to sit down to negotiate. If you want a negotiation to have any possibility of success, no side should have more than two dealbreakers. These categories don’t need to be comprehensive; you can always add to them at the table. For examples of each, see the Example Clues tables on page 79. Ask the players to discuss amongst themselves, in- or out-of-character, to determine their requirements, interests, and deal-breakers. Writing these down may be helpful. Some things that a negotiator might be interested in will be trivial for the other side to give up, while others might be significant in some way, whether they are expensive, likely to cause future complications, or simply be difficult for the other side to agree to for some reason. Each requirement and interest should be assigned a numerical value between 1 and 6 to measure this significance. In many cases it will be very clear if a goal is of great significance (deserving of a 6) or very trivial (1). In cases where it is less clear, you can roll 1d6 and assign the result to each requirement and interest. You can use the NPC generation tools on page 83 to give your NPCs more depth and help define what they find important. The requirements, interests, and dealbreakers of PCs are a special case; a NPC may see a request as intensely provocative, while a PC may see it as no big deal. In instances where there are multiple NPC sides, then, it is likely that each NPC will put different weight on the players’ wants and interests. If two sides are similar enough in goals, however, they can be grouped together into one and that perspective can be given more weight. Once the pre-negotiation is complete, the scene can begin. Unless it is one of their deal-breakers, a side will generally agree to a request if it has a score less than or equal to one of their interests or requirements that the other side is willing to give up in exchange. If someone is exceptionally convincing, through roleplay or successful skill checks, they can reduce the significance of one of their requirements or interests by 1 (to a minimum of 1). If someone is exceptionally unsuccessful—such as through legitimately insulting roleplay or a failure of 5 or more on a roll—the DM may at their discretion choose to increase the significance of a requirement or interest of theirs by 1 (maximum 6). A negotiator will always refuse to give up their dealbreaker in a negotiation. If a player is seeking a goal that you know will be unattainable through negotiation, it’s a good idea to prepare other things for them to be offered if you want to avoid player frustration. This can be especially crucial in negotiations where multiple sides have to come to consensus, such as in the Hoard of the Dragon Queen and Rise of Tiamat published adventures. In that adventure, a faction—or multiple factions—can walk away from the negotiating table entirely, but the PCs can still succeed at the adventure. Assuming there are no dealbreakers, each side usually wants to make the most favorable deal that they can; that is, they want to give as little as possible while gaining as much as possible. To understand what this looks like in play, let’s revisit Moss and Zan’iyah from this chapter’s introduction.
Chapter 3 | Dungeon Master Tools 81 Moss is being played by Taylor, while Zan’iyah is an elven princess and NPC being roleplayed by the DM, Greg. Before Moss was brought to meet Zan’iyah, Taylor spoke with the group and determined that Moss’ primary goal was to get a rubbing of an ancient elven tablet; they believe that the tablet is the key to finding a lost magical secret that will help them defeat the campaign’s villain. However, they won’t say no to magical items as well, making the acquisition of magic items an interest. Zan’iyah is fiercely traditionalist, so she considers their requirement to have an importance of 4. If she has the magic item Moss asks her for, she’d rank that based on its rarity. Greg has, as DM, also determined that Zan’iyah has things she wants, which is why she’ll meet with Moss; the forest has a spider problem, and adventurers are good at solving those kinds of problems. Zan’iyah also has an interest in elven folklore. Greg has assigned this interest a score of 3 and her interest in folklore a score of 2, and has written the following in his notes: Zan’iyah: Interest: spider quest (3) Interest: elven folklore (2) Moss: Requirement: tablet (4) Interest: magic items (1-4 depending on rarity) If Moss is exceptionally persuasive, either from a roleplay or skill check standpoint, they could convince Zan’iyah that the tablet is a suitable reward for solving the spider problem; this would lower the value of the tablet to 3 and result in a fair deal. Moss could also learn that Zan’iyah is interested in elven folklore and offer to teach her bard one of the elven songs that they know, which would mean that Zan’iyah would end the negotiations ahead by 1 and in a good mood—unless Moss decides to leverage that goodwill for a cloak of billowing to accentuate their future performances. Finally, Moss could identify something that Greg has not realized Zan’iyah would want; in this case, Greg would assign a value to that thing on the fly and add it to the negotiations. Taylor is known to be precocious in her roleplaying, so she takes that last route. “Now, here’s what I propose,” she says, as Moss; “this ruin we’re attempting to discover is of ancient elvish origin. As a bard, I am of course impeccably equipped to learn all I can and report back to you, including its location if you want to visit someday. Your clan would be the first to rediscover this lost piece of history, and you wouldn’t have to risk a single elvish life. How does that sound?” Greg thinks Zan’iyah would say that sounds pretty good; possibly a 3. It also piques Zan’iyah’s curiosity about Moss’ knowledge of elven folklore, so Greg would say, as Zan’iyah: “You make a... compelling point. I was not aware that non-elves had an interest in the affairs of my people.” If Moss is convincing enough, they may walk away from this conversation having persuaded the tablet’s weight down to 3, proposed a new 3-point task in exchange, and satisfied Zan’iyah’s interest—meaning that they could leave with the cloak of billowing and Zan’iyah would still believe that she had got the best deal. How does pre-negotiation work? Assigning numerical values to wants can feel a little cold, but in truth, any team of people going into a negotiation should take some time to be on the same page before they start conversation with other sides. A simple line from a helpful NPC about how the players should take some time to be sure they’re in agreement before they meet the group’s leader is usually sufficient.
82 Chapter 3 | Dungeon Master Tools Some tables may be comfortable with this level of roleplay; others may prefer to use skill checks to achieve the same results. Persuasion is the most appropriate, although Deception and Intimidation may also work. In specific situations, another skill may also be appropriate; for example, Moss could have made a Performance check to showcase their knowledge of elven folklore. If using skill checks, no character may make more than one check of the same kind in a negotiation. To encourage players to roleplay their characters, the DM may wish to reduce or increase the significance of a requirement or interest by 1 if the character successfully leverages their ideal, bond, or flaw. If the player leverages their ideal, bond, or flaw against their interests, grant that player inspiration. Negotiation DCs Tier DC Range Tier 1 (Level 1-4) 8 + Significance (9 to 14) Tier 2 (Level 5-10) 12 + Significance (13 to 18) Tier 3 (Level 11-16) 16 + Significance (17 to 22) Tier 4 (Level 17-20) 20 + Significance (21 to 26) NPC Generation Generating engaging NPCs on the fly can be challenging, especially when you have to create large numbers of NPCs and communicate their different personalities very quickly. To quickly provide definition to NPCs, consider three defining aspects. The first is a physical description; the second, a vocal characteristic; and the third, a driving personality trait. The physical description allows you to distinguish the person from a potential crowd. The vocal characteristic gives you some techniques for roleplaying them at the table without having to practice accents. Finally, the personality trait provides you with guidance when determining how they will act and behave. For more complex characters, define multiple descriptors for each of the three aspects; for quick interactions, pick one. You can also start simply and add more detail if the party expresses interest in your NPC. Avoid descriptors such as “attractive,” “good,” “ugly,” and “evil”; those characteristics flatten a character. Your character may indeed be attractive or ugly, good or evil; but those traits should emerge alongside the more detailed descriptions you use. Along those lines, be careful to avoid reinforcing stereotypes when selecting traits. At best, they’re boring, and at worst, they’re offensive. Consider how you can subvert expectations of gender roles, physical ability, class, and mental well-being to create more interesting characters. Stereotypes such as disabled or physically scarred villains, fat and humorous sidekicks, or conniving and greedy merchants are pervasive in media; beyond being hurtful to real people, they’re often so common as to be boring. Keisha’s players were chasing a cambion through the marketplace, but they’ve lost sight of him. Quickly, they scan the crowd for someone who has seen where he went. Keisha, thinking fast, picks a defining physical characteristic: “An extremely short man waves to you.” Next, she has to speak as the man, so she comes up with a vocal characteristic—the man has an unusually deep voice. “He went that way!” Keisha’s friend Mike, playing a bard named Rayi, doesn’t trust this man—what if he’s trying to mislead them? He rolls a Wisdom (Insight) check to see if the man has any ulterior motives. Now Keisha needs a personality trait or two. She remembers the legends of Casanova and assigns the man a trait—he’s a philanderer. Therefore, he is hiding something, but it’s just the rose in his hand and the lady’s favor tucked into his breast pocket. The cambion chase is preventing him from meeting his illicit lover. If coming up with examples at the table is difficult for you, don’t fret! The following tables provide examples to help you generate NPCs that are memorable, unique, and easy to role-play. Roll here, or create your own on the fly. Variant Rule: Recurring Negotiations If the representative of the side is likely to be a recurring character, you can instead substitute an opposed Insight check for the DC. This is not otherwise recommended because many NPCs do not have proficiency with Insight and negotiations with them can therefore become too easy; however, the experience of negotiating multiple times with the same NPC, growing closer, can be deeply rewarding. If the party ends a negotiation with a side having leftover points, they can leverage those points against the next negotiation, reducing the cost of their want by the number of points left over. If the negotiations are hostile—for example, attempting to leverage a dirty secret against a crime lord—the opposed check can instead be made with Intimidation. I have met many people in my travels, all unique in their own way. Many times have I found it necessary to abandon my preconceptions about what a person should be like as what they actually are like contradicts what I once believed. -Drizzt
83 Physical Characteristics d100 Physical Characteristic 01 Long hair 02 Short hair 03 Dyed hair 04 Very tall 05 Very short 06 Fat 07 Thin 08 Old 09 Young 10 Middle-aged 11 Elaborate hairstyle 12 Dreadlocks 13 Uses a cane 14 Uses a wheelchair 15 Has a scar 16 Pockmarked 17 Amputee 18 Missing fingers or toes 19 Limps 20 Physical tic 21 Dressed all in one color 22 Dressed richly 23 Dressed in rags 24 Wearing trade clothes 25 Wearing furs 26 Wearing religious garments 27 Wearing a uniform 28 Scandalously dressed 29 Bald 30 Blind 31 Wearing glasses 32 Wearing a monocle 33 Wearing an eye patch 34 Glass eye 35 Muscular 36 Lean 37 Carrying a bag 38 Carrying food 39 Carrying tools 40 Carrying trade goods 41 Carrying a child 42 Carrying a pet 43 Carrying an instrument 44 Carrying art 45 Carrying an hourglass 46 Carrying a book 47 Carrying a fan 48 Riding a horse 49 Leading a farm animal 50 Has a beard d100 Physical Characteristic 51 Has a mustache 52 Smoking a pipe 53 Wearing dramatic jewelry 54 Lots of piercings 55 Heavily tattooed 56 Colorful tattoos 57 Eating food 58 Eating candy 59 Drinking something 60 Fey heritage 61 Magic-user 62 Prominent nose 63 Prominent ears 64 Long legs 65 Rosy cheeks 66 Bow-legged 67 Barrel-chested 68 Visibly cursed 69 Religious emblem 70 Long, painted nails 71 Unseasonal gloves 72 Wearing a mask 73 Unusual hat 74 Big jacket 75 Unusual scarf 76 Unusual shoes 77 Barefoot 78 Bright eyeliner 79 Bright lipstick 80 Face paint 81 Glowing 82 Freckles 83 Dramatic mole 84 Unusually colored eyes 85 Sunburnt 86 Pale 87 Tanned 88 Odd tan lines 89 Ashy 90 Dandruff 91 Carries a hearing trumpet 92 Unwashed 93 Has a walking staff 94 Carrying a pack 95 Unusual birthmark 96 Falconer with a bird 97 Distributing pamphlets 98 Pushing a handcart 99 Ringing a bell 00 Has a skull-like face
84 Chapter 3 | Dungeon Master Tools Vocal Characteristics d20 Vocal Characteristic 1 High pitched 2 Low pitched 3 Monotone 4 Cartoonish 5 Childish 6 Hesitant 7 Long winded 8 Raspy 9 Breathy 10 Cracking 11 Long pauses between words 12 Rapid 13 Enunciates strongly 14 Mumbles 15 Says all “t”s as “d”s 16 Overemphasizes “s” sounds 17 Has a lisp 18 Stutters 19 Short of breath 20 Singsong Personality Traits d100 Personality Trait 01 Arrogant 02 Sarcastic 03 Cheerful 04 Stoic 05 Naive 06 Erudite 07 Stubborn 08 Argumentative 09 Grumpy 10 Pragmatic 11 Shy 12 Outgoing 13 Pessimistic 14 Optimistic 15 Religious 16 Awkward 17 Artistic 18 Impulsive 19 Rude 20 Passionate 21 Romantic 22 Cynical 23 Dishonest 24 Talkative d100 Personality Trait 25 Silly 26 Irreverent 27 Empirical 28 Dry 29 Effusive 30 Morbid 31 Patronizing 32 Idealistic 33 Sensational 34 Philandering 35 Gambler 36 Secretive 37 Musical 38 Direct 39 Short-sighted 40 Ambitious 41 Overly personal 42 Flirtatious 43 Reserved 44 Witty 45 Sarcastic 46 Logical 47 Unfocused 48 Hedonistic 49 Straightforward 50 Childish 51 Wondering 52 Distractible 53 Focused 54 Dramatic 55 Sensitive 56 Loquacious 57 Subtle 58 Irritable 59 Know-it-all 60 Serene 61 Anxious 62 Sweet 63 Bitter 64 Parental 65 Professional 66 Clumsy 67 Elegant 68 Stuffy 69 Stuck-up 70 Wild 71 Proper 72 Negligent
Chapter 3 | Dungeon Master Tools 85 d100 Personality Trait 73 Assertive 74 Compassionate 75 Judgmental 76 Relaxed 77 Intense 78 Savage 79 Vibrant 80 Violent 81 Laid-back 82 Eccentric 83 Scientific 84 Outlandish 85 Emotional 86 Empathetic 87 Bizarre 88 Opinionated 89 Delicate 90 Strong 91 Pretentious 92 Down-to-earth 93 Feline 94 Funny 95 Zealous 96 Pugnacious 97 Lucky 98 Impressionable 99 Rash 00 Composed Reskinning Monsters Even with the myriad of monsters available in the Monster Manual, Volo’s Guide to Monsters, Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, and other supplements, sometimes you need a new monster. Perhaps you’re trying to populate an alien world or a homebrew setting; maybe your players are experienced and struggle to avoid metagaming when confronted with a troll. This section provides lightweight guidance to help you reskin monsters to provide your table with novelty without requiring you to create entirely new stat blocks. I have fought many different creatures in my time. Interestingly, I have sometimes found that it feels as though I am fighting the same creature when it is actually new, such as the time I was convinced I was fighting an orc while in underwater combat, though I suppose I have never seen an orc with gills and a fish tail. -Drizzt
86 Chapter 3 | Dungeon Master Tools Visual Reskinning This first option is the simplest; simply describe the monster differently. Say you wish to use a bulette statblock; it’s the right challenge rating for your party, and its abilities are pretty neat. It has two options that it can use in combat, its Bite and its Deadly Leap. Furthermore, it has tremorsense and a burrow speed. However, perhaps your party is traversing a great plain at the moment, and a bulette doesn’t fit with the aesthetic you’re trying to cultivate. Describing the monster differently, you might create a monstrous, scaled jackrabbit-kangaroo hybrid. None of the stats need change; a creature the size of a small car with ferociously sharpened canines and long, strong hind legs could just as easily Bite and Deadly Leap, and its burrowing speed allows it to create the warrens that it calls its home. Even its creature type (monstrosity) can remain the same. When reskinning a creature visually, identify its signature abilities; what sets it apart from other monsters? A mimic is set apart through its ability to shapeshift and its adhesiveness. A bugbear is a tough, strong bruiser with the ability to use weapons. From there, identify other kinds of creatures that both fit your setting and could share those characteristics. Other forms of media are great places to draw inspiration from, as is folklore - although be careful that you only pull inspiration from open traditions. If you have children in your life, ask them what a monster might look like. Their answers will always be creative. Reskinning Stats As you reskin monsters in this way, it becomes tempting to start to change things about their stat block. However, not all stat block changes are created equal. Changing hit points, damage output, or armor class all affect how tough your monster will be; however, some more minor switches can be made with little to no unbalancing effect. In general, you can switch any ability score with another without causing significant problems, although if you modify Strength and Dexterity, keep in mind that those scores impact attacks and, unless a creature has natural armor, Dexterity impacts AC. Whichever ability (Strength or Dexterity) is used for attacks, it should remain the same unless the switch is between Strength and Dexterity to give the monster the ability to use different weapons. However, if a monster uses Strengthbased attacks, switching Dexterity with, say, Wisdom, is unlikely to make a difference. For spellcasting abilities, it’s typically easiest to switch both spellcasting ability and spellcasting score so that the modifier for spells does not change. Changing Constitution scores impacts how hit points are calculated, but unless your monster is liable to roll hit dice, you may not experience issues with changing a creature’s Constitution score and keeping their hit points the same. Likewise, for abilities which require a saving throw, switching the type of saving throw required can change the flavor of the monster substantially. To an extent, the saving throw needs to make sense with the attack; however, a creature could force a Dexterity saving throw to avoid being tripped rather than a Strength saving throw to be knocked over, with the same result of landing prone on a failure. Another flavorful substitution is damage type. Not all damage types are created equal. PCs are often resistant or immune to some damage types, such as poison, but are almost never resistant or immune to others, such as radiant or psychic. In general, you can safely and easily substitute cold for fire, thunder for lightning, radiant for necrotic, and force for psychic, as well as vice versa. Consider the impact of changing a cambion stat block to do cold damage. More challenging but extremely rewarding is changing creature type. Not all creature types have associated abilities, but those that do are extremely consistent. In the case of our ice cambion, its fiendish heritage is granting it damage resistances and darkvision, as well as its named Fiendish Blessing. Changing the creature to fey, we might remove its resistance to fire and poison and give it the Fey Ancestry trait instead. Because we’ve themed this creature around ice, it makes sense to allow it to continue to be resistant to cold damage. Combining these minor stat block changes with visual reskinning can have a profound effect. Identifying key characteristics from our ice cambion, we have a flying fey which can cast some spells, shoot ice, and charm opponents. Perhaps it’s a humanoid ice pixie who still wields a spear; alternatively, maybe it’s a flying ice snake with the spear attack modified to be melee only and changed to a Bite attack that does the same damage. But What About Challenge Rating? The more changes of this nature that you make, the easier it is to create a creature that warrants a change in CR, either upwards or downwards. Use your best judgment, particularly with creatures under CR1; that being said, challenge ratings are often imprecise measures of actual creature strength. If your efforts don’t feel out of place at the table, you don’t need to worry too much. If you’re nervous, stick with minor changes, such as visual description and damage type.
Chapter 3 | Dungeon Master Tools 87 Shopping and Businesses Revised Close examination of the shopping guidelines in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything reveal a handful of discrepancies; most notably, that it is mathematically not only possible but easy to profit off the magic items market. Consider that a very rare magic item sells, consistently, for 40,000gp; by contrast, that same magic item could then be repurchased for 1d4+1x10,000gp, or a range of 20,000-50,000gp. The opposite is true for rare items, which consistently sell for 4,000gp, but can be purchased for 2d10x1,000gp, or a range of 2,000-20,000gp. The following rules are presented as alternatives to streamline the financial aspects of play in such a way that the focus remains where it should be: on the adventure. Shopping When attempting to buy or sell a specific magic item, the buyer and seller must make an opposed skill check. The purchaser makes a Wisdom (Insight) check; the seller makes a Charisma (Persuasion) check. Where applicable, either party may substitute a Charisma (Deception) check or a skill check made with a tool proficiency; for example, a character with proficiency in smith’s tools might apply such a proficiency to determine the craftsmanship of the magic sword that they wish to purchase. The disparity between the checks determines the modifier placed on the cost of the magic item, as shown in the following table. The modifier always benefits the victor of the opposed skill check; if the buyer is successful, they negotiate a discount, while if the seller is successful, they pitch a higher price. Shopping Price Difference Between Checks Magic Item Cost Modifier 0-2 No Change 3-5 10% 6-9 20% 10-13 30% 14-16 40% 17+ 50% The base price of the magic item can be calculated from either the buying magical items price table on page 126 of Xanathar’s Guide to Everything or the selling magical items price table on page 133 of the same, or from another guide that you prefer. The price of the magical items will help determine how common or rare they are. It is important that the buying and selling price are the same to prevent an unbalanced magic item economy. Variant: Low-Magic Campaigns The rules for acquiring specific magic items in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything are such that it is relatively easy to acquire the specific item one wants immediately. If you would like that search to be more difficult, representing that the magic item market is specialized and only a few items may be on the market at any given time, you can use the following variant rules. Based on the rarity of the item, there is a percentile chance per week that the item can be found, as displayed in the following table. This percentile chance compounds per week of downtime spent looking for that item. As an example, if a player is looking for a rare item, the first week has a 20% chance of finding the item; the second, 40%; the third, 60%. At the end of each workweek, roll d100; if the value is equal or lower to the current percentile chance, the item is found, along with any other items that the character’s roll would normally allot them as per pg. 126 in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. Chance to Find Item Rarity Percent Chance to Find Common 40% Uncommon 30% Rare 20% Very Rare 10% Legendary 5% Mikaela’s character Boros is looking for gauntlets of ogre power to augment his physical prowess, but the first time he went looking for them, he couldn’t find even a rumor of someone selling a pair. Now, he’s back in the city and wants to try again, so Mikaela’s DM rolls a d100 and gets a 43. Because gauntlets of ogre power are uncommon and Boros has already spent a week looking for them, the percentile chance is at 60%; since 43 is lower than that threshold, Boros finds a seller willing to sell him the gauntlets. Running a Business The following rules are variants for running a profitable yet engaging business that are compatible with the downtime rules presented in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. Businesses are divided into six sizes which correspond to creature sizes; Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Huge, and Gargantuan. The size of the business determines both its operating cost and its profitability. Operating cost is assumed to cover all relevant expenses, including the cost of paying employees to run the business in the adventurer’s absence. While sometimes taken for granted, commerce is an essential concept to understand. Those who lack such understanding are, unfortunately, easily taken advantage of by those who manipulate commerce to their own advantage. -Drizzt
88 Chapter 3 | Dungeon Master Tools The profitability of the business is determined by the result of a dice roll, as indicated in the Running a Business table. The result, multiplied by 10, equals the business’s profit in gold pieces. Certain situations force a reroll of one or more of these dice, as detailed below. These situations stack. Complication. If the character does something that would likely compromise the business, such as insulting the mayor or letting a pack of gnolls out of the sewers, the highest single die result is rerolled and the new result is taken. Franchise. A character may found their business as a franchise, with branches in multiple cities. If so, the number of dice rolled for each franchise beyond the first is reduced by one. Investment. If the character makes a one-time investment in the business equal to the business’s operating cost, they can reroll a die of their choice (typically the lowest) each time they roll to see how much the business earned. Once this investment is made, it lasts until the business is upgraded. Shrewd Business. If the character does something as part of adventuring that would benefit the business, such as encouraging the rescued innkeeper to start stocking their products, they can reroll a die of their choice (typically the lowest) one time. Multiple shrewd decisions can apply to a single roll, but if a character frequently has the option to reroll more than half of their dice, the criteria for what qualifies as shrewd may need to be reexamined. Upgrade. If the character has already made an Investment in their business, they can make a further one-time payment of the operating cost of the next tier of business to upgrade their business to that tier. Traps as Stories and Encounters Traps hold the potential to be more than a simple obstacle to be bypassed by making a single ability check or saving throw. At its core, a trap provides a framework for engaging with a dangerous environment. How a trap functions and where it was built can tell a story, convey themes, and reveal plot elements. Traps can not only provide mechanics that encourage and reward exploration but also make this exploration feel more daring, interesting, and truly interactive. The following traps are designed as dynamic encounters. Each of them has multiple elements as well as narrative elements that can be either woven into a campaign or used as a stand-alone encounter. Chamber of the Amber Heart Complex Trap (Tier 1; Average Party Level 4) Long ago, Crann Cnoic, a young treant druid native to the Feywild, aided a group of adventurers who had become lost in the Twilight Realm, helping them return home. Unbeknownst to the treant, the adventurers had been lured to the Feywild by an archfey. Outraged by the treant’s meddling, the archfey banished him from the Feywild and imprisoned him in a barrow designed to entice mortals with stories of fey treasure. There the treant waits, paralyzed by a terrible fey blade piercing his amber heart. Trigger. When a creature with an Intelligence 4 or higher that is of neither the fey nor plant type enters the 60-foot-square underground chamber, its stone doors slam closed and are sealed by an arcane lock spell. Opening the doors requires a successful DC 26 Strength (Athletics) check or Dexterity check using thieves’ tools. A crowbar or mason’s tools grants advantage on the Strength check. If the arcane lock is dispelled or suppressed, the DC is reduced by 10. Initiative. The trap acts on initiative count 20 and 10. Awakening Guardians (Initiative 20). The roots and vines on the wall nearest to a creature form into two guardians (treat as quaggoth spore servants, MM, p. 230). They attack any creature that is neither fey nor plant, and will continue to do so until either they are destroyed or the trap is disabled. The creatures continue to act on initiative 20. Swirling Leaves (Initiative 10). A dense cloud of swirling leaves and thorns erupts in a 5-foot cube in the center of the chamber, causing the area to be heavily obscured. If a creature starts its turn in the swirling leaves, it must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or take 7 (2d6) slashing damage, and its speed is reduced by 20 feet until the start of its next turn. Plant creatures are immune to all effects of the Swirling Leaves. Dynamic Event (Treant Aid). At the beginning of the awakening guardians’ turn,the imprisoned Crann Cnoic speaks a single sentence to ask for aid or offer advice. When he does so, one creature within the chamber of the treant’s choice regains 9 (2d8) hit points. The treant knows how to disperse the leaves and end the trap, and he speaks Druidic, Elven, and Sylvan. Dynamic Event (Overgrowth). Once per round, when an awakening guardian is killed, the chamber summons two more that appear adjacent to the room’s wall. The summoned creatures appear at a rate of one per round on initiative 20 and can act immediately. Only one creature can appear each round. Dynamic Event (Spreading Leaves). The swirling leaves spread to an additional 5-foot cube filling the space of a creature if possible, although they avoid the guardians. The leaves continue to spread until they fill a number of 5-foot cubes equal to the number of I have seen many a skeletal corpse of a former treasure hunter in a mysterious dungeon chamber. Locked doors typically keep intruders out, but beware the dangers of doors locking to trap you inside. -Drizzt
Chapter 3 | Dungeon Master Tools 89 creatures—excluding the guardians and Crann Cnoic— in the chamber. If the leaves are all dispersed, a new cube spawns at the center of the chamber and spreads normally. Countermeasures. A 5-foot cube of leaves is dispersed by a wind of moderate or greater speed (at least 10 miles per hour) or 10 points of fire damage. Crann Cnoic is restrained by an enchanted blade of woven mistletoe that pierces his amber heart. The blade must be withdrawn to free the treant. Removing the weapon requires a total of 50 on one or more Strength (Athletics) checks. Checks can be made until the cumulative total is 50 or more. Freeing the treant prevents future Overgrowth and Spreading Leaves events. Modifying the Encounter Here are suggestions for scaling the encounter for party level, size, or player experience. To make this encounter more challenging: • One additional creature animates on Overgrowth events (three total) • The Swirling Leaves are DC 14 and cause 10 (3d6) damage • The Strength (Athletics) checks require a total of 75 to free the treant • To make this encounter less challenging: • One fewer creature animates on Overgrowth events (one total) • The Swirling Leaves are DC 10 and cause 3 (1d6) damage Adjusting the Theme and Location This trap requires a chamber (a tunnel, cavern, or room) that can be quickly closed (a door slamming shut, a gate crashing down, or a boulder thundering into place) and a prisoner. This modularity allows it to be customized to a natural environment, a dungeon ruin, or an opulent castle—whatever the current story needs. The creatures, prisoner, and aesthetic of the initiative count effects can be adjusted to suit specific themes. Here are suggestions for modifying the Chamber of the Amber Heart to suit a specific theme. Construct • The trap is in a building or lab • The imprisoned creature is a sentient magic item held by a statue • The creatures that animate on initiative 20 are animated armors • Instead of Swirling Leaves, a dense fog appears and spreads, which is also dispersed by a wind of moderate or greater speed • The damage caused on initiative 10 is poison Elemental • The trap is in a natural cave • The imprisoned creature is an elemental spirit trapped in a lamp • The creatures that animate on initiative 20 are fire snakes (MM, p. 265) • Instead of the Swirling Leaves, fire spreads, which can be dispersed by extinguishing it (dealing 10 cold damage to a 5-foot cube or dousing a 5-foot cube with 10 gallons of water • The damage caused on initiative 10 is fire Ooze • The trap is in a damp sewer or cavern • The imprisoned creature is a sentient ooze petrified by a magical object imbedded in it • The creatures that animate on initiative 20 are gelatinous cubes (Medium size and 30 hit points, CR 1; MM, p. 242) • Instead of the Swirling Leaves, slime drips from the ceiling in thick curtains, which can be dispersed by freezing it (dealing 10 cold damage to a 5-foot cube) • The damage caused on initiative 10 is acid that doesn’t affect the gelatinous cubes Undead • The trap is in an ancient dungeon • The imprisoned creature is a ghost whose skeletal corpse is impaled by a weapon • The creatures that animate on initiative 20 are specters (MM, p. 279) • Instead of the Swirling Leaves, darkness spreads as per the spell and can be dispersed with the light spell or radiant damage • The damage caused on initiative 10 is necrotic The Path Precarious Complex Trap (Tier 2; Average Party Level 8) An isolated wooden bridge spanning across a windswept gully has been magically trapped by bandits who loot the bodies of those who fall from it to their deaths. Many an all-powerful mage or unparalleled swordswoman has even still met their untimely end falling to their deaths at the bottom of a chasm despite their skill. To this day, I view bridges with a healthy amount of skepticism and a reminder that death is always just one slip and fall away. -Drizzt
90 Chapter 3 | Dungeon Master Tools The gully is 70 feet deep and filled with tall boulders, and creatures take 7d6 bludgeoning damage falling into it. The bridge is 120 feet long and towering trees are visible on the far side. These numbers can be adjusted based on the party’s capabilities. The gully should be wide enough that the party cannot simply jump across and deep enough that a fall is concerning, but not so deep that it would likely outright kill a character. The bandits check on the bridge and gully every few days to reset the trap and recover valuables from those who have fallen to their doom. By default, they are not present when the adventurers arrive, but, for a more challenging encounter, the DM can have four bandit archers (thugs) and two mages (illusionists) on the far side, prepared to ambush the party once the trap is triggered (see the Modifying the Encounter sidebar below). Creatures with a passive perception of 16 or higher or that succeed on a DC 22 Wisdom (Perception) or DC 17 Intelligence (Investigation) check notice the remains of pack animals and travelers covered by brush at the bottom of the gully. They also notice a rope ladder leading down to that area. Trigger. When a party member reaches the midway point of the bridge (or flies to the far side), a magical wind strikes the area, attempting to fling creatures into the gully. Initiative. The trap acts on initiative count 20 and 10. Magic Wind (Initiative 20). A magical wind causes all creatures on the bridge and within 5 feet of the edge of the gully to make a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. The DC is 19 for flying creatures. A creature that fails the saving throw by 5 or more is flung into the gully. Once the wind hits the party, characters can make a DC 16 Intelligence (Arcana) check. Those who succeed deduce that the wind is unnatural. A result of 20 or higher on this check ascertains the wind is an arcane spell that can be dispelled. Rules Tip: Flying creatures that are knocked prone fall unless they can hover. Swaying Bridge (Initiative 10). The bridge shakes and boards come loose. Each creature on the bridge must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. If the saving throw is failed by 5 or more, the creature slips into the gully. Dynamic Event (Sabotaged Planks). Whenever a creature past the halfway point moves 10 feet across the bridge, it must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or step on a weakened plank and fall through the bridge. A successful DC 18 Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Strength (Athletics) check allows the creature to catch itself on a bridge beam, leaving it dangling. Dynamic Event (Traps in the Gully). The bandits placed glyphs of warding beneath the bridge and around the gully to ensure that creatures that fall are killed without harming their goods and equipment. There is one glyph of warding per character below the bridge. The glyphs are spaced 15 feet apart, and the DC to spot a glyph is 15. The spells within the glyphs are Tasha’s mind whip by default, but they can be adjusted to challenge the party. Countermeasures. Characters binding themselves to the bridge (such as with rope) can’t be knocked off (but they can still be knocked prone). Dispel magic dissipates the magical wind, and conjuring a magical wind to blow against the gust dampens its impact or diverts it, providing advantage on the required Strength save. A creature with a passive Perception of 16 or higher or who succeeds on a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) or 17 Intelligence (Investigation) check notices the weakened planks. A creature aware of the weakened planks has advantage on Dexterity saving throws to cross the bridge safely. Modifying the Encounter Here are suggestions for scaling the encounter for party level, size, or player experience. To make this encounter more challenging: • For APL 9-10, increase the bridge length and gully depth by 20 feet. For APL 6-7, reduce the gully depth and bridge length by 20 feet. • Add additional glyphs of warding with dispel magic in them (3rd level, +4 bonus to dispel) triggering when characters use feather fall or fly. Adding bandits to the encounter: • Remove two thugs for APL 6-7 • Remove one illusionist for APL 6-7 • Add three thugs for APL 9-10 • Add two illusionists for APL 9-10 Adjusting the Theme and Location This trap only requires a narrow crossing over a hazard that is dangerous but not immediately deadly (falling into lava is usually too deadly for this tier of play). Here are suggestions for modifying the complex trap to suit a specific theme. Toppled Masts between Two Ships over Shark-Infested Water • The characters must cross a mast fallen between two ships or a ship and a dock • Replace falling damage with sharks or quipper swarms in the water below the mast. Each time a creature ends its turn in the water, it takes 3d6 piercing damage from the swarms. • Instead of magic wind, there is a building storm and howling gale. Start the wind DC 3 lower than normal but increase it by 2 on initiative count 1.
Chapter 3 | Dungeon Master Tools 91 Fallen Tree across a Jagged Ravine filled with loose Rocks • The characters must use a fallen tree to cross a jagged ravine. • Instead of magic wind, there is a building storm and howling gale. Start the wind DC 3 lower than normal but increase it by 2 on initiative count 1. • When a creature falls into the ravine, it must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or become restrained by loose rocks and debris. It can repeat the saving throw at the beginning of each of its turns. While restrained, it takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage at the end of each of its turns as loose debris falls into the ravine from the wind. Crumbling Stone Bridge between Two Towers • The characters must cross a crumbling stone bridge between two towers • Instead of the bridge shaking (it is stone, after all), lightning strikes it. Section the bridge into six parts across its length and roll a d6 twice each round on initiative count 1. Lightning strikes those sections dealing 4d10 lightning damage to each creature on that section. A successful DC 14 Dexterity check reduces the damage by half. Rope Bridge across a Rushing River • The characters must cross a rushing river on a rope bridge • Replace falling damage with freezing water and being swept away by a river current. If a creature ends its turn in the water, it takes 10 (3d6) cold damage unless it has acclimation to cold climates or resistance or immunity to cold damage. A creature moves 50 feet downriver at the end of each of its turns. A creature can move to shore by making a successful DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check. A creature with a swim speed automatically succeeds on this check. Planar Upheaval Complex Trap (Tier 2; Average Party Level 6-10) During an astrological event (such as a returning comet or conjunction of planets) in a place associated with an Outer Plane (such as an ancient altar used to make sacrifices to Orcus, Prince of Undeath; a location of repeated summoning; or an abandoned githyanki raiding camp), rifts can form, spilling planar essence and dangers into the Material Plane. On the eve of a returning comet coloring the sky, the party comes across a menhir with veins of quartz, while traveling in a wilderness or rural location. It begins to glow as they approach within 50 feet of it. The trap is located along a stretch of the road that passes into a crevasse, dry riverbed, or some other terrain feature with 15-foot-tall cliffs on either side so the party must cross the area to continue traveling. This trap doesn’t have to be defeated—simply surviving it a few rounds and moving away or through it is a suitable solution. Trigger. The party enters the designated area, which should be a 50-foot by 50-foot location with walls or barriers, such as cliffs, at least 15 feet high. Initiative. The trap acts on initiative count 20, 10, and 1. Rifts (Initiative 20). On initiative 20, an effervescent, shimmering rift fills a 5-foot square in the same space as the creature nearest to the menhir. A creature beginning or ending its turn in the same square as a rift must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d10 force damage and be knocked 1d4 x 10 feet in a random direction. To determine the direction, roll a d8 and assign a direction to each die face. If this causes the creature to contact another rift, it must repeat the saving throw. On a successful saving throw, the creature is harmlessly moved to a square of its choice adjacent to the rift. Countermeasures. A creature seeing the menhir after it starts glowing and succeeds on a DC 17 Intelligence (Arcana) check can deduce that this obelisk is channeling planar energy and that damaging the menhir or using spells that dissipate magic, such as dispel magic, can disperse some of that energy. The menhir has AC 16, 400 hit points, and is immune to psychic and poison damage. Singularity Pulse (Initiative 10). Each creature within 100 feet of a rift must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be pulled 1d6 x 10 feet towards the nearest rift. A successful saving throw reduces the distance by half. Energy Arcs (Initiative 1). Energy arcs from the rifts. Each rift fires a current of lightning at the nearest creature or source of metal weighing 10 or more pounds. A targeted creature must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or a rift spawns in its space and it takes 2d6 lightning damage. Creatures wearing metal armor have disadvantage on this saving throw. Note: The number of rifts open at once should never exceed twice the number of characters in the party. If a new rift spawns, causing the number of rifts to exceed this maximum, one of the other rifts (determined randomly) closes. Life on the material plane has left most of its inhabitants unprepared for extraplanar mispaps. Yet when the unexpected—but not impossible—strikes, death from the Far Realm’s tentacles or destructive chaotic energy becomes a reality whether one is prepared or not. -Drizzt
92 Chapter 3 | Dungeon Master Tools Countermeasures. A creature can minimize the effect of the singularity pulses by anchoring itself to a rock or tree with rope. If it does, it will only move as far as the rope will reach. Creating a pile of metal draws the energy arcs to it, leaving creatures unharmed. However, each rift still strikes the nearest target, either a source of metal weighing more than 10 pounds or a creature. If a source of metal and a creature are equal distance from a rift, the arc strikes the metal. Every 25 points of damage dealt to the menhir closes a rift. Dispel magic closes a number of rifts equal to the level of the spell slot used to cast it. A rift can be directly attacked. It has an AC of 14, 50 hit points, and is immune to damage from nonmagical weapons as well as psychic and poison damage. It vanishes when reduced to 0 hit points and leaves behind a glowing crystal worth 150 gp that sheds dim light in a 10-foot radius. Modifying the Encounter Here are suggestions for scaling the encounter for party level, size, or player experience. To make this encounter more challenging: • Increase the DC of the Rifts and Singularity Pulse by 2. • Increase the damage of the Rifts and Energy Arc by an extra die. To make this encounter less challenging: • Lower the DC of the Rifts and Singularity Pulse by 2. • Reduce the damage of the Rifts and Energy Arc by one die. • Reduce the maximum number of rifts to the number of characters in the party. Adjusting the Theme and Location This trap only requires a location where the party can’t easily flee from the area. A cavern, dungeon room, narrow pass, bridge, and other such locations work well for this. The planar energy should be obviously coming from a certain point or object, such as an ancient altar, rune-carved menhir, small stone circle, or jagged pillar of crystal. This modularity allows it to be customized to your campaign’s needs. Here are suggestions for modifying the complex trap to suit a specific theme. Far Realm Rifts • Instead of Energy Arcs, tentacles reach from the rifts to grapple creatures. When a creature starts its turn within 120 feet of a rift, the creature must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or take 3d6 bludgeoning damage and be restrained by the tentacles. A creature that starts its turn in the area and is already restrained by the tentacles takes 3d6 bludgeoning damage and is pulled 40 feet towards a rift. A creature restrained by the tentacles can use its action to make a DC 16 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (its choice) to free itself. • The tentacles are distracted by food, particularly raw meat or blood instead of metal. • Instead of Singularity Pulse, creatures restrained by the tentacles are dragged 40 feet towards a rift. • Instead of being bounced out of rifts, a creature contacting a rift takes 1d10 psychic damage and is held in the rift’s square. A creature can use its action to make a DC 16 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (its choice) to free itself from the rift. • The tentacles have 13 AC and 50 hit points. Infernal Rifts • Instead of Singularity Pulse, tempting whispers and sights beckon creatures. A creature looking at a rift must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or use its movement and take the Dash action to move as close as it can to a rift. It can repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns ending the effect on a success. If an object or creature blocks its line of sight, it automatically succeeds on this saving throw. • Instead of being bounced out of rifts, a creature contacting a rift takes 1d10 psychic damage and is held in the rift’s square. A creature can use its action to make a DC 16 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (its choice) to free itself from the rift. • For the purposes of closing rifts, splashing a rift with holy water and spells that deal radiant damage acts as dispel magic. A character’s Charisma modifier is used in place of the spell slot level when determining the effect of holy water on a rift. Pandemonium Rifts • A creature in the same square as a rift must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be blinded and gain a temporary level of exhaustion. It can repeat the saving throw at the end of its turn to remove these effects. • The DC to resist being pulled towards a rift is 18. • For the purposes of closing rifts, splashing a rift with holy water and spells that deal radiant damage acts as dispel magic. A character’s Charisma modifier is used in place of the spell slot level when determining the effect of holy water on a rift. • Energy Arcs do not occur on initiative count 10. Instead, whenever a creature gains a level of exhaustion, a rift spawns in its space. If a creature is in a rift when it gains a level of exhaustion, the new rift spawns in an adjacent space to it.
Chapter 3 | Dungeon Master Tools 93 Drizzt Tells All What words were penned in the journal of history’s most famous drow? The legendary drow ranger, Drizzt Do’Urden, has seen it all in his life of adventure and lived to tell the tale. Fortunately for you, Drizzt has kept a meticulous account of his fantastic adventures in his personal travelogue, which he is finally sharing with the multiverse. You thought you knew it all, but Drizzt’s notes will doubtless prove you wrong. This book’s fantastic entries include new subclasses for each character class in the Player’s Handbook, and the Artificer class included in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. If that weren’t enough, the brilliantly clever new Tactician class makes its debut here, a master of planning and strategy. Drizzt’s tales don’t end there, with dozens of new astonishing magic items, revised rules for shopping, narrative traps, revised classic subclasses, and many more tantalizing tales. Although usually a private and brooding figure, Drizzt offers his honest insights in the form of myriad anecdotes and commentary notes dotted throughout the book. Inside, he offers a sample of the wondrous sights and people he’s encountered, and rumor has it that his travelogue is so extensive, that he’ll be publishing a second volume soon…