dlOO Encounter dlOO Encounter
8S- 86 1 grick alpha with 2d4 gricks 10-14 A circle of standing stones within which the ai r is
87- 88 ld3 yuan-ti abominations utterly still, no matter how hard the wind blows
89-90 l adult green dragon lS- 16 outside
91- 93 ld8 + l giant apes 17- 18 l phase spider
94- 96 2d4 oni 19-20 l gnoll pack lord with l d4 giant hyenas
97- 99 ld3 treants 21-22 l orog or l pegasus
l ancient green dragon 23-24 l ankheg
00 2S- 28 ld3 rhinoceroses
29- 32 l d3 cockatrices
FOREST ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 17-20) 33- 36 ld6 + 2 giant wasps or ld4 + 3 swarms of insects
37- 40 ld4 jackalweres or ld4 scouts
dlOO Encounter 41-44 l d8 giant goats or ld8 worgs
4S-46 2d4 hobgoblins, 2d4 ores, or 2d4 gnolls
01 - 0S l young green dragon 47- 48 1d2 giant poisonous snakes
06-10 l treant 49-SO ld6 + 2 elk or ld6 + 2 riding horses
11-13 l guardian naga Sl-S2 2d4 goblins
14- 16 ldl 0 revenants S3-S4 ld3 boars
17- 19 ld8 + l unicorns SS-S8 l panther (leopard) or l lion
S9-62 ld6 + 3 goblins riding wolves
20- 22 ld3 grick alphas 63-6S 2d6 giant wolfspiders or l giant eagle
66-69 l d8 + 4 pteranodons
23-2S For a few hundred feet, wherever the cha racters 70-74 3d6 wolves
step, Aowers bloom and emit soft light. 7S- 76 2d4 + 2 axe beaks
26-28 l young gold dragon 77-78 l giant boar or ld2 tigers
29-31 ld6 + 2 shambling mounds 79-80 l ogre or ld3 bugbears
32-34 2d4 werebears l giant elk, or l gnoll pack lord with l d3 giant
3S- 37 ld4 oni 81 - 82 hyenas
38- 40 4d6 + 10 elves living in a small community in the 83- 84 ld3 giant vultures or ld3 hippogriffs
treetops l goblin boss with l d6 + 2 goblins and ld4 + 3
41 - 43 ld6 + 2 gorgons 8S- 89 wolves, or ld3 thri-kreen
44-46 2d4 trolls 90- 91 ld3 druids patrolling the wi lds
47-49 ld4 giant apes 92- 93 ld6 scarecrows or l wereboar
SO- S2 ld3 yuan-ti abominations l d3 centaurs or l d3 griffons
S3- 62 ld3 young green dragons 94 ld3 gnoll fangs ofYeenoghu, or l ore Eye of
63- 6S A SO-foot-tall stone s tatue of an elf warrior with Gruumsh with 2d4 + l ores
hand raised, palm out, as if to forbid travelers from 9S-96 l triceratops
66- 7S coming this way 97 l cyclops or l bulette
ld4 treants l d4 manticores
98- 99 l tyrannosaurus rex
76-80 A cairn s et atop a low hill 00
81-90 l adult gold dragon
91-96 l ancient green dragon
97-99 2d4 + l treants
l ancient gold dragon
00
GRASSLAND ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 6-10)
- // dlOO Encounter
GRASSLAND ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 1-5) 01 ld3 gorgons
02 ld4 cyclopes
dlOO Encounter 03- 04 l d3 gnoll fangs ofYeenoghu
01 l hobgoblin captain with ld4 + l hobgoblins OS- 06 l chimera
02 l chimera 07-09 ld4 + l veterans on riding horses
03 l gorgon
04 ld2 couatls 10-1 1 A tornado that touches down ld6 miles away, tear-
OS l ankylosaurus 12-13 ing up the land for l mile before it dissipates
06 l weretiger l d3 manticores
07 ld3 allosauruses
08- 09 ld3 elephants 14- lS 2d4 ankhegs
16- 17 ld8 + l centaurs
18- 19 ld6 + 2 griffons
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
dlOO Encounter dlOO Encounter
20-21 ld6 elephants 70-79 l d4 + 3 gorgons
22-24 A stretch of land littered with rotting war ma- 80- 88 ld3 young gold dragons
chines, bones, and banners of forgotten armies 89-90 A circular section of grass nearly a quarter-m ile
25-28 l d8 + l bugbears across that appears to have been pressed down;
29-32 l gnoll pack lord with l d4 + l giant hyenas 91 - 96 ld4 more such circles connected by lines can be
33-36 2d4 scarecrows 97-99 seen from overhead.
37-40 ldl 2 lions 2d4 tyrannosaurus rexes
41-44 l dl 0 thri-kreen 00 l adult gold dragon
45 - 46 l allosaurus l ancient gold dragon
47-48 l tiger
49-50 ld2 giant eagles or ld2 giant vultures GRASSLAND ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 17-20)
51-52 l goblin boss with 2d4 gobli ns
53- 54 ld2 pegasi dl OO Encounter
55- 58 l ankylosaurus
59-62 ld2 couatls 01- 10 2d6 triceratops
63-66 l ore Eye ofGruumsh with ld8 + l ores 11-20 ldlO gorgons
67- 70 2d4 hippogriffs 21-25 2d6 hyenas feed ing on the carcass of a dead
71-74 l d4 + l rhinoceroses dinosaur
75-76 l hobgoblin captain with 2d6 hobgoblins 26-35 3d6 bulettes
77-78 ld3 phase spiders 36-40 A fie ry chariot that races across the sky
79-80 ld6 + 2 giant boars 41-50 ld3 young gold dragons
81- 82 2d4 giant elk 51-60 2d4 cyclopes
83-84 ld4 ogres and ld4 orogs 61 - 65 A valley where all the grass has died and the
85-87 A hot wi nd that carries the stench of rot ground is littered with stumps and fallen tree
88-90 1d3 weretigers 66- 75 t run ks, all petrified
91- 92 1 bulette 76-80 2dl0 bugbears with 4d6 goblins and 2d10 wolves
93- 94 A tribe of 2d20 + 20 nomads (tribal warriors) on A friendly adventuring party of l d6 + 1 characters
riding horses following a herd of antelope (deer). 81-90 of varying races, classes, and levels (average level
95-96 The nomads are willi ng to trade food, leather, and 91-96 ld 6 + 2). They share information about their recent
97 information fo r weapons. 97- 99 t ravels.
ld6 + 2 wereboars ldl2 chimeras
98-99 l young gold dragon 00 1d6 + 2 tyrannosaurus rexes
00 l d4 triceratops 1 adult gold dragon
ld3 tyran nosaurus rexes l ancient gold dragon
GRASSLAND ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 11-16)
dlOO Encounter HILL ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 1-4)
01 - 05 3d6 wereboars dlOO Encounter
06- 10 2dl0 gnoll fangs ofYeenoghu
11 - 15 ld4bulettes 01 l eagle
16- 17 An old road of paved stones, partly reclaimed by 02-03 2d4 baboons
wilderness, that t ravels for ld8 miles in either di- 04-06 ld6 bandits
18-27 rection before ending
28- 30 l dl 2 couatls 07 ld4 vultures
A witch (mage) dwell ing in a crude hut. She offers 08 ldlO commoners
potions ofhealing, antitoxins, and other consum- 09 l raven
able items for sale in exchange for food and news. 10 l poisonous snake
11- 13 2d6 bandits or 2d6 tribal warriors
31- 40 2dl0 elephants 14 2d8 goats
41 - 46 2d4 weretigers 15 ld6 + 4 blood hawks
47- 56 ld8 + l cyclopes 16 ld4 + 3 giant weasels
57-61 l d3 chimeras 17- 18 ld3 guards with ld2 mastiffs and l mule
62-66 5 triceratops 19-20 ld6 + 5 hyenas
67-69 A giant hole 50 feet across that descends nearly 21-22 2d4 stirges
500 feet before opening into an empty cave
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
dlOO Encounter HILL ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 5-10)
23-25 An empty cave litte red with bones
l pseudodragon or ld 3 giant owls dlOO Encounter
26 l lion or l panther (cougar)
27 2d 8 kobolds 01 l d4 pegasi or l d3 perytons
28-30 l hippogriff
31 2d4 goblins 02 ld6 + 2 giant goats
32-34 l worg 03 l manticore
35 ld3 s warms of bats o r l d3 swarms of ravens 04 ld8 +l gnolls or l d8 + l hobgoblins
36 1 giant eagle
37 An ol d dwarf sitti ng on a stu mp, whittli ng a piece 05 ld4 lions
38- 40 ofwood
ld4 elk 06 ld6 + 2 worgs
41 ld4 winged kobolds with l d6 kobolds 07 l d4 brown bears
42 ld6 + 2 giant wolfspiders 08 3d6 axe beaks
43 2d4 wolves 09 1 half-ogre with 2d6 ores
44-45 l swarm ofinsects
46 ld8 + l axe beaks 10 2dl0 winged kobolds
47 l brown bear or l d3 boars 11- 12 l goblin boss with l d4 dire wolves and 2d6 goblins
48- 49 l scout
l ogre 13 ld6 giant elk
so 2d4 gnolls 14- 15 l d8 + l giant eagles
l giant elk
51 l d3 + l harpies 16- 17 ld4 phase spiders
52-53 l werewolf 18-19 l gnoll pack lord with 2d4 giant hyenas
2d4 ores
54 l d4 half-ogres 20 2d4 hippogriffs
55 l druid or l veteran 21-25 A 15-foot-tall stone statue of a dwarfwarrior that
56 The corpse of an adventu rer t hat ca rries an int act has been tipped over on its side
57- 58 explorer's pack and lies atop a longsword
59 l green hag 26- 27 2d4 orogs
60 ld3 dire wolves
61-63 A small cemetery containing 2d6 graves 28-29 l d4 + l griffons
l hobgoblin captain with 2d4 hobgoblins
64 2d4 giant goats 30-31 l d6 + 2 harpies
65- 66 l manticore 32-33 l ore Eye ofGruumsh with 2d6 + 3 ores
67-68 ld6 + 2 hobgoblins
69- 70 1 phase spider 34- 35 l d4 + 3 giant boars
A pile of d ro pp ings from a very large bird 36-40 A stone door set in to the side of a steep hi ll, open-
71 1 gnoll fang ofYeenoghu ing onto l 5 feet of descending sta irs that end at a
72 ld3 giant boars
73- 74 1 gnoll pack lord with ld 3 giant hyenas cave-in
75 1 bandit captain wit h 2d4 band its
76- 78 1 ore Eye ofGruumsh with l d8 + 2 ores 41-42 l d3 green hags
79 ld3 orogs or l d4 berserkers 43- 44 l d4 werewolves
80 1 ettin or 1 wereboar 45-46 ld6 + 2 ogres
81 1 goblin boss with 2d6 goblins 47- 48 l hobgo blin captain with 2d8 hobgoblins
82 ld3 griffons
83 l d3 perytons or l d4 pegasi 49- 50 l bandit captain with 3d6 band its
84 l d3 trolls
85- 86 1 cyclops 51-54 l chimera
87- 88 1 stone giant
89 55-58 ld4 ett ins
90 59- 62 ld6 + 2 vete rans with 2d6 berserke rs
91-96 63- 65 An abandoned woode n hut
97- 99
00 66-69 1 galeb duhr
70-73 1 bulette
74-77 1 wyvern
78- 80 2d6 + 10 goats with 1 herder (tribal warrior)
81- 82 ld3 hill giants
83-84 2d4 wereboars
85-86 l d4 reve nants
87- 88 l d2 gorgons
89- 90 ld8 + 1 gnoll fangs ofYeenoghu
91-93 1d4 cyclopes
94-96 1 young red dragon
97- 98 ld4 stone giants
99 ld3 young copper dragons
00 1 roe
HILL ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 11-16) dlOO Encounter
78-80 ld3 nobles with ld4 scouts prospecting for gold
dlOO Encounter 81 - 85 l adult copper dragon
86- 90 2d4 stone giants
01 2d8 manticores or 2d8 phase spiders 91- 96 ld4 roes
97-99 l adult red dragon
02-04 ld6 green hags with ld6 wyverns l ancient copper dragon
05- 07 l hobgoblin captain with l hill giant and 4dl0 00
hobgoblins
08- 10 2d6 + 3 werewolves
11 - 14 ld6 + 2 ettins
15- 18 l d3 bu lettes HILL ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 17-20)
19- 22 ld4 werebears dlOO Encounter
23- 24 A stream of smoke e merging from a s mall chimney
in the hill side 01 ld2 roes
02- 05 l young red dragon
25-28 ld4 wyverns 06-10 2d6 ettins
29- 32 l d8 + l wereboars
11- 15 l d4 bulettes
33- 36 ld3 revenants 16- 20 ldl 0 revenants
37- 38 A mild earthquake that shakes the regio n for ld 20 21 - 25 The white outline of an enormous horse carved
seconds into the side of a high hill
39-42 ld3 chimeras 26-30 ld6 + l gorgons
31-35 2d4 + l trolls
43- 46 ld4 gorgons 36- 40 The scorched remains of 2dl0 humanoids littering
47- 50 ld6 + 2 gnoll fangs ofYeenoghu
51 - 54 l d4 hill giants a hillside
55-58 l young red dragon
59- 62 ld3 + l galeb duhr 41-45 2d4 hill giants
63- 65 2dl0 dwarf miners (commoners), whistling as they 46-50 ld6 + 2 werebears
march toward their m ine 51 - 55 2d4 galeb duhr
56- 60 ld4 + 2 wyverns
66-69 ld3 young copper dragons 61 - 65 A massive boulder partly buried in the earth as if it
fell or was thrown the re
l
70-73 ld4 trolls
74- 77 ld3 cyclopes
dlOO Encounter dlOO Encounter
66-70 1 adult copper dragon 84- 85 1 saber-toothed tiger
71-75 ld6 + 3 cyclopes 86-90 A sparkling stream ofwater spilling from a crevice
76-80 The stub of an old stone tower jutting from the top ld2 ettins
ofa hill 91 1 cyclops
81-85 2d4 stone giants 92 1 troll
86-90 1 adult red dragon 93 1 galeb duhr
91-96 1 ancient copper dragon 94 1 air elemental
97-99 1 ancient red dragon 95 1 bulette
ld2 adult red dragons with ld3 young red dragons 96 1 chimera
00 97 1 wyvern
98 1 stone giant
99 1 frost giant
00
MOUNTAIN ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 1-4) MOUNTAIN ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 5-10)
dl 00 Encounter dlOO Encounter
01-02 1 eagle 01-02 2d8 + 1 aarakocra
03-05 ld3 swarms of bats 03-04 1 lion or 1 saber-toothed tiger
06-08 ld6 goats 05-06 ld8 + 1 giant goats
09-11 ldlO + 5 tribal warriors 07-08 1d4 + 3 dwarf trailblazers (scouts)
12-14 ld6 + 3 pteranodons 09-10 ld6 + 2 ores
15-17 ld8 + 1 winged kobolds 11 - 15 ldlO giant eagles
16-20 ld8 + 1 hippogriffs
18-20 1 lion 21-25 ld8 fissures venting steam that partially obscures a
20-foot cube above each fissure
21-24 Stairs chiseled into the side of the mountain that 26-30 1 basilisk
climb 3d20 + 40 feet before ending ab ruptly 31-35 1dl2 half-ogres
25-27 2dl0 stirges 36-40 A ravine blocked by a 100-foot-high wall, which has
28- 30 2d4 aarakocra an opening in the center where a gate used to be
31-33 2d6 dwarf soldiers (guards) with ld6 mules laden 41-45 1 manticore
with iron ore 46-50 2d4 harpies
51 - 52 1 galeb duhr
34- 3 6 1 giant eagle 53- 54 1 bulette
37-38 A small shrine dedicated to a lawful neutral god, 55-56 1dl0 berserkers
perched on a stone outcropping 57-58 1d3 hell hounds
39-41 2d8 + 1 blood hawks 59-60 ld8 + 1 veterans
61 - 65 A distant mountain whose peak resembles a tooth
42-44 1 giant goat 66-69 ld4 ettins
45-47 3d4 kobolds 70-73 1 wyvern
48- 50 1 half-ogre 74-75 1 ore Eye ofGruumsh with ld6 orogs and 3d6 + 10
51 -53 1 berserker ores
54-55 1 orog 76-80 A row of ldlO + 40 stakes upon wh ich the bodies of
1 hell hound kobolds, dwarves, or ores are impaled
56 1 druid 81 - 83 1 fire giant
57 1 peryton 84-85 1 young silver dragon
58-59 1d2 hippogriffs 86-87 ld4 air elementals
60-61 1 manticore 88-90 ld4 trolls
62 ld6 + 2 scouts 91-92 ld3 + 1 cyclopes
63- 64 Enormous footprints left by a giant, which head 93-94 1d4 chimeras
65- 67 into the mountain peaks 95-96 1 cloud giant
2d4 ores
68-73
74-75 1 giant elk
76-77 1 veteran 97 1 roe
78-79 1 ore Eye ofGruumsh 98 ld4 stone giants
ld4 harpies 99 1 young red dragon
80 1 ogre 00 ld4 frost giants
81 1 griffon
82 1 basilisk
83
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
MOUNTAIN ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 11-16) dlOO Encounter
81-85 ld4 roes
dlOO Encounter 86-90 ld4 young red dragons
91-96 l ancient silver dragon
01-02 ld8 + l basilisks 97-00 l ancient red dragon
03-04 2d4 hell hounds
05-06 ld3 chimeras
07-08 l galeb duhr
09-10 2d6 veterans
11- 15 l young silver dragon
16-20 2d4 trolls
21-25 l red dragon glid ing through the sky above the
highest mountaintops
SWAMP ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 1-4)
26- 30 ld8 + l manticores dlOO Encounter
31 - 35 l d4 cyclopes
36- 40 Heavy snowfall that lasts for ld6 hours 01 l d4 poisonous snakes
41 - 45 ldlO air elementals
02-05 3d6 rats
06- 10 2d8 ravens
46- 50 l d6 + 2 bulettes 11-12 3d6 giant rats
51 - 55 l d4 stone giants
56- 60 l fire giant 13 ld l O+ 5 tribal warriors
61 - 65 2 stone giants playing catch with a boulder a few 14-15 l d8 + l giant lizards
hundred feet away
66- 70 ld8 + l ettins 16-17 l crocodile
71-75 ld3 frost giants
76-80 A wide crevasse, its depths shrouded in mist 18- 19 l swarm of insects
81-85 ld4 cloud giants
20 l giant spider
21-22 l d4 + l mud huts partially sunken in murky water
23-25 2d8 + l kobolds
26 2d4 mud mephits
86- 90 l adult silver dragon 27-29 ld6 + 2 giant poisonous snakes
91- 96 l adult red dragon
97-98 ld4 roes 30 2d4 winged kobolds
l ancient silver dragon 31-32 l scout
99 l ancient red dragon 33-34 The corpse of an adven turer tangled in the weeds.
00 Looting the body turns up an explorer's pack and
perhaps (50% chance) a random common magic
MOUNTAIN ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 17-20) item.
dlOO Encounter 35- 38 l giant toad
39-41 ld6 + 2 constrictor snakes
01-05 ldlO bulettes 42-44 2d4 giant frogs
ld8 + l swarms of rats or ld6 + 2 swarms ofravens
06- 10 ld8 + l chimeras 45
11- 15 l adult silver dragon
16-20 l d8 + l wyverns 46-48 2dl0 stirges
21-25 A massive boat perched atop a mountain
49-52 2d6 + 3 bullywugs
26-30 2d4 galeb duhr 53-54 ld8 + l ores
31-35 ld4 frost giants 55-56 l d4 yuan-ti purebloods
36- 40 A wooded val ley haunted by secretive and reclusive l druid
elves who tell warily of their master: a mad wiza rd 57
who lives in the heart of the va lley
58- 59 l yuan-ti malison
41 - 45 ldlO air elementals 60-62 l giant constrictor snake
46-50 ld6 + 3 trolls 63- 64 A high-pitched s hriek that lasts for ld4 minutes
51-55 l adult red dragon 65-67 2d4 lizardfolk
56- 60 ld4 cloud giants
68-69 ld4 ghouls
61 - 65 A waterfall hundreds offeet high that drops into a 70-71 l will-o'-wisp
clear pool 72 l wight
73 l ghast
66-70 l d3 fire giants 74- 75 l swarm of poisonous snakes
71-75 2d4 stone giants 76-77 A foul stench bubbling up from brackish waters
76-80 A force of l 00 dwarves (veterans) st anding guard
at a mountain pass, permitting no passage until 78-80 ld4 + 2 ogres
a traveler pays 100 gp (if on foot) or 200 gp (if 81-83 l shambling mound
mounted)
84-86 l fizardfolk shaman with ld6 giant lizards and 2dl0
lizardfolk
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
dlOO Encounter dlOO Encounter
87 89-90 ld6 + 1 yuan-ti malisons
1 troll 91-93 ld4 + 1 trolls
88-89 1d4 green hags 94-96 ldlO revenants
90-91 1 revenant 97-99 ld8 + 1 water elementals
92-93 1 giant crocodile ld3 hydras
94-95 1 ore Eye ofGruumsh with ld3 orogs and 2d6 + 3 00
ores
96-97 1 young black dragon SWAMP ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 11-20)
98 1 yuan-ti abomination
99 1d4 water elementals dlOO Encounter
00 1 hydra 01-10 1d4 giant crocodiles
11-15 1d3 yuan-ti abominations
SWAMP ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 5-10) 16-20 ld6 + 1 green hags
21-25 A large, spreading tree from which 2d6 armored
dlOO Encounter knights hang by the neck
26-30 2d4 wights
01 1 green hag 31- 35 ld8 + 1 yuan-ti malisons
02-03 2d4 giant lizards or 2d4 giant poisonous snakes 36-40 Fog that rolls across the terrain , making the area
04-05 2d8 winged kobolds within ld3 m iles heavily obscured for ld4 hours
06-07 ldlO + 1 bullywugs with ld8 + 1 giant frogs 41 - 45 ld4 revenants
46-50 ld6 shambling mounds
08-09 1 druid 51 - 55 ldlO water elementals
10 ld8 + 1 swarms of insects 56- 60 ld4 young black dragons
61 - 65 An eerie, bat-headed idol almost completely cov-
11-13 ld12 ghouls ered by vines
14-16 2d8 scouts 66-70 ld8 + 2 trolls
17-19 2d10 ores 71 - 75 ld3 hydras
20-22 2d4 giant spiders 76-80 The sound of drums beating several miles away
23-24 Tainted water that exposes creatures that move 81 - 96 1 adult black dragon
through it to sight rot (see "Diseases" in chapter 8 97-00 1 ancient black dragon
25-27 of the Dungeon Master's Guide)
28-30 ld6 + 2 giant toads L
31-33 3d6 lizardfolk
34-36 ld8 + 1 yuan-ti purebloods UNDERDARK ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 1-4)
37-38 ld4 + 1 swarms of poisonous snakes
A bloated humanoid corpse floating facedown in dlOO Encounter
39- 41 the water
42- 44 1 shambling mound 01 1 mind flayer arcanist
45- 47 ld4 + 1 will-o'-wisps 02 ld3 + 1 giant poisonous snakes
48- 50 2d6 crocodiles 03 ld3 giant lizards
51 - 54 1d4 + 1 giant constrictor snakes 04 2d4 giant fire beetles
1 lizardfolk shaman with 1d3 swarms of poisonous 05 ld8 + 1 flumphs
55-58 snakes and ld8 + 2 lizardfolk
59-62 ld8 + 1 ogres 06 1 shrieker
63- 65 2d4 ghasts 07 1dl2 giant rats
An altar partially sunk into the mud, devoted to a
66-69 god that is part human and part frog 08 2d4 kobolds
70-73 1 giant crocodile
74-77 1 shambling mound 09 l d8 + 1 stirges
1 ore Eye ofGruumsh with ld3 ogres and 2dl0 + 5 10 2d4 humans (tribal warriors) seeking the way to the
78-80 ores
A torrential rain that lasts ld6 minutes and puts surface, fleeing their Underdark oppressors
out all unprotected flames within 1 mile
11 -12 ldlO troglodytes
81 -82 1 young black dragon 13- 14 ld2 gray oozes
83-84 ld4 green hags with ld6 + 1 ogres 15- 16 3d6 stirges
85-86 1 yuan-ti abomination 17-18 ld3 magma mephits
87-88 ld4 + 1 wights
19-20 ldlO goblins
21-22 Ore graffiti on the walls, suggesting something
rude about the mother of someone named Krusk
CH ·\PTER !2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
dlOO Encounter dlOO Encounter
23-24 85 1 druid with 1 polar bear (cave bear)
1 swarm of insects 86 1 hobgoblin captain with ld4 half-ogres and 2dl0
25 1 deep gnome hobgoblins
26-28 ld8 + 1 drow 87 1 earth elemental or 1 black pudding
29-30 1d4 violet fungi 88 1 kuo-toa monitor with ld8 + 1 kuo-toa whips
31-32 1dl2 kuo-toa 89 1 quaggoth thonot with l d3 quaggoths
1 rust monster 90 1 beholder zombie or 1 bone naga
33 A rubble-strewn passage that appears to have been 91 1 ore Eye ofGruumsh with ld4 orogs and 2d8 ores
34-35 recently cleared after a cave-in 92 ld4 ghasts with ldlO ghouls
ld8 + 1 giant bats 93- 95 A reeki ng puddle where sli my water has dripped
36- 37 3d6 kobolds from the cei ling
38-39 2d4 grimlocks 96 1 otyugh or 1 roper
40-41 1d4 + 3 swarms of bats 97 1 vampire spawn
42-43 1 dwarf prospector (scout) looking for gold 98 1 chimera
1 carrion crawler or 1 gelatinous cube 99 1 mind flayer
44 l d8 darkmantles or 2d4 piercers 00 1 spirit naga
45 1 hell hound
46 1d3 specters UNDERDARK ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 5-10)
47 1d4 bugbears
48 ld l O+ 5 winged kobolds dlOO Encounter
49 1d4 fire s nakes
50 2d8 + 1 troglodytes 01 3d6 swarms of bats
51 ld6 giant spiders 02 l d4 giant spiders or ld4 giant toads
52 3d6 kuo-toa
53 1 goblin boss with 2d4 goblins 03 1 mimic
54 4d4 grimlocks 04 2d4 gray oozes
55 1 ochre jelly 05 2d10 ores or 3d6 troglodytes
56 2d10 giant centipedes 06 3d6 grimlocks
57 1 nothic or 1 giant toad 07 1d6 + 2 magma mephits
58 ld4 myconid adults with Sd4 myconid sprouts 08 1 goblin boss with 2d4 goblins
59 1 minotaur skeleton or 1 minotaur 09 2d4 darkmantles
60 3d6 drow 10 2d8 + 1 drow
61 1 mimic or 1 doppelganger 11 2d10 piercers
62 ld6 + 3 hobgoblins 12 ld4 minotaur skeletons
63 1 intellect devourer or 1 spectator
64 ld8 + 1 ores 13-14 3d6 deep gnomes
65 A faint tapping comi ng from inside a nearby wall 15 1 druid with 1 polar bear (cave bear)
66 1 gibbering mouther or 1 water weird 3d6 ores
67-68 ld12 gas spores 16-17 1 bone naga
69 1 giant constrictor snake 18 2d6 bugbears
70 l dlO shadows Luminescent fungi growing on the walls of a moist
71 ld3 grells 19-20 cave, filling it with dim light
ld4 wights 21-25
72 ld8 + 1 quaggoth spore servants
ld2 gargoyles 26 2d4 specters
73 ld4 ogres or ld3 ettins 27 l d1 2 + 4 shadows
74 ld4 dwarf explo rers (veterans) 28 1d3 gibbering mouthers
75 An abandoned miners' camp spattered with blood 29- 30 4d4 hobgoblins
76 and littered with the contents of 1d3 dungeoneer's 31 - 32 1d4 carrion crawlers
77 packs 33-34 1 black pudding
78 1 chuul or 1 salamander 35 ld4 ochre jellies
79-80 ld4 phase spiders or l d3 hook horrors 36- 40 A patch of mold that appears yellow when light is
5d4 duergar directed toward it
81 1 ghost or 1 flameskull o r 1 wraith
82 41 ld4 nothics
83 42-43 2d8 + 1 gas spores
84 44-45 l d3 gelatinous cubes
1 ghost
46 1 flameskull
47-48 2d8 duergar
49-50
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
,HJ:YI #
dlOO Encounter UNDERDARK ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 11-16)
51 l wraith
52 l umber hulk dlOO Encounter
53 l xorn
54 ld6 + 2 dwarf hunters (veterans) searching for 01-02 3d6 carrion crawlers
trolls 03-04 l d6 + l gelatinous cubes
55 l hobgoblin captain with 3dl0 hobgoblins 05-06 ld8 + 2 gibbering mouthers
56 1 roper 07- 08 2d8 minotaur skeletons
57 l kuo-toa monitor with ld4 kuo-toa whips and ld8
+ l kuo-toa 09- 10 2d6 ochre jellies
58 ld3 water weirds 11- 12 2d4 doppelgangers
59 ld4 ghasts with ldlO ghouls 13- 14 ld4 quaggoth thonots with ldlO + 2 quaggoths
60 l otyugh 15- 16 ld3 ropers
61-62 A merchant caravan consisting of l drow mage, 2 17-18 3d6 gargoyles
drow elite warriors, and 2dl0 quaggoths
63 ld4 wights 19-20 ldlO mimics
64 ld4 doppelgangers 21 - 25 A 100-foot-long ravine, 4dl0 feet wide and 5d20 +
65 2d8 fire snakes 200 feet deep
66 ld4 spectators 26-27 l hobgoblin captain with 3dl0 hobgoblins
67 l ore Eye ofGruumsh with ld4 orogs and 2dl0 + 28-29 2d4 spectators
3 ores
68 ld3 vampire spawn 30-31 3d6 ghasts
69 ld4 hook horrors or ld4 minotaurs 32- 33 2d8 intellect devourers
70 3d6 quaggoth spore servants 34- 35 ld3 ore Eyes ofGruumsh with 2d4 orogs and 2dl0
71- 72 l d3 grells ores
73 ld6 + l intellect devourers 36-40 A large cave containing 2dl0 extraordinarily de-
74 ldlO gargoyles tai led statues of various creatures
75 l beholder zombie 41 - 42 l d8 + l kuo-toa monitors
76-77 l quaggoth thonot with 2d4 quaggoths 43-44 2d4 water weirds
78 l d6 ettins or ld4 trolls 45-46 2dl0 gricks
79 ld8 + l phase spiders
80 l fomorian or ld3 cyclopes 47-48 3d6 nothics
81 l d4 earth elementals 49-50 2d8 + l ogres
82 3d6 ogres 51-52 ld6 + 2 chuuls
83 ld4 + l chuuls 53- 54 ld8 + l ettins
84 ld lO hell hounds 3d6 grells
85 ld3 drow elite warriors 55 2d4 flameskulls
86 ld4 chimeras 56 2dl2 dwarf soldiers (veterans) on patrol
87 l d4 salamanders 57
88 l cloaker
89 2d4 wights 58 2d8 hell hounds
90 ld4 driders 59 ldlO ghosts
91 l fire giant 60 3d4 wights
92 l grick alpha with 2d4 gricks 61 3d6 phase spiders
93 l mind flayer arcanist 62 ld8 + l bone nagas
94 ld4 drow mages 63-65 A shrill scream followed by dark laughter
95 l spirit naga 66 ld4 chimeras
96 ld4 mind flayers 67 ldlO black puddings
97 l behir 68 3d6 minotaurs
98 l aboleth
99 l dao or l stone giant 69 2d4 otyughs
00 l beholder 70 ld6 + l beholder zombies
71 4d4 hook horrors
72 ld8 + l umber hulks
73 2d4 salamanders
74 ld3 grick alphas
75 ld6 + 2 xorn
76-80 A ru ined village that once belonged to deep
gnomes. A search has a 50% chance of uncovering
81 ld3 potions ofhealing and a 25% chance of finding
a random common magic item.
2d4 earth elementals
82 ld3 spirit nagas
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON ~ASTER'S TOOLS
dlOO Encounter dlOO Encounter
83 ld8 + l cyclopes 63- 65 1d20 + 20 spiders crawli ng on the walls of a web-
84 ld6 + 2 trolls filled cave
85 2d4 stone giants 66- 68 1d4 fire giants
86 2d4 wraiths 69-70 ldlO mind flayers
87 ld4 fomorians 71 - 73 2d4 stone giants
88 l d3 drow mages with 1d4 drow elite warriors 74- 76 ldl2 cyclopes
89 ldlO vampire spawn 77-80 A large cave in which stands a SO-foot-tall ido l of
90 1d3 cloakers Blibdoolpoolp
91 1d4 fire giants 81 - 85 l d3 dao
92 1 mind flayer arcanist with ld6 + 1 mind flayers 86-90 l d4 beholders
93 ld4 dao 91 - 93 ld4 behirs
94 ld8 + 1 driders 94- 96 1 death tyrant
95 ld3 behirs 97- 99 ld3 purple worms
96 l d4 aboleths 2d4 aboleths
97 1 beholder 00
98 1 young red shadow dragon
99 1 death tyrant
00 1 purple worm
UNOERDARK ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS l]-20)
dl 00 Encounter UNDERWATER ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 1-4)
01 ld4 grick alphas
02 2d8 spectators dlOO Encounter
3d6 minotaurs or 2d8 kuo-toa monitors
03- 04 2d8 grells 01 - 10 3d6 quippers
05-06 2d10 phase spiders 11 -14 2d4 steam mephits
07-08 4d4 hell hounds 15- 18 ld4 sahuagin
09- 10 ld6 + 2 ropers 19-22 2d6 merfolk
11-12 2d10 wights 23-25 2d4 corpses of drowned sailors tangled in kelp
13-14 3d6 doppelgangers 26- 29 2d4 constrictor snakes
15-16 ld8 + 1 chimeras 30-33 ld4 reefsharks
17-18 1d4 cloakers 34- 37 1 swarm ofquippers
19-20 ld4 hobgoblin captains with SdlO hobgoblins 38-40 A bed ofenormous clams
1d8 + 1 earth elementals 41-45 ldlO merfolk with ld3 giant sea horses
21 2d4 vampire spawn 46-50 1 giant octopus
22-23 3d6 minotaurs 51 - 55 1 merrow
24-25 A 30-foot-tall inverted black pyramid floating 1 inch 56- 60 1 plesiosaurus
26-27 above the floor in a large cave 61 - 65 2d10 pieces of co rroded brass dinnerware littering
28-30 1dl0 beholder zombies the bottom
ld4 mind flayer arcanists 66-70 1 giant constrictor snake
31-32 ld6 + 2 otyughs
33-34 l d12 trolls 71- 75 1 sea hag
35-36 1dl0 wraiths 76- 80
37-38 A beautiful obsidian sculpture of a panther lying on 81 - 85 Aschool of silvery fish darting through the water
39-40 the floor 86- 90
41 - 43 l d4 drow mages with ld6 drow elite warriors 91- 96 ld4 hunter sharks
1d4 spirit nagas 97-98 1 sahuagin priestess with 2d4 sahuagin
44-45 ld8 + 1 salamanders
46-47 2d4 umber hulks 99 ld4 killer whales
48-49 ldlO xorn 00
50-51 1 young red shadow dragon 1 giant shark
52-53 2d4 fomorians 1 water elemental
54- 56 1d8 + l driders
57-59 1 sahuagin baron
60-62
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
URBAN ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 1-4)
UNDERWATER ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 5-10) dlOO Encounter
01 ld6 cats
dlOO Encounter 1 commoner with ld6 goats
02-03 2dl0 rats
01-02 3d6 steam mephits 04-05 l raven perched on a signpost
03-04 ldlO sahuagin 1 commoner on a draft: horse
05-06 1 giant octopus 06 2d4 mastiffs
07- 08 3d6 constrictor snakes 07 ld2 commoners leading l d4 mules or ld4 ponies
09- 10 2dl 0 merfolk with 1d4 giant sea horses 08 1 pseudodragon
11 - 15 ld4 sea hags 09 1 spy
10 1d8 + 1 acolytes
16-20 2d4 swarms ofquippers 11 l d6 + 6 flying snakes
12-13 3d6 kobolds
21 - 25 A sunken galleon with a 50% chance of a random 14 2d4 giant centipedes
treasure hoard inside (roll on the Treasure Hoard: 15 1d8 + 1 skeletons
Challenge 5-10 table in chapter 7 of the Dungeon 16 ld6 + 2 swarms ofrats
Master's Guide) 17 ld12 zombies
18-19 A peddler weighed down with a load of pots, pans,
26-30 ld4 plesiosauruses 20 and other basic supplies
31-35 3d6 reefsharks 21- 25 1 giant wasp
36-40 An abandoned bathysphere l warhorse
26 2d8 cultists
41 - 50 ld4 giant constrictor snakes 27-28 3d4 giant rats
51-55 2d4 hunter sharks 2d8 stirges
56- 60 ld3 sahuagin priestesses with 2dl0 sahuagin 29 1d3 + 2 giant poisonous s nakes
30- 31 l d4 + 2 swarms ofbats
61-65 An empty castle made from coral 2d4 winged kobolds
32 Awagon loaded with apples that has a broken
66- 70 l d4 killer whales 33 wheel and holds up traffic
71-75 ldlO merrow 34 l crocodile
76-80 An ee rie statue of a squatting humanoid, with bat 35 l swarm of insects
wings on its back and tentacles sprouting from its 36-40 3d6 bandits
ld3 + 2 nobles on riding horses with an escort of
81- 85 face 41 ldlO guards
86- 90 ld4 water elementals 42-43 2d4 kenku
l sahuagin baron with 2d8 s ahuagin 44-45 ld6 + 2 smoke mephits
46- 47 ld8 + 1 swarms of ravens
91 - 96 1d4 giant sharks 1 wererat
97- 99 l marid 48 1d3 half.ogres
l storm giant 49 1 mimic
00 ld4 ghouls
so ld4 specters
UNDERWATER ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 11-20) ldlO shadows
51- 52 Someone empties a chamber pot onto the street
dlOO Encounter 53- 54 from a second-floor window
01- 10 l sahuagin baron with l d4 sahuagin priestesses 55-56 l ghast
and 2d10 sahuagin 57-58 l priest
11 - 3 5 ldlO killer whales 59- 60 l will-o'-wisp
36- 40 A ghost ship passing overhead, containing 2d6 + 61- 62 ld3 giant s piders
10 ghosts 63-65
41 - 60 ld6 giant sharks
61-65 A 1-mile-radius sphere ofeffervescent wate r that 66-67
allows air-breathing creatures to breathe water 68-69
66-75 while in the sphere 70-71
76- 80 ldlO water elementals 72- 73
A shimmering, blue-green portal to the Elemental
81- 90 Plane ofWater
91 - 96 l d4 marids
97-99 l d3 storm giants
l dragon turtle
00 1 kraken
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
dlOO Encounter dlOO Encounter
74-75 l d4 yuan-ti purebloods 05-06
76- 77 2d4 thugs 07- 08 2d8 skeletons
78-80 A doomsayer who preaches the end of the world 09- 10 ld6 swarms ofbats and ld6 swarms ofrats
from a street corner 11- 13 3d6 winged kobolds
81 l cambion 14-16 2d4 specters
82 l vampire spawn 17-19 ld4 wights
83 l couatl 20- 22 4d4 acolytes on draft horses
84 l ghost 23-25 3d6 giant centipedes
85 l succubus or l incubus A talkative urchin , badgering passersby to serve as
86 l bandit captain with 3d6 bandits 26-28 the ir guide through the community for a price of
87 ld4 + l cult fanatics 29-31 l sp
88 l knight or l veteran 32-34 ldl Ospies
89 l water weird 35- 37 3d6 crocodiles
90 l wight 38- 40 ld6 + 2 swarms ofinsects
91 l mage 2d4 smoke mephits
92 l shield guardian 41 - 43 A noble shouts "Stop! Thief!" at a fleeing scoundrel
93 l gladiator 44-46 (bandit)
94 l revenant 47-49 l succubus or l incubus
95 2d4 gargoyles 50-51 ldlO half-ogres
96 ld4 doppelgangers 52-53 2dl0 giant wasps
97 l oni 54-55 4dl0 zombies
98 l invisible stalker 56-57 ld4 knights on warhorses
99 l d8 + l phase spiders 58-59 ld4 + l water weirds
00 l assassin 60-61 ld8 + l mimics
62-65 2d8 giant spiders
URBAN ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 5-10) 3d6 shadows
66- 67 An actor leans out from a second-story window to
dlOO Encounter 68- 69 call to passersby, announcing a show
01-02 ldlO kenku 70-71 l bandit captain with 3d8 bandits
03- 04 2d6 giant centipedes ldlO will-o'-wisps
2d4 priests
dlOO Encounte r dlOO Encounter
72- 74 3d6 yuan-ti purebloods 66- 69 A scruffy commone r that ducks into an alley to
75- 76 2dl0 thugs make a purchase from a suspicious-looking figure
77-80 A fortune-teller reads cards for those who pay a 70- 72 ld8 invisible stalke rs
p rice of l sp 73- 75 ld8 + l gladiators
81 l d3 gladiators 76-80 Two fa rme rs trad ing blows over the price of pota-
82 l d4 + l couatls toes (50% chance fo r one farmer to be a retired
83 ld8 ghosts 81-82 a s s a s s in )
84 2d4 doppelgange rs 83- 84 l d4 young s ilver dragons
85 l d6 +2 phas e spiders 85-86 ld4 assassins
86 2d4 veterans 87- 88 l d8 oni
87 ld8 ghasts with 2d6 ghouls 89- 90 l d4 mages with l d4 sh ield guardians
88 3d6 gargoyles 91- 92 l dl O vampire s pawn
89 2dl0 cult fan atics 93 - 9 4 l adult silver dragon
90 3d6 wererats 95- 96 ld4 gray slaadi
91 l assassin l spellcaster vampire o r 1 warrior vampire
92 l d3 invisible s talkers 97 l archmage s peed ing down the street on a riding
93 l gray s laad horse, bl asting ld4 guards with spells
94 l young silver dragon 98 l rakshasa
95 ld4 cambions or ld4 revenants 99 l vampire
96 3d6 wights 00 l ancient silver dragon
97 l archmage
98 2d4 vampire spawn or l d4 oni URBAN ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS l]-20)
99 1 mage with l shield guardian
00 l rakshasa or l vampi re dlOO Encounter
URBAN ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 11-16) 01-05 ldlO invisible stalkers
06- 10 ldl Orevena nts
11 - 14 l d6 + 2 glad iators
dlOO Encounter 15- 18 2d4 cambions
19-22 2d 6 succubi or 2d 6 incubi
01 l mimic
02-05 l bandit captain with 5dl 0 bandits, all on riding 23-25 A witch (archmage) who zooms overhead on a
horses broom offlying
06- 10 ldlO knights o n warhorses (one knight is a doppel- 26- 30 l d4 gray slaadi
gange r)
11- 13 l d8 succubi or l d8 incubi 31-35 2d8 couatls
14- 16 3d6 cult fanatics 36- 40 A d istraught parent who rushes up to people, beg-
17- 19 ldlO wights ging for help for a child who fell into th e sewer
41 - 45 ld 3 young silver dragons
20- 22 3d 6 wererats 46- 50 3d6 ghosts
51-55 l adult silver dragon
23-25 A distant boom followed by a plu me of smoke ris-
ing from the other side of the commu nity 56-60 l d4 mages with l d4 shield guardians
26-28 ld8 + l ghosts 61-65 An aggressive merchant who hawks wares to pass-
29-31 2dl 0 gargoyles ersby, clai mi ng to be the purveyor of the finest silks
32-34 ld6 + 2 water weirds in all the land
35- 37 ld4 + 4 will-o'-wisps
66-70 l ancient silver dragon
38- 40 Street performe rs putting on a puppet s how, in- 71-75 3d6 vampire spawn
vo lving two puppets beating each other with sticks 76-80 A patrol of 2dl0 guards ma rch ing up the street,
to the am usement ofthe gathered crowd searching for someone or something
41- 43 2d4 couatls 81- 85 l dl Oassassins
86- 90 ld4 + l gray s laadi
44-46 2d8 ghasts
47-51 1d8 + l veterans 91- 93 ldlO oni
52-55 3d4 priests
94- 96 l spellcaster vampire or l warrior vampire
56-58 2d4 cambions 97 ld4 archmages
59-61 l dlO revena nts
62- 65 2d4 phase spiders 98 l d 3 rakshasas
99 ld4 vampires
00 l tarrasque
CHAPTER 2 J DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
TRAPS REVISITED the location of the trigger and the activity t hat causes
the trap to activate.
The ruJes for traps in the Dungeon Master's Guide pro-
vid e the basic information you need to manage traps Effect. A trap's effect occurs after it activates. The
at the game table. The material here takes a different, trap might fire a dart, unleash a cloud of poison gas,
more elaborate approach- d escribing traps in terms of cause a bidden enclosure to open, and so on. This en-
their game mechanics and offering guidance on creating try specifies what the trap targets, its attack bonus or
traps of your own using these new rules. saving throw DC, and what happe ns on a hit or a failed
Rather than characterize tr aps as mechanical or magi- saving throw.
cal, these rules separate traps into two other categories: Countermeasures. Traps can be detected or defeated
s imple and complex.
in a variety of ways by usi ng ability checks o r m agic.
A simple trap activates and is thereafter harm less or This entry in a trap's description gives the means for
easily avoided. A hidden pit dug a t the e ntra nce of a counteracting the trap. It also specifies w hat happens, if
goblin lair, a poison needle that pops from a lock, and anything, on a failed attempt to disable it.
a crossbow rigged to fire whe n an intruder s teps on a
pressure plate are all simple traps. RUNNING A SIMPLE TRAP
ELEMENTS OF A SIMPLE TRAP To prepare for us ing a si mple trap in play, start by mak-
ing note of the characters' passive W isdom (Perception)
The description of a s imple trap begins with a line that scores. Most traps allow Wisdom (Perception) checks
gives the t rap's level and the severity of the threat it to detect their triggers or other elements that can tip off
poses. Following a general note on w hat the trap looks their presence. Ifyou stop to ask players for this infor-
like and how it functions are three paragraphs that tell mation , they might suspect a hidden danger.
how the trap works in the game.
When a trap is triggered, apply its effects as specified
Level and Threat. A trap's level is actua lly a range of in its description.
levels, equivale nt to one of the tiers of play (levels 1- 4,
5- 10, 11-16, and 17- 20), indicating the appropriate time If t he c haracters discover a trap, be open to adjudicat-
to use the trap in your campaign. Additionally, each trap ing their ideas for defeating it. The trap's description is
poses either a moderate, da ngerous, or deadly threat, a starting point for countermeasures, rather than a com-
based on its particular d e ta ils. plete definition.
Trigger. A s imple trap activates when an event occurs To make it easier for you to describe what happens
tha t trigge rs it. This entry in a trap's description gives next, the players s hould be specific about how they want
to defeat the trap. Simply s ta ting the desire to make a
check isn't helpful for you. Ask the p layers where their
characte rs are positioned and what they intend to do to
defeat the trap.
MAKING TRAPS MEANIN G FUL FALLING PORTCULLIS
If you want to improve the cha nce that the characters will Simple trap (Jevel 1- 4, moderate threat)
come up against the tra ps you've set for them in an en-
counter or an adventure, it can be tempting to use a large Some folk who build dungeons, s uch as mad wizards
number of traps. Doing so ensures that the characters will in search of new victims, have no intention of a llowing
have to deal with at least one or two of them, but it's bette r their vis itors to ma ke an easy escape. A fa lling portcullis
to fight that urge. trap can be especially devious ii it causes a portcullis
to drop som e dis tance away from the pressure plate
If your encounters or adventures are sown with too that activates the trap. Although the trap is deep in the
many traps, and if the characters are victimized over and dungeon, the portcullis closes off the dungeon entrance,
over again as a result, they a re likely to take steps to pre- which is hundreds of fee t away, meaning that adventur-
vent further bad th ings from happening. Because of their ers don't know they are trapped until they decide to head
recent experience, the characters ca n become overly cau- for the exit.
tious, and you run the risk of the action grind ing to a halt
as the players search every square inch of the dungeo n for Trigger. A creature that s teps on the pressure plate
trip wires and pressure pl ates. triggers the trap.
Traps are most effective when their presence comes as a Effect. An iron portcullis drops from the ceiling,
s urprise, not when they appear so often that the characters blocking an exit or a passageway.
s pend all their effort watching out for the next o ne.
Countermeasures. A successful DC 20 Wis dom (Per-
EXAMPLE SIMPLE TRAPS ception) check r eveals the pressure plate. A successful
DC 20 Dexterity check us ing thieves' tools disables it,
The following simple traps can be used to populate your and a check with a tota l of 5 or lower triggers the trap.
adventures o r as models for your own creations .
FIERY BLAST
BEAR TRAP
Simple trap (level 5- 10, dangerous threat)
Simple trap (level 1- 4, dangerous threat)
The temple of Pyremius, a god of fire, is threatened by
A bear trap resembles a set of iron jaws that springs thieves who seek to steal the fire opa ls dis played there
shut when s tepped on, clamping dow n on a creature's by the priests in tribute to their god. A mosaic on the
leg. The trap is s piked in the ground, leaving the victim floor of the entryway to the inner sanctum delivers a
i m mobil i z ed . fiery rebuke to intruders.
Trigger. A cr eature that steps on the bear trap Trigger. Anyone w ho steps o n the mosaic causes fire
triggers it. to erupt from it. Those who openly wear holy symbols of
Pyremius don't trigger this trap.
Effect. T he trap makes a n attack against the trigger-
ing creature. The attack has a +8 attack bonus and deals Effect. A 15-foot cube of fire erupts , covering the pres-
5 (ldlO) piercing damage on a hit. This attack can't gai n sure plate and the area around it. Each creature in the
advantage or disadvantage. A creature hit by the trap area must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking
has its speed reduced to 0. It can't move until it breaks 24 (7d6) fire damage on a failed save, or ha lf as much
free of the trap, which requires a s uccessful DC 15 da mage on a s uccessful one.
Strength check by the creature or another creature adja-
cent to the trap. Countermeasures. A s uccessful DC 15 Wis dom
(Perception) check reveals the presence of ash and faint
Countermeasures. A successful DC 10 Wisdom burn marks in the area affected by this trap. A success-
(Perception) check reveals the trap. A s uccessful DC 10 ful DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check enables a crea-
Dexterity check us ing thieves' tools disables it. ture to destroy the trap by defacing a key rune on the
perimeter of the mosaic that is withi n reach; failing this
CROSSBOW TRAP check causes the trap to activate. A s uccessfu l dispel
magic (DC 15) cast on the runes destroys the trap.
Simple trap (Jevel l -4, dangerous threat)
NET TRAP
The crossbow trap is a favorite of kobolds a nd other
creatures that rely on traps to defend their lairs. It Simple trap (level l-4, dangerous threat)
cons ists of a trip wire strung across a ha llway and con-
nected to a pair of hidden heavy crossbows. The cross- Goblins, with their propens ity to ens lave their enemies,
bows are aimed to fire down the hallway at anyone who prefer traps that leave intruders intact so the victims can
disturbs the trip wire. be put to work in the mines or elsewher e.
Trigger. A creature that walks through the trip wire
triggers the trap.
Effect. The trap ma kes two a ttacks against the trig-
gering creature. Each a ttack has a +8 attack bonus a nd
deals 5 (ldlO) pie rcing da mage on a hi t. This attack
can't gain advantage or disadvantage.
Countermeasures. A s uccessfu l DC 15 Wisdom
(Perception) check reveals the trip wire. A s uccessful
DC 15 Dexte rity check using thieves' tools disables the
trip wire, a nd a check with a total of 5 or lower trig-
gers the trap.
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER' S TOOLS
Trigger. A trip wire strung across a hallway is rigged S CYT H I NG B LADE
to a la rge net. If the trip wire is broke n, t he ne t fa lls on
intruders. An iron bell is als o rigged to t he trip wire. It S imple trap (level 5 - 10, dangerous threat)
rings whe n the tra p activates, alerting nearby gua rds.
This tra p uses moving blades th a t sweep down through
Effect. A net cover ing a 10-foot-by-10-foot a rea cen- a chamber, threate ning a nyone nea rby. Typically, a
te red on the trip w ire fal ls to the floor as a bell rings. scythi ng blade tra p is activa ted by ma n ipula ting a leve r
Any c reature fully with in t his a rea must s ucceed on a or some othe r s imple device. Kobolds especially like this
DC 15 Dex te rity saving throw or be restra ined . A c rea- ki nd of trap, since it ca n take down bigger c reatures.
ture ca n use its actio n to make a D C 10 S treng th c heck
to try to free itself or a nother c reature in the ne t. Deal- Trigger. When the le ver is pulled, the tra p activates.
ing 5 s lashin g damage to t he ne t (AC 10, 20 hp) a lso Effect. E ach Medium or la rger c reature in a 5 -foot-
frees a c reature without ha rmi ng the creature. w ide, 20 -foot-lon g a rea mus t ma ke a D C 15 Dexte rity
saving throw, ta king 14 (4d6) s lashing da mage on a
Countermeasures. A s uccessful D C 15 Wis dom (P er- failed s ave, or h alf as muc h da mage on a s ucces s ful one.
ception) check reveals the trip wire and the ne t. A s uc- Countermeasures. The lever is n't hidde n. A success-
cessful DC 15 D exte rity c heck using thieves' tools dis- ful DC 15 Wis dom (Pe rception) c heck involving the
a bles the trip w ire w ithout caus ing the ne t to drop or the s urfaces in the trap 's a rea of e ffect reveals scra pe ma rks
bell to ring; failin g the c heck causes the t rap to activate . a nd bloodstains on the wa lls a nd floor. A s uccessful
DC 15 D exterity c heck us ing thieves' tools dis ables
PITTRAP th e leve r.
S imple trap (level 1- 4, moderate threat) SLEEP OF A GES
The si mplest of pi t tra ps consis ts of a 10-foot-deep bo le Simple trap (level 11- 16, deadly threat)
in the floor, concealed by ta tte red canvas tha t's covered
with leaves and di rt to look like solid gro und. T his type When a s leep of ages trap activates, a pressure pla te
of tra p is useful fo r blocking off the e ntra nce to a mon- unleashes a s pell tha t threate ns to send intrude r s into a
ster la ir, a nd usually has na rrow led ges a long its sides to deep s lum be r. The dungeon's gua rdia ns ca n the n more
allow for move me nt a round it. easily dispose of the s leepe rs.
Trigger. Anyone who s te ps o n the canvas mi ght fall Trigger. Ste pping on t he pressure plate trigge rs
into the pit. this trap.
Effect. The trigger ing creature mus t ma ke a D C 10 Effect. Whe n activated, this tra p casts a sleep s pell
Dexte rity saving throw. On a s uccessful save, the c rea- cente red on t he press ure pla te, using a 9 th-level
ture catches itself on the pit's edge o r ins tinctively s te ps s pell s lot.
back. On a failed s ave, the c reature fa lls into the pi t and
takes 3 (ld6) bludgeoning damage from the fall. Countermeasures. A s uccessful DC 2 0 Wisdom (Per-
ception) check reveals the pressure pla te. A s uccessful
Countermeasures. A s uccessful DC 10 Wis do m (Pe r- DC 20 Intelligen ce (Arca na) c heck made within 5 feet of
ception) c heck reveals the presence of the ca nvas a nd the pressure pla te disables the trap, a nd a c heck with a
the 1-foot-w ide ledge a round the edges of t he pit whe re it tota l o f 10 or lower triggers it. A s uccessful dispel magic
is safe to t ravel. (DC 19) cast oo the pressure plate destroys the trap.
P OISON NEEDLE DESIGNING SIMPLE TRA PS
~~~~~~~~~
Simple trap (level 1-4, deadly threat)
Yo u can c reate your own s imple tra ps by using the fol-
A tiny, poisoned needle hidde n in a lock is a good way low ing guidelines. You ca n a lso adapt t he exa mple traps
to discourage thieves fro m plunde ring a hoa rd. S uch for diffe re nt levels a nd seve rity of threat by modifying
a tra p is us ua lly put in a c hest or in the door to a trea- th eir D Cs a nd damage values as s hown b elow.
s ure cha mbe r.
P URPOSE
Trigger. Anyone attempting to pick or open the lock
trigge rs the trap. Before diving into the de ta ils of your trap, think about
its reason for being. Why would someone build s uch a
Effect. T he trigge ring creature must mak e a D C 20 trap? What is its purpose? Cons ide r the trap's c reator (in
Cons titution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature the adventure), the c reator's purpose, a nd the location
ta kes 14 (4d6) pois on da mage and is poisoned for 10 the tra p protects. Tra ps have context in the world- they
minutes. While poisoned in this way, the c reature is pa r- a re n't c reated for no reas on-and tha t context drives the
a lyzed . On a s uccessful save, the c reature ta kes ha lf as trap's nature a nd e ffects .
muc h da mage a nd is n't poisoned.
D escribed b elow a re a few of the gene ra l purposes a
Countermeasures. A s uccessful DC 20 Wis do m (Per- trap might have . Use the m to ins pire the c reation o f your
ception) c heck reveals the needle, but only if a c ha racter ow n traps.
ins pects the lock. A s uccessful DC 20 Dexte rity c heck
us ing thieves' tools disables the n eedle, a nd a check Alarm. An al a rm tra p is designed to a le rt an area's
with a tota l o f 10 or lowe r trigge rs the tra p. occupa nts of intrude rs. It might cause a bell or a gong
to s ound. This type of trap ra rely involves a s aving
throw, beca use the a la rm ca n't be avoided whe n the
trap go es off.
Delay. Some traps are designed to s low down e ne-
mies, giving a dungeon's inha bitants time to mount a
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON M AST ER' S TOOLS
defense or flee. The hidden pit is a classic example of L EVEL AN D L ETH A LITY
this kind of trap. A 10-foot-deep pit usua lly deals little
da mage and is easy to escape, but it serves its purpose Before creating a trap's e ffects, think about its level and
by impeding intruders. Other examples of delaying traps its letha lity.
include collaps ing wa lls, a portcullis that d rops from the
ceiling, a nd a locking mechanis m that shuts a nd ba rs Traps a re divided into fou r level ra nges: 1-4, 5 - 10,
a door. If a delaying trap has moving parts that directly 11- 16, and 17-20. T he level you choose fo r a trap gives
threaten cha racte rs when they operate, the cha racters you a s ta rting point for determin ing its potency.
a re us ually requ ired to ma ke Dexterity saving throws to
avo id ha rm. To further deli neate the trap's str e ng th, decide
w hether it is a mode rate, da ngerous, or dead ly threat to
R estrain. A restra ining trap tries to keep its victims in cha racters in its leve l range. A mode rate trap is unlikely
place, leaving them una ble to move. S uch traps are ofte n to kill a cha racter. A da ngero us trap typically deals
e mployed in conjunction with r egular gua rd patrols, so eno ugh dama ge that a cha racter hit by o ne is eager for
that victims a re period ica lly extricated a nd ta ken away healing. A deadly trap might red uce a creature to 0 hit
to be dealt with. But in an a ncient du ngeon, the g uards points in one s hot, and leaves most cr eatures hit by it in
might be long gone. need of a s hort o r long rest.
Restra ining traps us ua lly req uire a s uccessful Cons ult the following tables w hen determining a
S tre ng th s aving th row to be avoided, but some don't trap's e ffects. The Trap Save DCs a nd Attack Bo nus es
a llow saving throws. Io add ition to dealing dam age, a table provides guideli nes for a trap's saving th row DC,
restra ining trap a ls o renders a creature unable to move. check DC, a nd attack bon us . T he check DC is the defaul t
Ma king a s ubsequent s uccessful S trength check (us ing fo r a ny check used to interact w ith the trap.
the tra p's saving throw DC) or dealing dam age aga inst
the tra p can break it a nd free the captive. Examples in- The Da mage Sever ity by Level table lists the typical
clude a bear trap, a cage that drops from a ceiling, a nd a damage a trap dea ls at cer tai n cha racter levels. The
device tha t flings a net. damage values given assume that the trap damages one
creature . Use d6s for damage in place of dlOs fo r traps
S lay. Some traps are designed to eliminate intrud- that can a ffect more than o ne creature at a time.
e rs, pla in and s imple. Their effects include po isoned
need les that s pring o ut when a lock is ta mpered with, T he S pell E quivalent by Level table s hows the s pell
blasts of fire that fill a room , pois on gas, a nd o ther s lot level that is a ppropriate fo r a given cha racter level
letha l measures. Savi ng throws-us ua lly Dexteri ty or a nd the severity of da nger posed by the trap. A s pell is a
Cons titution- allow cr eatures to avoid or m itigate the great foundation to use as th e design of a trap, whethe r
trap's effects . the trap duplicates the s pe ll (a mirror that casts charm
p er son on whoever looks into it) or uses its effects (an
CHAPTER 2 I DUNC EON MASTER'S TOOLS alchem ical device th at explo des like a fir eball).
The Deadly entry fo r characters of 17th level or higher
suggests combining a 9th-level a nd a 5th-level spell into
one e ffect. In this case, pick two s pe lls, or combine the
effects of a s pe ll cast using a 9 th-level a nd a 5th-level
slot. For instance, a fir eball spell of this sort would deal
24d6 fire damage on a failed saving throw.
TRAP SAVE DCs AND ATTAC K BONUSES
Trap Da nger Save/Check DC Attack Bonus
Mode rate 10 +5
Da ngero us l S +8
Deadly 20 +12
DAMAGE SEVERITY BY LEVEL
Character Mo d e ra t e Da ngerous Deadly
Level 22 (4dl0)
SS (l Od l O)
1- 4 S (ldlO) 11 (2dl 0) 99 (18dl0)
132 (24d l 0)
5-10 11 (2dl 0) 22 (4dl 0)
11- 16 22 (4dl 0) SS (l OdlO)
17-20 S5 (lOdl O) 99 (18dl 0)
SPELL EQUIVALENT BY LEVEL
Character Mode rate Dangerous Deadly
Level Cant rip l st 2nd
1-4 3rd 6th
S- 10 1st 6th 9th
11- 16 3rd 9th
17- 20 6th 9th + 5th
TRIGGERS cha racters notice it. After that, they can simply walk
a round it, o r they can climb down one side, walk across
A trigge r is the circ umstance that needs to take place to the bottom of the pit, and climb up the other side.
activate the trap.
Once you determine how a trap can be disarmed or
Decide what causes the trap to activate and determine avoided, decide the appropriate ability a nd skill com-
how the characters can find the trigger. He re are some binations that characters can use. A Dexterity check
example trigge rs: us ing thieves' tools, a Stre ngth (Athletics) c heck, and a n
Intelligence (Arcana) check are a ll commonly used for
A pressure plate that, when it is stepped o n, acti-
vates the trap this purpose.
• A trip wire that springs a trap w hen it is broken, us u- A D exterity check using thieves' tools can apply to any
a lly when someone walks through it
• A doorknob tha t activates a trap when it is turned trap that has a mechanical element. Thieves' tools can
the wrong way be used to disable a trip w ire or a pressure plate, disas-
• A door or chest that trigger s a trap when it is opened semble a poison needle mechanism, or clog a va lve that
A trigger usually needs to be hidde n to be e ffective. Oth- lea ks poisonous gas into a room.
erwise, avoiding the trap is usually easy. A Strength check is often the method for thwarting
A trigger requires a Wisdom (P e rceptio n) c heck if tra ps that can be destroyed or prevented fro m operating
s imply s potting it reveals its nature. The c haracte rs can thro ugh the use of brute force. A scything blade can b e
foi l a pit trap hidden by a leaf-covered net if t hey s pot the broken, a s liding block can be held in place, or a net can
pit through a gap in the leaves. A trip wire is foiled if it is be torn apart.
s potted, as is a pressure plate.
A magic trap can be disabled by someone who can
Oth er traps require careful inspection and deduction unde rmine the magic used to power it. Typically, a s uc-
to notice. A doorknob opens a door when turned to the cessfu l Intelligence (A rcana) check en ables a cha racter
left, but activates a tra p whe n turned to the right. Such a to figure out how a magic trap functions a nd how to ne-
subtle trap requires a successful Intelligence (Investiga- gate its effect. For instance, the character could discover
tion) check to notice. The trigger is obvious. Understand- t hat a statue that belches a jet of magical flame can be
ing its nature is not. disabled by s hattering one of its glass eyes.
The DC of the check, regardless of its type, depends Once you k now what kind of c heck is called for, you
on the s kill and care take n to conceal the trap. Most then determine w hat happens on a fa iled a ttempt to dis-
traps can be detected with a successfu l DC 20 check, a ble the trap. Depending on the kind of check involved
but a crudely made or has tily built trap has a D C of 15. and the nature of t he tra p, you might determine that any
Exceptionally devious traps might have a DC of 25. failed c heck has negative consequences- usually involv-
ing the trigge ring of the t rap. At other times, you could
You must then put some thought into what t he c har- assig n a numbe r t hat the check must exceed to prevent
acters learn with a s uccessful check. In most cases, the the trap from going off. If the total of the c heck is equal
check reveals the trap. In other cases, it uncovers clues, to or lowe r tha n that number, the trap activates.
but foiling the t rap still requires some d eduction. The
characters might s ucceed on the check but s till trigger PLACING A SIMPLE TRAP
the trap if they don't unde rs tand w hat they h ave learned.
Context and e nvironme nt a re critical when it comes
EFFECTS to prope rly locating a t rap. A swinging log tra p that's
meant to knock characters aside is a mere inconve-
Designing a tra p's effects is a straightforward process. nience on a typical forest path, whe re it can be easily
The tables for saving throw DCs, attack bonuses, dam- circ umvented. But it's a potentially deadly haza rd on a
age, and the like give you a starting point for most s im- narrow trail that hugs t he s ide of a towering cliff face.
ple traps that deal damage.
Choke points and narrow passages that lead to im-
For traps with more complex e ffects, your best s tart- portant places in a dungeon a re good spots for traps,
ing point is to use the Spell Equivale nt by Level table to especially those that serve as alarm s or restraints. The
find the best matc h for you r trap's inte nded effect. Spells goal is to foil or delay intruders before they can reach a
a re a good starting point because they are compact c ritical location, giving the dungeon's denizens a chance
pieces of game design that deliver specific effects. to mount a defe nse or a counterattack.
If you are us ing a spell as a starting point, check to see A treasure c hest, a door leading to a vault, or any other
if you need to tweak its effects to fit the trap's nature. For obstacle'or contai ner that bars the way to a va luable
instance, you can easily change the d a m age type a sp ell treasure is the ideal location for a slaying trap. In s uch
delivers or the saving throw it requires. instances, the trap is the last line of defense against a
thief or intrude r.
DISARMING A SIMPLE TRAP
Alarm traps, s ince they pose no direct phys ical
Only one successful ability check is required to disarm threat, are appropriate for a reas that are a lso used by
a s imple trap. Imagine how your trap operates, and then a dungeon's denizens-assuming the residents know
think about how the c haracters could overcome it. More about the trap a nd how to avoid setting it off. Accidents
than one kind of ability check might be possible. S ome can happen, but if a goblin stumbles inside its den and
traps are so poorly concealed that they can be discov- activates an a larm trap, there's no real harm done. The
ered or circumvented without active e ffort. For instance, a larm sounds, the guards arrive, they punish the clumsy
a hidde n pit trap is effectively disarmed as soon as the goblin, and they reset the trap.
CHAPTER 2 I DUNC EON MASTER'S TOOLS
COMPLEX TRAPS RUNNING A COMPLEX TRAP
A complex trap functions in play much like a legendary
A complex trap poses multiple dangers to adventurers. monster. When it is activated, the trap's active elements
After a complex trap activates, it remains dangerous act according to its initiative. On each of its initiative
round after round until the characters avoid it or disable counts, after a ll creatures with that same initiative count
it. Some complex traps become more dangerous over have acted, the trap's features activate. Apply the effects
time, as they accumulate power or gain speed. detai led in the trap's description.
Complex traps are also more difficult to disable than After resolving the effects of the trap's active elements,
simple ones. A single check is not enough. Instead, a se- check its dynamic elements to see if anytrung changes
ries of checks is required to s lowly disengage the trap's about the trap. Many complex traps have effects that
components. The trap's effect degrades with each suc- vary during an encounter. A magical aura might do more
cessful check until the characters finally deactivate it. damage the longer it is active, or a swinging blade might
change which area of a chamber it attacks.
Most complex traps are designed so that they can be
disarmed only by someone who is exposed to the trap's The trap's constant elements a llow it to have effects
effect. For example, the mechanism that controls a hall- when it isn't the trap's turn. At the end of each creature's
way filled with scything blades is on the opposite e nd turn, look at the trap's constant elements to see if any of
from the entrance, or a statue that bathes an area in ne- their effects are triggered.
crotic energy can be disabled only by someone standing
in the affected area. EXPERIENCE FOR COMPLEX TRAPS
Overcoming a complex trap merits an experience point
DESCRIBING A COMPLEX TRAP award, depending on the danger it poses.judging
whether a party has overcome a trap requires some
A complex trap has all the elements of a simple trap, amount of adjudication. As a rule of thumb, if the char-
plus special characteristics that make the trap a more acters disable a complex trap or are exposed to its ef-
dynamic threat. fects and survive, award them experience points for the
effort according to the table below.
Level and Threat. A complex trap uses the same level
and severity designations that a simple trap does. COMPLEX TRAP EXPERIENCE AWARDS
Trigger. Just like a simple trap, a complex trap has a Trap Level Experience Points
trigger. Some complex traps have multiple triggers.
1-4 650
Initiative. A complex trap takes turns as a creature 5-10 3,850
does, because it functions over a period of time. Thjs 11-16 11 ,100
part of a trap's description tells whether the trap is slow 17-20 21,500
(acts on initiative count 10), fast (acts on initiative count
20), or very fast (acts on initiative count 20 and also ini- EXAMPLE COMPLEX TRAPS
tiative count 10). A trap always acts after creatures that
have the same initiative count. The following complex traps can be used to challenge
characters or to inspire your own creations.
Active Elements. On a trap's turn, it produces specific
effects that are detailed in this part of its description. PATH OF BLADES
The trap might have multiple active e lements, a table
you roll on to determine its effect at random, or options Complex trap (level 1-4, dangerous threat)
for you to choose from.
Hidden within a buried pyramid that marks the location
Dynamic Elements. A dynamic element is a threat of the Lost City of Cynidicea is the tomb of King Alexan-
that arises or evolves while the trap functions. Usually, der and Queen Zenobia. The entrance to their tomb is a
changes involving dramatic elements take effect at the long hallway riddled with traps, accessible only by cun-
end of each of the trap's turns or in response to the char- ningly hidden secret doors. The hallway is 20 feet wide
acters' actions. and 160 feet long. It is mostly clear. After 80 feet, the
floor is broken and cracked, becoming difficult terrain
Constant Elements. A complex trap poses a threat until the 130-foot mark.
even when it is not taking its turn. The constant ele-
ments describe how these parts of the trap function. Trigger. This trap activates as soon as a non-undead
Most make an attack or force a saving throw against any c reature enters the hallway, and it remains active wh ile
creature that ends its turn within a certain area. any non-undead creature is within the hall.
Countermeasures. A trap can be defeated in a variety Initiative. The trap acts on initiative count 20 and ini-
of ways. A trap's description details the checks or spells tiative count 10.
that can detect or dfaable it. It also specifies what hap-
pens, if anything, on a failed attempt to disable it. Active Elements. The Path of Blades includes a set of
whirling blades along the first 80 feet of the trap, crush-
Disabling a complex trap is like disarming a simple ing pillars that slam down from the ceiling to the floor
trap, except that a complex trap requires more checks. before rising back up to the ceiling in the next 50 feet,
It typically takes three successful checks to disable and a rune of fear in its final 30 feet.
one of a complex trap's elements. Many of these traps
have multiple elements, requiring a lot of work to shut Whirling Blades (Initiative 20). The blades attack
down every part of the trap. Usually, a successful check each creature in the first 80 feet of the hallway, with
reduces a trap element's effectiveness even if it doesn't
disable the trap.
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
a +5 bonus to the attack roU and dealing 11 (2dl0) gai ns advantage on its attack against the c reature.
slashing damage on a hit. The creature then attacks. Each blade has AC 15
Crushing Pillars (Initiative 10). Each creature in the a nd 15 hit points. Destroying a blade reduces the
SO-foot-long area b eyond the first 80 feet o f the hall- Whirling Blades attack bonus by 2.
way mus t make a DC 15 Dexte rity saving throw. On Dexterity check using thieves' tools, DC 15. Creatures
a fa iled save, a creature takes 11 (2d10) bludgeoning can use thieves' tools in the a rea attacked by the
damage and is knocked prone. On a s uccessful save, blades to foil their mecha nis m. A successful ch eck
the creature takes half as m uch damage and is n't reduces the Whirling Blades a ttack bonus by 2.
knocked prone.
Rune ofFear (Initiative 10). Each creature in the Crushing Pillars. The pillars are not s usceptible to
30-foot-long a rea beyond the Crushing Pilla rs mus t countermeasures.
make a DC 15 Wis dom saving throw. On a fa iled
saving throw, the creature becomes frighte ned by Rune of Fear. T he rune can be d isabled with three
the rune, a nd it mus t immediately use its reaction successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) checks.
to move its s peed in the direction of the pilla rs. The Each check requires an action. A creature m ust be
frighte ned creature can't move closer to the far end at the e nd of the ha llway to attempt the check, and
of the h allway until it uses its action to make a DC only one creature can work o n this task at once.
15 Wis do m saving throw, which end s the frighten ed Once a creature attempts a check for this purpose,
condition on itself on a s uccess. no other cha racter can do so until the e nd of tha t
creature's next turn. Alternatively, the rune ca n be
Dynamic Elements. The blades and the rune become disabled w ith t hree successful castings of dispel
more da ngerous the longer the tra p remains active. magic (DC 13) targeting the rune.
Blades Accelerate. The blades move with increasing SPHERE OF CRUSHING D OOM
s peed, s lowing only whe n they hit a ta rget. Each
time the blades miss with an attack, the ir next at- Complex.trap (level 5- 10, deadly threat)
tack becomes harder to avoid. After each miss, the
blades ' a ttack bonus inc reases by 2, a nd their d am- The court j ester devised a d ead ly trap to foil anyone who
age increases by 3 (ld6). These be nefits a pply until soug ht to steal h is magic fool's cap. The jester's tomb
the blades hit a target, after w hich the values return is located at the end of a 10-foot-wide, 150-foot-long
to normal. hallway that descends sharply from north to south. The
entrance to the tom b is a door on the eastern wall at the
Rune's Defense. Tampering with the Rune of Fear in- bottom of th e s lope, at the south e nd of the hall.
creases the trap's powe r. Eac h s uccessful check on
a n a tte mpt to dis able t he run e increases the da mage Trigger. T his trap activates as soon as th e door lead-
of the blad es a nd the c rushing pillars by 5 (ldlO) ing to the jester's coffin is opened. A magic portal opens
a nd inc reases the rune's saving t h row DC by 1. at the northern end of the ha !Iway a nd disgorges a n
enormous steel s phe re, which hurtles down the s lope.
Constant Elements. T he Whirling Blades and the Whe n it reaches the bottom of t he s lope, a second portal
Rune of Fear a ffect each crea ture that e nds its turn in
a n a rea affected by these e le me nts. CHAPTER 2 J DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
Whirling Blades. Any c reature that e nds its turn in
the blades' area is targeted by an attack: +5 attack
bon us; 5 (ldlO) s las hing damage on a hit.
Rune of Fear. Any c reature that e nds its turn within
30 feet of the fa r e nd of the corridor must ma ke a
saving throw agains t the Rune of Fear effect.
Countermeasures. Each of the trap's active ele me nts
can be thwarted by particula r counte rmeasures.
Whirling Blades. C ha racte rs ca n s m ash t he blad es,
da mage their components, or discern how to
avoid them. The blades are disabled if the ir attack
bonus is reduced to -8. Ways to reduce it are de-
scribed below.
Intelligence (In vestigation), D C 15. As an action, a
c reature that can see the blades ca n a ttempt an In-
telligence (Investigation) check. A s uccessful check
mea ns that the c ha racter bas learned how to antici-
pate t he blades' move ment, imposi ng disadva ntage
on the blades' attacks agains t the c reature while it
is n't incapacitated.
Attack. A cr eature in the a rea can ready a n attack to
s trike at one of t he blades as it goes by. The blade
briefly a ppears and tele ports the sphere back to the top Initiative. The trap acts on initiative count 20 and ini-
of the s lope to begin the process again. tiative count 10.
Initiative. The tra p acts on initiative count 10 (but see Active Elements. The trap fills the room with poison
the dyn amic eleme nt below). and other deadly effects .
Active Element. AJthough the trap is complex in na- Locked Doors (Initiative 20). The four doors to this
ture, it has a single active element. That's all it needs . room s lam s hut and are locked in place by magic.
This effect activates only o nce, the firs t time the trap
Sphere ofCrushing Doom (Initiative 10). T he trap's is triggered.
active element is a sphere of steel tha t almost fills
the 10-foot width of the hallway a nd rolls to the Poison Gas (Initiative 20). Poison gas floods the
bottom of the s lope on its turn . Each creature in room. Each creature inside must make a DC 20
the sphere's path must ma ke a DC 20 Stren gth Constitution saving throw, taking 33 (6d10) poison
saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 22 damage on a fai led save, or ha lf as much damage on
(4dl0) bludgeoning damage a nd is knocked prone. a s uccessful one.
On a s uccessful save, a creature ta kes half as much
damage and isn't knocked prone. Objects that block Tempest (Initiative 10). Air a nd gas boils from the
the sphere, such as a conjured wa ll, take maximum trap. Roll a d6, a nd cons ult the following table.
damage from the impact.
TEMPEST EFFECTS
Dynamic Element. The longer it rolls , the more letha l
the sphere becomes. d6 Effect
Speed Kills. After its turn, the sphere gains speed, Hallucinatory gas scrambles the m ind and senses.
represented by its da mage increasing by 11 (2d10). All Intelligence and Wisdom checks made in the
While its damage is 55 (lOdlO) or greater, it acts on room have disadvantage until the Tempest element
initiative count 20 and 10. activates again.
Countermeasures. The trap can be neutralized either 2 Explosive gas fil ls t he area . If anyone hold s an open
by s topping the sphere or preventing it from teleporting. flame, it causes a n explos ion. All creat ures in the
area must make a DC 20 Dexte rity saving throw,
Stop the Sphere. Stopping the s phere is the easiest taking 22 (4d10) fire damage o n a failed save, or
way to disrupt the trap. A wall offorce can do so half as much damage on a successful one. The
easily, as can a ny object placed in its path that has flame is then extinguished .
e nough hit points to absorb damage from the sphere
without being destroyed. 3 Weakening gas fills t he room. All Strength and Dex-
terity checks made in the room have di sadvantage
Disrupt the Portals. Either portal can be neutra lized until the Tempest element act ivates again.
with three successful DC 20 Intelligence (A rcana)
checks, but the process of a na lyzing a portal to 4 Buffeting winds force each creature in the room to
disrupt it takes time. Faint runes in the ceiling a nd succeed on a DC 20 Strength savin g throw or be
floor at both ends of the hallway are involved in the knocked prone.
functioning of the portals. A creature must firs t
use an action to examine a set of r unes, the n use a 5 Smoke fills the room. Visibility is reduced to 1 foot
s ubsequent action to attempt to va nda lize the runes. until the next time the Tempest element activates .
Each successful check reduces the sphere's damage
by 11 (2d10), as the disrupted sphere loses s peed 6 Poison floods the room, forcing creatures to make
moving through the failing portal. saving throws as for the Po ison Gas element.
AJternatively, a set of runes can be disabled with
three s uccessful castings of dispel m agic (DC 19) Dynamic Element. The longer the poison gas re-
targeting any of the runes in the set. mains in the room, the more letha l it becomes.
If the southern portal is destroyed, the s phere
s lams into the south wall and comes to a ha lt. It Increased Potency. T he damage from the Poison Gas
blocks the door to the tomb, but the characters ele ment increases by 11 (2d10) each round afte r it
can escape. activates , to a maximum of 55 (10d10).
POISONED TEMPEST Countermeasures. There are a few ways that the trap
can be overcome.
Complex trap (level 11- 16, deadly threat)
Open the Doors. Opening the doors is the quickest
This fiendis h trap was built to eliminate intruders who way to circ umve nt the trap, but they a re wa rded with
infiltrate a yuan-ti temple. The trap is a room, 60 feet magic. To open the doors , a character mus t firs t
on a side, with 5-foot-wide stone doors in the middle of succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check to
each wall. In each corne r of the room stands a 10-foot- find the locking m echa nism. A s uccessful DC 20 In-
tall s ta tue of a g reat serpent, coiled and ready to strike. telligence (Arcana) check is then r equired to disable
The eyes in each s tatue are rubies wor th 200 gp apiece. the sphere of force that surrounds the lock (disp el
magic is ineffective against it). Success on a DC 20
Trigger. This trap activates when a ruby is pried from Dexterity check using thieves' tools picks the lock.
one of the statues. Each s tatue's mouth s lides open, re- Finally, a s uccessful DC 20 Strength (Athletics)
vealing a 1-foot-wide pipe that runs down its throat. check is needed to push the door open. Each check
requires an action.
CHAPTER 2 1DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
Disable the Statues. A statue can be disabled by Think of your map like a script. Where do the charac-
blocking the flow of gas from its mouth. Heavily ters want to go? What does the trap protect? How can
damaging a statue is a bad idea, for doing so leaves the characters get there? What are their likely escape
the gas vents open. Reducing a statue to 0 hit points routes? Answering these questions tells you where the
(AC 17; 20 hp; resistance to fire, piercing, and trap's various elements should be placed .
s lashing damage; immune to poison and psychic
damage) or making a successful DC 20 Strength ACTIVE ELEMENTS
check to break it cracks the statue and increases the
Poison Gas damage by 5 (ldlO). A successful DC 20 A complex trap's active elements work the same way as
Dexterity check using thieves' tools, or a successful a simple trap's e ffects, except that a complex trap acti-
DC 15 Strength check made to block up the statue vates in every round. Otherwise, the guidelines for pick-
with a cloak or simi lar object, decreases the poison ing saving throw DCs, attack bonuses, and damage are
damage by 5 (ldlO). Once a character succeeds on the same. To make your trap logically consistent, make
the check, someone must remain next to the statue su re the elements you design can activate each round.
to keep it blocked up. When a ll four statues are For instance, ordinary crossbows r igged to fire at the
blocked in this manner, the trap deactivates. characters would need a mechanfam for reloading them
between attacks.
DESIGNING COMPLEX TRAPS
In terms of lethality, it's better to have multiple dan-
Creating a complex trap takes more work than building gerous effects in a trap than a single deadly one. For
a simple one, but with some practice, you can learn the example, the Path of Blades trap uses two dangerous
process and make it move quickly. elements and one moderate element.
Familiarize yourself with the advice on designing a It's useful to c reate multiple active ele me nts, with each
simple trap before proceeding with the guidelines on affecting a different area. It's a lso a good idea to use
complex traps. a variety of effects. Some parts of the trap might deal
damage, and others might immobilize characters or
PURPOSE isolate them from the rest of the party. A bashing lever
might knock characters into an area engulfed by jets of
Complex traps are typically designed to protect an area flame. Think about how the e lements can work together.
by killing or disabling intruders. It is worth your time to
consider who made the trap, the trap's purpose, and its CONSTANT ELEMENTS
desired result. Does the trap protect a treasure? Does it
target only certain kinds of intruders? In addition to the active steps a complex trap takes, it
s hould also present a continual hazard. Often, the active
LEVEL AND LETHALITY and constant effects are the same thing. Imagine a hall-
way filled w ith whirling saw blades. On the trap's turn,
Complex traps use the same level designations and the blades attack anyone in the hall. In addition, anyone
lethality descriptors that simple traps do. Refer to that who lingers in the hallway takes damage at the end of
section for a discussion of how level and lethality help each of their turns, accounting for the constant threat
determine saving throw a nd check DCs, attack bonuses, that the blades pose.
and other numerical elements of a complex trap.
A constant e lement shou ld apply its effect to any
MAP creature that ends its turn in that element's area. If an
active element presents a threat when it isn't the trap's
A complex trap has multiple parts, typically relies on turn, define the threat it poses as a constant element.
the characters' positions to resolve some of its effects, As a rule of thumb, keep the saving throw DC or attack
and can bring several effects to bear in each rou nd. bonus the same as for the active element but reduce the
The traps are called complex for a reason! To begin the damage by half.
design process, consider drawing a map of the area to
be affected by the t rap on graph paper, using a scale of 5 Avoid filling the entire encou nter area with constant
feet per square. This level of detail a llows you to develop elements. Part of the challenge of a complex trap lies in
a clear idea of what the trap can do and h ow each of its figuring out which areas are safe. A moment's respite
parts interact. Your map is the starting point and context can help add an element of pacing to an encounter with
for the rest of the design process. a complex trap and give the characters the feeling that
they aren't in constant peril. For example, walls that
Don't limit yourself to one room. Look at the passages s lam together might need to reset between slams, mak-
and rooms around the area of the trap and think about ing them harmless when it isn't their turn to act.
the role they can play. The trap might cause doors to
lock and barriers to fall into place to prevent escape. DYNAMIC ELEMENTS
It could cause darts to fire from the wa lls in one area,
forcing characters to enter rooms where other devices Just as a battle is more interesting if the monsters
trigger and threaten them. change their tactics or unveil new abi lities in later
rounds, so too are complex traps more fun if their na-
Consider how terrain and furniture can add to the ture changes in some way. The whirling blades that
trap's danger. A chasm or a pit might create a buffer that protect a treasure chest do more damage each round as
allows a trap to send bolts of magic at the characters, they speed up. The poison gas in a room grows thicker
while making it difficult or even impossible for them to as more ofit floods the chamber, dealing greater dam-
reach the runes they must deface to foil that attack. age and affecting line ofsight. The necrotic aura around
an idol of Demogorgon produces random effects each
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
time its active element is triggered. As water floods a TRIGGERS
chamber, the characters must swim across areas they
could walk through just a round or two earl ier. The advice on triggers given for simple traps also ap-
plies to complex traps, with one exception. Complex
Since a complex trap remains active over the course traps have multiple triggers, or are designed such that
of several rounds, it might be possible to predict its avoiding a trigger prevents intruders from reaching the
future behavior by examining how it functions. This area the trap guards. Other complex traps use magical
information can give its targets a much better chance of triggers that activate on specific cues, such as when a
thwarting it. To minimize this possibility, design your door opens or someone enters an area without wearing
trap so that it presents multiple threats that can change the correct badge, amu let, or robe.
each round. The changes can include how a trap targets
creatures (different attacks or saving throws), the dam- Look at your map and consider when you want the
age or effects it produces, the areas it covers, and so trap to spring into action. It's best to have a complex trap
on. Some traps might have a random effect each round, trigger after the characters have committed to exploring
while others follow a carefully programmed sequence a n area. A s imple trap m ight activate when the charac-
of attacks. ters open a door. A complex trap that triggers so early
leaves the characters still outside the trapped room, in
Dynamic elements usually occur according to a sched- a place where they could decide to close the door and
ule. For a room that floods, you can plan out how the move on. A simple trap aims to keep intruders out. A
rising water level affects the area each round. The water complex trap wants to lure them in, so that when it acti-
might be ankle deep at the end of the first round, knee vates, the intruders must deal with the trap before they
deep the next, and so on. Not only does the water bring a
risk of drowning, it also makes it harder to move across can escape.
the area. On the other hand, the rising water level might The trigger for a complex trap should be as foolproof
allow characters to swim to the upper reaches of the
chamber that they couldn't get to from the floor. as you can make it. A complex trap represents a serious
expenditure of effort and magical power. No one builds
Dynamic e lements can a lso come into play in reaction such a trap and makes it easy to avoid. Wisdom (Per-
to the characters' actions. Disarming one element of the ception) and Intelligence (Investigation) checks might
trap might m ake the others dead lier. Disabling a rune be unable to spot a trigger, especially a magical one, but
that triggers a fire-breathing statue might cause the they can still give hints about the trap before it triggers.
statue to explode. Bloodstains, ashes, gouges in the floor, and other clues
of that sort can serve as evidence of the trap's presence.
CHAPTER 2 ( DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
INITIATIVE
A complex trap acts repeatedly, but unlike characters
and monsters, traps don't roll for initiative. As mechan-
ical or magical devices, their active elements operate in
a periodic manner. When designing a complex trap, you
need to decide when and how often its active elements
produce their effects.
In a trap with multiple active elements that work in
concert, those different elements would act on different
initiative counts. For instance, on initiative count 20,
blades sweep across a treasure vault, driving the charac-
ters back into the hallway. On initiative count 10, magic
darts fire from statues in the hallway while a portcullis
falls to confine the characters.
Initiative 10. If a trap's active element takes time to
build up its effects, then it acts on initiative count 10.
This option is good for a trap that functions a longside
a llied monsters or other guard ians; the delay before it
acts can give guards the chance to move out of its area
or force characters into the area before the trap triggers.
Initiative 20. If an element is designed to surprise
intruders and hit them before they can react, then it acts
on initiative count 20. This option is generally best for a
complex trap. Think of it as the default. Such a trap acts
quickly enough to take advantage of most characters,
with nimble characters like rogues, rangers, and monks
having the best chance to move out of the area before
the element activates.
Initiative 20 and 10. Some active elements are in-
credibly fast acti ng, laying waste to intruders in a few
moments unless countered. They act on initiative count
20 and 10.
DEFEATING COMPLEX TRAPS a nother ch aracter's way and disrupt the effort. Once a
character s ucceeds on a check, a nother character can't
A complex trap is never d efeated with a single check. In- attempt the same check against the same trap element
s tead, each successful c heck foils some part of it or de- until the end of the successful character's next turn.
grades its performance. Each element of the trap must
be overcome individually to defeat the trap as a whole. Not all of the characters' options need to be focused
on s topping a trap from operating. T hink of what charac-
As part of determining how your trap can be over- ters can do to mitigate or avoid a trap's effects. Making
come, look at your map and consider where the c ha rac- the trap vulnerable to this sort of effort is a way to e n-
ters must be located to attempt an action t hat can foil gage characters who might be ill-suited to confro nt the
part of the trap. As a rule, the ch a racters should n eed to tra p directly. A successful Intelligence (Religion) check
be near or adjacent to an ele ment to have a ch a nce o f af- might provide insight into t he imagery displayed by a
fecting it. An element can be designed so that it protects tra p in a temple or s h rine, giving other cha racters a clue
itself. A fighter might be able to break a whirli ng blade, a bout how and where to direct their effor ts. A character
but movin g close enough to attack it requ ires giving the could stand in front of a dart trap wh ile holding a s hield
blade a chance to strike. that the darts can target harmlessly, while other cha rac-
ters trigger that element as they work to disable it.
What method s a re effective against your trap? Obvi-
o us candidates a re activities covered by the same sorts DOWNTIME REVISITED
of checks used to defeat s imple traps, but use your
knowledge of the trap's design to identify other options. It's possible for the c ha racters to start a campaign at 1st
A va lve th at leaks poison gas into a room ca n be stopped level, dive into an epic story, a nd reach 10th level and
up. A statue that emits a deadly aura ca n be pushed over beyond in a short amount ofgame time. Although that
and smashed. Attacks, spells , and special abili ties can pace works fine for many campaigns, some DMs prefer
all play a role in undermining a trap. a campa ign story with pauses built into it-times when
adventurers a re not going on adventures. T he downtime
Leave room for improvisation by the characters. Don't rules given in this section can be used as alternatives to
create a few predetermined solutions and wa it for the the approach in the Player's Handbook and the Dungeon
players to figure out the right a pproach. If you under- Master's Guide, or you can use the material here to in-
stand the mechanism b ehind how a trap works, that spire the creation o f your own o ptions.
makes it much easier for you to respond to t he players'
ideas. If a character wants to try something you haven't By e ngaging the characters in downtime activities that
a llowed for, pick an ability, assess the c ha nce of s uc- take weeks o r even months to complete, you can give
cess, a nd ask for a roll. your campaign a lo nger time line- one in w hich events
in the world play out over years. Wa rs begin and end, ty-
Shutting down on e part of a complex trap us ually rants com e and go, and royal lines rise and fall over the
requires mu ltiple successes. As a default, it takes three course of the story that you and the characters tell.
successful checks or actions to disable a n element. The
first successful check might reduce the element's saving Downtime rules also provide ways for characte rs to
throw DC or attack bonus. The second successful c heck spend-or be relieved of- the monetary treasure they
might halve the ele ment's damage, a nd the fina l suc- amass on their adventures.
cessful check shuts it down.
The system presented he re consists of two elements.
For elements that don't attack, a llow each s uccessful First, it introduces the concept of rivals. Second, it de-
c heck to reduce that element's effectiveness by one- tails a number of downtime activities that characters
third. A lock's DC is decreased, or a gate opens wide can unde rta ke.
enoug h to a llow a Small ch a racter to squeeze through
it. A mechanism pumping poison gas into the room be- RIVALS
comes defective, caus ing the gas's damage to increase
more s lowly or not at all. Rivals are NPCs who o ppose the c haracter s and make
their presence felt whenever the characters are engag-
It takes time to disable a complex trap. Three c harac- ing in dow ntime. A rival might be a villain you have
ters can't make checks in rapid s uccession to disarm a featured in past adventures or plan to use in the future.
complex trap in a matte r of seconds. Each wou ld get in Rivals can also include good or neutral folk who are at
odds with' the characters, whether because they have
C OMP LEX TRAPS A ND L EGEN D A RY M O NST ERS opposing goals or they simply dislike one another. The
c ultist of Orcus whose plans the cha racters have foiled,
A complex trap is like a legendary monster in some ways. the a mbitious merchant prince who wants to rule the
It has several tricks it can use on its tu rn, and it remains city with an iron fist, and the nosy high p riest of Helm
a threat throughout the round, not just on its turn . The who is convin ced the c ha racters are up to no good are
trap's active elements are li ke a legendary creature's nor- all examples of rivals.
mal actions, and its constant e lements are equivalent to
legendary actions-except they are tied to specific areas in A rival's agenda changes over time. Though the char-
the trapped room. acters engage in downtime only between adventures,
their rivals rarely rest, continui ng to spin plots and work
Although a legendary creature can move, improvise against the characters even when the characters are off
actions, and so forth, a trap is set to a specific script-an doing som ething else.
aspect that has the potential to make a complex trap stale
and predictable. That's where dynamic elements come in.
They keep the players on their toes and make deali ng with
a complex trap fee l like a chal lenging, evolving situation.
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON .MAST.ER'S TOOLS
CREATING A RIVAL Assets. Think about the resources the r ival can mar-
sha l. Does the character have eno ug h money to pay
Io essence, a rival is a somewhat specialized NPC. You bribes or to hire a small gang of mercenaries? Does
can use chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master's Guide to the rival hold sway over any guilds, temples, or other
build a new NPC for this purpose, or pick one from your groups? Make a list of the rival's assets, and consider
current cast of supporting characters and embellish that
NPC as described below. how they can be used.
Plans . The foundation of a rival's presence in the
It's poss ible for the characters to have two or three r i-
vals at a time, each with a separate agenda. At least one campaign is the actions the rival takes or the events that
should be a villain, but the others might be neutral or occur as a resu lt of that character's goals. Each tjme you
good; conflicts with those rivals might be social or politi- resolve one or more workweeks of downtime , pick one
cal, rather than manifesting as direct attacks. of the ways a rival's plans might be advanced and intro-
T he best rivals have a connection with their adver- duce it into play.
saries on a personal level. F ind li nks in the characters' Think about how a riva l might operate in o rde r to
backstories or the events of rece nt adventures that
explain what sparked the rival's actions. The best trou- bring specific plans to fruition, and jot down three or
ble to put the characters in is trouble they created for four kinds of actions the rival might undertake. Some
themselves. of these might be versions of the downtime activities
described late r in this section, but these are more often
EXAMPLE RIVALS
efforts that are specific to the rival.
d20 Rival A rival's action might be a direct attack, such as an as-
Tax collector who is convinced the characters are sassination attempt, that you play out during a session.
Or it might be a background activity that you describe
dodging fees as a ltering the campaign in some way. For example, a
r ival who wants to increase the prestige of the temple
2 Politician who is concerned that the characters a re of a war god might hold a festival with drink, food, and
causing more trouble than they solve gladiatorial games. Even if the characters aren't directly
involved, the event becomes the talk of the town.
3 High priest who worries the characters are dimin-
ishing the temple's prestige Some elements of a rival's plans might involve
events in the world that aren't under the rival's control.
4 Wizard who blames the characters for some recent W hether s uch a n event can be easily anticipated or not,
the rival's plans might include cont ingencies for taking
troubles advantage of such happenings.
5 Rival adventuring party EXAMPLE RIVAL: MARINA RODEMUS
6 Bard who loves a scandal enough to spark one The Rodemus clan was a small but powerful family of
traders in the city, but years ago, they pulled up s takes
7 Childhood rival or member of a rival clan and left town overnight. Marina Rodemus, the youngest
child, has now returned to restore her family's prestige.
8 Scorned sibling or parent
9 Merchant who blames the characte rs for any busi· In truth, the family fled because its members became
afflicted by lycanthropy. They joined a clan ofwererats
ness woes and delved into smuggling in a djstant city, out of fear
that their secret would be impossible to keep in their
10 Newcomer out to make a mark on the world former home. After fighting her way to the top ranks of
the wererat clans, Marina-along with a s mall army of
11 Sibling or ally of defeated enemy followers- has returned to claim her place among the
12 Official seeking to restore a tarnished reputation el ite of her home city. She vows that if she doesn't suc-
13 Deadly foe disguised as a social rival ceed, she'll leave the city in ruins.
Goals. Marina wants to become the most respected,
14 Fiend seeking to tempt the characters to evil
most important merchant in town-someone to whom
15 Spurned romantic interest
even the prince must yield.
16 Political opportunist seeking a scapegoat Assets. Marina has a small fortune in gold; her abili-
17 Traitorous noble looking to foment a revolution ties as a wererat, alchemist, and necromancer; a group
of wererats dedicated to her; and a shleld g uardian that
18 Would-be tyrant who brooks no opposition
protects her.
19 Exiled noble looking for revenge Plan s . Marina works to discredit and ruin other mer-
20 Corrupt official worried that recent misdeeds will
chants. Her wererats spy on her opponents and s neak
be revealed into warehouses, unleashing hordes of rats to spoil
goods. Marina even victimizes a few of her own ware-
To add the r ight amount of detail to a riva l you want to
create, give some thought to what that NPC is trying to houses to avoid suspicion.
accomplish and what resources and methods the rival If Marina's plans fail, she has a terrible alternative.
can bring to bear against the characters.
Her knowledge of alchemy has enabled her to c reate a
Goals. An effective r ival has a clear reason for inter- plague that she will un leash on the city through her rats.
fering with the characters' lives. Think about what the
rival wants, how and why the characters stand in the Ifshe can't rule, then no one will.
way, and how the conflict could be resolved. Ideally, a
rival's goal directly involves the characters or something
they care about.
CHAPTER 2 DUNGEON ~IASTER"S TOOLS
MARINA'S PLANS CHELDAR'S PLANS
Element Description Eleme nt Description
Event Rats become a noticeable problem in the streets, Event The grand festival of Pholtus fills the streets
Action with swarms sighted in rundown neighborhoods. Action with somber worshipers, who maintain a day-
Action Folk demand that action be taken. Action long torchlit vigil. They offer food, drink, and
Action Caravan raids by goblinoids become more com- Eve n t shelter to all in the temple of Pholtus.
Event mon, and folk talk of gathering a militia. Marina Action Cheldar, along with a small group of followers,
Action contributes generously to the effort. appears in a tavern frequented by adventurers
Warehouses are overrun with rats, ruining thou- and seeks converts. A few NPC adventurers join
sands of gold pieces worth of goods. Marina his cause.
blames the city for a lax effort in pest control. In a public address in the town square, Cheldar
If the characters interfere, Marina sends her as- rails against the forces of chaos, laying blame
sassins against them. for recent troubles on adventurers who are med-
A sudden storm creates minor flooding, washing dling in things best left alone.
dozens ofdead, bloated, diseased rats from the The characters find that all adventurers in town
sewers. Terror over the plague rips through town. receive an icy reception at best.
Marina fans the flames of panic, spreading ru- Cheldar demands that the city levy enormous
mors that the characters or other riva ls in town taxes on adventurers, claiming that they must
are responsible for the disease. pay their fair share to keep the city safe.
EXAMPLE RIVAL: HIGH PRIEST CHELDAR DOWNTIME ACTIVITIES
The temple of Pholtus, god of the s un, seeks to bring Downtime activities are tasks that usually take a work-
as many folk as possible under its sway. Though it has week (5 days) or longer to perform. T hese tasks can in-
been in town for only two years, the temple is a lready a n clude buying or creating magic items, pulling off crimes,
influential force because of the determination and the and working at a job. A cha racter selects a downtime
brilliant oration of Cheldar, its high priest. activity from a mong t hose available and pays the cost
of that activity in time and money. You, as DM, then fol-
Goals. Cheldar wants to ma ke the temple of Pholtus low the rules for the activity to resolve it, informing the
the most popular rel ig ion in town by bringing about player of the results a nd any complications that ensue.
peace a nd security for a ll. He believes keeping adventur-
e rs in check or driving the m out of town is an important Consider handling downtime away from the game
step in that plan. table. For example, you could have the players pick their
downtime activities at the end ofa session, and then
Assets. The charismatic high priest has his oratory communicate about them by email or text, until you next
skill, divine spellcasting ability, and a few hundred com- see them in person.
mon folk recently converted to the temple's cause.
RESOLVING ACTIVITIES
Plans. Cheldar is stern but fundamenta lly a good per-
son. He tries to win s upport by providing charity, pro- The description of each activity tells you how to resolve
moting peace, and working to enforce law and order. He it. Many activities require an ability check, so be sure to
is skeptical of the characters, however, convinced that note the character's relevant abi li ty modifie rs. Follow
they are troublemakers who will undermine the peace. the steps in the activity, and determine the results.
He wants only officials of the town or the temple to be
involved in handling a ny crises that arise. He strongly Most downtime activities require a workweek (5 days)
believes in his goals, yet he might still be made into a n to complete. Some activities requi re days, weeks (7
a lly by good-hearted characters. days), or months (30 days). A character must spend at
leas t 8 hours of each day engaged in the downtime activ-
W~<"' -i"'iO"'l 'OW'< ~c;d-t {row- ity for that d ay to count towa rd the activity's completion.
<; -issio"', 10-•ti.....u l l<"'J.
The days of a n activity don't need to be consecutive;
S~ofr"'~ ii t~ii t~i"'~ w~<r< you can spread them over a longer period of time than is
""'"'io"'i ~iv< c;wc;i t~<ir st'-'{4 to required for the activity. But that period of time should
ot~<r f'ofl•, c;"'). ot~•r f•ost· ~iv< be no more than twice as long as the required time;
otherwise you should introduce extra complications (see
t~•- J.i{4<mJ it...f-l. below) and possibly double the activity's costs to repre-
sent the inefficiency of the character's p rogress.
COMPLICATIONS
The description of each activity includes a discussion
of complications you can throw at the characters. The
conseque nces of a complication might spawn entire
adventures, introduce NPCs to vex the party, or give the
characte r s headaches or advantages in any number of
other ways.
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MAST.ER'S TOOLS
BUYING MAGIC ITEMS
Each of these sections has a table that offers possible Check Items Acqu ired
complications. You can roll to determine a complication Tot a l Roll ld6 times on Magic Item Table A.
random ly, pick one from the table, or devise one of your 1-5 Roll l d4 times on Magic Item Table B.
own, and then share it with the player. 6- 10 Roll ld4 times on Magic Item Table C.
11-15 Roll ld4 times on Magic Item Table D.
EXAMPLE DOWNTIME ACTIVITI-ES- - - 16-20 Roll ld4 times on Magic Item Table E.
21-25 Roll ld4 times on Magic Item Table F.
The following activities are s uitable fo r any character 26-30 Roll ld4 times on Magic Item Table G.
who can afford to pursue them. As OM, you have the 31-35 Roll ld4 times on Magic Item Table H .
fina l say on which activities are available to the char- 36-40 Roll ld4 times on Magic Item Table I.
acters. The activities you allow might depend on the 41+
nature of the area where the characters are located. For
example, you might disallow the creation of magic items MAGIC ITEM PRICE
or decide that the cha racters are in a town that is too
isolated from major markets for them to buy s uch items. Rarity Asking Price*
Common (l d6 + 1) x 10 gp
BUYING A MAGIC ITEM Uncommon
Rare ldG x 100 gp
Purchasing a magic item requires time and money to Very rare 2dl0 x 1,000 gp
seek out and contact people willing to sell items. Even Legendary (ld4 + 1) x 10,000 gp
then, there is no guarantee a seller will have the items a 2d6 x 25,000 gp
character desires. ·~H alved for a consumable item like a potion or scrol l
Resources. Finding magic items to purchase requires
Complications. The magic item trade is fraught with
at least one workweek of effort and 100 gp in expenses. peril. The large sums of money involved and the power
Spending more time and money increases your chance offered by magic items attract thieves, con a rtists, and
of finding a high-quality item.
other vi llains. If you want to make things more interest-
Resolution. A character seeking to buy a magic item ing fo r the characters, roll on the Magic Item Purchase
makes a Cha risma (Persuasion) check to determine Complications table or invent your own complication.
the quality of the seller found. The character gains a
+l bonus on the check for every workweek beyond the MAGIC ITEM PURCHASE COMPLICATIONS
first that is spent seeking a seller and a +1 bonus for
every additional 100 gp spent on the search, up to a dl2 Complication
maximum bonus of +10. The monetary cost includes The item is a fake, planted by an enemy.*
a wealthy lifestyle, for a buyer must impress potential
business partners. 2 The item is stolen by the party's enemies.*
3 The item is cursed by a god.
As shown on the Buying Magic Items table, the total of 4 The item 's origina l owner will kill to reclaim it; the
the check dictates wh ich table in the Dungeon Master's
Guide to roll on to determine which items are on the party's enemies spread news of its sale.*
market. Or you can roll for items from any table associ- 5 The item is at the center of a dark prophecy.
ated with a lower total on the Buying Magic Items table. 6 The seller is murdered before the sale.*
As a further option to reflect the availability of items 7 The seller is a devil looking to make a bargain.
in you r campaign, you can apply a -10 penalty for low 8 The item is the key to freeing an evil entity.
magic ca mpa igns or a +10 bonus for h igh magic cam- 9 A third party bids o n the item, doubling its price.*
paigns. Furthermore, you can double magic item costs 10 The item is an enslaved, intelligent entity.
in low magic campaigns. 11 The item is tied to a cult.
12 The party's enemies spread rumors that the item is
Using the Magic Item Price table, you then assign
prices to the available items, based on their rarity. an artifact of evil.*
Halve the price of a ny consumable item, such as a po-
tion or a scroll, w hen using the table to determine a n *Might involve a rival
asking price. CAROUSING
You have final say in deter mining w hich items are for
Carousing is a default downtime activity for many char-
sale and their final price, no matter what the tables say. acters. Between adventu res, who doesn't want to relax
If the characters seek a specific magic item, first w ith a few drin ks and a g roup of friends at a tavern?
decide if it's an item you want to allow in your game. If Resources. Carousing covers a workweek of fine
so, include the desired item among the items for sale food, strong drink, and socializing. A character can at-
on a check total of 10 or higher if the item is common, tempt to carouse among lower-, middle-, or upper-class
15 or higher if it is uncommon, 20 or higher if it is rare, folk. A character can carouse with the lower class for
25 or higher if it is very rare, and 30 or higher if it is 10 gp to cover expenses, or 50 gp for the middle class.
legendary.
CHAPTER 2 I DUNCEON MASTER'S TOOLS
Carous ing with the upper class requires 250 gp for the Lowe r-class contacts include criminals, la borers,
workweek a nd access to the local nobility. mercenaries, t he town guard , and a ny other folk who
normally freque nt the cheapest taverns in town.
A ch aracter w ith the noble background ca n m ingle
w ith the upper class, but other characters can do so only Middle-class contacts include guild members, spell-
if you judge tha t the c ha racte r h as made s ufficient con- casters, town officials , and other folk who frequent well-
tacts. Alternatively, a c haracter might use a disguise kit kept establishments.
a nd the Deception s kill to pass as a noble vis iting from a
distant city. Upper-class contacts are nobles and their personal
servants. Carousing with s uc h folk covers for mal ban-
Resolution. After a workweek of carousing, a charac- quets, state dinners, and the like.
te r stands to ma ke contacts within the selected social
class. The character makes a Charis ma (Pers uasion) Once a contact has helped or hinde red a cha racter,
c heck us ing the Carousing table. the c ha racter needs to carouse again to get back into the
NPC's good graces. A contact provides h elp once, not
CA ROU S I N G help for life. The contact remains frie nd ly, which can in-
fluence roleplaying and how t he characters interact w ith
Check Resu lt the m , but doesn't come w ith a guara ntee of help.
Total Character has made a hostile contact.
Character has made no new contacts. You ca n assign specific NPCs as contacts. You might
1- 5 Character has made an allied contact. decide that the barkeep a t the Wretched Gorgon and
6- 10 Cha racter has made two all ied contacts. a gu a rd s tationed at the western gate are the charac-
11 - 15 Character has made three allied contacts. te r's a llied contacts. Assigning specific NPCs gives the
16- 20 players concre te options. It brings the ca mpaign to life
21+ a nd seeds the area w it h N P Cs that the characters care
a bout. On the other ha nd, it can prove difficult to track
Contacts are NPCs w ho now share a bond with the and might render a contact useless if that character
c haracter. Each one either owes the ch aracte r a favor doesn't come into play.
or has some reason to bear a grudge. A hostile contact
works against the c haracter, placing obstacles but s top- Alternatively, you can a llow the player to ma ke an
ping s hort of com mitting a crime or a viole nt act. Allied NPC into a contact on the spot, after carous ing. Whe n
contacts a re friends w ho w ill re nde r aid to t he c haracte r, the characters are in the a rea in which they caroused,
b ut not a t the r is k of the ir lives. a player can expend an a llied contact and designate
a n NPC they meet as a contact, assuming the NPC is
of the correct social class based on how the ch a racter
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON Ml\STER'S TOOLS
caroused. The player should provide a reasonable expla- UPPER - CLASS CAROUSING COMPLICATI ONS
nation for this relationship and work it into the game.
d8 Complication
Using a mix of the two approaches is a good idea,
since it gives you the added depth of s pecific contacts A pus hy noble family wants to marry off o ne of
wh ile giving players the freedom to ens ure that the con-
tacts they accumulate are useful. their scions to you.*
The same process can apply to hostile contacts. You 2 You tripped and fell during a dance, and peo ple
can give the characters a specific NPC they s hould
avoid, or you m ight introduce one at an inopportune or can't stop talking about it.
dramatic moment.
3 You have agreed to take on a noble's debts.
At a ny time, a character can have a maximum number
of uns pecified allied contacts equal to 1 +the character 's 4 You have been challenged to a joust by a knight.*
Charis ma modifie r (minimum of 1). Specific, na med
contacts don't count toward this limit- only ones that 5 You have made a foe ou t of a local noble.*
can be used at any time to declare an NPC as a contact.
6 A boring noble insists you visit each day and listen
Complications. Characters who carouse ris k bar
brawls, accumulating a cloud of nasty rumors, and to long, tedious theories of magic.
building a bad re putation around town. As a rule of
thumb, a character has a 10 percent chance of triggering 7 You have become the target of a variety of embar-
a complication for each workweek of carousing.
rassing rumors.*
LOWER-CLASS CAROUSING COMPLICATIONS
8 You spent an additiona l 500 gp trying to impress
d8 Complication
people.
A pickpocket lifts ldlO x 5 gp from you.*
~'Might invo lve a rival
2 A bar brawl leaves you with a scar.*
3 You have fuzzy memories of doing something very, CRAFTING AN ITEM
very illegal, but can't remember exactly what. A cha racter who has the time, the money, a nd the
4 You are banned from a tavern after some obnox- needed tools can use downtime to craft armor, weapons,
cloth ing, or other kinds of nonmagical gear.
ious behavior.*
5 After a few drinks , you swore in the town square to Resources and Resolution. In addition to the appro-
priate tools for the item to be crafted, a character needs
pursue a dangerous quest. raw mater ials wor th half of the item's selling cost. To
6 Surprise! You're married. determine how many workweeks it takes to create an
7 Streaking naked through the streets seemed like a item, divide its gold piece cost by SO. A cha racter can
complete multiple items in a workweek if the items' com-
great idea at the time. bined cost is SO gp or lower. Items that cost more than
8 Everyo ne is cal ling you by some weird , embarrass- SO gp can be completed over longer periods of time, as
long as the work in progress is stored in a safe location.
ing nickname, like Puddle Drinker o r Bench Slayer,
and no one will say why.1' Multiple characters can combine their e fforts. Divide
the time needed to create an item by the number of char-
* Might invo lve a rival acters working on it. Use your judgment w hen determin-
ing how many characters can collaborate on an item . A
MIDDLE-CLASS CAROUSING COMPLICATIONS particularly tiny item, like a rin g, might allow only one
or two workers, w hereas a large, complex item m ight
d8 Complication a llow four or more wo rkers.
You accidenta lly insulted a guild master, and only A character needs to be proficient with the tools
a public apology will let you do business with the needed to craft an item a nd have access to the appro-
guild again .* priate equipment. Everyone who collaborates needs to
have the appropriate tool proficiency. You need to make
2 You swore to complete some quest on behalf of a a ny judgment calls regarding whether a character has
temple or a guild. the correct equipment. The following table provides
some examples.
3 A social gaffe has made you the talk of the town.*
4 A particularly obnoxious person has taken an in - Proficiency Items
Herbalism kit Antitoxin, potion ofhealing
tense romantic interest in you.* Leatherworker's tools Leather armor, boots
5 You have made a foe out of a local spellcaster.* Sm ith 's tools Armor, weapons
6 You have been recruited to help run a local fest iva l, Weaver's tools Cloaks, robes
play, or similar event. If all the above requirements are met, the result of th e
7 You made a drunken toast that scandalized the process is an item of the desired sort. A character can
sell a n item crafted in this way at its listed price.
locals.
Crafting Magic Items. Creating a magic item requi res
8 You spent an additional 100 g p trying to impress more than just time, effort, and materials. It is a long-
people. term process that involves one or more adventures to
track down rare materials and the lore needed to cre-
* Might involve a rival
ate the item.
C H APTE R 2 I DUNGEON MASTER 'S TOO LS
Potions ofhealing and spell scr oJ/s a re exceptions to
the following rules. For more information, see "Brewing
Potions of Healing" later in this section and the "Scrib-
ing a Spell S croll" section, below.
To start with, a characte r needs a formula for a magic
item in order to create it. The formu la is like a recipe.
It lis ts the materia ls needed a nd steps required to
make the item.
An item invariably requires an exotic material to com-
plete it. This materia l ca n ra nge from the s kin of a yeti to
a vial of wate r taken from a whirlpool on the Elemental
P la ne of Water. Finding that materia l should take place
as part of an adventure.
The Magic Item Ingredients tabl e suggests the c hal-
lenge rating of a creature that the cha racters need to
face to acquire the materials for an item. Note that fac-
ing a creature does not necessa rily mean that t he c har-
acters must collect items from its corpse. Rather, the
c reature might gua rd a location or a resource t hat the
cha racte rs need access to.
MAGIC ITEM INGREDIENTS
Item Rarity CR Rang e
Common 1-3
Uncommon 4- 8
Rare 9-12
Very rare 13- 18
Lege ndary 19+
If appropriate, pick a monster or a locatio n that is a Comp lications. Most of the complications involved in
thematic fit for the item to be crafted. For example, cre- creating something, especially a magic item, a re linked
ating mariner's armor might require the essence of a to the difficulty in finding rare ingredients or compo-
water weird. Crafting a staffofcharming mig ht require ne nts needed to comple te the work. The complications
the cooperation of a specific a rca naloth, who w ill help a cha racte r mi ght face as byproducts o f the creation
only if the c haracters complete a task for it. Making a process are most interesting when the characters are
staff ofpower might hinge on acquiring a piece of a n working on a magic item: there's a 10 percent chance for
an cie nt stone that was once touched by the god of mag- every five workweeks spent on crafting an item that a
ic- a s tone now gu arded by a s uspicious androsphinx. complication occurs. The Crafting Complications table
provides examples of what might happen.
l n addition to facing a specific creature, c reating a n
item comes with a gold piece cost covering other mate- CRAFTING COMPLICATIONS
rials, tools, a nd so on, based on the item's rarity. Those
va lues, as well as the time a character needs to work in d6 Com plicat ion
order to complete the item, are s hown on the Magic Item Rumo rs swirl that what you're working on is unsta-
Crafting Time a nd Cost table. H a lve the .listed price and ble and a threat to the community.*
creation time for any cons umable ite ms. 2 Your tools are stolen, forcing you to buy new
ones.*
MAGIC ITEM CRAFTING TIME A N D COST
3 A local wizard shows keen interest in your work
Item Rarity Workweeks •~ Cost~' and insists on observing you.
Common
l so gp 4 A powerfu l noble offers a hefty price for yo ur work
and is not interested in hearing no for an answer.*
Uncommon 2 200 gp
s A dwarf clan accuses you of stealing its secret lore
Rare 10 2,000 gp
to fuel your work.*
Very ra re 2S 20,000 gp 6 A competitor spreads rumors that your work is
Legendary
so 100,000 gp shoddy and prone to failure.*
* Halved for a consumable item li ke a potion or scroll * Might involve a riva l
To complete a magic item, a character also needs CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
whatever tool proficiency is appropriate, as for crafting a
nonmagical object, or proficie ncy in th e Arcana s kill.
If all the above requirements are met, the result of the
process is a magic item of the desired sort.
Brewing Potions o f Healing. P otions of healing fall CR IM E COMPLICATIONS
into a s pecia l category for ite m crafting, sepa rate from
o ther m agic items . A character who h as proficiency with d8 Complication
the herbalism kit can create these potions. The ti mes
and costs for doing so a re s umma rized on the Potio n of A bounty equ al to your earnings is offere d for info r-
Hea ling Creation ta ble. mation abou t your crime.*
2 An un known person contacts you, threatening to
POT IO N O F HEALI N G CREATION reveal yo ur crime if you do n't rende r a service.*
Typ e Time Cost 3 Your victim is fi nanc ially ruined by you r crime .
25 gp
Healing 1 day 100 gp 4 Someone who knows of you r crime has been ar-
Greater healing 1 wo rkweek 1,000 gp rested on a n unrelated matter.>'•
10,000 gp
Superior hea ling 3 workweeks S Yo ur loot is a single , easily identified item that you
Su pre me healing 4 workwee ks ca n't fen ce in this region.
C RIME 6 You rob be d someone who was unde r a loca l crime
lo rd 's protection, and wh o now wants revenge.
S om etimes it pays to be bad. T his activity gives a cha r-
acter the cha nce to ma ke some extra cash, at the risk 7 You r victim calls in a favor from a guard, doubling
of arrest. the efforts t o so lve the case.
Resources. A character must s pend one week a nd at 8 Your victim asks o ne of your a dvent uring co mpan-
least 25 gp gathe ring in fo rma tio n on potentia l ta rgets ions to solve the cri me .
before committing the intended crime.
* Might involve a rival
Resolution. The cha racte r mus t ma ke a series of
checks, with the DC for a ll the checks chosen by the GAMBLI NG
cha racter accord ing to the a mount of profit s ought fro m
the crime. Ga mes of cha nce a re a way to ma ke a fortune- a nd per-
haps a better way to Jose o ne.
T he chosen DC can be 10, 15, 20, or 25. Successful
completion of the crime yields a number of gold pieces, Resources. T his activity requires o ne workweek of ef-
as s hown on the Loot Value table. fo rt plus a stake of at least 10 gp, to a max imum of 1,000
gp o r more, as you see fit.
To a ttem pt a cr ime , the character makes three checks:
Dex terity (Stealth), Dexterity us ing thieves' tools, a nd R esolution. The cha racter mus t ma ke a ser ies of
the playe r's choice of Intelligence (Investigatio n), Wis- checks, with a DC dete rmined at ra ndom based on the
dom (P e rception), or Cha ris ma (Deception). quality of the competitio n that the character runs into.
P ar t of th e r is k of gambling is that one never knows w ho
If none of the checks a re s uccessful, the cha racter is might e nd up sitting across the table.
caught a nd ja iled. T he cha racter mus t pay a fine equa l to
the profit the crime would have earned a nd mus t s pend T he cha racter ma kes three checks : Wis dom (Ins ight),
o ne week in jail for each 25 g p of the fine. Cha ris ma (Deceptio n), a nd Cha ris ma (Intimidation).
If the cha racter has proficie ncy with a n a ppropriate
If only one check is s uccessfu l, the he is t fa ils but the gaming set, that tool proficiency can re place the rele-
character escapes. va nt s ki ll in any of the checks. T he DC for each of the
checks is 5 + 2d10; gene rate a separa te DC for each
If two checks a re s uccessful, the heist is a pa rtia l s uc- one. Cons ult the Gambling Results table to see how the
cess, netting the cha racter half the payout. character did.
If all th ree checks a re s uccessful, the characte r earns GAMBLING RESULTS
the full va lue of the loot.
Result Val u e
L OOT V AL UE 0 successes Lose a ll the money you bet, and accrue a
debt equal to that amount.
DC Value 1 success Lose ha lf t he money yo u bet.
10 SO gp, robbery of a struggling mercha nt 2 successes Gain the amo unt you bet plus ha lf again
1S 100 gp, robbery of a prosperou s me rchant m ore.
20 200 gp, robbe ry of a noble 3 succe sses Gain dou ble t he am ount you bet.
25 1,000 gp, ro bbery of o ne of the ric hest fig ures in town
Complications. A life of crime is filled with complica- Complications. Ga mbling tends to attract unsavory
tions. Ro ll on the Crim e Complications table (or create individua ls. The potentia l complications involved come
a complication of your own) if the characte r s ucceeds from run-ins with the law and associa tio ns with vario us
on o nly one check. If the character's riva l is involved in crimina ls tied to the activity. Every workweek spent
cr ime or Jaw e nforcement, a complication ens ues if the ga mbling brings a 10 percent cha nce of a complicatio n,
character s ucceeds on o nly two checks . examples of which a re o n the Gambling Complica-
tio ns table .
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER"S TOOLS
GA M BLING CO MPLI CAT IO N S P IT FIGHTI N G COM PLIC AT I O N S
d 6 Co mplication d 6 Complication
You are accused of cheating. You decide whether 1 An opponent swears to take revenge on you.'~
you actually did cheat or were framed.'~
2 A crime boss approaches you and offers to pay you
2 The town guards raid the gambling hall and throw to intentionally lose a few matches.'~
you in jail/' 3 You defeat a popular local champion, drawing the
3 A noble in town loses badly to you and loudly vows crowd's ire.
to get revenge.*
4 You defeat a noble's servant, drawing the wrath of
4 You won a sum from a low-ranking member of a
thieves' guild, and the guild wants its money back. the noble's house.*
5 A local crime boss insists you start frequenting the 5 You are accused of cheating. Whether the allega·
boss's gambling parlor and no others.
tion is true or not, your reputation is tarnished.*
6 A high-stakes gambler comes to town and insists
6 You accidentally deliver a near-fatal wound to a foe.
that you take part in a game.
'°'Might involve a rival
*Might involve a rival
RELAXATION
PIT FIGHTING Sometimes the best thing to do between adventu res is
Pit fighting includes boxing, wrestling, and other nonle- relax. Whether a character wants a bard-earned vaca-
thal forms of combat in an organized setting with prede- tion or needs to recover from injuries, relaxation is t he
ter mined matches. If you want to introduce competi tive ideal option for adventurer s who need a brea k. This op·
fighting in a battle-to-the-death situation, the standard tion is a lso idea l for pl ayers who don't want to make use
combat rules apply to that sort of activity. of the downtime system.
Resources. Engaging in this activity requires one Resources. Relaxation requires one week. A charac-
workweek of effort from a character. ter needs to maintain at least a modest lifestyle while
relaxing to gain the benefit of the activity.
Resolution . The character must make a series of
Resolution . C ha racters who maintain at least a mod-
checks, with a D C determined at random based on the
quality of the opposition that the character runs i nto. est l ifestyle while relaxing gain several benefits. While
A big part of the challenge in pit fighting lies in the un- relaxing, a character gains advantage on saving throws
known nature of a cha racter 's opponents. to recover from long-acting diseases and poisons. In
addition, at the end of the week, a character can end one
The character makes three checks: Strength (Athlet- effect that keeps the character from regaining hit points,
ics), Dexterity (Acrobatics), and a special Constitution or ca n restore one ability score that has been reduced to
check that has a bonus equal to a rol l of the character's less than its normal value. T his benefit ca nnot be used
largest Hit Die (this roll doesn't spend that die). ff de- if the harmful effect was caused by a spell or some other
sired, the character can replace one of these skill check s magical effect with an ongoing duration.
with an attack roll using one of the character's weapons.
Complications. Relaxation rarely comes with com-
The DC for each of the checks is 5 + 2d10; generate a
plicat ions. I f you want to make life complicated for the
separate DC for each one. ConsuJt the Pit Fighti ng Re- characters, introduce an action or an event connected
sults table to see how the character did. to a r ival.
PIT FIGHTING RESULT S RELIGIOUS SERVICE
C haracters with a religious bent might want to spend
Re s u l t Va lu e downtime in ser vice to a temple, either by attending
rites or by prosely tizing in the community. Someone
0 successes Lose your bouts, earning nothing. w ho undertakes this activity has a chance of winning
the favor of the temple's leaders.
1 success Win 50 gp.
R esources. Performing religious service requires ac-
2 successes Win 100 gp.
3 successes Win 200 gp. cess to, and often attendance at, a temple whose beliefs
and etho~ align with the character's. If such a place is
Complications . Characters involved in pit fighting available, the activity takes one workweek of time but
involves no gold piece expend iture.
must deal with thei r opponents, the people who bet on
matches, and the m atches' promoters. Every workweek R esolution. At t he end of t he required time, the char-
spent pit fighting bri ngs a 10 percent chance of a compli·
cation, examples of w hich are on the P it Fighting Com- acter chooses to make either an Intelligence (Religion)
check or a Charisma (Persuasion) check. The total of
pl ications table. the check determines the benefits of service, as shown
on the Religious Service table.
R ELIGIOUS S ERV IC E workweek spent in religious service brings a 10 percent
chance of a complication, examples of which are on the
Check Resu lt Religious Service Complicatio ns table.
Total No effect. Your efforts fail to make a lasting
1-10 impression. R ELIG I OUS S ERV ICE CO M PLICAT IONS
You earn one favor.
11-20 You earn two favors. d6 Complication
21+
You have offended a priest through your words or
A favo r, in broad terms, is a promise of future assis- actions.*
tance from a representative of the te mple . It can be 2 Blasphemy is sti ll blasphemy, even if you did it by
expended to ask the temple for he lp in deali ng with a accident.
s pecific problem, for general political or s ocia l support, 3 A secret sect in the temple offers you membership.
or to red uce the cost of cleric spellcasting by 50 percent. 4 Another temple tries to recruit you as a spy.'~
A favor could also take the form of a de ity's intervention, 5 The temple elders implore you to take up a holy
s uch as an omen, a vision, or a minor miracle provided quest.
at a key moment. This la tte r sort of favor is expended by 6 You accidentally discover that an important person
the DM, who a lso determines its nature. in the temple is a fiend worshiper.
Favors earned need not be expended immediately, but *Might involve a rival
only a certain numbe r can be stored up. A character can
RESEARCH
have a maximum number of unused favors equal to 1 +
Forewarned is forearmed. The research downtime ac-
the character's Charisma modifier (minimum of one un- tivity a llows a cha racter to de lve into lo re concerning a
monster, a location, a magic item, or some other partic-
used favor). ular topic.
Complication s . Temples can be labyrinths of political
Resources. Typically, a character needs access to a
and social scheming. Even the bes t-intentioned sect can library or a sage to conduct research. Assuming such
fall prone to riva lries. A character who serves a temple access is available, conducting research requires one
risks becoming embroiled in such struggles. Every workweek of effort and at least 50 gp spent on materia ls,
bribes, gifts, and other expenses.
Resolution. The character decla res the foc us of the
research-a specific person, place, or thing. After one
workweek, the cha racter makes a n Intell igence check
with a +1 bonus per 100 gp s pent beyond the initial
100 gp, to a maximum of +6. In addition, a character
who has access to a particula rly well-stocked library
or knowledgeable sages gains adva ntage on this check.
Determine how much lore a cha racter learns using the
Research Outcomes table.
RESEARCH OUTCOMES
Check
Total Outcome
1- 5 No effect.
6- 10 You lea rn one piece of lore.
11 - 20 You learn two pieces of lore.
21+ You learn three pieces of lore.
Each piece of lore is the equivalent of one true s tate-
ment about a person, place, or thing. Examples include
knowl edge of a creature's resis ta nces, the password
needed to ente r a sealed dungeon level, the spells com-
monly prepa red by an order of wizards, a nd so on.
As DM, you are the fina l a rbiter concerning exactly
what a cha racter learns. For a monster or an NPC, you
can reveal eleme nts of statistics or personality. For a lo-
cation, you can reveal secrets a bout it, such as a hidden
entrance, the a nswer to a riddle, or the nature of a crea-
ture that guards the place.
Complications. The greatest ris k in research is un-
covering fa lse information. Not a ll lore is accurate or
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
truthful, and a rival with a scholarly bent might try to brings a 10 percent c ha nce of a complication, examples
lead the character astray, especially if the obj ect of the of which are on the Scribe a Scroll Complications table.
research is known to the rival. The rival might plant
false inform a tion, bribe sages to give bad advice, or steal SCRIBE A SCROLL COMPLICATIONS
key tomes needed to find the truth. d6 Complication
In addition, a character might run into oth e r com-
You bought up the last of the rare ink used to craft
plications during research. Every workweek spent in scrolls, angering a wizard in town.
research brings a 10 percent chance of a complication,
examples of which are on the Research Complica- 2 The priest of a temple of good accuses you of traf-
ficking in dark magic.*
tions table.
3 A wiz ard eager to collect one of your spells in a
RESEARCH COMPLICATIONS book presses you to sell the scroll.
d6 Complication 4 Due to a strange error in creating the scroll, it is
instead a random spell of the same level.
You accidentally damage a rare book.
2 You offend a sage, who demands an extravagant 5 The ra re parchment you bought for your scroll has
a barely visible map on it.
gift.*
6 A thief attempts to break into your workroom.*
3 Ifyou had known that book was cursed, you never
would have opened it. '~Might involve a rival
4 A sage becomes obsessed with convincing you of a SELLING A MAGIC ITEM
number of strange t heories about reality."' Selling a magic item is by no means an easy task. Con
artists and thieves are a lways looking out for an easy
5 Your actions cause you to be banned from a library score, and there's no guarantee that a character w ill re-
until you make reparations.* ceive a good offer even if a legitimate buyer is found.
6 You uncovered useful lore, but only by promising R esources. A character can find a buyer for one
to complete a dangerous task in return. magic ite m by spending one workweek and 25 gp, which
is used to spread word of the desired sale. A character
'~Might involve a rival mus t pick one item at a time to sell.
SCRIBING A SPELL SCROLL Resolution. A character w ho wants to sell an item
must make a Charisma (Persuasion) check to determine
With time and patience, a spellcaster can transfer a what kind of offer comes in. The character can always
spell to a scroll, creating a spell scroll. opt not to sell, instead forfeiting the workweek of effor t
and trying again later. Use the Magic Item Base Prices
Resources. Scribing a spell scroll takes an amount of and Magic Item Offer tables to determi ne the sale price.
time and money related to the level of the spell the char-
acter wants to scribe, as shown in the Spell Scroll Costs MAGIC ITEM BASE PRICES
table. In addition, the character must have proficiency
in the Arcana skill and must provide any materia l com- Rarity Base Price"'
ponents required fo r the casti ng of the spell. Moreover, Common 100 gp
the c haracter must have t he spell prepared, or it must be Uncommon 400 gp
among the character's known spells, in order to scribe a Rare
scroll of that spell. Very rare 4,000 gp
Legendary 40,000 gp
If the scribed spell is a cantrip, the version on the 200,000 gp
scroll works as if the caster were 1st level.
SPELL SCROLL COSTS
Spell Level Time Cos t "'Halved for a consumable item like a potion or scroll
15 gp
Cantrip l day 25 gp
250 gp
lst l day 500 gp MAGIC ITEM OFFER
2,500 gp
2nd 3 days 5,000 gp Check Offer
3rd l workweek 15,000 gp Tota l
25,000 gp
4th 2 workweeks 50,000 gp 1-10 50% of base price
5th 4 workweeks 250,000 gp 11-20 100% of base price
150% of base price
6th 8 workweeks 21+
7th 16 workweeks
8th 32 workweeks Complications. T he main risk in selling a magic item
9th 48 workweeks lies in attracting th ieves and anyone else who wants the
item but doesn't want to pay for it. Other folk might try to
Complications. Crafting a spelf scroll is a solitary undermine a deal in order to bolster their own business
task, unlikely to attract much attention. The complica- or seek to discredit the character as a legitimate seller.
tions that arise are more likely to involve the preparation Every workweek spent trying to sell an item brings a 10
needed for the activity. Every workweek spent scribing percent chance of a complication, examples of which are
on the Magic Item Sale Complicatio ns table.
CHAPTER 2 J DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
TRAI N ING CO M PLICATIONS
d6 Complication
Your instructor disappears, forcing you to spend
one workweek finding a new one.*
2 Your teacher instructs you in rare, archaic meth -
ods, which draw comments from others.
3 Your teacher is a spy sent to learn your plans.*
4 Your teacher is a wanted criminal.
5 Your teacher is a cruel taskmaster.
6 Yo ur teacher asks for help dea ling with a th reat.
'~M ight involve a rival
WORK
When all else fails, a n adventurer can turn to an honest
trade to earn a living. This activity re prese nts a char-
acter's attempt to find temporary work, the qua lity and
wages of which are diffic u lt to predict.
Resources. Performing a job requ ires one workweek
of effort.
Resolution. To determine how much money a char-
acter earns, the character makes an ability check:
Strength (Athletics), Dexterity (Acrobatics), Intelligence
using a set of tools , Charisma (Performance), or Cha-
risma using a musical instrument. Consult the Wages
table to see how much money is generated according to
t he tota l of the check.
WAGES
Check Ea rnings
Tota l
MAGIC ITEM SALE COMPLICAT IONS 9 or lower Poor lifestyle for the week
d6 Complication 10-14 Modest lifestyle for the week
Your enemy secretly arranges to buy the item to 15-20 Comfortable lifestyle for the week
use it against you.*
21+ Comfortable lifestyle for the week+ 25 gp
2 A thieves' guild, alerted to the sale, attempts to
steal your item.1' Complications. Ordinary work is rarely fi lled with
significant complications. Still, the Work Complications
3 A foe circulates rumors that your item is a fake.* table can add some difficulties to a worke r's life. Each
4 A sorcerer claims your item as a birthright and de- workweek of activity brings a 10 percent chance that a
character e ncou nters a complication.
mands you hand it over.
5 Your item 's previous owner, or surviving all ies of WORK COMPLICATIONS
the owner, vow to retake the item by force. d6 Complication
6 The buyer is murdered before the sale is finalized.* A difficu lt customer or a fight with a coworker re-
duces t he wages you earn by one category.*
* Might involve a rival
2 Your emp loyer's financial difficu lties result in you r
TRAINING not being paid.'~
Giveo enough free time and the services of an instruc- 3 A coworker with ties to an important family in town
tor, a cha racter can lea rn a language or pick up profi- takes a dislike to you.*
ciency with a tool.
4 Your employer is involved w ith a dark cu lt or a
R esources. Receiving training in a language or tool criminal enterprise.
typica lly ta kes at least ten workweeks, but this time is
reduced by a numbe r of workweeks equa l to th e c ha r- 5 A crime ring targets you r business for extortion.*
acter 's Intellige nce modifier (an Intellige nce p e nalty 6 You gain a reputation for laziness (unjustified or
doesn't increase the time needed). Training costs 25 gp
per workweek. not, as you choose), giving you disadvantage on
checks made for this downtime activity for the next
Complications. Complications that arise w hile train- six workweeks you devote to it.*
ing typically involve the teache r. Every ten workweeks
spent in training brings a 10 percent chance of a compli- * Might involve a rival
cation, examples of which are on the Training Complica-
tions table.
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER·s TOOLS
AWARDING MAGIC ITEMS BEHIND THE DESIGN: MAGIC ITEM DISTRIBUTION
Magic items a re prized by D&D adventurers of a ll sorts The Dungeon Master's Guide assumes a certain amount of
a nd are ofte n the main reward in an adventure. The treasure will be found over the course of a campaign. Over
ru les for magic items are presented, along w ith the twenty levels of typical play, the game expects forty-five
Treasure Hoard tables, in chapter 7 of the Dungeon rolls on the Treasure Hoard tables , distributed as follows:
Master's Guide. This section expands on those rules by
offering you an a lte rnative way of determ ini ng which • Seven rolls on the Challenge 0-4 table
magic ite ms e nd up in t he c ha racters' possession and by • Eighteen rolls on the Challenge 5-10 table
add ing a collection of common magic items to the game. • Twelve rolls on the Challenge 11-16 table
T he section e nds with tables that group magic items ac- • Eight roll s on the Challenge 17+ table
cordin g to ra rity.
Because many of the table results call for more than one
The system in the Dungeon Master's Guide is de- magic item, those forty-five rolls will result in the charac-
s igned so that you ca n generate a ll treasure random ly, ters obtaining rough ly one hundred items. The optional
and th e tables also govern the number of magic items system described here yields the same number of items,
the c ha racters receive. In s hort, t he ta bles d o the work. distributed properly throughout the spectrum of rarity,
But a DM w ho's d esigning or modifying a n adventure while enabling you to control exactly which items the char-
might prefer to choose the magic items that come into acters have a chance of acquiring.
play. If you're in that s ituation, you can use the rules in
this section to pe rsonalize your treasure h oa rds while Magic Item Tables F t hrough I. As you can see from the
staying within the gam e's limits for how many items the Treasure Hoard tables in that book, major magic items
ch aracters s hould u ltimately accumulate. are meant to be handed out much less frequently than
m inor items, even at higher levels of play.
DISTRIBUTION BY RARITY
MAGIC ITEMS AWARDED BY TIER
This a lternative me thod of treasure determ ination fo-
cuses on c hoosing magic items based on thei r ra rity, Character Minor Items Major Items All Items
rather than by rolling on the tables in the Dungeon Mas- Level 9 2 11
ter's Guide. This method uses two tables: Magic Items 34
Awarded by Tier a nd Magic Ite ms Awarded by Rarity. 1-4 30
25
By Tier. The Magic Ite ms Awarded by Tie r table 5-10 28 6 100
s hows the numbe r of magic items a D&D party typically 11-16 24 6
gains du ri ng a campaig n, culminating in the group's 17-20 19 6
having accumulated one hundred magic items by 20th Total 80 20
level. T he table s hows how many of those items are
meant to be handed out during each of the four tiers of CHOOSING ITEMS LEVEL BY LEVEL
play. The emphasis on characters receiving more items
during the second tier (levels 5- 10) than in ot her tiers You decide when to place an ite m in an adventure that
is by design. The second tier is where much of the play you're creating or modifyi ng, usually because you think
occurs in a typical D&D campaign, a nd the items gained the story calls for a magic item, the characters need one,
in that tier prepare the characters for higher-level or the players would be especially p leased to get one.
adven tures.
When you want to select an item as treasure for an en-
By Rarity. The Magic Items Awarded by Rarity table counter, the Magic Items Awarded by Rar ity table serves
ta kes the numbers from the Magic Items Awa rded by as your item budget. Here's how to use it:
Tier table a nd breaks them down to show the number of
ite m s o f each rarity the ch aracters are expected to h ave 1. jot down a copy of the table in your notes, so that you
w he n they reach the e nd of a tie r. can make adjustments to the numbers as you select
items to be placed in an advent ure.
Minor and Major Items. Both tables in this section
make a distinction between minor magic items and ma- 2. Refer to th e line in the Level/CR column that corre-
jor magic items. This distinction exists in the Dungeon sponds to one of the following va lues (your choice):
Master's Guide, yet those terms aren't used there. In the level of the player characters, the challenge rating
that book, the mino r items are those listed on Magic of the magic item's owner, or the challenge rating of
Item Tables A through E, and the major items a re on the group of creatures guard ing the item. The entries
in that row of the table indicate the total number of
items that would be appropriate for the characters to
receive by the end of the tier represented by that row.
MAGIC ITEMS AWARDED BY RARITY
- - - - - - M i n o r Magic Items - - - - - - Major Magic Items
Level/CR Co m m o n Uncommon Rare Very Rare Legendary Uncommo n Rare Very Rare Legendary
1-4 6 2 0 0 2 00 0
5- 10 10 12 0 5 0 0
11 -16 3 6 5 1 1 22 1
17+ 0 0 95 6 0 l2 3
Total 19 20 49 7 8 44 4
19 15
CHAPTER 2 I DUNC EON M1\STER'S TOOLS
3. Choose a magic item of any rarity for which the entry COMMON MAGIC ITEMS
in this row is not 0.
The Dungeon Master's Guide includes many magic
4. When the characters obtain an item , modify your
notes to indicate which part of your budget this expen- items of every rarity. The one exception are common
diture came fro m by subtracting 1 from the appropri- items; that book includes few o f them. This section intro-
ate entry on the table. duces more of them to the game. These items seldom in-
crease a character's power, but they are likely to amuse
In the future, if you choose an item of a rarity that's players and provide fun roleplaying opportunities.
not available in the current tier but is still available in
a lower tier, deduct the item from the lower tier. If a ll The magic items are presented in alphabetical order.
lower tiers also have no items available o f a given rarity,
deduct the item from a higher tier. ARMOR OF GLEAMING
CHOOSING ITEMS PIECEMEA L Armor (any m edium or heavy), common
If you prefer a more free-form m ethod of choosing magic
items, simply select each magic item you wan t to give This armor never gets dirty.
out; then, when the characters acquire one, deduct it
from the M agic Item s Awarded by R arity table in your BEAD OF NOURISHMENT
notes. Whenever you do so, start with the lowest tier,
and deduct the item from the first number you com e Wondrous item, common
across in the appropriate rarity column for the item ,
whether its minor or major. If that tier doesn't have a This spongy, fl avorless, gelati no us bead dissolves on
number greater t han 0 for that ra rity, go up a tier until your tongue and provides as much nourishment as 1 day
you find one that does, and deduct the magic item from of rations.
that number. Following this process, you will zero out
each row of the table in order, going from the lowest lev- BEAD OF REFRESHMENT
els to the highest.
Wondrous item, common
O VERSTOCKING AN ADVENTURE
The magic item tables in this section are based on the This spongy, fl avorless, gelatinous bead dissolves in
number of items the characters are expected to r eceive, l iquid, transforming up to a pint of t he liquid into fresh,
not the number of items that are available in an adven- cold drinking water. The bead has no effect on magical
ture. When creating or modifyi ng a n adventure, assume liquids or harmful substances such as poison.
that the characters won't find all the items you place in
it, unl ess most of the loot is in easy-to-find locations. B OOTS OF FALSE TRACKS
H ere's a good ru le of thumb: an adventure can include a
number of items that's 25 percent higher than the num- Wondrous item, common
bers in the tables (round up). For example, an adventure
d esigned to take characters from 1st to 4th level might Only humanoids can wear these boots. While wearing
include fourteen item s rather than eleven, in the expec- the boots, you ca n choose to have them l eave tracks like
tation that three of those items won't be found. those of another kind of humanoid of you r size.
ARE M ACIC ITEMS NECESSARY I N A CAMPAIG N ? CANDLE OF THE DEEP
The D&D game is built on the assumption that magic Wondrous item, common
items appear sporadically and that they are always a boon,
unless an item bears a curse. Characters and monsters are The flame of this candle is not extinguished when
built to face each other without the help of magic items, immersed in water. lt gives off light and heat like a nor-
which means that having a magic item always makes a mal candle.
character more powerful or versatile than a generic char-
acter of the same level. As DM, you never have to worry CAST-OFF ARMOR
about awarding magic items just so the characters can
keep up with the campaign's threats. Magic items are truly Armor (light, medium, or heavy), common
prizes. Are they useful? Absolutely. Are they necessary? No.
You can doff this armor as an action.
Magic items can go from nice to necessary in the rare
group that has no spellcasters, no monk, and no N PCs CHAR LATAN'S DIE
capable of casting magic weapon. Having no magic ma kes
it extremely difficult for a party to overcome mons ters that Wondrous item, common (requires attunement)
have resistances or immunity to nonmagica l damage. In
such a game, you'll want to be generous with magic weap- Whenever you roll this six-sided die, you ca n control
ons or else avoid usi ng such monsters. which number it rolls.
CLOAK OF BILLOWING
Wondrous item, common
While wearing t his cl oak, you can use a bonus action to
make it billow dramatically.
CLOAK OF MANY FASHIONS
Wondrous item, common
While w earing this cloak, you can use a bonus action to
cha nge the style, color, and appar ent quality o f the gar-
ment. The cloak's weight doesn't change. Regardless of
its appearance, the cloak can't be a nyt hing but a cloak.
Alt hough it can duplicate the appearance of other magic
cloaks, it doesn't gain t heir magical proper ties.
CHAPTER 2 I DUKGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
CLOCKWORK AMULET HAT OF VERMIN
Wondrous item, common Wondrous item, common
This copper amulet contains tiny interlocking gears This hat has 3 charges. While holding the hat, you can
and is powered by magic from Mechanus, a plane of use an action to expend 1 of its charges and speak a
clockwork predictabili ty. A c reature that puts an ear to command word that s ummons you r choice of a bat, a
the a mulet can hear faint ticking and whirring noises frog, or a rat (see the Player's Handbook or the Monster
coming from within. Manual for statistics). The summoned creature magi-
cally appea rs in the hat and tries to get away from you
When you make an attack roll while wearing the am- as quickly as possible. The creature is neither friendly
ulet, you can forgo rolling the d20 to get a 10 on the die. nor hostile, and it isn't under your control. It behaves as
Once used, this property can't be used again until the an ordinary creature of its kind and disappears after 1
next dawn. hour o r when it drops to 0 hit points. The hat regains a ll
expended charges da ily at dawn.
CLOTHES OF MENDING
HAT OF WIZARDRY
Wondrous item, common
Wondrous item, common (requires attunement by a
This elegant outfit of traveler's clothes magically mends wizard)
itself to counteract daily wear and tear. Pieces of the out-
fit that are destroyed can't be repaired in th is way. This antiquated, cone-shaped hat is adorned with gold
crescent moons and stars. While you are wearing it, you
DARK SHARD AMULET gain the following benefits:
Wondrous item, common (requires attunement by a • You can use the hat as a spellcasting focus for your
warlock) wizard spells.
You can try to cast a cantrip t hat you don't know. The
This amu let is fashioned from a s ingle s hard o f resi lient cantrip must be on the wizard spell list, and you must
extraplanar material originating from the realm ofyour make a DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check. If the
warlock patron. While you are wearing it, you gain the check succeeds, you cast the spell. If the check fails,
following benefits: so does the spell, and the action used to cast the spell
is wasted. In either case, you can't use this property
• You can use the amulet as a spellcasting focus for again until you finish a long rest.
your warlock spells.
REWARD'S HANDY SPICE POUCH
• You can try to cast a ca ntrip that you don't know. The
cantrip must be on the warlock spell list, and you Wondrous item, common
must make a DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check. If the
check succeeds, you cast the spell. If the check fails, This belt pouch appears empty and has 10 charges.
so does the spell, and the action used to cast the spell While holding t he pouch, you can use an action to ex-
is wasted. In either case, you can't use this property pend 1 of its charges, speak the na me of any nonmag-
again until you finish a long rest. ical food seasoning (such as salt, pepper, saffron, or
cilantro), and remove a pinch of the desired seasoning
DREAD HELM from the pouch. A pinch is enough to season a single
meal. The pouch regains ld6 + 4 expended cha rges
Wondrous item, common daily at dawn.
This fearsome steel helm makes your eyes glow red HORN OF SILENT ALARM
while you wear it.
Wondrous item, common
EAR HORN OF HEARING
This horn has 4 charges. When you use an action to
Wondrous item, common blow it, one creature of your c hoice can hear th e horn's
blare, provided the creature is within 600 feet of the
While held up to your ear, this horn s uppresses the ef- horn and not deafened. No other creature hears sound
fects of the deafened condition on you, a llowing you to coming from the horn. The horn regains ld4 expended
hear normally. char ges daily at dawn.
ENDURING SPELLBOOK INSTRUMENT OF ILLUSIONS
Wondrous item, common Wondrous item, common (requires attunement)
This spellbook, a long w ith anything written on its While you are playing this musical instrument, you
pages, can't be damaged by fire or immers ion in water. ca n c reate harmless, illusory visual effects within a
In addition, the spellbook doesn't deteriorate with age. 5-foot-radius sphere centered on the instrument. If
you are a bard, the radius increases to 15 feet. Sample
ERSATZ EYE visual effects include luminous musical notes, a spec-
tral dancer, butterflies, and gently falling snow. The
Wondrous item, common (requires attunement) magical effects have neither substance nor sound, and
they are obviously illusory. T he effects end when you
This artificial eye replaces a real one that was lost or stop playing.
removed. While the ersatz eye is embedded in your eye
socket, it can't be removed by anyone other than you, CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON !\!ASTER'S TOOLS
a nd you can see through the tiny orb as though it were a
normal eye.
INSTRUMENT OF SCRIBING PIPE OF SMOKE MONSTERS
Wondrous item, common (requires attunemen t) Wondrous item, common
T h is musical instru ment h as 3 charges. While you are While smoking this pipe, you can use an action to ex-
playing it, you can use an action to expend 1 charge hale a puff of smoke that takes the form of a single crea-
from the instrument and w rite a magical message on ture, such as a dragon, a Rumph, or a froghemoth. The
a nonmagical object or surface that you can see within form must be small enough to fit in a 1-foot cube and
30 feet of you. T he message can be up to six words long loses its shape after a few seconds, becoming an ordj-
and is written in a language you know. If you are a bard, nary pu ff of smo ke.
you can scribe an addi tional seven words and choose
to make t he message g low fai ntly, allowing it to be seen POLE OF ANGLING
i n nonmagical darkness. Casting dispel magic on the Wondrous item, common
message erases it. Other wise, the message fades away W hile hol ding this 10-foot pole, you can speak a com-
after 24 hours. mand word and transform it into a fish i ng pole w i th a
hook, a li ne, and a reel. Speaking t he command word
T he i nstrument r egai ns all expended charges agai n chan ges the fishing pole back into a normal
daily at dawn. 10-foot pole.
LOCK OF TRICKERY POLE OF COLLAPSING
Wondrous item, common Wondrous item, common
This lock appears to be an ordinary lock (of the type Whi le ho lding this 10-foot pole, you can use an action
to speak a command word and cause it to collapse into
described in chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook) and a 1-foot-long rod, for ease of storage. The pole's weight
doesn't change. You can use an action to speak a d i f-
comes with a single key. The tumblers in this lock magi- ferent command word and cause the rod to revert to a
cally adjust to thwart burglars. Dexterity checks made to pole; however, the rod will elongate o nly as far as the
pick the lock have disadvantage. surrounding space allows.
MOON-TOUCHED SWORD POT OF AWAKENING
Weapon (any sword), common Wondrous item, common
In darkness, the unsheathed blade of this sword sheds If you pl ant an ordinary shrub in this 10-pou nd clay pot
moonlight, creat i ng bright ligh t i n a 15-foot rad ius and and l et it grow for 30 days, the shrub magically t rans-
dim light for an additional 15 feet.
form s i nto an awake ned shrub (see the Monster Ma n-
MYSTERY KEY ual for statistics) at the end of that ti me. W hen the shrub
Wondrous item, common awakens, its roots break the pot, destroying it.
T he awakened shrub is friendly toward you. Absent
A question mar k is worked into the head of th is key. T he
key has a 5 percent chance of unlocking a ny lock into commands from you, it does nothing.
which it's inserted. On ce it unlocks something, t he key
d isappear s. ROPE OF MENDING
ORB OF DIRECTION Wondrous item, common
Wondrous item, common You can cut this SO-foot coil of hempen rope into any
number of smaller pieces, and then use an action to
While holding this orb, you can use an action to deter- speak a command word and cause the pieces to knit
m ine w h ich way is north. T his property functions on ly back together. The pieces must be in contact w ith each
on the Material P lane.
oth er and not otherwise in use. A rope ofmending is for-
ORB OFT!ME
ever shor tened if a section of it is lost or destroyed.
Wondrous item, common
RUBY OF THE WAR MAGE
W h i le ho lding this or b, you ca n use a n action to de-
termine w hether it is morning, afternoon, eveni ng, or Wondrous item, common (requires attunement by a
nightti me outside. This property functions on ly on the spellcaster)
Material P lane.
Etched with eldritch runes, this 1-inch-diameter r uby
PERFUME OF BEWITCHING allows you to use a simple or martia l w eapon as a spell-
casting focus for your spells. For this property to work,
Wondrous item, common you must attach the ruby to the weapon by pressing the
r uby against it for at least 10 minutes. Thereafter, the
T h is tiny vial contains magic perfume, enough for one ruby can't be removed unless you detach it as ao action
use. You can use an action to apply th e perfume to your-
self, and its effect lasts 1 h our. For the duration, you or the weapon is destroyed. Not even an antimagic field
have advantage on all Char isma ch ecks directed at hu-
manoids of challenge rating 1 or lower. Those subjected causes it to fa ll off. The ruby does fall off the weapon i f
to t he per fume's effect are oot aware that t hey've been your attunement to the r uby ends.
i nfluen ced by magic.
CHAPTER 2 I DUNC EON MASTER'S TOOLS
SHIELD OF EXPRESSION UN BR E AKABLE A RROW S
Armor (shield), common TANKARD OF SOBRIETY
The fron t of this s hield is s ha ped in the like ness of a Wondrous item, common
face. While bearing the shield, you can use a bonus ac- This tankard has a stern face sculpted into one side. You
tion to a.lte r the face's expression. can drink a le, wine, or a ny other no nmagical a lcoholic
be ve rage poured into it without becoming inebriated.
SMOLDERING ARMOR The tankard has no effect o n magical liquids or ha rmful
s ubs ta nces s u ch as poison.
Armor (a ny), common
UNBREAKABL E ARROW
Wisps of harmless, odorless smoke rise fro m this armor
while it is worn. Weapon (arrow), common
This a rrow ca n't be broken, except when it is within an
STAFF OF ADORNMENT antimagic. field.
Staff, common VETERAN'S CANE
Ifyou place a n object weighing no mo re tha n 1 pound Wondrous item, comm on
(suc h as a s hard o f c rys ta.I, a n egg, or a stone) a bove When you grasp this wa lking ca ne and use a bonus ac-
the tip of the s ta ff while holdi ng it, the object Boa ts a n tion to s peak the comma nd word , it transforms into an
inch from th e staff's tip a nd re m a ins there u nti l it is ordina ry longsword a nd ceases to be magica l.
removed or until the s taff is no longer in your posses-
s ion. The s taff can have up to three s uch objects floating WALLOPING AMMUNITION
over its tip a t a ny g ive n time. While holding the staff,
you ca n ma ke one or more of the objects s lowly s pin or Weapon (any ammunition), common
turn in place. This a mmunition packs a wa llop. A c reature hit by the
a mmunition mus t s ucceed on a D C 10 Stre ngth saving
STAFF OF BIRDCALLS th row or b e knocked prone .
Staff, common CHAPTER 2 1 DUNGIWN MASTER'S TOOLS
T his woode n s taff is d ecorated w ith bird ca rvings. It has
10 c harges. While ho lding it, you can use a n action to
expend 1 cha rge from t he staff a nd cause it to create one
of t he following sounds out to a range of 60 feet: a finc h's
chirp, a rave n's caw, a duck's quack, a chicken's cluck, a
goose's honk, a loon's call, a turkey's gobble, a seagull's
cry, an owl's hoot, o r an eagle's shrie k.
T he staff regains ld6 + 4 expended charges da ily at
dawn. If you expe nd t he last cha rge, roll a d20. On a 1,
the s taff explod es in a harm less cloud of bird feathe rs
and is lost forever.
STAFF OF F LOWERS
Staff, common
T his wooden s taff has 10 c harges. While holding it, you
ca n use a n action to expend 1 char ge from t he staff and
cause a Bower to s prout from a patch of earth or soil
within 5 feet of you, o r fro m t he staff itself. Unless you
c hoose a s pecific kind of flower, the staff c reates a mild-
scented daisy. T he flower is h a rmless a nd nonmagical,
a nd it grows or w ithe rs as a norma l flower would.
The s taff regains ld6 + 4 expe nded c ha rges da ily at
dawn. If you expe nd the last c ha rge, roll a d20. On a 1,
t he staff turns into flower pe ta ls and is los t forever.
TALKING DOLL
Wondrous item, common (requires attunement)
While this s tuffed doll is within 5 feet of you, you can
s pe nd a s hort rest telling it to say up to s ix phrases, none
of which ca n be more than s ix words long, and set a con-
dition under w hich the doll speaks eac h phrase. You can
also rep lace old phrases with n ew on es. Whatever t he
condition, it mus t occur w ithin 5 fee t of the doll to make
it s peak. For exa mple, whe n ever someone p icks up the
doll, it mi ght s ay, "I want a piece of candy." The d oll's
phrases a re lost wh e n your a ttunement to the doll ends .
WAND OF CONDUCTING MAGIC ITEM TABLES
Wa nd, common The tables in this section classify the magic items from
the Dungeon Master's Guide and the new items pre-
T his wand has 3 charges. While holding it, you can use sented here into minor items and major items, then sep-
an action to expend 1 of its charges and create orches- arate the items in each group according to rarity. Each
tral music by waving it around. The music can be heard table entry includes the item's type and an indication of
out to a ra nge of 60 feet and e nds when you stop wav- w hether the item requires attunement. Artifacts aren't
ing the wand. included here; they are beyond even major items in
power a nd importance.
The wand regains all expended charges daily at dawn.
If you expend the wand's last charge, roll a d20. On a MINOR ITEMS, COMMON
1, a sad tuba sound plays as the wand crumbles to dust
and is destroyed. Item Type Attune?
Armor of gleaming Armor No
WAND OF PYROTECHNICS Bead of nourishment Wondrous item No
Bead of refreshment Wondrous item No
Wand, comm on Boots of false tracks Wondrous item No
Candle of the deep Wondrous item No
This wand has 7 charges. W hile ho lding it, you can use Cast-off armor Armor No
an action to expend 1 of its charges and create a harm- Charlatan's die Wondrous item Yes
less burst of mu lticolo red light at a point you can see Cloak of billowing Wondrous item No
up to 60 feet away. The bu rst of light is accompanied Cloak of many fashions Wondrous item No
by a crackJing noise that can be heard up to 300 feet Clockwork amulet Wondrous item No
away. The light is as bright as a torch flame but lasts Clothes of mending Wondrous item No
only a second. Dark shard amulet Wondrous item Yes (warlock)
Dread helm Wondrous item No
The wand regains l d6 + 1 expended charges daily at Ear horn of hearing Wondrous item No
dawn. Ifyou expend the wand's last charge, roll a d20. Enduring spellbook Wondrous item No
On a 1, the wand erupts in a harmless pyrotechnic dis- Ersatz eye Wondrous item Yes
play and is destroyed. Hat of vermin Wondrous item No
Hat of wizardry Wondrous item Yes (wizard)
WAND OF SCOWLS Heward's handy spice Wondrous item No
Wand, common pouch Wondrous item No
Horn of silent alarm Wondrous item Yes
This wand has 3 charges. W hile ho ld ing it, you can use Instrument ofillusions Wondrous item Yes
an action to expend 1 of its charges and target a human- Instrument of scribing Wondrous item No
oid you ca n see within 30 feet of you. T he target mus t Lock oftrickery Weapon No
succeed on a DC 10 Charisma saving throw or be forced Moon-touched sword Wondrous item No
to scowl for 1 m inute. Mystery key Wondrous item No
O rb of direction Wondrous item No
The wand regains all expended charges da ily at dawn. Orb of time Wondrous item No
If you expend the wand's last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, Perfume ofbewitching Wondrous item No
the wand transforms into a wand ofsmiles. Pipe of smoke monsters Wondrous item No
Pole of angl ing Wondrous item No
WAND OF SMILES Pole of collapsing Wondrous item No
Pot of awakening Potion No
Wand, common Potion of climbing Potion No
Potion of healing Wondrous item No
This wand has 3 charges. While holding it, you can use Rope of mending Wondrous item Yes (spellcaster)
a n action to expend 1 of its charges and target a h uman- Ruby of the war mage Armor No
oid you can see w ithin 30 feet of you. The target must Shield of expression Armor No
succeed on a DC 10 Charisma saving throw or be forced Smoldering armor Scroll No
to smile for 1 min ute. Spell scroll (cantrip) Scroll No
Spell scroll (1st level) Staff No
The wand regains a ll expended c harges da ily at dawn. Staff of adornment Staff No
lf you expend the wand's last charge, roll a d20. O n a 1, Staff of birdcalls
the wand tra nsfor ms into a wand ofscowls.
CREATING ADDITIONAL COMMON ITEMS
The "Special Features" section in chapter 7 ofthe Dungeon
Master's Guide is useful ifyou want to design other com-
mon magic items. For example, the What Minor Property
Does It Have? table might inspire you to create a magic
item that allows a character to speak and understand the
Goblin language (based on the table's Language property),
a magic item that glows in the presence of fiends (based
on the Sentinel property), or a magic item that projects
its user's voice over a great distance (based on the Wa r
Leader property).
CHAPTER 2 I DUNCEON MASTER'S TOOLS
Item Type A t t u n e? MINOR ITE M S, RARE
Staffof flowers Staff No
Talking doll Wondrous item Yes Item Type Attune?
Tankard of sobriety Wondrous item No Ammunition, +2 Weapon No
Unbreakable arrow Weapon No Bag of beans Wondrous item No
Veteran's cane Wondrous item No Bead of force Wondrous item No
Walloping ammunition Weapon No Chime of opening Wond rous item No
Wand of conducting Wand No Elixir of health Potion No
Wand of pyrotechnics Wand No Folding boat Wondrous item No
Wand of scowls Wand No Heward's handy haversack Wondrous item No
Wand of smiles Wand No Horseshoes of speed Wond rous item No
Necklace of fireballs Wondrous item No
MINOR ITE M S, UNCOMMON Oil ofetherealness Potion No
Por table hole Wondrous item No
Item Type Attu ne? Potion of clairvoyance Potion No
Alchemy jug Wondrous item No Potion ofdiminution Potion No
Ammunition , +l Weapon No Potion of fire giant strength Potion No
Bag of holding Wondrous item No Potion offrost giant Potion No
Cap of water breathing Wondrous item No
Cloak of the manta ray Wondrous item No strength Potion No
Decanter of endless water Wondrous item No Potion ofgaseous form Potion No
Driftglobe Wondrous item No Potion ofheroism Potion No
Dust ofdisappearance Wondrous item No Potion of invulnerability Potion No
Dust ofdryness Wondrous item No Potion of mind reading Potion No
Dust of sneezing and Wondrous item No Potion of stone giant
choking Wondrous item No strength Potion No
Elemental gem Wondrous item No Potion of superior healing Wondrous item No
Eyes of m i nute seeing Wondrous item No Quaal's feather token Scro ll No
Goggles of night Wondrous item No Scroll of protection Sc roll No
Helm of comprehending Spell scroll (4th level) Scrol l No
Spell scroll (5th level)
languages Rod No MINOR ITEMS, VERY RA RE
Immovable rod Wondrous item No
Keoghtom's ointment Wondrous item No Item Type A t tu ne?
Lantern of revealing Armor No No
Mariner's armor Armor No Ammunition, +3 Weapon No
Mithral armor Potion No No
Oil of slipperiness Wondrous item No Arrow of slaying Weapon No
Peria pt of health Potion No No
Philter of love Potion No Bag of devouring Wondrous item
Potion of animal friendship Potion No No
Potion of fire breath Potion No Horseshoes of a zephyr Wondrous item No
Potion of greater healing Potion No
Potion of growth Potion No Nolzur's marvelous Wondrous item No
Potion of hill giant strength Potion No No
Potion of poison Potion No pigments No
Potion of resistance Potion No No
Potion of water breathing Ring No Oil of sharpness Potion No
Ring of swimming Wondrous item No No
Robe of useful items Wondrous item No Potion of cloud giant Potion No
Rope of climbing Wondrous item No No
Saddle of the cavalier Wondrous item No strength No
Sending stones Scroll No
Spell scroll (2nd level) Scroll No Pot ion offlying Potion
Spell scroll (3rd level) Wand No Potion of invisibility Potion
Wand of magic detection Wand No
Wand of secrets Potion of longevity Potion
Potion of speed Potion
Potion ofsupreme healing Potion
Potion of vitality Potion
Spell scroll (6th level) Scroll
Spell scroll (7th level) Scroll
Spell scroll (8th level) Scroll
CHAPTER 2 I DUNC EON MASTER'S TOOLS
MINOR ITEMS, LEGENDARY Item Type Attune?
Pipes ofthe sewers Wond rous item Yes
Item Typ e Attu ne? Quiver of Ehlonna Wo nd rous item No
Potion of storm giant Potion No Ring of jumping Ring Yes
strength Ring of m ind shielding Rin g Yes
Sovereign glue Wondrous item No Ring ofwarmth Rin g Yes
Spell scroll (9th level) Scroll No Ring of water wa lking Ring No
Universal solvent Wondrous item No Rod of the pact keeper, +1 Rod Yes (warlock)
Sentinel shield Armor No
MAJOR ITEMS, UNCOM MON Shield, +l Armor No
Slippers of spider climbing Wondrous item Yes
Item Type Attune? Staff of the adder Staff Yes (cleric,
druid, or
Adamantine armor Armor No Staffofthe python Staff warlock)
Amulet of proof against Yes (cleric,
detection and location Wondrous item Yes Stone of good luck (luck- Wondrous item druid, or
Bag of tricks stone) warlock)
Boots of elvenkind Wondrous item No Sword ofvengeance Weapon Yes
Boots of strid ing and Wondrous item No Trident offish command Weapon
spr inging Wondrous item Yes Wand of magic missiles Wand Yes
Boots of the winterlands Wand of the wa r mage, +1 Wand Yes
Bracers of archery Wondrous item Yes Wand ofweb Wand No
Brooch of shielding Wondrous item Yes Weapon ofwarning Weapon Yes (spellcaster)
Broom of flying Wondrous item Yes Weapon, +l Weapon Yes (spellcaster)
Circlet of blasting Wo ndrous item No Wind fan Wondrous item Yes
Cloak of elvenkind Wondrous item No Winged boots Wondrous item No
Cloak of protection Wondrous item Yes No
Deck of illusions Wondrous item Yes Yes
Eversmoking bottle Wondrous item No
Eyes of charming Wondrous item No
Eyes of the eagle Wondrous item Yes
Figurine of wondrous Wondrous item Yes
power (silver raven) Wondrous item No
Gauntlets ofogre power
Gem of brightness Wondrous item Yes MAJOR ITEMS, RARE Type Attune?
Gloves of missile snarin g Wondrous item No Wondrous item Yes
Gloves of swimming an d Wond rous item Yes Item Armor Yes
climbing Wo ndrous item Yes Amulet of health Armor Yes
Gloves of thievery Armor of resista nce Armor No
Hat of disguise Wondrous item No A rm or ofvulnerability Armor Yes
H eadband of intellect Wondrous item Yes Armor, +l Wond rous item Yes
Helm oftelepathy Wondrous item Yes Arrow-catching shield Wondrous item Yes
Instrument of th e bards Wondrous item Yes Belt of dwarvenkind Weapon Yes
(Doss lute) Wondrous item Yes (bard) Belt of hill giant strength Wondrous item Yes
Instrument ofthe bards Berserker axe Wondrous item Yes
(Fochlucan bandore) Wondrous item Yes (bard) Boots of levitatio n Wondrous item No
Instrument of the ba rds Boots of speed
(Mac-Fuirmidh cittern) Wondrous item Yes (bard) Bowl of commanding Wondrous item Yes
Javelin of lightning water elementals Wondrous item No
Medallion of thoughts Bracers of defense
Necklace of adaptation Weapon No Brazier of co mmanding Wondrous item No
Pearl of power Wondrous item Yes fire elementals Wondrous item No
Peria pt of wou nd closure Wond rous item Yes Cape of the mountebank
Pipes of haunting Wond rous item Yes (spellcaster) Censer of controlling ai r Wondrous item Yes
Wondrous item Yes elementals
Wond rous item No Cloak of displacement
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
Item Type Attune? Item Type Attune?
Cloak ofthe bat Wondrous item Yes Ring of animal influence Ri n g No
Cube of force Wondrous item Yes Ring ofevasion Ring Yes
Daern's instant fortress Wondrous item No Ring offeather falling Ring Yes
Dagger of venom Weapon No Ring of free action Ring Yes
Dimensional shackles Wondrous item No Ring of protection Ring Yes
Dragon slayer Weapon No Ring of resistance Ring Yes
Elven chain Armor No Ring of spell storing Ring Yes
Figurine of wondrous Wondrous item No Ring of the ram Ring Yes
power (bronze griffon) Ring of X-ray vision Ring Yes
Figurine of wondrous Wondrous item No Robe of eyes Wondrous item Yes
power (ebony fly) Rod of rule rship Rod Yes
Figurine ofwondrous Wondrous item No Rod of the pact keeper, +2 Rod Yes (warlock)
power (golden lions) Rope of entanglement Wondrous item No
Figurine ofwondrous Wondrous item No Shield of missile attraction Armor Yes
power (ivory goats) Shield, +2 Armor No
Figurine ofwondrous Wondrous item No Staffofcharming Staff Yes (bard,
power (marble elephant) cleric, druid,
Figurine ofwond rous Won drous item No Staff of healing Staff sorcerer,
power (onyx dog) warlock, or
Figurine ofwondrous Wondrous item No Staff of swarming insect s Staff wizard)
power (serpentine owl) Yes (bard ,
Flame tongue Weapon Yes Staff of the woodlands Staff cleric, or
Gem of seeing Wondrous item Yes Staff of withering Staff druid)
Giant slayer Weapon No Yes (bard ,
Glamoured studded Armor No Stone of controlling earth Wondrous item cleric, dru id,
leather elementa ls sorce rer,
Helm ofteleportation Wondrous item Yes Sun blade Weapon wa rlock, or
Horn of blasting Wondrous item No Sword of life stealing Weapon wizard)
Horn ofValhalla (silver or Wondrous item No Sword ofwounding Weapon Yes (druid)
brass) Tentacle rod Rod Yes (cleric,
Instrument of the bards Wondrous item Yes (bard) Vicious weapon Weapon druid, or
(Canaith mandolin) Wand of binding Wand warlock)
Instrument of the bards Wondrous item Yes (bard) Wand of enemy detection Wand No
(Cli lyre) Wand of fear Wand
loun stone (awareness) Wondrous item Yes Wand of fireballs Wand Yes
loun stone (protection) Wondrous item Yes Wand of lightning bolts Wand Yes
loun stone (reserve) Wondrous item Yes Wand of para lysis Wand Yes
loun stone (sustenance) Wondrous item Yes Wand of the war mage, +2 Wand Yes
Iron bands of Bilarro Wondrous item No Wand of wonder Wand No
Mace of disruption Weapon Yes Weapon, +2 Weapon Yes (spellcaster)
Mace of smiting Weapon No Wings of flyi ng Wondrous item Yes
Mace of terror Weapon Yes Yes
Mant le of spell resistance Wondrous item Yes Yes (spellcaster)
Necklace of prayer beads Wondrous item Yes (cleric, Yes (spellcaster)
druid, or Yes (spellcaster)
Periapt of proof against Wondrous item paladin) Yes (spellcaster)
poison No Yes (spellcaster)
No
Yes
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
MAJOR ITEMS, VERY RARE
Item Type Attune?
Amulet ofthe planes Wondrous item Yes
Animated shield Armor Yes
Armor, +2 Armor No
Belt of fire giant strength Wondrous item Yes
Belt of frost/stone giant Wondrous item Yes
strength
Candle of invocation Wondrous item Yes
Carpet of flying Wondrous item No
Cloak of arachnida Wondrous item Yes
Crystal ball (very rare) Wondrous item Yes
Dancing sword Weapon Yes
Demon arm or Armor Yes
Dragon scale mail Armor Yes
Dwarven plate Armor No
Dwarven thrower Weapon Yes (dwarf)
Efreeti bottle Wondrous item No
Figurine ofwondrous Wondrous item No
power (obsidian steed)
Frost brand Weapon Yes
Helm of brilliance Wondrous item Yes
H orn ofValhalla (bronze) Wondrous item No
Instrument of t he bards Wondrous item Yes (bard)
(Anstruth harp)
lo un stone (absorption) Wondrous item Yes
loun stone (agility) Wondrous item Yes
loun stone (fortitude) Wondrous item Yes
loun stone (insight) Wondrous item Yes
loun stone (intellect) Wondrous item Yes
loun stone (leadership) Wondrous item Yes
loun stone (strength) Wondrous item Yes
Manual ofbodily health Wondrous item No
Manual of gainful exercise Wondrous item No
Manual of golems Wondrous item No
Manual of quickness of Wondrous item No
action
Mirror of life trapping Wondrous item No
Nine lives stealer Weapon Yes
Oathbow Weapon Yes
Ring of regeneration Ring Yes
RECHARGI N G W ITH OUT A DAWN Ring of shooting star s Ring Yes (outdoors
Some magic items can be used a limited number of times at night)
but are recharged by the arrival of dawn. What if you're on
a plane of existence that lacks anything resembling dawn? Rin g of teleki nesis Ring Yes
The DM should choose a time every 24 hours when such
magic items recharge on that plane of existence. Robe of scintillating Wondrous item Yes
Even on a world that experiences dawn each day, the DM colors
is free to choose a different time-perhaps noon, sunset,
or midnight- when certain magic items recharge. Robe of stars Wondrous item Yes
Rod of absorption Rod Yes
Rod of alertness Rod Yes
Rod of security Rod No
Rod of the pact keeper, +3 Rod Yes (warlock)
Scimitar of speed Weapon Yes
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
Item Type Attu ne? Ite m Type At t u ne ?
Shield, +3 Armor No Yes
Spellguard shield Armor Yes Plate armor of ethere- Armor
Staffof fire Staff Yes (druid, sor- Yes
cerer, warlock, alness
Staff of frost Staff or wizard) Yes
Yes (druid, sor- Ring of air elemental Ring Yes
Staffof power Staff cerer, warlock,
or wizard) command Yes
Staff of striking Staff Yes (sorcerer,
Staff of thunder and ligh t- Staff warlock, or Ring of djinni summoning Ring Yes
ning wizard) Yes
Sword ofsharpness Weapon Yes Ring of earth elemental Ring No
Tome of clear thought Wondrous item Yes Yes
Tome of leaders h ip and Wondrous item command
influence Yes Yes (sorcerer,
Tome of understanding Wondrous item No Ring of fi re elemental Ring warlock, or
Wand of polymorph Wand No wizard)
Wand of the war mage, +3 Wand command Yes
Weapon, +3 Weapon No Yes (cleric,
Yes (spellcaster) Ri ng of invisibil ity Ring druid, or
Yes (spellcaster) paladin)
No Ring of spell turning Ring Yes
No
Ring ofthree wishes Ring Yes (sorcerer,
warlock, or
Ring of water elemental Ring wizard)
Yes (creature of
command same alignment
as sword)
Robe ofthe archmagi Wondrous item Yes (creature of
good alignment)
Rod of lordly might Rod Yes
Rod of resu rrection Rod Yes (creature of
evil alignment)
MAJOR ITEMS, LEGENDARY Scarab of protection Wo ndrous item Yes (wizard)
Sphere of annihilation Wondrous item
Staffofthe magi Staff Yes
No
It em Type Attune? Sword of answering Weapon
Apparatus of Kwalish Wondrous item No
Armor of invulnerability Armor Yes Talisman of pure good Wondrous item
Armor, +3 Armor No
Belt of cloud giant Wondrous item Yes
strength Wondrous item Yes Talisman of the sphere Wondro us item
Belt of storm giant Talisman of ultimate evil Wondrous item
strength Wondrous item Yes
Cloak of invisibility Wondrous item Yes Tome of the stilled Wondrous item
Crystal ball (legendary) Wondrous item No ton g ue
Cubic gate Wondrous item No Vorpal sword Weapon
Deck of many things Weapon Yes Well of many worlds Wondrous item
Defender Armor Yes
Efreeti chain Weapon Yes (Giant's
Hamme r ofthunderbolts Bane)
Yes (pa ladin)
Holy avenger Weapon No ,,.,.c,~ic l ~( '"II f ( 10 {icl...l(,
Horn ofValhalla (iron) Wond rous item Yes (bard)
Instrument of the bards Wondrous item i (,,.,.s. A0
(Ollamh harp) Yes u" lf0 l o"'
loun stone (greater ab- Wondrous item (V( I"' •
sorption) Yes
loun stone (mastery) Wondrous item Yes Fl '"I ·""''"\
loun stone (regenera- Wondrous item
ti o n ) No t ( (\fl
Iron flask Wondrous item Yes
Luck blade Weapon O"',
, f( " wort..' A llA("' ('"I
o{~ t..
llA('"I G"' l IA( 0
\,,li"'-
I t~ -i"'
o ' o"',
0
C H APTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
CHAPTER 3
SPELLS
ANY OF THE CHARACTER CLASSES IN THE When a DM adds spells to a campaign, clerics, druids,
and paladins require special consideration. When char-
Player's Handbook harness magic in the acters of those classes prepare their spells, they have ac-
fo rm of spells. This chapter provides new cess to the entire spell list for their class. Given that fact,
spells for those classes, as well as for the DM should be cautious about making all of these
spellcasting monsters. The Dungeon Mas- ne w spells available to a player who is overwhelmed
ter decides which of these spells are avail- when presented with many options. For such a player,
able in a campaign and how they can be consider adding only story-appropriate spells to the spell
learned. For example, a DM might decide list of that player's character.
that some of the spells are freely ava ilable, that others
are unobtainable, and that a handful can be found on ly SPELL LISTS
after a specia l quest, pe rhaps discovered in a long-lost
tome of magic. Wizard spells, in particular, ca n be intro- The following spell lists show which spells can be cast
duced to a campaign in spell books found as treasu re. by character s of each class. Aspell's school of magic is
noted in parentheses. If a spell can be cast as a ritua l,
the ritual tag also appea rs in the parentheses.
BARD SPELLS CLERIC SPELLS DRUID SPELLS
(ANTRIPS (o LEVEL} CANTRIPS (o LEVEL} (ANTRIPS (o LEVEL}
Thunderclap (evocation) Toll the dead (necromancy) Control flames (transmutation)
Word ofradiance (evocation) Create bonfire (conjuration)
1ST LEVEL Frostbite (evocation)
1ST LEVEL Gust (transmutation)
Earth tremor (evocation) Infestation (conjuration)
Ceremony (abjuration, ritual) Magic stone (transmutation)
2ND LEVEL Mold earth (transmutation)
3RD LEVEL Primal savagery (transmutation)
Pyrotechnics (transmutation) Shape water (transmutation)
Skywrite (transmutation, ritual) Life transference (necromancy) Thunderclap (evocation)
Warding wind (evocation)
STH LEVEL 1ST LEVEL
3RD LEVEL
Dawn (evocation) Absorb elements (abj uration)
Catnap (enchantment) Holy weapon (evocation) Beast bond (divination)
Enemies abound (enchantment) Earth tremor (evocation)
]TH LEVEL Ice knife (conjuration)
4TH LEVEL Snare (abjuration)
Temple ofthe gods (conjurat ion)
Charm monster (enchantment) 2ND LEVEL
STH LEVEL Dust devil (conjuration)
Earthbind (transmutation)
Skill empowerment (transmutation) Healing spirit (conjuration)
Synaptic static (enchantment) Skywrite (transmutation, rit ual)
Warding wind (evocation)
9TH LEVEL
Mass polymorph (transmutation)
Psychic scream (enchantment)
3RD LEVEL SORCERER SPELLS 6TH LEVEL
Erupting earth (transmutation) Investiture offlame (transmutation)
Flame arrows (transmutation) CANTRIPS (o LEVEL) Investiture ofice (transmutation)
Tidal wave (conjuration) Investiture ofstone (transmutation)
Wall ofwater (evocation) Control flames (transmutation) Investiture ofwind (transmutation)
Create bonfire (conjuration) Mental prison (illusion)
4TH LEVEL Frostbite (evocation) Scatter (conjuration)
Charm monster (enchantment) Gust (transmutation)
Elemental bane (transmutation) Infestation (conjuration) ]TH LEVEL
Guardian ofnature (transmutation) Mold earth (transmutation) Crown ofstars (evocation)
Watery sphere (conjuration) Shape water (transmutation) Power word pain (enchantment)
Thunderclap (evocation) Whirlwind (evocation)
STH LEVEL
Control winds (transmutation) lST LEVEL 8TH LEVEL
Maelstrom (evocation) Absorb elements (abjuration) Abi-Dalzim's horrid wilting (necromancy)
Transmute rock (transmutation) Catapult (transmutation)
Wrath ofnature (evocation) Chaos bolt (evocation) 9TH LEVEL
Earth tremor (evocation) Mass polymorph (transmutation)
6TH LEVEL Ice knife (conjuration) Psychic scream (enchantment)
Bones ofthe earth (transmutation)
Druid grove (abjuration) 2ND LEVEL WARLOCK SPELLS
Investiture offlame (transmutation) Aganazzar's scorcher (evocation)
Investiture ofice (transmutation) Dragon's breath (transmutation) CA NTR IPS {o LEVEL}
Investiture ofstone (transmutation) Dust devil (conjuration)
Investiture ofwind (transmutation) Earthbind (transmutation) Create bonfire (conjuration)
Primordial ward (abjuration) Maximilian's earthen grasp Frostbite (evocation)
Infestation (conjuration)
]TH LEVEL (transmutation) Magic stone (transmutation)
Whirlwind (evocation) Mind spike (divination) Thunderclap (evocation)
Pyrotechnics (transmutation) Toll the dead (necromancy)
PALADI N SPELLS Shadow blade (illusion)
Snilloc's snowball swarm (evocation) lST LEVEL
lST LEVEL Warding wind (evocation) Cause fear (necromancy)
Ceremony (abjuration, ritual)
3RD LEVEL 2ND LEVEL
4TH LEVEL Catnap (enchantment) Earthbind (transmutation)
Find greater steed (conjuration) Enemies abound (enchantment) Mind spike (div ination)
Erupting earth (transmutation) Shadow blade (illusion)
STH LEVEL Flame arrows (transmutation)
Holy weapon (evocation) Melfs minute meteors (evocation) 3RD LEVEL
Thunder step (conjuration) Enemies abound (enchantment)
RANGER SPELLS Tidal wave (conjuration) Thunder step (conjuration)
Wall ofwater (evocation) Summon lesser demons (conjuration)
lST LEVEL
Absorb elements (abjuration) 4TH LEVEL 4TH LEVEL
Beast bond (divination) Charm monster (enchantment) Charm monster (enchantment)
Snare (abjuration) Sickening radiance (evocation) Elemental bane (transmutation)
Zephyr strike (transmutation) Storm sphere (evocation) Shadow ofmoil (necromancy)
Vitriolic sphere (evocation) Sickening radiance (evocation)
2ND LEVEL Watery sphere (conjuration) Summon greater demon (conjuration)
Healing spirit (conjuration)
STH LEVEL STH LEVEL
3RD LEVEL Control winds (transmutation) Danse macabre (necromancy)
Flame arrows (transmutation) Enervation (necromancy) Enervation (necromancy)
Far step (conjuration) Far step (conj uration)
4TH LEVEL Immolation (evocation) Infernal calling (conjuration)
Guardian ofnature (transmutation) Skill empowerment (transmutation) Negative energy flood (necromancy)
Synaptic static (enchantment) Synaptic static (enchantment)
STH LEVEL Wall oflight (evocation) Wall oflight (evocation)
Steel wind strike (conjuration)
Wrath ofnature (evocation)
Cll1\PTFR 3 J SPELLS
6TH LEVEL Life transference (necromancy) Transmute rock (transmutation)
Melfs minute meteors (evocation) Wall oflight (evocation)
Investiture offlame (transmutation) Summon lesser demons (conjuration)
Investiture ofice (transmutation) Thunder step (conjuration) 6TH LEVEL
Investiture ofstone (transmutation) Tidal wave (conjuration)
Investiture ofwind (transmutation) Tiny servant (transmutation) Create homunculus (transmutation)
Mental prison (illusion) Wall ofsand (evocation) Investiture offlame (transmutation)
Scatter (conjuration) Wall ofwater (evocation) Investiture ofice (transmutation)
Soul cage (necromancy) Investiture ofstone (transmutation)
4TH LEVEL Investiture ofwind (transmutation)
]TH LEVEL Mental prison (illusion)
Charm monster (enchantment) Scatter (conjuration)
Crown ofstars (evocation) Elemental bane (transmutation) Soul cage (necromancy)
Power word pain (enchantment) Sickening radiance (evocation) Tenser's transformation (transmutation)
Storm sphere (evocation)
8TH LEVEL Summon greater demon (conjuration) ]TH LEVEL
Vitriolic sphere (evocation)
Maddening darkness (evocation) Watery sphere (conjuration) Crown ofstars (evocation)
Power word pain (enchantment)
9TH LEVEL STH LEVEL Whirlwind (evocation)
Psychic scream (enchantment) Control winds (transmutation) 8TH LEVEL
Danse macabre (necromancy)
WIZARD SPELLS Dawn (evocation) Abi-Dalzim's horrid wilting (necromancy)
Enervation (necromancy) Illusory dragon (illusion)
CANTRIPS {o LEVEL) Far step (conjuration) Maddening darkness (evocation)
Immolation (evocation) Mighty fortress (conjuration)
Control flames (transmutation) Infernal calling (conjuration)
Create bonfire (conjuration) Negative energy flood (necromancy) 9TH LEVEL
Frostbite (evocation) Skill empowerment (transmutation)
Gust (transmutation) Steel wind strike (conjuration) Invulnerability (abjuration)
Infestation (conjuration) Synaptic static (enchantment) Mass polymorph (transmutation)
Mold earth (transmutation) Psychic scream (enchantment)
Shape water (transmutation)
Thunderclap (evocation)
Toll the dead (necromancy)
lST LEVEL
Absorb elements (abjuration)
Catapult (transmutation)
Cause fear (necromancy)
Earth tremor (evocation)
Ice knife (conjuration)
Snare (abjuration)
2ND LEVEL
Aganazzar's scorcher (evocation)
Dragon's breath (transmutation)
Dust devil (conjuration)
Earthbind (transmutation)
Maximilian's earthen grasp
(transmutation)
Mind spike (divination)
Pyrotechnics (transmutation)
Shadow blade (illusion)
Skywrite (transmutation, ritual)
Snilloc's snowball swarm (evocation)
Warding wind {evocation)
3RD LEVEL
Catnap (enchantment)
Enemies abound (enchantment)
Erupting earth (transmutation)
Flame arrows (transmutation)
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D&D 5E - Xanathar's Guide to Everything
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