D&D 5e Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica

RAKDOS CARNIVAL Fire erupts from the ground at up to four points of the
DM's choice in the carnival. The fire lasts for 1 minute
As lumbering giants put up makeshift stages and cack- or until this action is used again. Each jet of flame is
ling devils ignite the footlights, the first performers be- a 20-foot-tall cylinder with a 5-foot radius. Each crea-
gin to gather the crowds. Exuberant music with erratic ture in the cylinder when it first appears must make
rhythms draws spectators from the surrounding neigh- a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) fire
borhood. and cheers of approval greet the more accom- damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a
plished performers- along with gasps a nd shrieks as successful one. Any creature that starts its turn in the
the acts get more risky and the fi rs t blood is drawn. Ac- flames must also make the saving throw.
robats cavort through the streets while sword swallow- • Whirling blades, spiked chains. or other implements
ers and knife throwers flash bright steel. The crowd gets of agony appear for a moment to menace ld6 random
larger and wilder, the shouts and screams get louder, the creatures in a 20-foot cube. Each target must succeed
fires burn brighter, and blood glistens red in the torch- on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 9 (2d8)
light. The spectacle is gruesome but captivating; the force damage.
crowd hates to watch but can't look away. Soon madness • Blood splashes all creatures in a 20-foot-radius sphere
takes them, a nd they- devils and ogres, acrobats and centered on a point within the ca rnival. Each creature
spectators- a re caught up in a fre nzy of violence. Only in that area becomes the target of a confusion spell
when it is over does the horror of the event sink in. (save DC 15).

A Rakdos carnival is more than the sum of its per- REGIONAL EFFECTS
formers and its a udience. It is a frenzy that grips those
present, a fiendish madness that comes on suddenly The carnival exerts a powerful influence over those who
and departs just as quickly, leaving gore in its wake. The come close to the festivities:
carnival, in fact, has a life of its own-and when adven-
turers face the Cult of Rakdos in the midst of a revel, the When a creature that is outside the carnival sees or
carnival is one more foe arrayed against them. hears it. the creature must succeed on a DC 15 Wis-
dom saving throw or use its movement each round
When at least six Rakdos performers perform to- to move toward the carnival. It can repeat the saving
gether in public, they can call on the carnival to aid throw at the end of each of its turns. ending the effect
them. When determining the difficulty of such an en- on a success. On a successful save, the creature be-
counte r, consider the carnival to be one additional crea- comes immune to this effect for 24 hours.
ture of challenge rating 3. • If a creature attempts to leave the carnival. the crea-
ture must make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw. On
LAIR ACTIONS a failed save, the creature instead moves toward the
center of the carnival. On a successful save, the crea-
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the car- ture becomes immune to this effect for 24 hours.
nival takes a lair action, causing one of the following
effects; the carnival can't use the same effect two If all the Ra kdos performers in the carnival die or
rounds in a row: leave its area, these effects end immediately.

<.II \l'Tr R , I l<l l'Clli l>S ANO I 01 S

SELESNYA NPCs TROSTANI

Those drawn to the Selesnya Conclave find the guild's The Selesnya guildmaster is an amalgamation of three
mission of inclusion and harmony appealing. They gain dryads in body, will, and soul. Each dryad's body ex-
comfort and fulfillment from the guild's peaceful coex- tends from a central trunk, so while they possess inde-
istence with civilization and untamed nature. But the pendent minds. they share a single name-Trostani-
guild's drive isn't only to draw people into a peaceable and a single life force. Usually Trostani communicates
community: the Selesnya aim to build an army. They ar- the will of the Worldsoul with one voice, but sbe retains
en't naive; they realize that the ambitions of other guilds three distinct personalities that embody the three parts
will lead to violence, and they plan to be prepared for it. of the Selesnyan ideal: order, life, and harmony. In the
midst of increasing tensions on Ravnica, the three per-
Despite the guild's atmosphere of peaceful quietude, sonalities have recently been at odds over how best to
many of its members have military roles. The Selesnya navigate the conclave through such difficult times.
NPCs table summarizes key roles within the guild. Sta-
tistics for these NPCs are found in the Monster Manual Trostani spends most of her time in the towering tree
unless the table states otherwise. of Vitu-Ghazi, the Selesnya guildhall. There she com-
munes with Mat'Selesnya and with the dryads who lead
SELESNYA NPCs individual Selesnya communities across Ravnica.

Role Appropriate Stat Block TROSTANI'S TRAITS
Equenaut (cavalry) Scout mounted on a pegasus Ideal: "l n each of us is the strength of all of us."
Ledev guardian (outrider) Knight mounted on a dire wolf B ond: "All will come to the warm embrace of the
Re ligious leader Priest or druid
Selesnya soldier Soldier* or veteran Conclave."
Shepherd Horncaller* F l aw: "I have nothing but anger for those who break the

·~Appears in this chapter bonds of the community and leave our embrace."

HORNCALLER

Specialized shamans called horncallers use their magic
to call wild beasts to fight alongside Selesnya troops.
In quieter times, they tend the animals associated with
Selesnya enclaves and parks.

ThOSTANI ACTIONS

Large fey, neutral good Multiattack. Trostani takes three actions: she uses Constrict

Armor Class 17 (natural armor) and Touch of Order, and she casts a spell with a casting time
Hit Points 252 (24dl0 + 120) of l action.
Speed 30 ft.
Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA creature. Hit: 15 (3d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage, and the target
19 (+5) 14 (+2) 20 (+5) 16 (+3) 30 (+10) 25 (+7)
is grappled (escape DC 19). Until this grapple ends, the target
Saving Throws Con +11, Wis+16, Cha +13 is restrained. Trostani can grapple no more than three targets
Skills Arcana +9, Ins ight +16, Natu re +9, Perception +1 6, at a time.

Persuasion +13 Touch ofOrder. Melee Spell Attack: +16 to hit. reach 5 ft., one
Condition Immunities charmed, grappled creature. Hit: 23 (3d8 + 10) radiant damage, and Trostani can
Senses darkvision 120 ft. , passive Perception 26
Languages Common, Druidic, Elvish, Sylvan choose one magic item she can see in the target's possession.
Challenge 18 (20,000 XP) Unless it's an artifact, the item's magic is suppressed until the
start ofTrostani's next turn.
Innate Spe/lcasting. Trostani's innate spellcasting ab ility is
Wrath of Mat'Selesnya (Recharge 5-6). Trostani conjures a
Wisdom (spell save DC 24). She can innately cast the following
s pells, requiring no material components: mome ntary whirl of branches and vines at a poin t she can see
with in 60 feet of her. Each creature in a 30-foot cube on that
At will: dispel magic, druidcraft point must make a DC 24 Dexterity saving throw, taking 21
3/day each: bless, conjure animals, giant insect, moonbeam, plant (6d6) bludgeoning damage and 21 (6d6) slashing damage on a
fai led save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
growth, spike growth, suggestion
l/day each: conjure fey, mass cure wounds LEGENDARY ACTIONS

Legendary Resistance (3/0ay). lfTrostani fa ils a saving throw, Trostani can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the op·
tions below. Only one legendary action option can be used at
she can choose to succeed instead. a time and only at the end ofanother creature's turn. Trostani
regains spent legendary actions at the start of her turn.
Magic Resistance. Trostani has advantage on saving throws
Voice of Harmony. Trostani makes one melee attack, with ad-
aga inst spells and other magical effects. vantage on the attack roll.

Magic Weapons. Trostani's weapon attacks are magical. Voice oflife. Trostani bestows 20 temporary hit points on an-
other creature she can see within 120 feet of her.
Speak with Beasts and Plants. Trostani can communicate with
Voice ofOrder. Trostani casts dispel magic.
beasts and plants as if they shared a language. Chorus ofthe Conclave (Costs 2 Actions). Trostani casts sugges-

Tree Stride. Once on her turn, Trostani can use 10 feet of her tion. This counts as one of her daily uses of the spell.

movement to step magically into one living tree within her Awaken Grove Guardians (Costs 3 Actions). Trostani animates
reach and emerge from a second living tree with in 60 feet of one or two t rees she can see within 120 feet of her, causing
the first tree, appearing in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of them to uproot themselves and become awakened trees (see
the second tree. Both trees must be Large or bigger.
the Monster Manual for their stat blocks) for l minute or unti l

Trostani uses a bonus action to end the effect. These trees
understand Druidic and obey Trostani's spoken commands,
but can't speak. If she issues no commands to them, the
trees do nothing but follow her and take the Dodge action.

2)2 CH'\rTER 6 I FRIENDS A.NO FOES

..

HORNCALLER EMMARA T ANDRIS

Medium humanoid (any race), lawf ul good An elf priest, Emmara Tandris is committed to pursuing
peace between the guilds with all her heart, even as Tros-
Armor Class 13 (hide armor) tani hesitates in self-conflict. As a friend of)ace Beleren,
Hit Points 39 (6d8 + 12) she understands that he's never going to be able to settle
Speed 30 ft . on Ravnica, so she believes the world needs a replacement
for the Guildpact. Emmara plays an active role in her com-
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA munity, and she has many non-Selesnya friends aside from
13 (+1) 12 (+l) 14 (+2) 10 (+O) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) the Guildpact. One ofthe most active advocates of cooper-
ation among the guilds, she is relying on personal connec-
Skills Animal Handling +4, Nature +2, Perception +4 tions with members of other guilds to help that effort.
Senses passive Perception 14
Languages Common plus any one language
Challenge 1 (200 XP)

Innate Spel/casting. The horncaller's inna te spellcasting ability
is Wisdom (spell save DC 14). The horncaller can innatelycast
the following spells, requiring no mate rial components:

l/day each: bless , conjure animals

Speak with Beasts. The horncaller can communicate with
beasts as if they shared a language.

ACTIONS
Multiattack. The hornca ller makes two melee attacks with its
staff and uses One with the Worldsoul.

Staff. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach S ft ., one ta rget.
Hit: 4 (ld6 + 1) piercing damage, or S (ld8 + 1) bludgeoning
damage if used wit h two hands.

One with the Worldsoul. The horncaller chooses one beast it
can see within 30 feet of it. If the beast can hear the horncaller,
the beast uses its reaction to make one melee attack against a
target t ha t the horncaller can see.

CHAPlER 6 FRl!·NUS A~D FOES

S1M1c NPCs PRIME SPEAKER ZEGANA

Curiosity about the manifold wonders of life-as well The regal and reticent Prime Speaker Zegana is the
as the magical science involved in modifying it- leads merfolk guildmaster of the Simic Combine. She up-
inquisitive and ambitious minds from across Ravnica to holds the traditional ways of the guild and its utopian
join the Simic Combine. Grouped together in clades and philosophy, which espouses a vision of an ideal world in
projects, Simic scientists look for new ways to speed the which nature and civilization coexist in perfect balance.
nature's processes of adaptation and evolution, prepar- Some people in the guild- members of the Adaptationist
ing organisms of all kinds that can thrive in the danger- faction in particular-argue that her ways are outdated
ous and ever-changing urban environment. and the guild requires more practical leadership. In
response, Zegana maintains that she serves as prime
Most Simic researchers are humans, vedalken, elves, speaker only at the sufferance of the Speakers' Cham-
and merfolk, or at least they were born that way. During ber, and if the other speakers wish to replace her, they
their careers, they might give themselves such a wide are certainly within their rights to do so.
variety of adaptations and augmentations that their her-
itage is hard to ascertain. The Simic NPCs table sum- ZEGANA'S TRAITS
marizes key roles within the guild. Statistics for these
NPCs are found in the Monster Manual unless the table Ideal: "Nature's patterns are the schematics for how
states otherwise. to improve."

S1 M 1c NPCs Appropriate Stat Block Bond: "I will use all the resources at my disposal to see
Biomancer* that Ravnica becomes the best it can be."
Role Druid
Biomancer (creates hybrids) Druid or mage Flaw: "I can't understand how progress could ever be
Forcemage (grows flora and fauna) the wrong goal."
Terraformer (alters environments)
BIOMANCER
* Appears in this chapter
Nearly all the innovation and advancement in Simic bio-
engineering comes from the work of biomancers. Spe-
cialists in hybridizing and altering creatures through a
mixture of science and magic, they have spawned count-
less hybrids and krasis in search of the perfect union
between nature and civilization.

ZEGANA A CTIONS

Medium humanoid (merfolk), lawful neutral Prime Speaker's Trident. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +10
to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 +
Armor Class 16 (natural armor) 5) piercing damage, and the trident emits a thunderous boom.
Hit Points 130 (20d8 + 40) Each creature in a 15-foot cube originating from the prongs of
the trident must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw. O n
Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft. a failed save, the creature takes 9 (2d8) thunder damage and is
pushed 10 feet away from Zegana. If the creature is underwa·
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA ter, the damage is increased to 13 (3d8). On a successful save,
11 (+O) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 20 (+S) 18 (+4) 16 (+3) the creature takes half as much damage and isn't pushed.

Saving Throws Int +10, Wis +9 Deluge (Recharge 4-6). Zegana conjures a wave of water that
Skills Insight +9, Nature +1 0, Perception +9 crashes down on an area within 120 feet of her. The area can
Damage Resistances cold, poison be up to 30 feet long, up to 10 feet wide, and up to l 0 feet tal l.
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 19 Each creature in that area must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving
languages Common, Elvish, Merfolk throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 18 (4d8) bludgeoning
Challenge 16 (15,000 XP) damage and is knocked prone. On a successful save, a creature
takes half as much damage and isn't knocked prone. The wa·
Amphibious. Zegana can breathe air and water. ter spreads out across the ground, extinguishing unprotected
flames it comes in contact with, and then vanishes.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). lfZegana fails a saving throw,
she can choose to succeed instead . LEG ENDA RY A CTI O NS

Magic Resistance. Zegana has advanta ge on saving throws Zegana can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the op·
aga ins t spells and other magical effects. tions below. Only one legendary action option can be used at
a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Zegana
Spellcasting. Zegana is a 15th-level Simic spellcaste r. Her spell· regains spent legendary actions at the start of her turn.
casting ab ility is Intell igence (spell save DC 18, +1 0 to hit w ith
spell attacks). She has the following wizard spells prepared: Adaptive Skin. Zegana gains resistance to one damage type of
her choice- acid, fire, lightning, or thunder-until the start
Cantrips (at will): acid splash, druidcraft, ray offrost, shape water of her next turn.
lst level (4 slots): color spray, expeditious retreat.fog
Trident. Zegana makes one melee attack with the Prime Speak·
cloud, shield er's Trident.
2nd level (3 slots): enlarge/reduce, gust ofwind
3rd level (3 slots): counterspell,fly, slow Enlarge (Costs 2 Actions). Zegana casts enlarge/reduce on her·
4th level (3 slots): control water, ice storm, polymorph self, us ing the enlarge option, without expending a spell slot.
5th level (2 slots): conjure elemental, creation
6th level (l slot): move earth, wall ofice Deluge (Costs 3 Actions). Zegana uses Deluge, if available.
7th level (l slot): prismatic spray, teleport
8th level (l slot): control weather, dominate monster

UHAl'l ER b I f{(~;~DS A~D FOES

B IOMANCER Spellcasting. The biomancer is a 16th-level Simic spellcaster.

Medium humanoid (any race), neutral good Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 17, +9 to
hit with spell attacks). The biomancer has the following wizard
Armor Class 17 (splint)
Hit Points 110 (17d8 + 34) spells prepared:
Speed 30 ft.
Cantrips (at will): acid splash, light, mending, poison spray,
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA shocking grasp
10 (+0) 15 (+2) 14 (+2) 20 (+S) 14 (+2) 15 (+2)
1st level (4 slots): detect magic, grease, shield
Saving Throws Int +9, Wis +6 2nd level (3 slots): alter self. darkvision, enlarge/reduce,
Skills Arca na +9, Nature +9
Senses passive Perception 12 hold person
Languages Comm on plus any one language 3rd level (3 slots): counterspe/I, dispel magic, haste, protection
Challenge 10 (S,900 XP)
from energy
Bolstering Presence. The biomancer magically emanates 4th level (3 slots): confusion, conjure minor elementals,

life-giving energy within 30 feet of itself. Any ally of the bio· polymorph
mancer that starts its turn there regains 5 (ld10) hit points. 5th level (2 slots): cone ofcold, creation, hold monster
6th level (1 slot): move earth, wall ofice
Magic Resistance. The biomancer has advantage on saving 7th level (1 slot): prismatic spray
8th level (1 slot): control weather
throws against spell s and other magical effects.
A CTIO N S

Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one tar·
get. Hit: 5 (ld6 + 2) slashing damage.

l 11 \P'l IR b I fRIEl\O!i AND FOE