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 outside
91- 93 ld8 + l giant apes lS- 16 l phase spider
94- 96 2d4 oni 17- 18 l gnoll pack lord with l d4 giant hyenas
97- 99 ld3 treants 19-20 l orog or l pegasus
00 l ancient green dragon 21-22 l ankheg
23-24 ld3 rhinoceroses
FOREST ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 17-20) 2S- 28 l d3 cockatrices
dlOO Encounter 29- 32 ld6 + 2 giant wasps or ld4 + 3 swarms of insects
01 - 0S
06-10 l young green dragon 33- 36 ld4 jackalweres or ld4 scouts
11-13
14- 16 l treant 37- 40 l d8 giant goats or ld8 worgs
17- 19
20- 22 l guardian naga 41-44 2d4 hobgoblins, 2d4 ores, or 2d4 gnolls
23-2S
ldl 0 revenants 4S-46 1d2 giant poisonous snakes
26-28
29-31 ld8 + l unicorns 47- 48 ld6 + 2 elk or ld6 + 2 riding horses
32-34
3S- 37 ld3 grick alphas 49-SO 2d4 goblins
38- 40
For a few hundred feet, wherever the cha racters Sl-S2 ld3 boars
41 - 43
44-46 step, Aowers bloom and emit soft light. S3-S4 l panther (leopard) or l lion
47-49
SO- S2 l young gold dragon SS-S8 ld6 + 3 goblins riding wolves
S3- 62
63- 6S t.ld6 + 2 shambling mounds S9-62 2d6 giant wolfspiders or l giant eagle
rialis2d4 werebears 63-6S l d8 + 4 pteranodons
66- 7S Aeld4 oni 66-69 3d6 wolves
76-80 DF4d6 + 10 elves living in a small community in the 70-74 2d4 + 2 axe beaks
81-90 u Ptreetops 7S- 76 l giant boar or ld2 tigers
91-96 benld6 + 2 gorgons 77-78 l ogre or ld3 bugbears
97-99 f De2d4 trolls 79-80 l giant elk, or l gnoll pack lord with l d3 giant
n ol d4 giant apes hyenas
00 ersiold3 yuan-ti abominations 81 - 82 ld3 giant vultures or ld3 hippogriffs
o vld3 young green dragons 83- 84 l goblin boss with l d6 + 2 goblins and ld4 + 3
demA SO-foot-tall stone s tatue of an elf warrior with wolves, or ld3 thri-kreen
g ahand raised, palm out, as if to forbid travelers from8S- 89 ld3 druids patrolling the wi lds
usincoming this way 90- 91 ld6 scarecrows or l wereboar
ifiedld4 treants 92- 93 l d3 centaurs or l d3 griffons
odA cairn set atop a low hill ld3 gnoll fangs ofYeenoghu, or l ore Eye of
n ml adult gold dragon 94 Gruumsh with 2d4 + l ores
beel ancient green dragon l triceratops
has2d4 + l treants 9S-96 l cyclops or l bulette
This PDFl ancient gold dragon 97 l d4 manticores
l tyrannosaurus rex
98- 99
00
GRASSLAND ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 6-10)
- // dlOO Encounter
01 ld3 gorgons
GRASSLAND ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 1-5) 02 ld4 cyclopes
l d3 gnoll fangs ofYeenoghu
dlOO Encounter 03- 04 l chimera
01 l hobgoblin captain with ld4 + l hobgoblins OS- 06 ld4 + l veterans on riding horses
02 l chimera 07-09 A tornado that touches down ld6 miles away, tear-
03 l gorgon 10-1 1 ing up the land for l mile before it dissipates
04 ld2 couatls l d3 manticores
OS l ankylosaurus 12-13 2d4 ankhegs
06 l weretiger 14- lS ld8 + l centaurs
07 ld3 allosauruses 16- 17 ld6 + 2 griffons
08- 09 ld3 elephants 18- 19
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 91 - 96 across that appears to have been pressed down;
29-32 l gnoll pack lord with l d4 + l giant hyenas 97-99 ld4 more such circles connected by lines can be
33-36 2d4 scarecrows seen from overhead.
37-40 ldl 2 lions 00 2d4 tyrannosaurus rexes
41-44 l dl 0 thri-kreen 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 dl OO Encounter
53- 54 ld2 pegasi 01- 10 2d6 triceratops
55- 58 l ankylosaurus 11-20 ldlO gorgons
59-62 ld2 couatls 21-25 2d6 hyenas feed ing on the carcass of a dead
63-66 l ore Eye ofGruumsh with ld8 + l ores dinosaur
67- 70 2d4 hippogriffs 26-35 3d6 bulettes
71-74 l d4 + l rhinoceroses 36-40 A fie ry chariot that races across the sky
75-76 l hobgoblin captain with 2d6 hobgoblins 41-50 ld3 young gold dragons
t.77-78
rialis79-80
Ae81- 82
DF83-84
u P85-87
ben88-90
f De91- 92
ion o93- 94
g a demo vers95-96
usin97
ified98-99
od00
ld3 phase spiders 51-60 2d4 cyclopes
ld6 + 2 giant boars 61 - 65 A valley where all the grass has died and the
2d4 giant elk ground is littered with stumps and fallen tree
ld4 ogres and ld4 orogs 66- 75 t run ks, all petrified
A hot wi nd that carries the stench of rot 76-80 2dl0 bugbears with 4d6 goblins and 2d10 wolves
1d3 weretigers A friendly adventuring party of l d6 + 1 characters
1 bulette 81-90 of varying races, classes, and levels (average level
A tribe of 2d20 + 20 nomads (tribal warriors) on 91-96 ld 6 + 2). They share information about their recent
riding horses following a herd of antelope (deer). 97- 99 t ravels.
The nomads are willi ng to trade food, leather, and ldl2 chimeras
information fo r weapons. 00 1d6 + 2 tyrannosaurus rexes
ld6 + 2 wereboars 1 adult gold dragon
l young gold dragon l ancient gold dragon
l d4 triceratops
ld3 tyran nosaurus rexes
been mGRASSLAND ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 11-16)
hasdlOO Encounter
DF01- 05 HILL ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 1-4)
his P06- 10
T11 - 15 dlOO Encounter
3d6 wereboars 01 l eagle
2dl0 gnoll fangs ofYeenoghu
ld4bulettes
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
rection before ending 07 ld4 vultures
18-27 l dl 2 couatls 08 ldlO commoners
28- 30 A witch (mage) dwell ing in a crude hut. She offers 09 l raven
potions ofhealing, antitoxins, and other consum- 10 l poisonous snake
able items for sale in exchange for food and news. 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 01 l d4 pegasi or l d3 perytons
27
28-30 l lion or l panther (cougar) 02 ld6 + 2 giant goats
31 2d 8 kobolds 03 l manticore
32-34 l hippogriff 04 ld8 +l gnolls or l d8 + l hobgoblins
35
36 2d4 goblins 05 ld4 lions
37
38- 40 l worg 06 ld6 + 2 worgs
41 ld3 s warms of bats o r l d3 swarms of ravens 07 l d4 brown bears
42 1 giant eagle 08 3d6 axe beaks
43 An ol d dwarf sitti ng on a stu mp, whittli ng a piece 09 1 half-ogre with 2d6 ores
44-45 ofwood 10 2dl0 winged kobolds
46
47 ld4 elk 11- 12 l goblin boss with l d4 dire wolves and 2d6 goblins
48- 49
ld4 winged kobolds with l d6 kobolds 13 ld6 giant elk
so
ld6 + 2 giant wolfspiders 14- 15 l d8 + l giant eagles
51
52-53 2d4 wolves 16- 17 ld4 phase spiders
54 l swarm ofinsects 18-19 l gnoll pack lord with 2d4 giant hyenas
55
56 ld8 + l axe beaks 20 2d4 hippogriffs
57- 58
59 l brown bear or l d3 boars 21-25 A 15-foot-tall stone statue of a dwarfwarrior that
60
61-63 l scout has been tipped over on its side
64 t.l ogre 26- 27 2d4 orogs
65- 66 rialis2d4 gnolls 28-29 l d4 + l griffons
67-68 el giant elk 30-31 l d6 + 2 harpies
69- 70 DF Al d3 + l harpies 32-33 l ore Eye ofGruumsh with 2d6 + 3 ores
u Pl werewolf 34- 35 l d4 + 3 giant boars
71 ben2d4 ores 36-40 A stone door set in to the side of a steep hi ll, open-
72 f Del d4 half-ogres ing onto l 5 feet of descending sta irs that end at a
73- 74 n ol druid or l veteran 41-42 cave-in
75 ersioThe corpse of an adventu rer t hat ca rries an int act43- 44 l d3 green hags
76- 78 o vexplorer's pack and lies atop a longsword 45-46 l d4 werewolves
79 deml green hag 47- 48 ld6 + 2 ogres
80 g ald3 dire wolves 49- 50 l hobgo blin captain with 2d8 hobgoblins
81 usinA small cemetery containing 2d6 graves 51-54 l bandit captain with 3d6 band its
82 ifiedl hobgoblin captain with 2d4 hobgoblins 55-58 l chimera
83 od2d4 giant goats 59- 62 ld4 ett ins
84 n ml manticore 63- 65 ld6 + 2 vete rans with 2d6 berserke rs
85- 86 beeld6 + 2 hobgoblins 66-69 An abandoned woode n hut
87- 88 has1 phase spider 70 - 7 3 1 galeb duhr
89 DFA pile ofd ro pp ings from a very large bird 74-77 1 bulette
90 is P1 gnoll fang ofYeenoghu 78- 80 1 wyvern
91-96 Thld3 giant boars 2d6 + 10 goats with 1 herder (tribal warrior)
97- 99
00 1 gnoll pack lord with ld 3 giant hyenas 81- 82 ld3 hill giants
1 bandit captain wit h 2d4 band its 83-84 2d4 wereboars
1 ore Eye ofGruumsh with l d8 + 2 ores 85-86 l d4 reve nants
ld3 orogs or l d4 berserkers 87- 88 l d2 gorgons
1 ettin or 1 wereboar 89- 90 ld8 + 1 gnoll fangs ofYeenoghu
1 goblin boss with 2d6 goblins 91-93 1d4 cyclopes
ld3 griffons 94-96 1 young red dragon
l d3 perytons or l d4 pegasi 97- 98 ld4 stone giants
l d3 trolls 99 ld3 young copper dragons
1 cyclops 00 1 roe
1 stone giant
HILL ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 11-16) dlOO Encounter
dlOO Encounter 78-80 ld3 nobles with ld4 scouts prospecting for gold
01 2d8 manticores or 2d8 phase spiders 81 - 85 l adult copper dragon
02-04 ld6 green hags with ld6 wyverns 86- 90 2d4 stone giants
05- 07 l hobgoblin captain with l hill giant and 4dl0 91- 96 ld4 roes
hobgoblins 97-99 l adult red dragon
08- 10 2d6 + 3 werewolves 00 l ancient copper dragon
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 01 ld2 roes
25-28
29- 32 in the hill side 02- 05 l young red dragon
33- 36
37- 38 ld4 wyverns 06-10 2d6 ettins
39-42 ld8 + l wereboars 11- 15 l d4 bulettes
43- 46
47- 50 ld3 revenants 16- 20 l dl 0 revenants
51 - 54
55-58 A mild earthquake that shakes the regio n for ld 20 21 - 25 The white outline of an enormous horse carved
59- 62
63- 65 seconds into the side of a high hill
66-69 ld3 chimeras 26-30 ld6 + l gorgons
70-73
74- 77 ld4 gorgons 31-35 2d4 + l trolls
ld6 + 2 gnoll fangs ofYeenoghu 36- 40 The scorched remains of 2dl0 humanoids littering
t.l d4 hill giants 41-45 a hillside
rialisl young red dragon 46-50 2d4 hill giants
Aeld3 + l galeb duhr 51 - 55 ld6 + 2 werebears
DF2dl0 dwarf miners (commoners), whistling as they 56- 60 2d4 galeb duhr
u Pmarch toward their m ine 61 - 65 ld4 + 2 wyverns
benld3 young copper dragons A massive boulder partly buried in the earth as if it
fell or was thrown the re
el
f Dld4 trolls
This PDF has been modified using a demo version old3 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)
dlOO Encounter
dl 00 Encounter
01-02 2d8 + 1 aarakocra
01-02 1 eagle 03-04 1 lion or 1 saber-toothed tiger
03-05 ld3 swarms of bats 05-06 ld8 + 1 giant goats
06-08 ld6 goats 07-08 1d4 + 3 dwarf trailblazers (scouts)
09-11
12-14 ldlO + 5 tribal warriors 09-10 ld6 + 2 ores
15-17 11 - 15 ldlO giant eagles
18-20 list.ld6 + 3 pteranodons 16-20 ld8 + 1 hippogriffs
21-24 eriald8 + 1 winged kobolds 21-25 ld8 fissures venting steam that partially obscures a
F A1 lion 20-foot cube above each fissure
25-27 u PDStairs chiseled into the side of the mountain that26-30 1 basilisk
28- 30 benclimb 3d20 + 40 feet before ending ab ruptly 31-35 1dl2 half-ogres
31-33 De2dl0 stirges 36-40 A ravine blocked by a 100-foot-high wall, which has
n of2d4 aarakocra an opening in the center where a gate used to be
34- 3 6 rsio2d6 dwarf soldiers (guards) with ld6 mules laden 41-45 1 manticore
37-38 o vewith iron ore 46-50 2d4 harpies
em1 giant eagle 51 - 52 1 galeb duhr
39-41 a dA small shrine dedicated to a lawful neutral god, 53- 54 1 bulette
42-44 singperched on a stone outcropping 55-56 1dl0 berserkers
45-47 ified u2d8 + 1 blood hawks 57-58 1d3 hell hounds
48- 50 d1 giant goat 59-60 ld8 + 1 veterans
51 -53 mo3d4 kobolds 61 - 65 A distant mountain whose peak resembles a tooth
54-55 een1 half-ogre 66-69 ld4 ettins
as b1 berserker 70-73 1 wyvern
56 F h1 orog 74-75 1 ore Eye ofGruumsh with ld6 orogs and 3d6 + 10
57 is PD1 hell hound ores
Th1 druid
58-59 1 peryton 76-80 A row of ldlO + 40 stakes upon wh ich the bodies of
60-61 1d2 hippogriffs kobolds, dwarves, or ores are impaled
62 1 manticore 81 - 83 1 fire giant
63- 64 ld6 + 2 scouts 84-85 1 young silver dragon
65- 67 Enormous footprints left by a giant, which head 86-87 ld4 air elementals
into the mountain peaks 88-90 ld4 trolls
68-73 2d4 ores 91-92 ld3 + 1 cyclopes
74-75 1 giant elk 93-94 1d4 chimeras
76-77 1 veteran 95-96 1 cloud giant
78-79 1 ore Eye ofGruumsh 97 1 roe
80 ld4 harpies 98 ld4 stone giants
81 1 ogre 99 1 young red dragon
82 1 griffon 00 ld4 frost giants
83 1 basilisk
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
MOUNTAIN ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 11-16) dlOO Encounter
dlOO Encounter 81-85 ld4 roes
01-02 ld8 + l basilisks 86-90 ld4 young red dragons
03-04 2d4 hell hounds 91-96 l ancient silver dragon
05-06 ld3 chimeras 97-00 l ancient red dragon
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 SWAMP ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 1-4)
highest mountaintops
26- 30 ld8 + l manticores dlOO Encounter
31 - 35 l d4 cyclopes 01 l d4 poisonous snakes
36- 40 Heavy snowfall that lasts for ld6 hours 02-05 3d6 rats
41 - 45 ldlO air elementals 06- 10 2d8 ravens
46- 50 l d6 + 2 bulettes 11-12 3d6 giant rats
51 - 55 l d4 stone giants 13 ld l O+ 5 tribal warriors
56- 60 l fire giant 14-15 l d8 + l giant lizards
61 - 65 2 stone giants playing catch with a boulder a few 16-17 l crocodile
hundred feet away 18- 19 l swarm of insects
ld8 + l ettins
ld3 frost giants
A wide crevasse, its depths shrouded in mist
ld4 cloud giants
l adult silver dragon
l adult red dragon
ld4 roes
l ancient silver dragon
l ancient red dragon
66- 70
t.71-75
rialis76-80
Ae81-85
DF86- 90
nu P91- 96
ebe97-98
of D99
ion00
mo versMOUNTAIN ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 17-20) 20 l giant spider
a dedlOO Encounter 21-22 l d4 + l mud huts partially sunken in murky water
ing01-05 ldlO bulettes 23-25 2d8 + l kobolds
d us06- 10 2d4 mud mephits
ifie11- 15 26 ld6 + 2 giant poisonous snakes
mod16-20 27-29 2d4 winged kobolds
een21-25 l scout
ld8 + l chimeras 30 The corpse of an adven turer tangled in the weeds.
l adult silver dragon 31-32 Looting the body turns up an explorer's pack and
l d8 + l wyverns 33-34 perhaps (50% chance) a random common magic
A massive boat perched atop a mountain item.
s b26-30 35- 38 l giant toad
F ha31-35 39-41 ld6 + 2 constrictor snakes
This PD36- 40 42-44 2d4 giant frogs
2d4 galeb duhr ld8 + l swarms of rats or ld6 + 2 swarms ofravens
ld4 frost giants 45 2dl0 stirges
A wooded val ley haunted by secretive and reclusive 46-48 2d6 + 3 bullywugs
elves who tell warily of their master: a mad wiza rd 49-52 ld8 + l ores
53-54 l d4 yuan-ti purebloods
55-56 l druid
l yuan-ti malison
57
58- 59
who lives in the heart of the va lley 60-62 l giant constrictor snake
41 - 45 ldlO air elementals 63- 64 A high-pitched s hriek that lasts for ld4 minutes
46-50 ld6 + 3 trolls 65-67 2d4 lizardfolk
51-55 l adult red dragon 68-69 ld4 ghouls
56- 60 ld4 cloud giants 70-71 l will-o'-wisp
61 - 65 A waterfall hundreds offeet high that drops into a 72 l wight
clear pool 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 78-80 ld4 + 2 ogres
at a mountain pass, permitting no passage until 81-83 l shambling mound
a traveler pays 100 gp (if on foot) or 200 gp (if 84-86 l fizardfolk shaman with ld6 giant lizards and 2dl0
mounted) lizardfolk
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
dlOO Encounter dlOO Encounter
87 1 troll 89-90 ld6 + 1 yuan-ti malisons
88-89 1d4 green hags 91-93 ld4 + 1 trolls
90-91 1 revenant 94-96 ldlO revenants
92-93 1 giant crocodile 97-99 ld8 + 1 water elementals
94-95 1 ore Eye ofGruumsh with ld3 orogs and 2d6 + 3 00 ld3 hydras
ores
96-97 1 young black dragon SWAMP ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 11-20)
98 1 yuan-ti abomination dlOO Encounter
99 1d4 water elementals 01-10 1d4 giant crocodiles
00 1 hydra 11-15 1d3 yuan-ti abominations
16-20 ld6 + 1 green hags
SWAMP ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 5-10) 21-25 A large, spreading tree from which 2d6 armored
dlOO Encounter knights hang by the neck
01 1 green hag 26-30 2d4 wights
02-03 2d4 giant lizards or 2d4 giant poisonous snakes 31- 35 ld8 + 1 yuan-ti malisons
04-05 2d8 winged kobolds 36-40 Fog that rolls across the terrain , making the area
06-07 ldlO + 1 bullywugs with ld8 + 1 giant frogs within ld3 m iles heavily obscured for ld4 hours
08-09 1 druid 41 - 45 ld4 revenants
10
ld8 + 1 swarms of insects 46-50 ld6 shambling mounds
11-13
14-16 51 - 55 ldlO water elementals
17-19 56- 60 ld4 young black dragons
20-22 61 - 65 An eerie, bat-headed idol almost completely cov-
23-24 ered by vines
66-70 ld8 + 2 trolls
25-27 71 - 75 ld3 hydras
28-30 76-80 The sound of drums beating several miles away
31-33 81 - 96 1 adult black dragon
34-36 97-00 1 ancient black dragon
37-38 ld12 ghouls
39- 41 list.2d8 scouts
42- 44 eria2d10 ores
45- 47 F A2d4 giant spiders
48- 50 PDTainted water that exposes creatures that move
51 - 54 enuthrough it to sight rot (see "Diseases" in chapter 8
Debof the Dungeon Master's Guide)
55-58 ofld6 + 2 giant toads
59-62 rsion3d6 lizardfolk
63- 65 veld8 + 1 yuan-ti purebloods
emold4 + 1 swarms of poisonous snakes
66-69 a dA bloated humanoid corpse floating facedown in
70-73
74-77 sing Lthe water
78-80 d u1 shambling mound
difield4 + 1 will-o'-wisps
81 -82 mo2d6 crocodiles
83-84 een1d4 + 1 giant constrictor snakes
85-86 as b1 lizardfolk shaman with 1d3 swarms of poisonous
87-88 F hsnakes and ld8 + 2 lizardfolk
PDld8 + 1 ogres
This2d4 ghasts
UNDERDARK ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 1-4)
dlOO Encounter
01 1 mind flayer arcanist
02 ld3 + 1 giant poisonous snakes
03 ld3 giant lizards
04 2d4 giant fire beetles
05 ld8 + 1 flumphs
An altar partially sunk into the mud, devoted to a 06 1 shrieker
god that is part human and part frog 07 1dl2 giant rats
1 giant crocodile 08 2d4 kobolds
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
ores surface, fleeing their Underdark oppressors
A torrential rain that lasts ld6 minutes and puts 11 -12 ldlO troglodytes
out all unprotected flames within 1 mile 13- 14 ld2 gray oozes
1 young black dragon 15- 16 3d6 stirges
ld4 green hags with ld6 + 1 ogres 17-18 ld3 magma mephits
1 yuan-ti abomination 19-20 ldlO goblins
ld4 + 1 wights 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
1 swarm of insects 85 1 druid with 1 polar bear (cave bear)
25 1 deep gnome 86 1 hobgoblin captain with ld4 half-ogres and 2dl0
26-28 ld8 + 1 drow
29-30 1d4 violet fungi hobgoblins
31-32 1dl2 kuo-toa 87 1 earth elemental or 1 black pudding
1 rust monster 88 1 kuo-toa monitor with ld8 + 1 kuo-toa whips
33 A rubble-strewn passage that appears to have been 89 1 quaggoth thonot with l d3 quaggoths
34-35 recently cleared after a cave-in 90 1 beholder zombie or 1 bone naga
91 1 ore Eye ofGruumsh with ld4 orogs and 2d8 ores
36- 37
38-39 ld8 + 1 giant bats 92 ld4 ghasts with ldlO ghouls
40-41 3d6 kobolds 93- 95 A reeki ng puddle where sli my water has dripped
42-43 2d4 grimlocks from the cei ling
1d4 + 3 swarms of bats 96 1 otyugh or 1 roper
44 1 dwarf prospector (scout) looking for gold 97 1 vampire spawn
45
46 1 carrion crawler or 1 gelatinous cube 98 1 chimera
47
48 l d8 darkmantles or 2d4 piercers 99 1 mind flayer
49
50 1 hell hound 00 1 spirit naga
51
52 1d3 specters
53
54 1d4 bugbears UNDERDARK ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 5-10)
55
56 ld l O+ 5 winged kobolds dlOO Encounter
57
58 1d4 fire s nakes 01 3d6 swarms of bats
59 02 l d4 giant spiders or ld4 giant toads
60 list.2d8 + 1 troglodytes 03 1 mimic
61 riald6 giant spiders 04 2d4 gray oozes
62 Ae3d6 kuo-toa 05 2d10 ores or 3d6 troglodytes
63 PDF1 goblin boss with 2d4 goblins 06 3d6 grimlocks
64 enu4d4 grimlocks 07 1d6 + 2 magma mephits
65 eb1 ochre jelly 08 1 goblin boss with 2d4 goblins
66 of D2d10 giant centipedes 09 2d4 darkmantles
67-68 rsion1 nothic or 1 giant toad 10 2d8 + 1 drow
69 veld4 myconid adults with Sd4 myconid sprouts 11 2d10 piercers
70 mo1 minotaur skeleton or 1 minotaur 12 ld4 minotaur skeletons
71 a de3d6 drow 13-14 3d6 deep gnomes
ing1 mimic or 1 doppelganger 15 1 druid with 1 polar bear (cave bear)
72 d usld6 + 3 hobgoblins 16-17 3d6 ores
difie1 intellect devourer or 1 spectator 18 1 bone naga
73 mold8 + 1 ores 19-20 2d6 bugbears
74 eenA faint tapping comi ng from inside a nearby wall21-25 Luminescent fungi growing on the walls of a moist
75 s b1 gibbering mouther or 1 water weird cave, filling it with dim light
76 F hald12 gas spores 26 2d4 specters
77 PD1 giant constrictor snake 27 l d1 2 + 4 shadows
78 Thisl dlO shadows
79-80
ld3 grells 28 1d3 gibbering mouthers
81
82 ld4 wights 29- 30 4d4 hobgoblins
83
84 ld8 + 1 quaggoth spore servants 31 - 32 1d4 carrion crawlers
ld2 gargoyles 33-34 1 black pudding
ld4 ogres or ld3 ettins 35 ld4 ochre jellies
ld4 dwarf explo rers (veterans) 36- 40 A patch of mold that appears yellow when light is
An abandoned miners' camp spattered with blood directed toward it
and littered with the contents of 1d3 dungeoneer's 41 ld4 nothics
packs 42-43 2d8 + 1 gas spores
1 chuul or 1 salamander 44-45 l d3 gelatinous cubes
ld4 phase spiders or l d3 hook horrors 46 1 ghost
5d4 duergar 47-48 1 flameskull
1 ghost or 1 flameskull o r 1 wraith 49-50 2d8 duergar
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 01-02 3d6 carrion crawlers
54 ld6 + 2 dwarf hunters (veterans) searching for 03-04 l d6 + l gelatinous cubes
trolls 05-06 ld8 + 2 gibbering mouthers
55 07- 08 2d8 minotaur skeletons
56
57 l hobgoblin captain with 3dl0 hobgoblins 09- 10 2d6 ochre jellies
1 roper 11- 12 2d4 doppelgangers
58 l kuo-toa monitor with ld4 kuo-toa whips and ld8 13- 14 ld4 quaggoth thonots with ldlO + 2 quaggoths
59 + l kuo-toa 15- 16 ld3 ropers
60
61-62 ld3 water weirds 17-18 3d6 gargoyles
63 ld4 ghasts with ldlO ghouls 19-20 ldlO mimics
64 l otyugh 21 - 25 A 100-foot-long ravine, 4dl0 feet wide and 5d20 +
65
66 A merchant caravan consisting of l drow mage, 2 200 feet deep
67 drow elite warriors, and 2dl0 quaggoths 26-27 l hobgoblin captain with 3dl0 hobgoblins
68 ld4 wights 28-29 2d4 spectators
69
70 ld4 doppelgangers 30-31 3d6 ghasts
71- 72
73 2d8 fire snakes 32- 33 2d8 intellect devourers
74 ld4 spectators 34- 35 ld3 ore Eyes ofGruumsh with 2d4 orogs and 2dl0
75
76-77 l ore Eye ofGruumsh with ld4 orogs and 2dl0 + ores
78
79 3 ores 36-40 A large cave containing 2dl0 extraordinarily de-
80
81 t.ld3 vampire spawn 41 - 42 tai led statues of various creatures
82 rialisld4 hook horrors or ld4 minotaurs 43-44 l d8 + l kuo-toa monitors
83 Ae3d6 quaggoth spore servants 45-46 2d4 water weirds
84 DFl d3 grells 47-48 2dl0 gricks
85 nu Pld6 + l intellect devourers 49-50 3d6 nothics
86 ebeldlO gargoyles 51-52 2d8 + l ogres
87 of Dl beholder zombie 53- 54 ld6 + 2 chuuls
88 ionl quaggoth thonot with 2d4 quaggoths ld8 + l ettins
89 ersl d6 ettins or l d4 trolls 55 3d6 grells
90 mo vld8 + l phase spiders 56 2d4 flameskulls
91 del fomorian or ld3 cyclopes 57 2dl2 dwarf soldiers (veterans) on patrol
92 ing al d4 earth elementals 58 2d8 hell hounds
93 us3d6 ogres 59 ldlO ghosts
94 ifiedld4 + l chuuls 60 3d4 wights
95 odldlO hell hounds 61 3d6 phase spiders
96 en mld3 drow elite warriors 62 ld8 + l bone nagas
97 s bel d4 chimeras 63-65 A shrill scream followed by dark laughter
98 hal d4 salamanders 66 ld4 chimeras
99 PDFl cloaker 67 ldlO black puddings
00 This2d4 wights 68 3d6 minotaurs
ld4 driders 69 2d4 otyughs
l fire giant 70 ld6 + l beholder zombies
l grick alpha with 2d4 gricks 71 4d4 hook horrors
l mind flayer arcanist 72 ld8 + l umber hulks
ld4 drow mages 73 2d4 salamanders
l spirit naga 74 ld3 grick alphas
ld4 mind flayers 75 ld6 + 2 xorn
l behir 76-80 A ru ined village that once belonged to deep
l aboleth gnomes. A search has a 50% chance of uncovering
l dao or l stone giant 81 ld3 potions ofhealing and a 25% chance of finding
l beholder 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)
list.dl 00
eria01Encounter UNDERWATER ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 1-4)
F A02ld4 grick alphas
u PD03- 042d8 spectators dlOO Encounter
ben05-063d6 minotaurs or 2d8 kuo-toa monitors
f De07-082d8 grells 01 - 10 3d6 quippers
n o09- 102d10 phase spiders 11 -14 2d4 steam mephits
rsio11-124d4 hell hounds 15- 18 ld4 sahuagin
o ve13-14ld6 + 2 ropers 19-22 2d6 merfolk
dem15-162d10 wights 23-25 2d4 corpses of drowned sailors tangled in kelp
g a17-183d6 doppelgangers 26- 29 2d4 constrictor snakes
sin19-20ld8 + 1 chimeras 30-33 ld4 reefsharks
ified u211d4 cloakers 34- 37 1 swarm ofquippers
od22-23ld4 hobgoblin captains with SdlO hobgoblins 38-40 A bed ofenormous clams
n m24-251d8 + 1 earth elementals 41-45 ldlO merfolk with ld3 giant sea horses
bee26-272d4 vampire spawn 46-50 1 giant octopus
has28-303d6 minotaurs 51 - 55 1 merrow
is PDF31-32A 30-foot-tall inverted black pyramid floating 1 inch56- 60 1 plesiosaurus
Th33-34above the floor in a large cave 61 - 65 2d10 pieces of co rroded brass dinnerware littering
1dl0 beholder zombies the bottom
ld4 mind flayer arcanists
35-36 ld6 + 2 otyughs 66-70 1 giant constrictor snake
37-38 l d12 trolls 71- 75 1 sea hag
39-40 1dl0 wraiths
A76- 80 school of silvery fish darting through the water
41 - 43 A beautiful obsidian sculpture of a panther lying on 81 - 85 ld4 hunter sharks
the floor 86- 90 1 sahuagin priestess with 2d4 sahuagin
44-45 l d4 drow mages with ld6 drow elite warriors 91- 96 ld4 killer whales
46-47 1d4 spirit nagas 97-98 1 giant shark
48-49 ld8 + 1 salamanders 99 1 water elemental
50-51 2d4 umber hulks 00 1 sahuagin baron
52-53 ldlO xorn
54- 56 1 young red s hadow dragon
57-59 2d4 fomorians
60-62 1d8 + l driders
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
URBAN ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 1-4)
UNDERWATER ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 5-10) dlOO Encounter
dlOO Encounter 01 ld6 cats
01-02 3d6 steam mephits 02-03 1 commoner with ld6 goats
03-04 ldlO sahuagin 04-05 2dl0 rats
05-06 1 giant octopus 06 l raven perched on a signpost
07- 08 3d6 constrictor s nakes 07 1 commoner on a draft: horse
09- 10 2dl 0 merfolk with 1d4 giant sea horses 08 2d4 mastiffs
11 - 15 ld4 sea hags 09 ld2 commoners leading l d4 mules or ld4 ponies
16-20 2d4 swarms ofquippers 10 1 pseudodragon
21 - 25 A sunken galleon with a 50% chance of a random 11 1 spy
treasure hoard inside (roll on the Treasure Hoard: 12-13 1d8 + 1 acolytes
Challenge 5-10 table in chapter 7 of the Dungeon 14 l d6 + 6 flying snakes
Master's Guide) 15 3d6 kobolds
26-30 ld4 plesiosauruses 16 2d4 giant centipedes
31-35 3d6 reefsharks 17 1d8 + 1 skeletons
An abandoned bathysphere
ld4 giant constrictor snakes
2d4 hunter sharks
ld3 sahuagin priestesses with 2dl0 sahuagin
An empty castle made from coral
l d4 killer whales
ldlO merrow
An ee rie statue of a squatting humanoid, with bat
wings on its back and tentacles sprouting from its
face
ld4 water elementals
l sahuagin baron with 2d8 s ahuagin
1d4 giant sharks
l marid
l storm giant
36-40 18-19 ld6 + 2 swarms ofrats
20 ld12 zombies
t.41- 50 A peddler weighed down with a load of pots, pans,
rialis51-55 21- 25 and other basic supplies
Ae56- 60 1 giant wasp
PDF61 - 6 5 26 l warhorse
nu66- 70 27-28 2d8 cultists
ebe71-75 3d4 giant rats
of D76-80 29 2d8 stirges
mo version81- 85 30- 31 1d3 + 2 giant poisonous s nakes
de86- 90 l d4 + 2 swarms ofbats
ing a91 - 96 32 2d4 winged kobolds
us97- 99 33 Awagon loaded with apples that has a broken
ified00 34 wheel and holds up traffic
en modUNDERWATER ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 11-20) 35 l crocodile
s bedlOO 36-40 l swarm of insects
F ha01- 10 3d6 bandits
This PD11-35 41 ld3 + 2 nobles on riding horses with an escort of
Encounter 42-43 ldlO guards
l sahuagin baron with l d4 sahuagin priestesses 44-45 2d4 kenku
and 2d10 sahuagin 46- 47 ld6 + 2 smoke mephits
ldlO killer whales
48
49
36- 40 A ghost ship passing overhead, containing 2d6 + so ld8 + 1 swarms of ravens
10 ghosts 51- 52 1 wererat
41 - 60 ld6 giant sharks 53- 54 1d3 half.ogres
61-65 A 1-mile-radius sphere ofeffervescent wate r that 55-56 1 mimic
allows air-breathing creatures to breathe water 57-58 ld4 ghouls
while in the sphere 59- 60 ld4 specters
66-75 ldlO water elementals 61- 62 ldlO shadows
76- 80 A shimmering, blue-green portal to the Elemental 63-65 Someone empties a chamber pot onto the street
Plane ofWater from a second-floor window
81- 90 l d4 marids 66-67 l ghast
91 - 96 l d3 storm giants 68-69 l priest
97-99 l dragon turtle 70-71 l will-o'-wisp
00 1 kraken 72- 73 ld3 giant s piders
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
dlOO Encounter dlOO Encounter
74-75 l d4 yuan-ti purebloods 05-06 2d8 skeletons
76- 77 2d4 thugs 07- 08 ld6 swarms of bats and ld6 swarms of rats
78-80 A doomsayer who preaches the end of the world 09- 10 3d6 winged kobolds
from a street corner 11- 13 2d4 specters
81 l cambion 14-16 ld4 wights
82 l vampire spawn 17-19 4d4 acolytes on draft horses
83 l couatl 20- 22 3d6 giant centipedes
84 l ghost 23-25 A talkative urchin , badgering passersby to serve as
85 l succubus or l incubus the ir guide through the community for a price of
86 l bandit captain with 3d6 bandits l sp
87 ld4 + l cult fanatics 26-28 ldl Ospies
88 l knight or l veteran 29-31 3d6 crocodiles
89 l water weird 32-34 ld6 + 2 swarms ofinsects
90 l wight 35- 37 2d4 smoke mephits
91 l mage 38- 40 A noble shouts "Stop! Thief!" at a fleeing scoundrel
92 l shield guardian (bandit)
93 l gladiator 41 - 43 l succubus or l incubus
94 l revenant 44-46 ldlO half-ogres
95 2d4 gargoyles 47-49 2dl0 giant wasps
50-51 4dl0 zombies
52-53 ld4 knights on warhorses
54-55 ld4 + l water weirds
56-57 ld8 + l mimics
58-59 2d8 giant spiders
60-61 3d6 shadows
62-65 An actor leans out from a second-story window to
call to passersby, announcing a show
66- 67 l bandit captain with 3d8 bandits
68- 69 ldlO will-o'-wisps
70-71 2d4 priests
96 ld4 doppelgangers
list.97 l oni
ria98 l invisible stalker
F Ae99 l d8 + l phase spiders
PD00 l assassin
ebenuURBAN ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 5-10)
n of DdlOO
rsio01-02Encounter
This PDF has been modified using a demo ve03- 04ldlO kenku
2d6 giant centipedes
dlOO Encounter 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 l d4 mages with l d4 sh ield guardians
88 3d6 gargoyles 89- 90 l dl O vampire s pawn
89 2dl0 cult fan atics 91- 92 l adult silver dragon
90 3d6 wererats 93-94 ld4 gray slaadi
91 l assassin 95- 96 l spellcaster vampire o r 1 warrior vampire
92 l d 3 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
00 l ancient silver dragon
96 3d6 wights
t.97 l archmage
rialis98 2d4 vampire spawn or l d4 oni
Ae99 1 mage with l shield guardian
DF00 l rakshasa or l vampi re
URBAN ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS l]-20)
dlOO Encounter
ebenu PURBAN ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 11-16)
01-05 ldlO invisible stalkers
06- 10 ldl Orevena nts
11 - 14 l d6 + 2 glad iators
of DdlOO Encounter
15- 18 2d4 cambions
19-22 2d 6 succubi or 2d 6 incubi
rsion01
mo ve02-05
l mimic 23-25 A witch (archmage) who zooms overhead on a
l bandit captain with 5dl 0 bandits, all on riding broom offlying
horses
a de06- 10
d using11- 13 26- 30 l d4 gray slaadi
ifie14- 16
mod17- 19
ldlO knights o n warhorses (one knight is a doppel- 31-35 2d8 couatls
gange r) 36- 40 A d istraught parent who rushes up to people, beg-
l d8 succubi or l d8 incubi ging for help for a child who fell into th e sewer
3d6 cult fanatics
ldlO wights 41 - 45 ld 3 young silver dragons
een20- 22 3d6 wererats
s b23-25 A distant boom followed by a plu me of smoke ris- 46- 50 3d6 ghosts
F haing from the other side of the commu nity 51-55 l adult silver dragon
PD26-28 ld8 + l ghosts 56-60 l d4 mages with l d4 shield guardians
This29-31 2dl 0 gargoyles
61-65 An aggressive merchant who hawks wares to pass-
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
44-46 2d8 ghasts 86- 90 ld4 + l gray s laadi
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 98 l d 3 rakshasas
62- 65 2d4 phase spiders 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 ruJes for traps in the Dungeon Master's Guide pro- the trap to activate.
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,
more elaborate approach- d escribing traps in terms of trap might fire a dart, unleash a cloud of poison gas,
their game mechanics and offering guidance on creating cause a bidden enclosure to open, and so on. This en-
traps of your own using these new rules. try specifies what the trap targets, its attack bonus or
saving throw DC, and what happe ns on a hit or a failed
Rather than characterize tr aps as mechanical or magi-
cal, these rules separate traps into two other categories: saving throw.
s imple and complex. Countermeasures. Traps can be detected or defeated
in a variety of ways by usi ng ability checks o r m agic.
This entry in a trap's description gives the means for
counteracting the trap. It also specifies w hat happens, if
anything, on a failed attempt to disable it.
A simple trap activates and is thereafter harm less or RUNNING A SIMPLE TRAP
easily avoided. A hidden pit dug a t the e ntra nce of a
goblin lair, a poison needle that pops from a lock, and To prepare for us ing a si mple trap in play, start by mak-
a crossbow rigged to fire whe n an intruder s teps on a ing note of the characters' passive W isdom (Perception)
pressure plate are all simple traps. scores. Most traps allow Wisdom (Perception) checks
to detect their triggers or other elements that can tip off
ELEMENTS OF A SIMPLE TRAP their presence. Ifyou stop to ask players for this infor-
The description of a s imple trap begins with a line that mation , they might suspect a hidden danger.
gives the t rap's level and the severity of the threat it When a trap is triggered, apply its effects as specified
poses. Following a general note on w hat the trap looks in its description.
If t he c haracters discover a trap, be open to adjudicat-
ing their ideas for defeating it. The trap's description is
a starting point for countermeasures, rather than a com-
plete definition.
To make it easier for you to describe what happens
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.
like and how it functions are three paragraphs that tell
t.how the trap works in the game.
rialisLevel and Threat. A trap's level is actually a range of
elevels, equivale nt to one of the tiers of play (levels 1- 4,
F A5- 10, 11-16, and 17- 20), indicating the appropriate time
PDto use the trap in your campaign. Additionally, each trap
enuposes either a moderate, da ngerous, or deadly threat,
ebbased on its particular d eta ils.
of DTrigger. A s imple trap activates when an event occurs
This PDF has been modified using a demo versionthat trigge rs it. This entry in a trap's description gives
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- Some folk who build dungeons, s uch as mad wizards
counter or an adventure, it can be tempting to use a large in search of new victims, have no intention of a llowing
number of traps. Doing so ensures that the characters will their vis itors to ma ke an easy escape. A fa lling portcullis
have to deal with at least one or two of them, but it's bette r trap can be especially devious ii it causes a portcullis
to fight that urge. to drop som e dis tance away from the pressure plate
that activates the trap. Although the trap is deep in the
If your encounters or adventures are sown with too
many traps, and if the characters are victimized over and
over again as a result, they a re likely to take steps to pre- dungeon, the portcullis closes off the dungeon entrance,
vent further bad th ings from happening. Because of their which is hundreds of fee t away, meaning that adventur-
recent experience, the characters ca n become overly cau- ers don't know they are trapped until they decide to head
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 for the exit.
Trigger. A creature that s teps on the pressure plate
trip wires and pressure pl ates.
Traps are most effective when their presence comes as a triggers the trap.
Effect. An iron portcullis drops from the ceiling,
s urprise, not when they appear so often that the characters
s pend all their effort watching out for the next o ne. blocking an exit or a passageway.
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
thieves who seek to steal the fire opa ls dis played there
list.A bear trap resembles a set of iron jaws that springs by the priests in tribute to their god. A mosaic on the
riashut when s tepped on, clamping down on a creature's floor of the entryway to the inner sanctum delivers a
Aeleg. The trap is s piked in the ground, leaving the victim fiery rebuke to intruders.
DFi m mobil i z ed .
Trigger. Anyone w ho steps o n the mosaic causes fire
u PTrigger. A cr eature that steps on the bear trap to erupt from it. Those who openly wear holy symbols of
bentriggers it. Pyremius don't trigger this trap.
DeEffect. T he trap makes a n attack against the trigger- Effect. A 15-foot cube of fire erupts , covering the pres-
ofing creature. The attack has a +8 attack bonus and deals sure plate and the area around it. Each creature in the
rsion5 (ldlO) piercing damage on a hit. This attack can't gai n area must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking
veadvantage or disadvantage. A creature hit by the trap 24 (7d6) fire damage on a failed save, or ha lf as much
mohas its speed reduced to 0. It can't move until it breaks da mage on a s uccessful one.
defree of the trap, which requires a s uccessful DC 15
g aStrength check by the creature or another creature adja- Countermeasures. A s uccessful DC 15 Wis dom
usincent to the trap. (Perception) check reveals the presence of ash and faint
burn marks in the area affected by this trap. A success-
ifiedCountermeasures. A s uccessful DC 10 Wisdom ful DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check enables a crea-
d(Perception) check reveals the trap. A s uccessful DC 10 ture to destroy the trap by defacing a key rune on the
moDexterity check us ing thieves' tools disables it. perimeter of the mosaic that is withi n reach; failing this
beenCROSSBOW TRAP check causes the trap to activate. A s uccessfu l dispel
hasSimple trap (Jevel l -4, dangerous threat) magic (DC 15) cast on the runes destroys the trap.
PDFThe crossbow trap is a favorite of kobolds a nd other
hiscreatures that rely on traps to defend their lairs. It NET TRAP
Tcons ists of a trip wire strung across a ha llway and con-
Simple trap (level l-4, dangerous threat)
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 S imple trap (level 5 - 10, dangerous threat)
intruders. An iron bell is als o rigged to t he trip wire. It This tra p uses moving blades th a t sweep down through
rings whe n the tra p activates, alerting nearby gua rds. a chamber, threate ning a nyone nea rby. Typically, a
scythi ng blade tra p is activa ted by ma n ipula ting a leve r
Effect. A net cover ing a 10-foot-by-10-foot a rea cen- or some othe r s imple device. Kobolds especially like this
te red on the trip w ire fal ls to the floor as a bell rings. ki nd of trap, since it ca n take down bigger c reatures.
Any c reature fully with in t his a rea must s ucceed on a
DC 15 Dex te rity saving throw or be restra ined . A c rea- Trigger. When the le ver is pulled, the tra p activates.
ture ca n use its actio n to make a D C 10 S treng th c heck Effect. E ach Medium or la rger c reature in a 5 -foot-
to try to free itself or a nother c reature in the ne t. Deal- w ide, 20 -foot-lon g a rea mus t ma ke a D C 15 Dexte rity
ing 5 s lashin g damage to t he ne t (AC 10, 20 hp) a lso saving throw, ta king 14 (4d6) s lashing da mage on a
frees a c reature without ha rmi ng the creature. failed s ave, or h alf as muc h da mage on a s ucces s ful one.
Countermeasures. The lever is n't hidde n. A success-
Countermeasures. A s uccessful D C 15 Wis dom (P er- ful DC 15 Wis dom (Pe rception) c heck involving the
ception) check reveals the trip wire and the ne t. A s uc- s urfaces in the trap 's a rea of e ffect reveals scra pe ma rks
cessful DC 15 D exte rity c heck using thieves' tools dis- a nd bloodstains on the wa lls a nd floor. A s uccessful
a bles the trip w ire w ithout caus ing the ne t to drop or the DC 15 D exterity c heck us ing thieves' tools dis ables
bell to ring; failin g the c heck causes the t rap to activate .
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 When a s leep of ages trap activates, a pressure pla te
with leaves and di rt to look like solid gro und. T his type unleashes a s pell tha t threate ns to send intrude r s into a
of tra p is useful fo r blocking off the e ntra nce to a mon- deep s lum be r. The dungeon's gua rdia ns ca n the n more
easily dispose of the s leepe rs.
t.ster la ir, a nd usually has narrow led ges a long its sides to
rialisallow for move ment around it. Trigger. Ste pping on t he pressure plate trigge rs
this trap.
AeTrigger. Anyone who s te ps o n the canvas might fall
DFinto the pit. Effect. Whe n activated, this tra p casts a sleep s pell
cente red on t he press ure pla te, using a 9 th-level
u PEffect. The trigger ing creature mus t ma ke a D C 10 s pell s lot.
enDexterity saving throw. On a s uccessful save, the crea-
Debture catches itself on the pit's edge o r ins tinctively s te ps Countermeasures. A s uccessful DC 2 0 Wisdom (Per-
ofback. On a failed s ave, the creature fa lls into the pit and ception) check reveals the pressure pla te. A s uccessful
iontakes 3 (ld6) bludgeoning damage from the fall. DC 20 Intelligen ce (Arca na) c heck made within 5 feet of
the pressure pla te disables the trap, a nd a c heck with a
ersCountermeasures. A s uccessful DC 10 Wis do m (Pe r- tota l o f 10 or lower triggers it. A s uccessful dispel magic
o vception) check reveals the presence of the canvas and (DC 19) cast oo the pressure plate destroys the trap.
demthe 1-foot-w ide ledge a round the edges of t he pit where it
g ais safe to travel. DESIGNING SIMPLE TRA PS
usinP OISON NEEDLE ~~~~~~~~~
ifiedSimple trap (level 1-4, deadly threat)
modA tiny, poisoned needle hidden in a lock is a good way Yo u can c reate your own s imple tra ps by using the fol-
ento discourage thieves fro m plundering a hoard. S uch low ing guidelines. You ca n a lso adapt t he exa mple traps
s bea tra p is us ua lly put in a chest or in the door to a trea- for diffe re nt levels a nd seve rity of threat by modifying
has ure cha mber. th eir D Cs a nd damage values as s hown b elow.
DFTrigger. Anyone attempting to pick or open the lock P URPOSE
is Ptriggers the trap.
Before diving into the de ta ils of your trap, think about
ThEffect. T he triggering creature must mak e a D C 20 its reason for being. Why would someone build s uch a
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
Alarm. An al a rm tra p is designed to a le rt an area's
us ing thieves' tools disables the n eedle, a nd a check
occupa nts of intrude rs. It might cause a bell or a gong
with a tota l o f 10 or lowe r trigge rs the tra p.
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
L EVEL AN D L ETH A LITY
Before creating a trap's e ffects, think about its level and
its letha lity.
Traps a re divided into fou r level ra nges: 1-4, 5 - 10,
11- 16, and 17-20. T he level you choose fo r a trap gives
you a s ta rting point for determin ing its potency.
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
cha racters in its leve l range. A mode rate trap is unlikely
to kill a cha racter. A da ngero us trap typically deals
eno ugh dama ge that a cha racter hit by o ne is eager for
healing. A deadly trap might red uce a creature to 0 hit
points in one s hot, and leaves most cr eatures hit by it in
need of a s hort o r long rest.
Cons ult the following tables w hen determining a
trap's e ffects. The Trap Save DCs a nd Attack Bo nus es
table provides guideli nes for a trap's saving th row DC,
check DC, a nd attack bon us . T he check DC is the defaul t
fo r a ny check used to interact w ith the trap.
The Da mage Sever ity by Level table lists the typical
damage a trap dea ls at cer tai n cha racter levels. The
damage values given assume that the trap damages one
creature . Use d6s for damage in place of dlOs fo r traps
that can a ffect more than o ne creature at a time.
f Debenu PDF Aerialist.defense or flee. The hidden pit is a classic example of
n othis kind of trap. A 10-foot-deep pit usua lly deals little T he S pell E quivalent by Level table s hows the s pell
rsioda mage and is easy to escape, but it serves its purpose s lot level that is a ppropriate fo r a given cha racter level
veby impeding intruders. Other examples of delaying traps a nd the severity of da nger posed by the trap. A s pell is a
moinclude collaps ing wa lls, a portcullis that d rops from thegreat foundation to use as th e design of a trap, whethe r
deceiling, a nd a locking mechanis m that shuts a nd ba rs the trap duplicates the s pe ll (a mirror that casts charm
g aa door. If a delaying trap has moving parts that directly p er son on whoever looks into it) or uses its effects (an
usinthreaten cha racte rs when they operate, the cha racters alchem ical device th at explo des like a fir eball).
ifieda re us ually required to ma ke Dexterity saving throws to
davoid ha rm. The Deadly entry fo r characters of 17th level or higher
moR estrain. A restra ining trap tries to keep its victims insuggests combining a 9th-level a nd a 5th-level spell into
eenplace, leaving them una ble to move. S uch traps are ofte none e ffect. In this case, pick two s pe lls, or combine the
s be mployed in conjunction with r egular gua rd patrols, so effects of a s pe ll cast using a 9 th-level a nd a 5th-level
hathat victims a re periodica lly extricated a nd ta ken awayslot. For instance, a fir eball spell of this sort would deal
DFto be dealt with. But in an a ncient du ngeon, the g uards 24d6 fire damage on a failed saving throw.
is Pmight be long gone.
ThRestra ining traps us ua lly req uire a s uccessful
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
S tre ng th s aving th row to be avoided, but some don't Level Mo d e ra t e Da ngerous Deadly
a llow saving throws. Io add ition to dealing dam age, a 1- 4 S (ldlO) 11 (2dl 0) 22 (4dl0)
restra ining trap a ls o renders a creature unable to move. 5-10 11 (2dl 0) 22 (4dl 0) SS (l Od l O)
Ma king a s ubsequent s uccessful S trength check (us ing 11- 16 22 (4dl 0) SS (l OdlO) 99 (18dl0)
the tra p's saving throw DC) or dealing dam age aga inst 17-20 S5 (lOdl O) 99 (18dl 0) 132 (24d l 0)
the tra p can break it a nd free the captive. Examples in-
clude a bear trap, a cage that drops from a ceiling, a nd a SPELL EQUIVALENT BY LEVEL
device tha t flings a net.
S lay. Some traps are designed to eliminate intrud- Character Mode rate Dangerous Deadly
e rs, pla in and s imple. Their effects include po isoned Level
need les that s pring o ut when a lock is ta mpered with, 1-4 Cant rip l st 2nd
blasts of fire that fill a room , pois on gas, a nd o ther S- 10 1st 3rd 6th
letha l measures. Savi ng throws-us ua lly Dexteri ty or 11- 16 3rd 6th 9th
Cons titution- allow cr eatures to avoid or m itigate the 17- 20 6th 9th 9th + 5th
trap's effects .
CHAPTER 2 I DUNC EON MASTER'S TOOLS
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
lea ks poisonous gas into a room.
A trigger usually needs to be hidde n to be e ffective. Oth- A Strength check is often the method for thwarting
erwise, avoiding the trap is usually easy. tra ps that can be destroyed or prevented fro m operating
A trigger requires a Wisdom (P e rceptio n) c heck if thro ugh the use of brute force. A scything blade can b e
s imply s potting it reveals its nature. The c haracte rs can broken, a s liding block can be held in place, or a net can
foi l a pit trap hidden by a leaf-covered net if t hey s pot the be torn apart.
pit through a gap in the leaves. A trip wire is foiled if it is A magic trap can be disabled by someone who can
s potted, as is a pressure plate. unde rmine the magic used to power it. Typically, a s uc-
Oth er traps require careful inspection and deduction cessfu l Intelligence (A rcana) check en ables a cha racter
to notice. A doorknob opens a door when turned to the to figure out how a magic trap functions a nd how to ne-
left, but activates a tra p whe n turned to the right. Such a gate its effect. For instance, the character could discover
t.subtle trap requires a successful Intelligence (Investiga-
rialistion) check to notice. The trigger is obvious. Understand- t hat a statue that belches a jet of magical flame can be
eing its nature is not. disabled by s hattering one of its glass eyes.
F AThe DC of the check, regardless of its type, depends Once you k now what kind of c heck is called for, you
PDon 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-
enutraps can be detected with a successfu l DC 20 check, a ble the trap. Depending on the kind of check involved
ebbut 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
of DExceptionally devious traps might have a D C of 25. failed c heck has negative consequences- usually involv-
ing the trigge ring of the t rap. At other times, you could
ionYou must then put some thought into what t he char- assig n a numbe r t hat the check must exceed to prevent
ersacters learn with a s uccessful check. In most cases, the the trap from going off. If the total of the c heck is equal
o vcheck reveals the t rap. In other cases, it uncovers clues, to or lowe r tha n that number, the trap activates.
embut foiling the t rap still requires some d eduction. The
a dcharacters might s ucceed on the check but s till trigger PLACING A SIMPLE TRAP
ingthe trap if they don't unders tand w hat they have learned.
ified usEFFECTS Context and e nvironme nt a re critical when it comes
odDesigning a tra p's effects is a straightforward process. to prope rly locating a t rap. A swinging log tra p that's
n mThe tables for saving throw DCs, attack bonuses, dam- meant to knock characters aside is a mere inconve-
eeage, and the like give you a starting point for most s im- nience on a typical forest path, whe re it can be easily
as bple traps that deal damage. circ umvented. But it's a potentially deadly haza rd on a
narrow trail that hugs t he s ide of a towering cliff face.
F hFor traps with more complex e ffects, your best s tart-
PDing point is to use the Spell Equivalent by Level table to Choke points and narrow passages that lead to im-
hisfind the best match for you r trap's intended effect. Spells portant places in a dungeon a re good spots for traps,
Ta re a good starting point because they are compact especially those that serve as alarm s or restraints. The
goal is to foil or delay intruders before they can reach a
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 poses multiple dangers to adventurers. A complex trap functions in play much like a legendary
After a complex trap activates, it remains dangerous monster. When it is activated, the trap's active elements
round after round until the characters avoid it or disable act according to its initiative. On each of its initiative
it. Some complex traps become more dangerous over counts, after a ll creatures with that same initiative count
time, as they accumulate power or gain speed. have acted, the trap's features activate. Apply the effects
detai led in the trap's description.
Complex traps are also more difficult to disable than
simple ones. A single check is not enough. Instead, a se- After resolving the effects of the trap's active elements,
ries of checks is required to s lowly disengage the trap's check its dynamic elements to see if anytrung changes
components. The trap's effect degrades with each suc- about the trap. Many complex traps have effects that
cessful check until the characters finally deactivate it. vary during an encounter. A magical aura might do more
damage the longer it is active, or a swinging blade might
Most complex traps are designed so that they can be change which area of a chamber it attacks.
disarmed only by someone who is exposed to the trap's
effect. For example, the mechanism that controls a hall- The trap's constant elements a llow it to have effects
way filled with scything blades is on the opposite e nd when it isn't the trap's turn. At the end of each creature's
from the entrance, or a statue that bathes an area in ne- turn, look at the trap's constant elements to see if any of
crotic energy can be disabled only by someone standing their effects are triggered.
in the affected area. EXPERIENCE FOR COMPLEX TRAPS
DESCRIBING A COMPLEX TRAP Overcoming a complex trap merits an experience point
award, depending on the danger it poses.judging
whether a party has overcome a trap requires some
amount of adjudication. As a rule of thumb, if the char-
acters disable a complex trap or are exposed to its ef-
fects and survive, award them experience points for the
effort according to the table below.
A complex trap has all the elements of a simple trap,
plus special characteristics that make the trap a more COMPLEX TRAP EXPERIENCE AWARDS
dynamic threat.
Trap Level Experience Points
Level and Threat. A complex trap uses the same level
1-4 650
list.and severity designations that a simple trap does. 5-10 3,850
riaTrigger. Just like a simple trap, a complex trap has a 11-16 11 ,100
17-20 21,500
Aetrigger. Some complex traps have multiple triggers.
DFInitiative. A complex trap takes turns as a creature
u Pdoes, because it functions over a period of time. Thjs
benpart of a trap's description tells whether the trap is slow
De(acts on initiative count 10), fast (acts on initiative count
of20), or very fast (acts on initiative count 20 and also ini-
rsiontiative count 10). A trap always acts after creatures that
vehave the same initiative count.
moActive Elements. On a trap's turn, it produces specific
deeffects that are detailed in this part of its description.
g aThe trap might have multiple active e lements, a table
sinyou roll on to determine its effect at random, or options
d ufor you to choose from.
difieDynamic Elements. A dynamic element is a threat
mothat arises or evolves while the trap functions. Usually,
enchanges involving dramatic elements take effect at the
s beend of each of the trap's turns or in response to the char-
haacters' actions.
DFConstant Elements. A complex trap poses a threat
is Peven when it is not taking its turn. The constant ele-
Thments describe how these parts of the trap function.
EXAMPLE COMPLEX TRAPS
The following complex traps can be used to challenge
characters or to inspire your own creations.
PATH OF BLADES
Complex trap (level 1-4, dangerous threat)
Hidden within a buried pyramid that marks the location
of the Lost City of Cynidicea is the tomb of King Alexan-
der and Queen Zenobia. The entrance to their tomb is a
long hallway riddled with traps, accessible only by cun-
ningly hidden secret doors. The hallway is 20 feet wide
and 160 feet long. It is mostly clear. After 80 feet, the
Most make an attack or force a saving throw against any floor is broken and cracked, becoming difficult terrain
creature that ends its turn within a certain area. until the 130-foot mark.
Countermeasures. A trap can be defeated in a variety Trigger. This trap activates as soon as a non-undead
of ways. A trap's description details the checks or spells c reature enters the hallway, and it remains active wh ile
that can detect or dfaable it. It also specifies what hap- any non-undead creature is within the hall.
pens, if anything, on a failed attempt to disable it. Initiative. The trap acts on initiative count 20 and ini-
Disabling a complex trap is like disarming a simple tiative count 10.
trap, except that a complex trap requires more checks. Active Elements. The Path of Blades includes a set of
It typically takes three successful checks to disable whirling blades along the first 80 feet of the trap, crush-
one of a complex trap's elements. Many of these traps ing pillars that slam down from the ceiling to the floor
have multiple elements, requiring a lot of work to shut before rising back up to the ceiling in the next 50 feet,
down every part of the trap. Usually, a successful check and a rune of fear in its final 30 feet.
reduces a trap element's effectiveness even if it doesn't Whirling Blades (Initiative 20). The blades attack
disable the trap. each creature in the first 80 feet of the hallway, with
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
a +5 bonus to the attack roU and dealing 11 (2dl0)
slashing damage on a hit.
Crushing Pillars (Initiative 10). Each creature in the
SO-foot-long area b eyond the first 80 feet o f the hall-
way mus t make a DC 15 Dexte rity saving throw. On
a fa iled save, a creature takes 11 (2d10) bludgeoning
damage and is knocked prone. On a s uccessful save,
the creature takes half as m uch damage and is n't
knocked prone.
Rune ofFear (Initiative 10). Each creature in the
30-foot-long a rea beyond the Crushing Pilla rs mus t
make a DC 15 Wis dom saving throw. On a fa iled
saving throw, the creature becomes frighte ned by
the rune, a nd it mus t immediately use its reaction
to move its s peed in the direction of the pilla rs. The
frighte ned creature can't move closer to the far end
of the h allway until it uses its action to make a DC
15 Wis do m saving throw, which end s the frighten ed
condition on itself on a s uccess.
Dynamic Elements. The blades and the rune become
more da ngerous the longer the tra p remains active.
Blades Accelerate. The blades move with increasing
s peed, s lowing only whe n they hit a ta rget. Each
time the blades miss with an attack, the ir next at- gai ns advantage on its attack against the c reature.
The creature then attacks. Each blade has AC 15
list.tack becomes harder to avoid. After each miss, the a nd 15 hit points. Destroying a blade reduces the
eriablades ' attack bonus increases by 2, and their d am- Whirling Blades attack bonus by 2.
Aage increases by 3 (ld6). These be nefits a pply until Dexterity check using thieves' tools, DC 15. Creatures
PDFthe blades hit a target, after w hich the values return can use thieves' tools in the a rea attacked by the
nuto normal. blades to foil their mecha nis m. A successful ch eck
ebeRune's Defense. Tampering with the Rune of Fear in- reduces the Whirling Blades a ttack bonus by 2.
f Dcreases the trap's power. Each s uccessful check on
n oa n attempt to dis able t he run e increases the da mageCrushing Pillars. The pillars are not s usceptible to
rsioof the blad es a nd the crushing pillars by 5 (ldlO) countermeasures.
vea nd increases the rune's saving t h row DC by 1.
emoConstant Elements. T he Whirling Blades and the Rune of Fear. T he rune can be d isabled with three
a dRune of Fear a ffect each creature that e nds its turn in successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) checks.
singa n area affected by these e lements. Each check requires an action. A creature m ust be
ified uWhirling Blades. Any creature that ends its turn in at the e nd of the ha llway to attempt the check, and
dthe blades' area is targeted by an attack: +5 attack only one creature can work o n this task at once.
mobon us; 5 (ldlO) s las hing damage on a hit. Once a creature attempts a check for this purpose,
eenRune of Fear. Any creature that ends its turn within no other cha racter can do so until the e nd of tha t
s b30 feet of the fa r end of the corridor must ma ke a creature's next turn. Alternatively, the rune ca n be
hasaving throw agains t the Rune of Fear effect. disabled w ith t hree successful castings of dispel
PDFCountermeasures. Each of the trap's active ele ments
Thiscan be thwarted by particula r countermeasures.
magic (DC 13) targeting the rune.
Whirling Blades. C ha racte rs ca n s m ash t he blad es,
da mage their components, or discern how to SPHERE OF CRUSHING D OOM
avoid them. The blades are disabled if the ir attack
bonus is reduced to -8. Ways to reduce it are de- Complex.trap (level 5- 10, deadly threat)
scribed below.
The court j ester devised a d ead ly trap to foil anyone who
Intelligence (In vestigation), D C 15. As an action, a soug ht to steal h is magic fool's cap. The jester's tomb
c reature that can see the blades ca n a ttempt an In- is located at the end of a 10-foot-wide, 150-foot-long
telligence (Investigation) check. A s uccessful check hallway that descends sharply from north to south. The
mea ns that the c ha racter bas learned how to antici- entrance to the tom b is a door on the eastern wall at the
pate t he blades' move ment, imposi ng disadva ntage bottom of th e s lope, at the south e nd of the hall.
on the blades' attacks agains t the c reature while it
is n't incapacitated. Trigger. T his trap activates as soon as th e door lead-
ing to the jester's coffin is opened. A magic portal opens
Attack. A cr eature in the a rea can ready a n attack to at the northern end of the ha !Iway a nd disgorges a n
s trike at one of t he blades as it goes by. The blade enormous steel s phe re, which hurtles down the s lope.
Whe n it reaches the bottom of t he s lope, a second portal
CHAPTER 2 J DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
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 d6 Effect
the sphere becomes. Hallucinatory gas scrambles the m ind and senses.
Speed Kills. After its turn, the sphere gains speed, All Intelligence and Wisdom checks made in the
represented by its da mage increasing by 11 (2d10). room have disadvantage until the Tempest element
While its damage is 55 (lOdlO) or greater, it acts on activates again.
initiative count 20 and 10. 2 Explosive gas fil ls t he area . If anyone hold s an open
flame, it causes a n explos ion. All creat ures in the
list.Countermeasures. The trap can be neutralized either area must make a DC 20 Dexte rity saving throw,
riaby s topping the sphere or preventing it from teleporting. taking 22 (4d10) fire damage o n a failed save, or
half as much damage on a successful one. The
F AeStop the Sphere. Stopping the s phere is the easiest flame is then extinguished .
PDway to disrupt the trap. A wall offorce can do so
nueasily, as can a ny object placed in its path that has 3 Weakening gas fills t he room. All Strength and Dex-
ebee no ugh hit points to absorb damage from the sphere terity checks made in the room have di sadvantage
of Dwithout being destroyed. until the Tempest element act ivates again.
ionDisrupt the Portals. Either portal can be neutra lized 4 Buffeting winds force each creature in the room to
erswith three successful DC 20 Intelligence (A rcana) succeed on a DC 20 Strength savin g throw or be
o vchecks, but the process of a na lyzing a portal to knocked prone.
emdisrupt it takes time. Faint runes in the ceiling a nd
a dfloor at both ends of the hallway are involved in the 5 Smoke fills the room. Visibility is reduced to 1 foot
ingfunctioning of the portals. A creature must firs t until the next time the Tempest element activates .
ususe an action to examine a set of r unes, the n use a
ifieds ubsequent action to attempt to va nda lize the runes. 6 Poison floods the room, forcing creatures to make
odEach successful check reduces the sphere's damage saving throws as for the Po ison Gas element.
n mby 11 (2d10), as the disrupted sphere loses s peed
beemoving through the failing portal. Dynamic Element. The longer the poison gas re-
asAJternatively, a set of runes can be disabled with mains in the room, the more letha l it becomes.
F hthree s uccessful castings of dispel m agic (DC 19)
PDtargeting any of the runes in the set. Increased Potency. T he damage from the Poison Gas
ThisIf the southern portal is destroyed, the s phere ele ment increases by 11 (2d10) each round afte r it
s lams into the south wall and comes to a ha lt. It activates , to a maximum of 55 (10d10).
blocks the door to the tomb, but the characters Countermeasures. There are a few ways that the trap
can escape. can be overcome.
POISONED TEMPEST Open the Doors. Opening the doors is the quickest
way to circ umve nt the trap, but they a re wa rded with
Complex trap (level 11- 16, deadly threat) magic. To open the doors , a character mus t firs t
succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check to
This fiendis h trap was built to eliminate intruders who find the locking m echa nism. A s uccessful DC 20 In-
infiltrate a yuan-ti temple. The trap is a room, 60 feet telligence (Arcana) check is then r equired to disable
on a side, with 5-foot-wide stone doors in the middle of the sphere of force that surrounds the lock (disp el
each wall. In each corne r of the room stands a 10-foot- magic is ineffective against it). Success on a DC 20
tall s ta tue of a g reat serpent, coiled and ready to strike. Dexterity check using thieves' tools picks the lock.
The eyes in each s tatue are rubies wor th 200 gp apiece. Finally, a s uccessful DC 20 Strength (Athletics)
check is needed to push the door open. Each check
Trigger. This trap activates when a ruby is pried from requires an action.
one of the statues. Each s tatue's mouth s lides open, re-
vealing a 1-foot-wide pipe that runs down its throat.
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 ACTIVE ELEMENTS
damage) or making a successful DC 20 Strength
check to break it cracks the statue and increases the A complex trap's active elements work the same way as
Poison Gas damage by 5 (ldlO). A successful DC 20 a simple trap's e ffects, except that a complex trap acti-
Dexterity check using thieves' tools, or a successful vates in every round. Otherwise, the guidelines for pick-
DC 15 Strength check made to block up the statue ing saving throw DCs, attack bonuses, and damage are
with a cloak or simi lar object, decreases the poison the same. To make your trap logically consistent, make
damage by 5 (ldlO). Once a character succeeds on su re the elements you design can activate each round.
the check, someone must remain next to the statue For instance, ordinary crossbows r igged to fire at the
to keep it blocked up. When a ll four statues are characters would need a mechanfam for reloading them
blocked in this manner, the trap deactivates. between attacks.
In terms of lethality, it's better to have multiple dan-
DESIGNING COMPLEX TRAPS gerous effects in a trap than a single deadly one. For
Creating a complex trap takes more work than building example, the Path of Blades trap uses two dangerous
a simple one, but with some practice, you can learn the elements and one moderate element.
process and make it move quickly.
It's useful to c reate multiple active ele me nts, with each
Familiarize yourself with the advice on designing a affecting a different area. It's a lso a good idea to use
simple trap before proceeding with the guidelines on a variety of effects. Some parts of the trap might deal
damage, and others might immobilize characters or
t.complex traps. isolate them from the rest of the party. A bashing lever
erialisPURPOSE might knock characters into an area engulfed by jets of
F AComplex traps are typically designed to protect an area flame. Think about how the e lements can work together.
PDby killing or disabling intruders. It is worth your time to
nuconsider who made the trap, the t rap's purpose, and its CONSTANT ELEMENTS
ebedesired result. Does the trap protect a treasure? Does it
of Dtarget only certain kinds of intruders? In addition to the active steps a complex trap takes, it
rsionLEVEL AND LETHALITY s hould also present a continual hazard. Often, the active
veComplex traps use the same level designations and and constant effects are the same thing. Imagine a hall-
emolethality descriptors that simple traps do. Refer to that way filled w ith whirling saw blades. On the trap's turn,
a dsection for a discussion of how level and lethality help the blades attack anyone in the hall. In addition, anyone
ingdetermine saving throw a nd check DCs, attack bonuses, who lingers in the hallway takes damage at the end of
usand other numerical elements of a complex trap. each of their turns, accounting for the constant threat
difiedMAP that the blades pose.
moA complex trap has multiple parts, typically relies on
eenthe characters' positions to resolve some of its effects, A constant e lement shou ld apply its effect to any
s band can bring several effects to bear in each rou nd. creature that ends its turn in that element's area. If an
haThe traps are called complex for a reason! To begin the active element presents a threat when it isn't the trap's
PDFdesign process, consider drawing a map of the area to turn, define the threat it poses as a constant element.
isbe affected by the t rap on graph paper, using a scale of 5 As a rule of thumb, keep the saving throw DC or attack
Thfeet per square. This level of detail a llows you to developbonus the same as for the active element but reduce the
damage by half.
Avoid filling the entire encou nter area with constant
elements. Part of the challenge of a complex trap lies in
figuring out which areas are safe. A moment's respite
a clear idea of what the trap can do and h ow each of its can help add an element of pacing to an encounter with
parts interact. Your map is the starting point and context a complex trap and give the characters the feeling that
for the rest of the design process. 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 DYNAMIC ELEMENTS
lock and barriers to fall into place to prevent escape.
It could cause darts to fire from the wa lls in one area, Just as a battle is more interesting if the monsters
forcing characters to enter rooms where other devices change their tactics or unveil new abi lities in later
trigger and threaten them. rounds, so too are complex traps more fun if their na-
ture changes in some way. The whirling blades that
Consider how terrain and furniture can add to the protect a treasure chest do more damage each round as
trap's danger. A chasm or a pit might create a buffer that they speed up. The poison gas in a room grows thicker
allows a trap to send bolts of magic at the characters, as more ofit floods the chamber, dealing greater dam-
while making it difficult or even impossible for them to age and affecting line ofsight. The necrotic aura around
reach the runes they must deface to foil that attack. an idol of Demogorgon produces random effects each
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
TRIGGERS
The advice on triggers given for simple traps also ap-
plies to complex traps, with one exception. Complex
traps have multiple triggers, or are designed such that
avoiding a trigger prevents intruders from reaching the
area the trap guards. Other complex traps use magical
triggers that activate on specific cues, such as when a
door opens or someone enters an area without wearing
the correct badge, amu let, or robe.
Look at your map and consider when you want the
trap to spring into action. It's best to have a complex trap
trigger after the characters have committed to exploring
a n area. A s imple trap m ight activate when the charac-
ters open a door. A complex trap that triggers so early
leaves the characters still outside the trapped room, in
a place where they could decide to close the door and
move on. A simple trap aims to keep intruders out. A
complex trap wants to lure them in, so that when it acti-
vates, the intruders must deal with the trap before they
can escape.
The trigger for a complex trap should be as foolproof
as you can make it. A complex trap represents a serious
expenditure of effort and magical power. No one builds
mo version of Debenu PDF Aerialist.time its active element is triggered. As water floods a
dechamber, the characters must swim across areas they such a trap and makes it easy to avoid. Wisdom (Per-
g acould walk through just a round or two earl ier. ception) and Intelligence (Investigation) checks might
be unable to spot a trigger, especially a magical one, but
usinSince a complex trap remains active over the course they can still give hints about the trap before it triggers.
ifiedof several rounds, it might be possible to pred ct its Bloodstains, ashes, gouges in the floor, and other clues
dfuture behavior by examining how it functions. This of that sort can serve as evidence of the trap's presence.
moinformation can give its targets a much better chance of
eenthwarting it. To minimize this possibility, design your INITIATIVE
s btrap so that it presents multiple threats that can change
haeach round. The changes can include how a trap targets A complex trap acts repeatedly, but unlike characters
DFcreatures (different attacks or saving throws), the dam- and monsters, traps don't roll for initiative. As mechan-
is Page or effects it produces, the areas it covers, and so ical or magical devices, their active elements operate in
Thon. Some traps might have a random effect each round, a periodic manner. When designing a complex trap, you
need to decide when and how often its active elements
while others follow a carefully programmed sequence 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
of attacks. acts can give guards the chance to move out of its area
Dynamic elements usually occur according to a sched- or force characters into the area before the trap triggers.
ule. For a room that floods, you can plan out how the Initiative 20. If an element is designed to surprise
rising water level affects the area each round. The water intruders and hit them before they can react, then it acts
might be ankle deep at the end of the first round, knee on initiative count 20. This option is generally best for a
deep the next, and so on. Not only does the water bring a complex trap. Think of it as the default. Such a trap acts
risk of drowning, it also makes it harder to move across quickly enough to take advantage of most characters,
the area. On the other hand, the rising water level might with nimble characters like rogues, rangers, and monks
allow characters to swim to the upper reaches of the having the best chance to move out of the area before
chamber that they couldn't get to from the floor. the element activates.
Dynamic e lements can a lso come into play in reaction Initiative 20 and 10. Some active elements are in-
to the characters' actions. Disarming one element of the credibly fast acti ng, laying waste to intruders in a few
trap might m ake the others dead lier. Disabling a rune moments unless countered. They act on initiative count
that triggers a fire-breathing statue might cause the 20 and 10.
statue to explode.
CHAPTER 2 ( DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
DEFEATING COMPLEX TRAPS a nother ch aracter's way and disrupt the effort. Once a
A complex trap is never d efeated with a single check. In- character s ucceeds on a check, a nother character can't
s tead, each successful c heck foils some part of it or de- attempt the same check against the same trap element
grades its performance. Each element of the trap must until the end of the successful character's next turn.
be overcome individually to defeat the trap as a whole.
Not all of the characters' options need to be focused
As part of determining how your trap can be over- on s topping a trap from operating. T hink of what charac-
come, look at your map and consider where the c ha rac- ters can do to mitigate or avoid a trap's effects. Making
ters must be located to attempt an action t hat can foil the trap vulnerable to this sort of effort is a way to e n-
part of the trap. As a rule, the ch a racters should n eed to gage characters who might be ill-suited to confro nt the
be near or adjacent to an ele ment to have a ch a nce o f af- tra p directly. A successful Intelligence (Religion) check
fecting it. An element can be designed so that it protects might provide insight into t he imagery displayed by a
itself. A fighter might be able to break a whirli ng blade, tra p in a temple or s h rine, giving other cha racters a clue
but movin g close enough to attack it requ ires giving the a bout how and where to direct their effor ts. A character
blade a chance to strike. could stand in front of a dart trap wh ile holding a s hield
that the darts can target harmlessly, while other cha rac-
What method s a re effective against your trap? Obvi- ters trigger that element as they work to disable it.
o us candidates a re activities covered by the same sorts
of checks used to defeat s imple traps, but use your
knowledge of the trap's design to identify other options. DOWNTIME REVISITED
A va lve th at leaks poison gas into a room ca n be stopped It's possible for the c ha racters to start a campaign at 1st
up. A statue that emits a deadly aura ca n be pushed over level, dive into an epic story, a nd reach 10th level and
and smashed. Attacks, spells , and special abili ties can beyond in a short amount ofgame time. Although that
all play a role in undermining a trap. pace works fine for many campaigns, some DMs prefer
Leave room for improvisation by the characters. Don't a campa ign story with pauses built into it-times when
adventurers a re not going on adventures. T he downtime
t.create a few predetermined solutions and wait for the rules given in this section can be used as alternatives to
lisplayers to figure out the right a pproach. If you under- the approach in the Player's Handbook and the Dungeon
eriastand the mechanism behind how a trap works, that Master's Guide, or you can use the material here to in-
F Amakes it much easier for you to respond to t he players' spire the creation o f your own o ptions.
PDideas. If a ch aracter wants to try something you haven't
nua llowed for, pick an ability, assess the chance of s uc- By e ngaging the characters in downtime activities that
ebecess, a nd ask for a roll. take weeks o r even months to complete, you can give
your campaign a lo nger time line- one in w hich events
f DShutting down on e part of a complex trap us ually in the world play out over years. Wa rs begin and end, ty-
n orequires mu ltiple successes. As a default, it takes three rants com e and go, and royal lines rise and fall over the
rsiosuccessful checks or actions to disable a n element. The course of the story that you and the characters tell.
o vefirst successful check might reduce the element's saving
emthrow DC or attack bonus. The second successful check Downtime rules also provide ways for characte rs to
a dmight halve the element's damage, and the fina l suc- spend-or be relieved of- the monetary treasure they
ingcessful check shuts it down. amass on their adventures.
usFor elements that don't attack, a llow each s uccessful The system presented he re consists of two elements.
ifiedcheck to reduce that element's effectiveness by one- First, it introduces the concept of rivals. Second, it de-
odthird. A lock's DC is decreased, or a gate opens wide tails a number of downtime activities that characters
n menoug h to a llow a Small ch aracter to squeeze through can unde rta ke.
eeit. A mechanism pumping poison gas into the room be-
as bcomes defective, caus ing the gas's damage to increase RIVALS
F hmore s lowly or not at all.
Rivals are NPCs who o ppose the c haracter s and make
PDIt takes time to disable a complex trap. Three charac- their presence felt whenever the characters are engag-
histers can't make checks in rapid s uccession to disarm a ing in dow ntime. A rival might be a villain you have
Tcomplex trap in a matte r of seconds. Each wou ld get in
featured in past adventures or plan to use in the future.
C OMP LEX TRAPS A ND L EGEN D A RY M O NST ERS Rivals can also include good or neutral folk who are at
odds with' the characters, whether because they have
A complex trap is like a legendary monster in some ways. opposing goals or they simply dislike one another. The
It has several tricks it can use on its tu rn, and it remains c ultist of Orcus whose plans the cha racters have foiled,
a threat throughout the round, not just on its turn . The the a mbitious merchant prince who wants to rule the
trap's active elements are li ke a legendary creature's nor- city with an iron fist, and the nosy high p riest of Helm
mal actions, and its constant e lements are equivalent to
legendary actions-except they are tied to specific areas in who is convin ced the c ha racters are up to no good are
the trapped room. all examples of rivals.
Although a legendary creature can move, improvise A rival's agenda changes over time. Though the char-
actions, and so forth, a trap is set to a specific script-an acters engage in downtime only between adventures,
aspect that has the potential to make a complex trap stale their rivals rarely rest, continui ng to spin plots and work
and predictable. That's where dynamic elements come in. against the characters even when the characters are off
They keep the players on their toes and make deali ng with doing som ething else.
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
how they can be used.
NPC as described below. Plans . The foundation of a rival's presence in the
It's poss ible for the characters to have two or three r i-
campaign is the actions the rival takes or the events that
vals at a time, each with a separate agenda. At least one occur as a resu lt of that character's goals. Each tjme you
should be a villain, but the others might be neutral or resolve one or more workweeks of downtime , pick one
good; conflicts with those rivals might be social or politi- of the ways a rival's plans might be advanced and intro-
cal, rather than manifesting as direct attacks.
duce it into play.
T he best rivals have a connection with their adver- Think about how a riva l might operate in o rde r to
saries on a personal level. F ind li nks in the characters'
backstories or the events of rece nt adventures that bring specific plans to fruition, and jot down three or
explain what sparked the rival's actions. The best trou- four kinds of actions the rival might undertake. Some
ble to put the characters in is trouble they created for of these might be versions of the downtime activities
described late r in this section, but these are more often
themselves.
efforts that are specific to the rival.
EXAMPLE RIVALS A rival's action might be a direct attack, such as an as-
sassination attempt, that you play out during a session.
d20 Rival Or it might be a background activity that you describe
Tax collector who is convinced the characters are as a ltering the campaign in some way. For example, a
dodging fees 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
gladiatorial games. Even if the characters aren't directly
list.causing more trouble than they solve involved, the event becomes the talk of the town.
eria3 High priest who worries the characters are dimin-
Some elements of a rival's plans might involve
F Aishing the temple's prestige events in the world that aren't under the rival's control.
PD4 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
enutroubles advantage of such happenings.
Deb5 Rival adventuring party
n of6 Bard who loves a scandal enough to spark one EXAMPLE RIVAL: MARINA RODEMUS
rsio7 Childhood rival or member of a rival clan
o ve8 Scorned sibling or parent The Rodemus clan was a small but powerful family of
em9 Merchant who blames the characte rs for any busi· traders in the city, but years ago, they pulled up s takes
and left town overnight. Marina Rodemus, the youngest
a dness woes child, has now returned to restore her family's prestige.
sing10 Newcomer out to make a mark on the world
ified u11 Sibling or ally of defeated enemy In truth, the family fled because its members became
d12 Official seeking to restore a tarnished reputation afflicted by lycanthropy. They joined a clan ofwererats
n mo13 Deadly foe disguised as a social rival and delved into smuggling in a djstant city, out of fear
bee14 Fiend seeking to tempt the characters to evil that their secret would be impossible to keep in their
as15 Spurned romantic interest former home. After fighting her way to the top ranks of
F h16 Political opportunist seeking a scapegoat the wererat clans, Marina-along with a s mall army of
is PD17 Traitorous noble looking to foment a revolution followers- has returned to claim her place among the
Th18 Would-be tyrant who brooks no opposition el ite of her home city. She vows that if she doesn't suc-
ceed, she'll leave the city in ruins.
Goals. Marina wants to become the most respected,
19 Exiled noble looking for revenge most important merchant in town-someone to whom
20 Corrupt official worried that recent misdeeds will even the prince must yield.
be revealed Assets. Marina has a small fortune in gold; her abili-
ties as a wererat, alchemist, and necromancer; a group
To add the r ight amount of detail to a riva l you want to of wererats dedicated to her; and a shleld g uardian that
create, give some thought to what that NPC is trying to
accomplish and what resources and methods the rival protects her.
can bring to bear against the characters. Plan s . Marina works to discredit and ruin other mer-
Goals. An effective r ival has a clear reason for inter- chants. Her wererats spy on her opponents and s neak
into warehouses, unleashing hordes of rats to spoil
fering with the characters' lives. Think about what the goods. Marina even victimizes a few of her own ware-
rival wants, how and why the characters stand in the
way, and how the conflict could be resolved. Ideally, a houses to avoid suspicion.
rival's goal directly involves the characters or something If Marina's plans fail, she has a terrible alternative.
they care about. Her knowledge of alchemy has enabled her to c reate a
plague that she will un leash on the city through her rats.
Ifshe can't rule, then no one will.
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
t.The temple of Pholtus, god of the s un, seeks to bring Downtime activities are tasks that usually take a work-
rialisas many folk as possible under its sway. Though it has week (5 days) or longer to perform. T hese tasks can in-
ebeen in town for only two years, the temple is a lready a n clude buying or creating magic items, pulling off crimes,
F Ainfluential force because of the determination and the and working at a job. A cha racter selects a downtime
PDbrilliant 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-
enuGoals. Cheldar wants to ma ke the temple of Pholtus low the rules for the activity to resolve it, informing the
ebthe most popular rel ig ion in town by bringing about player of the results a nd any complications that ensue.
of Dpeace a nd security for a ll. He believes keeping adventur-
ioners in check or driving them out of town is an important Consider handling downtime away from the game
ersstep in that plan. table. For example, you could have the players pick their
o vAssets. The charismatic high priest has his oratory downtime activities at the end ofa session, and then
emskill, divine spellcasting ability, and a few hundred com- communicate about them by email or text, until you next
a dmon folk recently converted to the temple's cause. see them in person.
singPlans. Cheldar is stern but fundamenta lly a good per-
d uson. He tries to win s upport by providing charity, pro- RESOLVING ACTIVITIES
ifiemoting peace, and working to enforce law and order. He
odis skeptical of the characters, however, convinced that The description of each activity tells you how to resolve
n mthey are troublemakers who will undermine the peace. it. Many activities require an ability check, so be sure to
beeHe wants only officials of the town or the temple to be note the character's relevant abi li ty modifie rs. Follow
asinvolved in handling a ny crises that arise. He strongly the steps in the activity, and determine the results.
F hbelieves in his goals, yet he might still be made into a n
This PDa lly by good-hearted characters. Most downtime activities require a workweek (5 days)
to complete. Some activities requi re days, weeks (7
days), or months (30 days). A character must spend at
leas t 8 hours of each day engaged in the downtime activ-
ity for that d ay to count towa rd the activity's completion.
The days of a n activity don't need to be consecutive;
you can spread them over a longer period of time than is
W~<"' -i"'iO"'l 'OW'< ~c;d-t {row- required for the activity. But that period of time should
<; -issio"', 10-•ti.....u l l<"'J. be no more than twice as long as the required time;
otherwise you should introduce extra complications (see
below) and possibly double the activity's costs to repre-
sent the inefficiency of the character's p rogress.
S~ofr"'~ ii t~ii t~i"'~ w~<r< COMPLICATIONS
""'"'io"'i ~iv< c;wc;i t~<ir st'-'{4 to
The description of each activity includes a discussion
ot~<r f'ofl•, c;"'). ot~•r f•ost· ~iv< of complications you can throw at the characters. The
t~•- J.i{4<mJ it...f-l. 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
Check Items Acqu ired
Tot a l
1-5 Roll ld6 times on Magic Item Table A.
Each of these sections has a table that offers possible 6- 10 Roll l d4 times on Magic Item Table B.
complications. You can roll to determine a complication 11-15 Roll ld4 times on Magic Item Table C.
random ly, pick one from the table, or devise one of your 16-20 Roll ld4 times on Magic Item Table D.
own, and then share it with the player. 21-25 Roll ld4 times on Magic Item Table E.
EXAMPLE DOWNTIME ACTIVITI-ES- - - 26-30 Roll ld4 times on Magic Item Table F.
31-35 Roll ld4 times on Magic Item Table G.
The following activities are s uitable fo r any character 36-40 Roll ld4 times on Magic Item Table H .
Roll ld4 times on Magic Item Table I.
who can afford to pursue them. As OM, you have the 41+
fina l say on which activities are available to the char-
acters. The activities you allow might depend on the MAGIC ITEM PRICE
nature of the area where the characters are located. For
example, you might disallow the creation of magic items Rarity Asking Price*
or decide that the cha racters are in a town that is too Common (l d6 + 1) x 10 gp
isolated from major markets for them to buy s uch items. Uncommon ldG x 100 gp
BUYING A MAGIC ITEM Rare 2dl0 x 1,000 gp
Purchasing a magic item requires time and money to Very rare (ld4 + 1) x 10,000 gp
seek out and contact people willing to sell items. Even Legendary 2d6 x 25,000 gp
then, there is no guarantee a seller will have the items a ·~H alved for a consumable item like a potion or scrol l
t.character desires. Complications. The magic item trade is fraught with
rialisResources. Finding magic items to purchase requires peril. The large sums of money involved and the power
offered by magic items attract thieves, con a rtists, and
Aeat least one workweek of effort and 100 gp in expenses. other vi llains. If you want to make things more interest-
DFSpending more time and money increases your chance ing fo r the characters, roll on the Magic Item Purchase
Pof finding a high-quality item. Complications table or invent your own complication.
enuResolution. A character seeking to buy a magic item MAGIC ITEM PURCHASE COMPLICATIONS
Debmakes a Cha risma (Persuasion) check to determine
ofthe quality of the seller found. The character gains a dl2 Complication
ion+l bonus on the check for every workweek beyond the The item is a fake, planted by an enemy.*
ersfirst that is spent seeking a seller and a +1 bonus for
o vevery additional 100 gp spent on the search, up to a 2 The item is stolen by the party's enemies.*
demmaximum bonus of +10. The monetary cost includes 3 The item is cursed by a god.
g aa wealthy lifestyle, for a buyer must impress potential 4 The item 's origina l owner will kill to reclaim it; the
sinbusiness partners.
party's enemies spread news of its sale.*
d uAs shown on the Buying Magic Items table, the total of 5 The item is at the center of a dark prophecy.
difiethe check dictates wh ich table in the Dungeon Master's 6 The seller is murdered before the sale.*
moGuide to roll on to determine which items are on the 7 The seller is a devil looking to make a bargain.
enmarket. Or you can roll for items from any table associ- 8 The item is the key to freeing an evil entity.
beated with a lower total on the Buying Magic Items table. 9 A third party bids o n the item, doubling its price.*
hasAs a further option to reflect the availability of items 10 The item is an enslaved, intelligent entity.
DFin you r campaign, you can apply a -10 penalty for low
is Pmagic ca mpa igns or a +10 bonus for h igh magic cam-
Thpaigns. Furthermore, you can double magic item costs
in low magic campaigns. 11 The item is tied to a cult.
Using the Magic Item Price table, you then assign 12 The party's enemies spread rumors that the item is
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.
You have final say in deter mining w hich items are for CAROUSING
sale and their final price, no matter what the tables say. Carousing is a default downtime activity for many char-
If the characters seek a specific magic item, first acters. Between adventu res, who doesn't want to relax
decide if it's an item you want to allow in your game. If w ith a few drin ks and a g roup of friends at a tavern?
so, include the desired item among the items for sale Resources. Carousing covers a workweek of fine
on a check total of 10 or higher if the item is common, food, strong drink, and socializing. A character can at-
15 or higher if it is uncommon, 20 or higher if it is rare, tempt to carouse among lower-, middle-, or upper-class
25 or higher if it is very rare, and 30 or higher if it is folk. A character can carouse with the lower class for
legendary. 10 gp to cover expenses, or 50 gp for the middle class.
CHAPTER 2 I DUNCEON MASTER'S TOOLS
ersion of Debenu PDF Aerialist.Carousing with the upper class requires 250 gp for the
o vworkweek a nd access to the local nobility.
emA ch aracter w ith the noble background can m ingle
a dw ith the upper class, but other characters can do so only
singif you judge that the cha racter h as made s ufficient con-
d utacts. Alternatively, a character might use a disguise kit
ifiea nd the Deception s kill to pass as a noble vis iting from a
oddistant city.
en mResolution. After a workweek of carousing, a charac-
bete r stands to ma ke contacts within the selected social
hasclass. The character makes a Charis ma (Pers uasion)
Fcheck us ing the Carousing table.
This PDCA ROU S I N G
Lowe r-class contacts include criminals, la borers,
mercenaries, t he town guard , and a ny other folk who
normally freque nt the cheapest taverns in town.
Middle-class contacts include guild members, spell-
casters, town officials , and other folk who frequent well-
kept establishments.
Upper-class contacts are nobles and their personal
servants. Carousing with s uc h folk covers for mal ban-
quets, state dinners, and the like.
Once a contact has helped or hinde red a cha racter,
the c ha racter needs to carouse again to get back into the
NPC's good graces. A contact provides h elp once, not
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 You ca n assign specific NPCs as contacts. You might
1- 5 Character has made a hostile contact. decide that the barkeep a t the Wretched Gorgon and
6- 10 Character has made no new contacts. a gu a rd s tationed at the western gate are the charac-
te r's a llied contacts. Assigning specific NPCs gives the
11 - 15 Character has made an allied contact.
players concre te options. It brings the ca mpaign to life
16- 20 Cha racter has made two all ied contacts. a nd seeds the area w it h N P Cs that the characters care
21+ Character has made three allied contacts. a bout. On the other ha nd, it can prove difficult to track
and might render a contact useless if that character
Contacts are NPCs w ho now share a bond with the doesn't come into play.
c haracter. Each one either owes the ch aracte r a favor Alternatively, you can a llow the player to ma ke an
or has some reason to bear a grudge. A hostile contact NPC into a contact on the spot, after carous ing. Whe n
works against the c haracter, placing obstacles but s top- the characters are in the a rea in which they caroused,
ping s hort of com mitting a crime or a viole nt act. Allied a player can expend an a llied contact and designate
contacts a re friends w ho w ill re nde r aid to t he c haracte r, a n NPC they meet as a contact, assuming the NPC is
b ut not a t the r is k of the ir lives. 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, A pus hy noble family wants to marry off o ne of
their scions to you.*
since it gives you the added depth of s pecific contacts
wh ile giving players the freedom to ens ure that the con- 2 You tripped and fell during a dance, and peo ple
can't stop talking about it.
tacts they accumulate are useful.
The same process can apply to hostile contacts. You 3 You have agreed to take on a noble's debts.
4 You have been challenged to a joust by a knight.*
can give the characters a specific NPC they s hould 5 You have made a foe ou t of a local noble.*
avoid, or you m ight introduce one at an inopportune or 6 A boring noble insists you visit each day and listen
dramatic moment. to long, tedious theories of magic.
At a ny time, a character can have a maximum number 7 You have become the target of a variety of embar-
of uns pecified allied contacts equal to 1 +the character 's rassing rumors.*
Charis ma modifie r (minimum of 1). Specific, na med 8 You spent an additiona l 500 gp trying to impress
contacts don't count toward this limit- only ones that
can be used at any time to declare an NPC as a contact. people.
Complications. Characters who carouse ris k bar ~'Might invo lve a rival
brawls, accumulating a cloud of nasty rumors, and
CRAFTING AN ITEM
building a bad re putation around town. As a rule of
thumb, a character has a 10 percent chance of triggering
a complication for each workweek of carousing.
A cha racter who has the time, the money, a nd the
LOWER-CLASS CAROUSING COMPLICATIONS needed tools can use downtime to craft armor, weapons,
d8 Complication cloth ing, or other kinds of nonmagical gear.
t.A pickpocket lifts ldlO x 5 gp from you.* Resources and Resolution. In addition to the appro-
rialis2 A ba r brawl leaves you with a scar.* priate tools for the item to be crafted, a character needs
Ae3 You have fuzzy memories of doing something very, raw mater ials wor th half of the item's selling cost. To
determine how many workweeks it takes to create an
DFvery illegal, but can't remember exactly what. item, divide its gold piece cost by SO. A cha racter can
u P4 You are banned from a tavern after some obnox- complete multiple items in a workweek if the items' com-
bined cost is SO gp or lower. Items that cost more than
benious behavior.* SO gp can be completed over longer periods of time, as
f De5 After a few drinks , you swore in the town square to long as the work in progress is stored in a safe location.
ion opursue a dangerous quest. Multiple characters can combine their e fforts. Divide
ers6 Surprise! You're married. the time needed to create an item by the number of char-
o v7 Streaking naked through the streets seemed like a acters working on it. Use your judgment w hen determin-
ing how many characters can collaborate on an item . A
demgreat idea at the time. particularly tiny item, like a rin g, might allow only one
g a8 Everyo ne is cal ling you by some weird , embarrass- or two workers, w hereas a large, complex item m ight
usining nickname, like Puddle Drinker o r Bench Slayer,a llow four or more wo rkers.
ifiedand no one will say why.1' A character needs to be proficient with the tools
od* Might invo lve a rival
been mMIDDLE-CLASS CAROUSING COMPLICATIONS needed to craft an item a nd have access to the appro-
hasd8 Complication priate equipment. Everyone who collaborates needs to
DFYou accidenta lly insulted a guild master, and only have the appropriate tool proficiency. You need to make
is Pa public apology will let you do business with the a ny judgment calls regarding whether a character has
Thguild again.* the correct equipment. The following table provides
some examples.
2 You swore to complete some quest on behalf of a Proficiency Items
temple or a guild. Herbalism kit Antitoxin, potion ofhealing
3 A social gaffe has made you the talk of the town.* Leatherworker's tools Leather armor, boots
4 A particularly obnoxious person has taken an in - Sm ith 's tools Armor, weapons
tense romantic interest in you.* Weaver's tools Cloaks, robes
5 You have made a foe out of a local spellcaster.* If all the above requirements are met, the result of th e
6 You have been recruited to help run a local fest iva l, process is an item of the desired sort. A character can
play, or similar event. sell a n item crafted in this way at its listed price.
7 You made a drunken toast that scandalized the Crafting Magic Items. Creating a magic item requi res
locals. more than just time, effort, and materials. It is a long-
8 You spent an additional 100 g p trying to impress
term process that involves one or more adventures to
people. 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
t.Common 1-3
rialisUncommon4- 8
AeRare 9-12
DFVery rare 13- 18
u PLege ndary 19+
f DebenIf appropriate, pick a monster or a locatio n that is a
n othematic fit for the item to be crafted. For example, cre- Comp lications. Most of the complications involved in
rsioating mariner's armor might require the essence of a creating something, especially a magic item, a re linked
vewater weird. Crafting a staffofcharming mig ht require to the difficulty in finding rare ingredients or compo-
mothe cooperation of a specific arcanaloth, who w ill help ne nts needed to comple te the work. The complications
deonly if the characters complete a task for it. Making a a cha racte r mi ght face as byproducts o f the creation
ing astaff ofpower might hinge on acquiring a piece of a n process are most interesting when the characters are
usan cie nt stone that was once touched by the god of mag- working on a magic item: there's a 10 percent chance for
ifiedic- a s tone now guarded by a s uspicious androsphinx. every five workweeks spent on crafting an item that a
complication occurs. The Crafting Complications table
odl n addition to facing a specific creature, creating an provides examples of what might happen.
mitem comes with a gold piece cost covering other mate-
eenrials, tools, a nd so on, based on the item's rarity. Those CRAFTING COMPLICATIONS
s bvalues, as well as the time a character needs to work in
haorder to complete the item, are s hown on the Magic Item d6 Com plicat ion
PDFCrafting Time a nd Cost table. H a lve the .listed price and
Thiscreation time for any cons umable items.
MAGIC ITEM CRAFTING TIME A N D COST Rumo rs swirl that what you're working on is unsta-
ble and a threat to the community.*
Item Rarity Workweeks •~ Cost~' 2 Your tools are stolen, forcing you to buy new
Common ones.*
l so gp 3 A local wizard shows keen interest in your work
and insists on observing you.
Uncommon 2 200 gp 4 A powerfu l noble offers a hefty price for yo ur work
and is not interested in hearing no for an answer.*
Rare 10 2,000 gp
s A dwarf clan accuses you of stealing its secret lore
Very ra re 2S 20,000 gp
Legendary
so 100,000 gp
* Halved for a consumable item li ke a potion or scroll
To complete a magic item, a character also needs to fuel your work.*
whatever tool proficiency is appropriate, as for crafting a 6 A competitor spreads rumors that your work is
nonmagical object, or proficie ncy in th e Arcana s kill.
shoddy and prone to failure.*
If all the above requirements are met, the result of the
* Might involve a riva l
process is a magic item of the desired sort.
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
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 A bounty equ al to your earnings is offere d for info r-
and costs for doing so a re s umma rized on the Potio n of mation abou t your crime.*
Hea ling Creation ta ble.
2 An un known person contacts you, threatening to
reveal yo ur crime if you do n't rende r a service.*
POT IO N O F HEALI N G CREATION 3 Your victim is fi nanc ially ruined by you r crime .
Typ e Time Cost 4 Someone who knows of you r crime has been ar-
Healing 1 day 25 gp rested on a n unrelated matter.>'•
Greater healing 1 wo rkweek 100 gp
Superior hea ling 3 workweeks 1,000 gp S Yo ur loot is a single , easily identified item that you
Su pre me healing 4 workwee ks 10,000 gp ca n't fen ce in this region.
6 You rob be d someone who was unde r a loca l crime
lo rd 's protection, and wh o now wants revenge.
C RIME 7 You r victim calls in a favor from a guard, doubling
the efforts t o so lve the case.
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 8 Your victim asks o ne of your a dvent uring co mpan-
of arrest. ions to solve the cri me .
Resources. A character must s pend one week a nd at * Might involve a rival
least 25 gp gathe ring in fo rma tio n on potentia l ta rgets
before committing the intended crime. GAMBLI NG
Resolution. The cha racte r mus t ma ke a series of Ga mes of cha nce a re a way to ma ke a fortune- a nd per-
checks, with the DC for a ll the checks chosen by the haps a better way to Jose o ne.
Resources. T his activity requires o ne workweek of ef-
list.cha racter according to the a mount of profit s ought fro m
riathe crime. 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.
AeT he chosen DC can be 10, 15, 20, or 25. Successful
DFcompletion of the crime yields a number of gold pieces, R esolution. The cha racter mus t ma ke a ser ies of
u Pas s hown on the Loot Value table. checks, with a DC dete rmined at ra ndom based on the
quality of the competitio n that the character runs into.
benTo a ttempt a cr ime , the character makes three checks: P ar t of th e r is k of gambling is that one never knows w ho
DeDexterity (Stealth), Dexterity us ing thieves' tools, a nd might e nd up sitting across the table.
ofthe playe r's choice of Intelligence (Investigatio n), Wis-
rsiondom (P e rception), or Cha ris ma (Deception). T he cha racter ma kes three checks : Wis dom (Ins ight),
Cha ris ma (Deceptio n), a nd Cha ris ma (Intimidation).
veIf none of the checks a re s uccessful, the cha racter is If the cha racter has proficie ncy with a n a ppropriate
mocaught a nd ja iled. T he cha racter mus t pay a fine equa l togaming set, that tool proficiency can re place the rele-
dethe profit the crime would have earned a nd mus t s pend va nt s ki ll in any of the checks. T he DC for each of the
g ao ne week in jail for each 25 g p of the fine. checks is 5 + 2d10; gene rate a separa te DC for each
one. Cons ult the Gambling Results table to see how the
sinIf only one check is s uccessfu l, the he is t fa ils but thecharacter did.
ified ucha racter escapes.
dIf two checks a re s uccessful, the heist is a pa rtia l s uc-
mocess, netting the cha racter half the payout.
enIf all th ree checks a re s uccessful, the characte r earns
s bethe full va lue of the loot.
DF haL OOT V AL UE
his PDC Value
T10 SO gp, robbery of a struggling mercha nt
GAMBLING RESULTS
Result Val u e
0 successes Lose a ll the money you bet, and accrue a
1 success debt equal to that amount.
Lose ha lf t he money yo u bet.
1S 100 gp, robbery of a prosperou s me rchant 2 successes Gain the amo unt you bet plus ha lf again
20 200 gp, robbe ry of a noble m ore.
25 1,000 gp, ro bbery of o ne of the ric hest fig ures in town 3 succe sses Gain dou ble t he am ount you bet.
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 the noble's house.*
thieves' guild, and the guild wants its money back. 5 You are accused of cheating. Whether the allega·
5 A local crime boss insists you start frequenting the tion is true or not, your reputation is tarnished.*
boss's gambling parlor and no others. 6 You accidentally deliver a near-fatal wound to a foe.
6 A high-stakes gambler comes to town and insists '°'Might involve a rival
that you take part in a game.
*Might involve a rival RELAXATION
Sometimes the best thing to do between adventu res is
PIT FIGHTING relax. Whether a character wants a bard-earned vaca-
Pit fighting includes boxing, wrestling, and other nonle- tion or needs to recover from injuries, relaxation is t he
thal forms of combat in an organized setting with prede- ideal option for adventurer s who need a brea k. This op·
ter mined matches. If you want to introduce competi tive tion is a lso idea l for pl ayers who don't want to make use
fighting in a battle-to-the-death situation, the standard of the downtime system.
combat rules apply to that sort of activity. Resources. Relaxation requires one week. A charac-
list.Resources. Engaging in this activity requires one ter needs to maintain at least a modest lifestyle while
riaworkweek of effort from a character. relaxing to gain the benefit of the activity.
AeResolution . The character must make a series of Resolution . C ha racters who maintain at least a mod-
DFchecks, with a D C determined at random based on the
u Pquality of the opposition that the character runs i nto. est l ifestyle while relaxing gain several benefits. While
benA big part of the challenge in pit fighting lies in the un-relaxing, a character gains advantage on saving throws
Deknown 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
n ofThe character makes three checks: Strength (Athlet- effect that keeps the character from regaining hit points,
rsioics), Dexterity (Acrobatics), and a special Constitution or ca n restore one ability score that has been reduced to
vecheck 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
molargest Hit Die (this roll doesn't spend that die). ff de- if the harmful effect was caused by a spell or some other
desired, the character can replace one of these skill check s magical effect with an ongoing duration.
g aw ith an attack roll using one o f the cha racter's weapons.
usinThe DC for each o f the checks is 5 + 2d10; generate a Complications. Relaxation rarely comes with com-
ifiedseparate DC for each one. ConsuJt the Pit Fighti ng Re-
dsults table to see how the character did. plicat ions. I f you want to make life complicated for the
een moPIT FIGHTING RESULT S characters, introduce an action or an event connected
as bResult to a r ival.
F h0 successes Va lu e
RELIGIOUS SERVICE
is PD1 success C haracters with a religious bent might want to spend
Lose your bouts, earning nothing. downtime in ser vice to a temple, either by attending
rites or by prosely tizing in the community. Someone
Th2 successes Win 50 gp. w ho undertakes this activity has a chance of winning
the favor of the temple's leaders.
Win 100 gp.
3 successes Win 200 gp. R esources. Performing religious service requires ac-
cess to, and often attendance at, a temple whose beliefs
Complications . Characters involved in pit fighting and etho~ align with the character's. If such a place is
available, the activity takes one workweek of time but
must deal with thei r opponents, the people who bet on involves no gold piece expend iture.
matches, and the m atches' promoters. Every workweek
spent pit fighting bri ngs a 10 percent chance of a compli· R esolution. At t he end of t he required time, the char-
cation, examples of w hich are on the P it Fighting Com-
acter chooses to make either an Intelligence (Religion)
pl ications table. check or a Charisma (Persuasion) check. The total of
the check determines the benefits of service, as shown
on the Religious Service table.
workweek spent in religious service brings a 10 percent
chance of a complication, examples of which are on the
Religious Service Complicatio ns table.
R ELIG I OUS S ERV ICE CO M PLICAT IONS
d6 Complication
You have offended a priest through your words or
actions.*
2 Blasphemy is sti ll blasphemy, even if you did it by
accident.
3 A secret sect in the temple offers you membership.
4 Another temple tries to recruit you as a spy.'~
5 The temple elders implore you to take up a holy
quest.
6 You accidentally discover that an important person
in the temple is a fiend worshiper.
*Might involve a rival
RESEARCH
Forewarned is forearmed. The research downtime ac-
tivity a llows a cha racter to de lve into lo re concerning a
demo version of Debenu PDF Aerialist.R ELIGIOUS S ERVIC E monster, a location, a magic item, or some other partic-
g aCheck ular topic.
sinTotal
ified u1-10 Resources. Typically, a character needs access to a
n mod11-20 library or a sage to conduct research. Assuming such
bee21+ access is available, conducting research requires one
Resu lt workweek of effort and at least 50 gp spent on materia ls,
No effect. Your efforts fail to make a lasting bribes, gifts, and other expenses.
impression.
You earn one favor. Resolution. The character decla res the foc us of the
You earn two favors. research-a specific person, place, or thing. After one
DF hasA favor, in broad terms, is a promise of future assis- workweek, the cha racter makes a n Intell igence check
is Ptance from a representative of the te mple . It can be with a +1 bonus per 100 gp s pent beyond the initial
Thexpended to ask the temple for he lp in deali ng with a 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.
s pecific problem, for general political or s ocia l support, 21+ You learn three pieces of lore.
or to red uce the cost of cleric spellcasting by 50 percent.
A favor could also take the form of a de ity's intervention, Each piece of lore is the equivalent of one true s tate-
s uch as an omen, a vision, or a minor miracle provided ment about a person, place, or thing. Examples include
at a key moment. This la tte r sort of favor is expended by knowl edge of a creature's resis ta nces, the password
the DM, who a lso determines its nature. needed to ente r a sealed dungeon level, the spells com-
Favors earned need not be expended immediately, but monly prepa red by an order of wizards, a nd so on.
only a certain numbe r can be stored up. A character can As DM, you are the fina l a rbiter concerning exactly
have a maximum number of unused favors equal to 1 + what a cha racter learns. For a monster or an NPC, you
the character's Charisma modifier (minimum of one un- can reveal eleme nts of statistics or personality. For a lo-
used favor). cation, you can reveal secrets a bout it, such as a hidden
Complication s . Temples can be labyrinths of political entrance, the a nswer to a riddle, or the nature of a crea-
and social scheming. Even the bes t-intentioned sect can ture that guards the place.
fall prone to riva lries. A character who serves a temple Complications. The greatest ris k in research is un-
risks becoming embroiled in such struggles. Every 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
scrolls, angering a wizard in town.
plications during research. Every workweek spent in
research brings a 10 percent chance of a complication, 2 The priest of a temple of good accuses you of traf-
examples of which are on the Research Complica- 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
You accidentally damage a rare book. instead a random spell of the same level.
2 You offend a sage, who demands an extravagant 5 The ra re parchment you bought for your scroll has
gift.* a barely visible map on it.
3 Ifyou had known that book was cursed, you never 6 A thief attempts to break into your workroom.*
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
until you make reparations.*
t.6 You uncovered useful lore, but only by promising
rialisto complete a dangerous task in return.
Ae'~Might involve a rival
u PDFSCRIBING A SPELL SCROLL
benWith time and patience, a spellcaster can transfer a
f Despell to a scroll, creating a spell scroll.
n oResources. Scribing a spell scroll takes an amount of
rsiotime and money related to the level of the spell the char-
veacter wants to scribe, as shown in the Spell Scroll Costs
motable. In addition, the character must have proficiency
dein the Arcana skill and must provide any materia l com-
ing aponents required for the casti ng of the spell. Moreover,
usthe character must have t he spell prepared, or it must be
ifiedamong the character's known spells, in order to scribe a
dscroll of that spell.
moIf the scribed spell is a cantrip, the version on the
eenscroll works as if the caster were 1st level.
score, and there's no guarantee that a character w ill re-
ceive a good offer even if a legitimate buyer is found.
R esources. A character can find a buyer for one
magic ite m by spending one workweek and 25 gp, which
is used to spread word of the desired sale. A character
mus t pick one item at a time to sell.
Resolution. A character w ho wants to sell an item
must make a Charisma (Persuasion) check to determine
what kind of offer comes in. The character can always
opt not to sell, instead forfeiting the workweek of effor t
and trying again later. Use the Magic Item Base Prices
and Magic Item Offer tables to determi ne the sale price.
MAGIC ITEM BASE PRICES
has bSPELL SCROLL COSTS Rarity Base Price"'
PDFSpell Level Time Common 100 gp
Uncommon 400 gp
Rare
Very rare 4,000 gp
Legendary 40,000 gp
200,000 gp
ThisCantrip Cos t "'Halved for a consumable item like a potion or scroll
15 gp
l day
lst l day 25 gp MAGIC ITEM OFFER
2nd 3 days 250 gp Check
Tota l
3rd l workweek 500 gp Offer
1-10 50% of base price
4th 2 workweeks 2,500 gp 11-20 100% of base price
150% of base price
5th 4 workweeks 5,000 gp 21+
6th 8 workweeks 15,000 gp
7th 16 workweeks 25,000 gp Complications. T he main risk in selling a magic item
lies in attracting th ieves and anyone else who wants the
8th 32 workweeks 50,000 gp item but doesn't want to pay for it. Other folk might try to
undermine a deal in order to bolster their own business
9th 48 workweeks 250,000 gp or seek to discredit the character as a legitimate seller.
Every workweek spent trying to sell an item brings a 10
Complications. Crafting a spelf scroll is a solitary percent chance of a complication, examples of which are
task, unlikely to attract much attention. The complica-
tions that arise are more likely to involve the preparation on the Magic Item Sale Complicatio ns table.
needed for the activity. Every workweek spent scribing
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.
ion of Debenu PDF Aerialist.MAGIC ITEM SALE COMPLICAT IONS
versd6 Complication WAGES
emoYour enemy secretly arranges to buy the item to
a duse it against you.* Check Ea rnings
ing2 A thieves' guild, alerted to the sale, attempts to Tota l
d ussteal your item.1'
difie3 A foe circulates rumors that your item is a fake.* 9 or lower Poor lifestyle for the week
mo4 A sorcerer claims your item as a birthright and de-
eenmands you hand it over. 10-14 Modest lifestyle for the week
s b5 Your item's previous owner, or surviving all ies of 15-20 Comfortable lifestyle for the week
F hathe owner, vow to retake the item by force.
PD6 The buyer is murdered before the sale is finalized.*
This*Might involve a rival
21+ Comfortable lifestyle for the week+ 25 gp
Complications. Ordinary work is rarely fi lled with
significant complications. Still, the Work Complications
table can add some difficulties to a worke r's life. Each
workweek of activity brings a 10 percent chance that a
character e ncou nters a complication.
WORK COMPLICATIONS
d6 Complication
A difficu lt customer or a fight with a coworker re-
TRAINING duces t he wages you earn by one category.*
2 Your emp loyer's financial difficu lties result in you r
Giveo enough free time and the services of an instruc-
tor, a cha racter can lea rn a language or pick up profi- not being paid.'~
ciency with a tool. 3 A coworker with ties to an important family in town
R esources. Receiving training in a language or tool takes a dislike to you.*
typica lly ta kes at least ten workweeks, but this time is 4 Your employer is involved w ith a dark cu lt or a
reduced by a numbe r of workweeks equa l to th e c ha r- criminal enterprise.
acter 's Intellige nce modifier (an Intellige nce p e nalty
doesn't increase the time needed). Training costs 25 gp 5 A crime ring targets you r business for extortion.*
per workweek. 6 You gain a reputation for laziness (unjustified or
Complications. Complications that arise w hile train- not, as you choose), giving you disadvantage on
ing typically involve the teache r. Every ten workweeks checks made for this downtime activity for the next
spent in training brings a 10 percent chance of a compli- six workweeks you devote to it.*
cation, examples of which are on the Training Complica- * Might involve a rival
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
treasure will be found over the course of a campaign. Over
a nd are ofte n the main reward in an adventure. The twenty levels of typical play, the game expects forty-five
ru les for magic items are presented, along w ith the rolls on the Treasure Hoard tables , distributed as follows:
Treasure Hoard tables, in chapter 7 of the Dungeon • Seven rolls on the Challenge 0-4 table
Master's Guide. This section expands on those rules by • Eighteen rolls on the Challenge 5-10 table
offering you an a lte rnative way of determ ini ng which • Twelve rolls on the Challenge 11-16 table
magic ite ms e nd up in t he c ha racters' possession and by • Eight roll s on the Challenge 17+ table
add ing a collection of common magic items to the game. Because many of the table results call for more than one
T he section e nds with tables that group magic items ac- magic item, those forty-five rolls will result in the charac-
cordin g to ra rity. ters obtaining rough ly one hundred items. The optional
system described here yields the same number of items,
The system in the Dungeon Master's Guide is de-
s igned so that you ca n generate a ll treasure random ly, distributed properly throughout the spectrum of rarity,
and th e tables also govern the number of magic items while enabling you to control exactly which items the char-
the c ha racters receive. In s hort, t he ta bles d o the work. acters have a chance of acquiring.
But a DM w ho's d esigning or modifying a n adventure Magic Item Tables F t hrough I. As you can see from the
might prefer to choose the magic items that come into
play. If you're in that s ituation, you can use the rules in Treasure Hoard tables in that book, major magic items
this section to pe rsonalize your treasure h oa rds while are meant to be handed out much less frequently than
staying within the gam e's limits for how many items the m inor items, even at higher levels of play.
ch aracters s hould u ltimately accumulate.
MAGIC ITEMS AWARDED BY TIER
DISTRIBUTION BY RARITY Character Minor Items Major Items All Items
Level 9 2 11
list.This a lternative method of treasure determination fo- 1-4 28 6 34
riacuses on choosing magic items based on thei r ra rity, 5-10 24 6 30
Aerather than by rolling on the tables in the Dungeon Mas- 11-16 19 6 25
DFter's Guide. This method uses two tables: Magic Items 17-20 80 20 100
u PAwarded by Tier a nd Magic Items Awarded by Rarity. Total
enBy Tier. The Magic Ite ms Awarded by Tier table
Debs hows the number of magic items a D&D party typically
ofgains du ri ng a campaig n, culminating in the group's
ionhaving accumulated one hundred magic items by 20th
verslevel. T he table s hows how many of those items are
omeant to be handed out during each of the four tiers of
demplay. The emphasis on characters receiving more items
g aduring the second tier (levels 5- 10) than in other tiers
sinis by design. The second tier is where much of the play
d uoccurs in a typical D&D campaign, and the items gained
difiein that tier prepare the characters for higher-level
moadven tures.
enBy Rarity. The Magic Items Awarded by Rarity table
beta kes the numbers from the Magic Items Awa rded by
hasTier table a nd breaks them down to show the number of
DFitem s o f each rarity the ch aracters are expected to h ave
is Pw hen they reach the end of a tier.
ThMinor and Major Items. Both tables in this section
make a distinction between minor magic items and ma-
jor magic items. This distinction exists in the Dungeon
Master's Guide, yet those terms aren't used there. In
that book, the mino r items are those listed on Magic
Item Tables A through E, and the major items a re on
CHOOSING ITEMS LEVEL BY LEVEL
You decide when to place an ite m in an adventure that
you're creating or modifyi ng, usually because you think
the story calls for a magic item, the characters need one,
or the players would be especially p leased to get one.
When you want to select an item as treasure for an en-
counter, the Magic Items Awarded by Rar ity table serves
as your item budget. Here's how to use it:
1. jot down a copy of the table in your notes, so that you
can make adjustments to the numbers as you select
items to be placed in an advent ure.
2. Refer to th e line in the Level/CR column that corre-
sponds to one of the following va lues (your choice):
the level of the player characters, the challenge rating
of the magic item's owner, or the challenge rating of
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
Armor (any m edium or heavy), common
CHOOSING ITEMS PIECEMEA L This armor never gets dirty.
If you prefer a more free-form m ethod of choosing magic BEAD OF NOURISHMENT
items, simply select each magic item you wan t to give
out; then, when the characters acquire one, deduct it Wondrous item, common
from the M agic Item s Awarded by R arity table in your
notes. Whenever you do so, start with the lowest tier, This spongy, fl avorless, gelati no us bead dissolves on
and deduct the item from the first number you com e your tongue and provides as much nourishment as 1 day
of rations.
across in the appropriate rarity column for the item , BEAD OF REFRESHMENT
whether its minor or major. If that tier doesn't have a
number greater t han 0 for that ra rity, go up a tier until Wondrous item, common
you find one that does, and deduct the magic item from This spongy, fl avorless, gelatinous bead dissolves in
that number. Following this process, you will zero out l iquid, transforming up to a pint of t he liquid into fresh,
cold drinking water. The bead has no effect on magical
list.each row of the table in order, going from the lowest lev-liquids or harmful substances such as poison.
eriaels to the highest.
DF AO VE RSTOCKING AN ADVENTURE B OOTS OF FALSE TRACKS
nu PThe magic item tables in this section are based on the
benumber of items the characters are expected to r eceive, Wondrous item, common
f Denot the number of items that are available in an adven-
n oture. When creating or modifyi ng a n adventure, assume Only humanoids can wear these boots. While wearing
rsiothat the characters won't find all the items you place in the boots, you ca n choose to have them l eave tracks like
veit, unl ess most of the loot is in easy-to-find locations. those of another kind of humanoid of you r size.
moH ere's a good ru le of thumb: an adventure can include a
denumber of items that's 25 percent higher than the num- CANDLE OF THE DEEP
ing abers in the tables (round up). For example, an adventure
usd esigned to take characters from 1st to 4th level might Wondrous item, common
ifiedinclude fourteen item s rather than eleven, in the expec-
odtation that three of those items won't be found. The flame of this candle is not extinguished when
immersed in water. lt gives off light and heat like a nor-
een mARE M ACIC ITE MS NECESSARY I N A CAMPAIG N ? mal candle.
as bThe D&D game is built on the assumption that magic
F hitems appear sporadically and that they are always a boon,CAST-OFF ARMOR
PDunless an item bears a curse. Characters and monsters are
isbuilt to face each other without the help of magic items, Armor (light, medium, or heavy), common
Thwhich means that having a magic item always makes a
You can doff this armor as an action.
CHAR LATAN'S DIE
Wondrous item, common (requires attunement)
Whenever you roll this six-sided die, you ca n control
character more powerful or versatile than a generic char- which number it rolls.
acter of the same level. As DM, you never have to worry
about awarding magic items just so the characters can CLOAK OF BILLOWING
keep up with the campaign's threats. Magic items are truly Wondrous item, common
prizes. Are they useful? Absolutely. Are they necessary? No.
While wearing t his cl oak, you can use a bonus action to
Magic items can go from nice to necessary in the rare make it billow dramatically.
group that has no spellcasters, no monk, and no N PCs
capable of casting magic weapon. Having no magic ma kes CLOAK OF MANY FASHIONS
it extremely difficult for a party to overcome mons ters that
have resistances or immunity to nonmagica l damage. In Wondrous item, common
such a game, you'll want to be generous with magic weap-
ons or else avoid usi ng such monsters. 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-
When you make an attack roll while wearing the am- cally appea rs in the hat and tries to get away from you
ulet, you can forgo rolling the d20 to get a 10 on the die. as quickly as possible. The creature is neither friendly
Once used, this property can't be used again until the nor hostile, and it isn't under your control. It behaves as
next dawn. an ordinary creature of its kind and disappears after 1
hour o r when it drops to 0 hit points. The hat regains a ll
CLOTHES OF MENDING expended charges da ily at dawn.
Wondrous item, common
This elegant outfit of traveler's clothes magically mends HAT OF WIZARDRY
itself to counteract daily wear and tear. Pieces of the out-
fit that are destroyed can't be repaired in th is way. Wondrous item, common (requires attunement by a
wizard)
This antiquated, cone-shaped hat is adorned with gold
DARK SHARD AMULET crescent moons and stars. While you are wearing it, you
Wondrous item, common (requires attunement by a gain the following benefits:
warlock) • You can use the hat as a spellcasting focus for your
This amu let is fashioned from a s ingle s hard o f resi lient wizard spells.
extraplanar material originating from the realm ofyour You can try to cast a cantrip t hat you don't know. The
cantrip must be on the wizard spell list, and you must
t.warlock patron. While you are wearing it, you gain the make a DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check. If the
lisfollowing benefits: check succeeds, you cast the spell. If the check fails,
Aeria• You can use the amulet as a spellcasting focus for so does the spell, and the action used to cast the spell
DFyour warlock spells. is wasted. In either case, you can't use this property
u P• You can try to cast a cantrip that you don't know. The again until you finish a long rest.
encantrip must be on the warlock spell list, and you REWARD'S HANDY SPICE POUCH
Debmust make a DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check. If the
ofcheck succeeds, you cast the spell. If the check fails, Wondrous item, common
ionso does the spell, and the action used to cast the spell
versis wasted. In either case, you can't use this property This belt pouch appears empty and has 10 charges.
oagain until you finish a long rest. While holding t he pouch, you can use an action to ex-
a demDREAD HELM pend 1 of its charges, speak the na me of any nonmag-
singWondrous item, common ical food seasoning (such as salt, pepper, saffron, or
ified uThis fearsome steel helm makes your eyes glow red cilantro), and remove a pinch of the desired seasoning
dwhile you wear it. from the pouch. A pinch is enough to season a single
en moEAR HORN OF HEARING meal. The pouch regains ld6 + 4 expended cha rges
beWondrous item, common daily at dawn.
hasWhile held up to your ear, this horn s uppresses the ef-
DFfects of the deafened condition on you, a llowing you to HORN OF SILENT ALARM
This Phear normally.
Wondrous item, common
This horn has 4 charges. When you use an action to
blow it, one creature of your c hoice can hear th e horn's
blare, provided the creature is within 600 feet of the
ENDURING SPELLBOOK horn and not deafened. No other creature hears sound
Wondrous item, common coming from the horn. The horn regains ld4 expended
This spellbook, a long w ith anything written on its char ges daily at dawn.
pages, can't be damaged by fire or immers ion in water. INSTRUMENT OF ILLUSIONS
In addition, the spellbook doesn't deteriorate with age.
Wondrous item, common (requires attunement)
ERSATZ EYE While you are playing this musical instrument, you
ca n c reate harmless, illusory visual effects within a
Wondrous item, common (requires attunement) 5-foot-radius sphere centered on the instrument. If
you are a bard, the radius increases to 15 feet. Sample
This artificial eye replaces a real one that was lost or visual effects include luminous musical notes, a spec-
removed. While the ersatz eye is embedded in your eye tral dancer, butterflies, and gently falling snow. The
socket, it can't be removed by anyone other than you, magical effects have neither substance nor sound, and
a nd you can see through the tiny orb as though it were a they are obviously illusory. T he effects end when you
normal eye.
stop playing.
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON !\!ASTER'S TOOLS
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 POLE OF ANGLING
to make t he message g low fai ntly, allowing it to be seen
Wondrous item, common
i n nonmagical darkness. Casting dispel magic on the
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
T he i nstrument r egai ns all expended charges hook, a li ne, and a reel. Speaking t he command word
daily at dawn. agai n chan ges the fishing pole back into a normal
LOCK OF TRICKERY 10-foot pole.
Wondrous item, common POLE OF COLLAPSING
This lock appears to be an ordinary lock (of the type Wondrous item, common
described in chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook) and Whi le ho lding this 10-foot pole, you can use an action
comes with a single key. The tumblers in this lock magi- to speak a command word and cause it to collapse into
cally adjust to thwart burglars. Dexterity checks made to a 1-foot-long rod, for ease of storage. The pole's weight
pick the lock have disadvantage. doesn't change. You can use an action to speak a d i f-
list.MOON-TOUCHED SWORD ferent command word and cause the rod to revert to a
riaWeapon (any sword), common pole; however, the rod will elongate o nly as far as the
F AeIn darkness, the u nsheathed blad e of t his sword sheds surrounding space allows.
PDmoonlight, creat i ng brig ht ligh t i n a 15-foot rad ius and
nudi m light for an addition al 15 feet. POT OF AWAKENING
f DebeMYSTERY KEY
n oWondrous item, common Wondrous item, common
ersioA question mar k is worked into the head of this key. T he
o vkey has a 5 percent chance of unlocking a ny lock into If you pl ant an ordinary shrub in this 10-pou nd clay pot
emwhich it's inserted. On ce it unlocks something, t he key and l et it grow for 30 days, the shrub magically t rans-
a dd isappear s.
usingORB OF DIRECTION form s i nto an awake ned shrub (see the Monster Ma n-
ifiedWondrous item, common ual for statistics) at the end of that ti me. W hen the shrub
modWhil e holding t h is orb, you can use an action to deter-
enm ine w h ich way is north. T his property functions on ly awakens, its roots break the pot, destroying it.
beon the Material P lane. T he awakened shrub is friendly toward you. Absent
F hasORB OFT!ME
PDWondrous item, common commands from you, it does nothing.
ThisW h i le holding this or b, you can use an action to de-
ROPE OF MENDING
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
speak a command word and cause the pieces to knit
back together. The pieces must be in contact w ith each
oth er and not otherwise in use. A rope ofmending is for-
ever shor tened if a section of it is lost or destroyed.
termine w hether it is morning, afternoon, eveni ng, or RUBY OF THE WAR MAGE
nightti me outside. This property functions on ly on the
Wondrous item, common (requires attunement by a
Material P lane. spellcaster)
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
T h is tiny vial contains magic perfume, enough for one you must attach the ruby to the weapon by pressing the
use. You can use an action to apply th e perfume to your- r uby against it for at least 10 minutes. Thereafter, the
self, and its effect lasts 1 h our. For the duration, you ruby can't be removed unless you detach it as ao action
have advantage on all Char isma ch ecks directed at hu-
manoids of challenge rating 1 or lower. Those subjected or the weapon is destroyed. Not even an antimagic field
to t he per fume's effect are oot aware that t hey've been
causes it to fa ll off. The ruby does fall off the weapon i f
your attunement to the r uby ends.
i nfluen ced by magic.
CHAPTER 2 I DUNC EON MASTER'S TOOLS
SHIELD OF EXPRESSION
Armor (shield), common
The fron t of this s hield is s ha ped in the like ness of a
face. While bearing the shield, you can use a bonus ac-
tion to a.lte r the face's expression.
SMOLDERING ARMOR
Armor (a ny), common
Wisps of harmless, odorless smoke rise fro m this armor
while it is worn.
STAFF OF ADORNMENT
Staff, common
Ifyou place a n object weighing no mo re tha n 1 pound
(suc h as a s hard o f c rys ta.I, a n egg, or a stone) a bove
the tip of the s ta ff while holdi ng it, the object Boa ts a n
inch from th e staff's tip a nd re m a ins there u nti l it is
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
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
turn in place.
STAFF OF BIRDCALLS
list.Staff, common
eriaT his wooden s taff is d ecorated w ith bird carvings. It has
F A10 charges. While ho lding it, you can use an action to
PDexpend 1 cha rge from t he staff a nd cause it to create one
enuof t he following sounds out to a range of 60 feet: a finch's
ebchirp, a rave n's caw, a duck's quack, a chicken's cluck, a
of Dgoose's honk, a loon's call, a turkey's gobble, a seagull's
ioncry, an owl's hoot, o r an eagle's shriek.
ersT he staff regains ld6 + 4 expended charges da ily at
o vdawn. If you expe nd t he last cha rge, roll a d20. On a 1,
emthe s taff explod es in a harm less cloud of bird feathe rs
a dand is lost forever.
usingSTAFF OF F LOWERS
ifiedStaff, common
modT his wooden s taff has 10 charges. While holding it, you
encan use a n action to expend 1 char ge from t he staff and
because a Bower to s prout from a patch of earth or soil
haswithin 5 feet of you, o r fro m t he staff itself. Unless you
Fchoose a s pecific kind of flower, the staff creates a mild-
is PDscented daisy. T he flower is harmless a nd nonmagical,
Tha nd it grows or w ithers as a norma l flower would.
The s taff regains ld6 + 4 expe nded c ha rges da ily at
UN BR E AKABLE A RROW S
TANKARD OF SOBRIETY
Wondrous item, common
This tankard has a stern face sculpted into one side. You
can drink a le, wine, or a ny other no nmagical a lcoholic
be ve rage poured into it without becoming inebriated.
The tankard has no effect o n magical liquids or ha rmful
s ubs ta nces s u ch as poison.
UNBREAKABL E ARROW
Weapon (arrow), common
dawn. If you expe nd the last c ha rge, roll a d20. On a 1, This a rrow ca n't be broken, except when it is within an
t he staff turns into flower pe ta ls and is los t forever. antimagic. field.
TALKING DOLL VETERAN'S CANE
Wondrous item, common (requires attunement) Wondrous item, comm on
While this s tuffed doll is within 5 feet of you, you can When you grasp this wa lking ca ne and use a bonus ac-
s pe nd a s hort rest telling it to say up to s ix phrases, none tion to s peak the comma nd word , it transforms into an
of which ca n be more than s ix words long, and set a con- ordina ry longsword a nd ceases to be magica l.
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 WALLOPING AMMUNITION
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 Weapon (any ammunition), common
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 . 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
th row or b e knocked prone .
CHAPTER 2 1 DUNGIWN MASTER'S TOOLS
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.
WAND OF PYROTECHNICS Item Type Attune?
Armor of gleaming Armor No
Wand, comm on Bead of nourishment Wondrous item No
Bead of refreshment Wondrous item No
This wand has 7 charges. W hile ho lding it, you can use Boots of false tracks Wondrous item No
an action to expend 1 of its charges and create a harm- Candle of the deep Wondrous item No
less burst of mu lticolo red light at a point you can see Cast-off armor Armor No
up to 60 feet away. The bu rst of light is accompanied Charlatan's die Wondrous item Yes
by a crackJing noise that can be heard up to 300 feet
away. The light is as bright as a torch flame but lasts
only a second. Cloak of billowing Wondrous item No
The wand regains l d6 + 1 expended charges daily at Cloak of many fashions Wondrous item No
dawn. Ifyou expend the wand's last charge, roll a d20. Clockwork amulet Wondrous item No
On a 1, the wand erupts in a harmless pyrotechnic dis- Clothes of mending Wondrous item No
Dark shard amulet Wondrous item Yes (warlock)
list.play and is destroyed. Dread helm Wondrous item No
AeriaWAND OF SCOWLS Ear horn of hearing Wondrous item No
DFWand, common Enduring spellbook Wondrous item No
nu PThis wand has 3 charges. W hile hold ing it, you can use Ersatz eye Wondrous item Yes
ebean action to expend 1 of its charges and target a human- Hat of vermin Wondrous item No
f Doid you ca n see within 30 feet of you. T he target mus t Hat of wizardry Wondrous item Yes (wizard)
n osucceed on a DC 10 Charisma saving throw or be forced Heward's handy spice Wondrous item No
rsioto scowl for 1 m inute. pouch
Horn of silent alarm Wondrous item No
o veThe wand regains all expended charges da ily at dawn. Instrument ofillusions Wondrous item Yes
emIf you expend the wand's last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, Instrument of scribing Wondrous item Yes
a dthe wand transforms into a wand ofsmiles. Lock oftrickery Wondrous item No
usingWAND OF SMILES Moon-touched sword Weapon No
ifiedWand, common Mystery key Wondrous item No
odThis wand has 3 charges. While holding it, you can use O rb of direction Wondrous item No
n ma n action to expend 1 of its charges and target a human- Orb of time Wondrous item No
beeoid you can see w ithin 30 feet of you. The target must Perfume ofbewitching Wondrous item No
assucceed on a DC 10 Charisma saving throw or be forced Pipe of smoke monsters Wondrous item No
F hto smile for 1 min ute. Pole of angl ing Wondrous item No
PDThe wand regains a ll expended c harges da ily at dawn.
Thislf you expend the wand's last charge, roll a d20. O n a 1,
the wand tra nsfor ms into a wand ofscowls. Pole of collapsing Wondrous item No
Pot of awakening Wondrous item No
CREATING ADDITIONAL COMMON ITEMS Potion of climbing Potion No
Potion of healing Potion No
The "Special Features" section in chapter 7 ofthe Dungeon Rope of mending Wondrous item No
Master's Guide is useful ifyou want to design other com- Ruby of the war mage Wondrous item Yes (spellcaster)
mon magic items. For example, the What Minor Property Shield of expression Armor No
Does It Have? table might inspire you to create a magic Smoldering armor Armor No
item that allows a character to speak and understand the Spell scroll (cantrip) Scroll No
Goblin language (based on the table's Language property), Spell scroll (1st level) Scroll No
a magic item that glows in the presence of fiends (based Staff of adornment Staff No
on the Sentinel property), or a magic item that projects Staff of birdcalls Staff No
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 Type Attune?
Staffof flowers Staff No Weapon No
Talking doll Wondrous item Yes Item Wondrous item No
Tankard of sobriety Wondrous item No Ammunition, +2 Wondrous item No
Unbreakable arrow Weapon No Bag of beans Wond rous item No
Veteran's cane Wondrous item No Bead of force Potion No
Walloping ammunition Weapon No Chime of opening Wondrous item No
Wand of conducting Wand No Elixir of health Wondrous item No
Wand of pyrotechnics Wand No Folding boat Wond rous item No
Wand of scowls Wand No Heward's handy haversack Wondrous item No
Wand of smiles Wand No Horseshoes of speed Potion No
Necklace of fireballs
Oil ofetherealness
MINOR ITE M S, UNCOMMON Por table hole Wondrous item No
Item Type Attu ne? Potion of clairvoyance Potion No
Wondrous item No Potion ofdiminution Potion No
Alchemy jug Potion of fire giant strength Potion No
Ammunition , +l Weapon No Potion offrost giant Potion No
Bag of holding Wondrous item No strength
Cap of water breathing Wondrous item No Potion ofgaseous form Potion No
Cloak of the manta ray Wondrous item No Potion ofheroism Potion No
Decanter of endless water Wondrous item No Potion of invulnerability Potion No
Driftglobe Wondrous item No Potion of mind reading Potion No
Wondrous item No Potion of stone giant Potion No
t.Dust of disappearance Wondrous item No strength
lisDust ofdryness Wondrous item No Potion of superior healing Potion No
eriaDust of sneezing and Quaal's feather token Wondrous item No
F Achoking Wondrous item No Scroll of protection Scro ll No
PDElemental gem Wondrous item No Spell scroll (4th level) Sc roll No
enuEyes of m inute seeing Wondrous item No Spell scroll (5th level) Scrol l No
DebGoggles of night Wondrous item No
ofHelm of comprehending MINOR ITEMS, VERY RA RE
rsionlanguages Rod No
veImmovable rod Wondrous item No Item Type A t tu ne?
moKeoghtom's ointment Wondrous item No Ammunition, +3 Weapon No
a deLantern of revealing Armor No Arrow of slaying Weapon No
ingMariner's armor Armor No Bag of devouring Wondrous item No
usMithral armor Potion No Horseshoes of a zephyr Wondrous item No
ifiedOil of slipperiness Wondrous item No Nolzur's marvelous Wondrous item No
odPeriapt of health Potion No pigments
en mPhilter of love Potion No Oil of sharpness Potion No
bePotion of animal friendshipPotion No Potion of cloud giant Potion No
hasPotion of fire breath Potion No strength
DFPotion of greater healingPotion No Pot ion offlying Potion No
is PPotion of growth Potion No Potion of invisibility Potion No
ThPotion of hill giant strength
Potion of poison Potion No Potion of longevity Potion No
Potion of resistance Potion No Potion of speed Potion No
Potion of water breathing Potion No Potion ofsupreme healing Potion No
Ring of swimming Ring No Potion of vitality Potion No
Robe of useful items Wondrous item No Spell scroll (6th level) Scroll No
Rope of climbing Wondrous item No Spell scroll (7th level) Scroll No
Saddle of the cavalier Wondrous item No Spell scroll (8th level) Scroll No
Sending stones Wondrous item No
Spell scroll (2nd level) Scroll No
Spell scroll (3rd level) Scroll No
Wand of magic detection Wand No
Wand of secrets Wand No
CHAPTER 2 I DUNC EON MASTER'S TOOLS
MINOR ITEMS, LEGENDARY Item Type Attune?
Item Typ e Attu ne? Pipes ofthe sewers Wond rous item Yes
Potion of storm giant Potion No Quiver of Ehlonna Wo nd rous item No
strength Ring of jumping Ring Yes
Sovereign glue Wondrous item No Ring of m ind shielding Rin g Yes
Spell scroll (9th level) Scroll No Ring ofwarmth Rin g Yes
Universal solvent Wondrous item No Ring of water wa lking Ring No
Rod of the pact keeper, +1 Rod Yes (warlock)
MAJOR ITEMS, UNCOM MON Sentinel shield Armor No
Item Type Attune? Shield, +l Armor No
Adamantine armor Armor No Slippers of spider climbing Wondrous item Yes
Amulet of proof against Wondrous item Yes Staff of the adder Staff Yes (cleric,
detection and location druid, or
Bag of tricks Wondrous item No warlock)
Boots of elvenkind Wondrous item No Staffofthe python Staff Yes (cleric,
Boots of strid ing and Wondrous item Yes druid, or
spr inging warlock)
Boots of the winterlands Wondrous item Yes Stone of good luck (luck- Wondrous item Yes
Bracers of archery Wondrous item Yes stone)
Brooch of shielding Wondrous item Yes Sword ofvengeance Weapon Yes
Broom of flying Wo ndrous item No Trident offish command Weapon Yes
Wand of magic missiles Wand No
Wand of the wa r mage, +1 Wand Yes (spellcaster)
Wand ofweb Wand Yes (spellcaster)
Weapon ofwarning Weapon Yes
Weapon, +l Weapon No
Wind fan Wondrous item No
Winged boots Wondrous item Yes
Circlet of blasting Wondrous item No
Wondrous item Yes
list.Cloak of elvenkind Wondrous item Yes
eriaCloak of protection Wondrous item No
F ADeck of illusions Wondrous item No
PDEversmoking bottle Wondrous item Yes
enuEyes ofcharming Wondrous item Yes
ebEyes of the eagle Wondrous item No
of DFigurine of wondrous
rsionpower (silver raven) Wondrous item Yes MAJOR ITEMS, RARE Type Attune?
veGauntlets of ogre power Wondrous item No Wondrous item Yes
moGem of brightness Wond rous item Yes Item Armor Yes
deGloves of missile snaringWo ndrous item Yes Amulet of health Armor Yes
ing aGloves of swimming and Armor of resista nce Armor No
usclimbing Wondrous item No A rm or ofvulnerability Armor Yes
ifiedGloves of thievery Wondrous item Yes Armor, +l Wond rous item Yes
odHat of disguise Wondrous item Yes Arrow-catching shield Wondrous item Yes
n mH eadband of intellect Wondrous item Yes Belt of dwarvenkind Weapon Yes
beeHelm oftelepathy Wondrous item Yes (bard) Belt of hill giant strength Wondrous item Yes
hasInstrument of th e bards Berserker axe Wondrous item Yes
DF(Doss lute) Boots of levitatio n Wondrous item No
is PInstrument ofthe bards Boots of speed
Th(Fochlucan bandore) Bowl of commanding
Wondrous item Yes (bard) water elementals
Instrument of the ba rds Wondrous item Yes (bard) Bracers of defense Wondrous item Yes
(Mac-Fuirmidh cittern) Brazier of co mmanding Wondrous item No
Javelin of lightning Weapon No fire elementals
Medallion of thoughts Wondrous item Yes Cape of the mountebank Wondrous item No
Necklace of adaptation Wond rous item Yes Censer of controlling ai r Wondrous item No
Pearl of power Wond rous item Yes (spellcaster) elementals
Peria pt of wou nd closure Wondrous item Yes Cloak of displacement Wondrous item Yes
Pipes of haunting Wond rous item No
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
Item Type Attune? Item Type Attune?
Cloak ofthe bat Wondrous item Yes Ring of animal influence Ring 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 sorcerer,
power (onyx dog) warlock, or
Figurine ofwondrous Wondrous item No wizard)
power (serpentine owl) Weapon Yes Staff of healing Staff Yes (bard ,
Wondrous item Yes Staff cleric, or
list.Flame tongue Weapon No Staff of swarming insect s druid)
riaGem of seeing Armor No Staff Yes (bard ,
AeGiant slayer Staff of the woodlands Staff cleric, dru id,
PDFGlamoured studded Wondrous item Yes Staff of withering Wondrous item sorce rer,
nuleather Wondrous item No wa rlock, or
ebeHelm of teleportation Wondrous item No Stone of controlling earth wizard)
of DHorn of blasting elementa ls Yes (druid)
ionHorn ofValhalla (silver orWondrous item Yes (bard)Sun blade Yes (cleric,
ersbrass) Sword of life stealing druid, or
o vInstrument of the bardsWondrous item Yes (bard) Sword ofwounding warlock)
dem(Canaith mandolin) Tentacle rod No
g aInstrument of the bards Vicious weapon
usin(Cli lyre) Wondrous item Yes Wand of binding Weapon Yes
ifiedloun stone (awareness)Wondrous itemYes Wand of enemy detection Weapon Yes
odloun stone (protection)Wondrous item Yes Wand of fear Weapon Yes
n mloun stone (reserve) Wondrous item Yes Rod Yes
beeloun stone (sustenance)Wondrous item No Weapon No
asIron bands of Bilarro Weapon Yes Wand Yes (spellcaster)
F hMace ofdisruption Weapon No Wand Yes
PDMace of smiting Weapon Yes Wand Yes
ThisMace of terror
Mant le of spell resistance Wondrous item Yes Wand of fireballs Wand Yes (spellcaster)
Necklace of prayer beads Wondrous item Yes (cleric, Wand of lightning bolts Wand Yes (spellcaster)
druid, or Wand of para lysis Wand Yes (spellcaster)
paladin) Wand of the war mage, +2 Wand Yes (spellcaster)
Periapt of proof against Wondrous item No Wand of wonder Wand Yes (spellcaster)
poison Weapon, +2 Weapon No
Wings of flyi ng Wondrous item 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
is PDF has been modified using a demo version of Debenu PDF Aerialist.RECHARGI N G W ITHOUT A DAWNHelm of brilliance Wondrous item Yes
ThSome magic items can be used a limited number of times H orn ofValhalla (bronze) Wondrous item No
Instrument of t he bards Wondrous item Yes (bard)
(Anstruth harp)
loun 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
Ring of shooting star s Ring Yes (outdoors
at night)
but are recharged by the arrival of dawn. What if you're on Rin g of teleki nesis Ring Yes
a plane of existence that lacks anything resembling dawn? Robe of scintillating Wondrous item Yes
The DM should choose a time every 24 hours when such colors Wondrous item Yes
magic items recharge on that plane of existence. Robe of stars Rod Yes
Rod of absorption
Even on a world that experiences dawn each day, the DM
is free to choose a different time-perhaps noon, sunset,
or midnight- when certain magic items recharge. 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 Plate armor of ethere- Armor Yes
Spellguard shield Armor Yes alness
Staffof fire Staff Yes (druid, sor- Ring of air elemental Ring Yes
cerer, warlock, command
or wizard) Ring of djinni summoning Ring Yes
Staff of frost Staff Yes (druid, sor- Ring of earth elemental Ring Yes
cerer, warlock, command
or wizard) Ring of fi re elemental Ring Yes
Staffof power Staff Yes (sorcerer, command
warlock, or Ri ng of invisibil ity Ring Yes
wizard) Ring of spell turning Ring Yes
Staff of striking Staff Yes Ring ofthree wishes Ring No
Staff of thunder and ligh t- Staff Yes Ring of water elemental Ring Yes
ning command
Sword ofsharpness Weapon Yes Robe of the archmagi Wondrous item Yes (sorcerer,
Tome of clear thought Wondrous item No warlock, or
Tome of leaders h ip and Wondrous item No wizard)
influence Rod of lordly might Rod Yes
Tome of understanding Wondrous item No Rod of resu rrection Rod Yes (cleric,
Wand of polymorph Wand Yes (spellcaster) druid, or
Wand of the war mage, +3 Wand Yes (spellcaster) paladin)
No Yes
list.Weapon, +3 No
Weapon Scarab of protection Wo ndrous item Yes (sorcerer,
Sphere of annihilation Wondrous item warlock, or
Staffofthe magi Staff wizard)
F AeriaMAJOR ITEMS, LEGENDARY Yes (creature of
PDIt em same alignment
enuApparatus of Kwalish Type Attune? Weapon as sword)
DebArmor of invulnerabilityWondrous item No Yes (creature of
ofArmor, +3 Armor Yes good alignment)
rsionBelt of cloud giant Armor No Yes
Wondrous item Yes Sword of answering Yes (creature of
evil alignment)
ves trength Yes Talisman of pure good Wondrous item Yes (wizard)
moBelt of storm giant
destrength Wondrous item Yes Talisman of the sphere Wondro us item Yes
ing aCloak of invisibility Yes Talisman of ultimate evil Wondrous item No
usCrystal ball (legendary)Wondrous item No
ifiedCubic gate Wondrous item No Tome of the stilled Wondrous item
odDeck of many things Wondrous item Yes ton g ue
en mDefender Wondrous item Yes Vorpal sword Weapon
beEfreeti chain Weapon Yes (Giant's Well of many worlds Wondrous item
hasHamme r of thunderboltsArmor Bane)
is PDFHoly avenger Weapon Yes (pa ladin)
ThHorn of Valhalla (iron) No
Weapon
Wond rous item
Instrument of the bards Wondrous item Yes (bard) ,,.,.c,~ic l ~( '"II f ( 10 {icl...l(,
(Ollamh harp)
loun stone (greater ab- Wondrous item Yes i (,,.,.s. A0
sorption) u" lf0 l o"'
loun stone (mastery) Wondrous item Yes (V( I"' •
loun stone (regenera- Wondrous item Yes
ti o n ) Fl '"I ·""''"\
t ( (\fl
O"',
, f( " wort..' A llA("' ('"I
o{~ t..
llA('"I G"' l IA( 0
\,,li"'-
I t~ -i"'
o ' o"',
0
Iron flask Wondrous item No
Luck blade Weapon Yes
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.
o version of Debenu PDF Aerialist.BARD SPELLSCLERIC SPELLS DRUID SPELLS
g a dem(ANTRIPS (o LEVEL}
usinThunderclap (evocation) CANTRIPS (o LEVEL} (ANTRIPS (o LEVEL}
dified1ST LEVEL Toll the dead (necromancy) Control flames (transmutation)
moEarth tremor (evocation) Word ofradiance (evocation) Create bonfire (conjuration)
been2ND LEVEL Frostbite (evocation)
hasPyrotechnics (transmutation) 1ST LEVEL Gust (transmutation)
DFSkywrite (transmutation, ritual) Infestation (conjuration)
This PWarding wind (evocation) Ceremony (abjuration, ritual) Magic stone (transmutation)
Mold earth (transmutation)
3RD LEVEL Primal savagery (transmutation)
Shape water (transmutation)
Life transference (necromancy)
STH LEVEL
3RD LEVEL Dawn (evocation) Thunderclap (evocation)
Catnap (enchantment) Holy weapon (evocation) 1ST LEVEL
Enemies abound (enchantment)
]TH LEVEL Absorb elements (abj uration)
4TH LEVEL Temple ofthe gods (conjurat ion) Beast bond (divination)
Earth tremor (evocation)
Charm monster (enchantment) Ice knife (conjuration)
Snare (abjuration)
STH LEVEL
Skill empowerment (transmutation)
Synaptic static (enchantment) 2ND LEVEL
9TH LEVEL Dust devil (conjuration)
Earthbind (transmutation)
Mass polymorph (transmutation) Healing spirit (conjuration)
Psychic scream (enchantment) Skywrite (transmutation, rit ual)
Warding wind (evocation)
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) 2ND LEVEL WARLOCK SPELLS
Druid grove (abjuration) Aganazzar's scorcher (evocation)
Investiture offlame (transmutation) Dragon's breath (transmutation) CA NTR IPS {o LEVEL}
Dust devil (conjuration)
Investiture ofice (transmutation) Earthbind (transmutation) Create bonfire (conjuration)
Maximilian's earthen grasp Frostbite (evocation)
t.Investiture ofstone (transmutation) Infestation (conjuration)
rialisInvestiture ofwind (transmutation)(transmutation) Magic stone (transmutation)
AePrimordial ward (abjuration) Mind spike (divination) Thunderclap (evocation)
u PDF]TH LEVEL Pyrotechnics (transmutation) Toll the dead (necromancy)
enWhirlwind (evocation) Shadow blade (illusion)
of DebPALADI N SPELLS Snilloc's snowball swarm (evocation) lST LEVEL
versionlST LEVEL Warding wind (evocation) Cause fear (necromancy)
moCeremony (abjuration, ritual)
g a de4TH LEVEL 3RD LEVEL 2ND LEVEL
usinFind greater steed (conjuration) Catnap (enchantment) Earthbind (transmutation)
difiedSTH LEVEL Enemies abound (enchantment) Mind spike (div ination)
moHoly weapon (evocation) Erupting earth (transmutation) Shadow blade (illusion)
s beenRANGER SPELLS Flame arrows (transmutation)
DF halST LEVEL Melfs minute meteors (evocation) 3RD LEVEL
is PAbsorb elements (abjuration) Thunder step (conjuration) Enemies abound (enchantment)
ThBeast bond (divination) Tidal wave (conjuration) Thunder step (conjuration)
Wall ofwater (evocation) Summon lesser demons (conjuration)
4TH LEVEL 4TH LEVEL
Charm monster (enchantment) Charm monster (enchantment)
Sickening radiance (evocation) Elemental bane (transmutation)
Snare (abjuration) Storm sphere (evocation) Shadow ofmoil (necromancy)
Zephyr strike (transmutation) Vitriolic sphere (evocation) Sickening radiance (evocation)
Watery sphere (conjuration) Summon greater demon (conjuration)
2ND LEVEL
Healing spirit (conjuration) STH LEVEL STH LEVEL
Control winds (transmutation) Danse macabre (necromancy)
3RD LEVEL Enervation (necromancy) Enervation (necromancy)
Flame arrows (transmutation) Far step (conjuration) Far step (conj uration)
Immolation (evocation) Infernal calling (conjuration)
4TH LEVEL Skill empowerment (transmutation) Negative energy flood (necromancy)
Guardian ofnature (transmutation) Synaptic static (enchantment) Synaptic static (enchantment)
Wall oflight (evocation) Wall oflight (evocation)
STH LEVEL
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 Whirlwind (evocation)
Psychic scream (enchantment)
WIZARD SPELLS STH LEVEL 8TH LEVEL
Control winds (transmutation) Abi-Dalzim's horrid wilting (necromancy)
CANTRIPS {o LEVEL) Danse macabre (necromancy) Illusory dragon (illusion)
Dawn (evocation)
Control flames (transmutation) Maddening darkness (evocation)
Enervation (necromancy) Mighty fortress (conjuration)
t.Create bonfire (conjuration) Far step (conjuration)
rialisFrostbite (evocation) Immolation (evocation) 9TH LEVEL
eGust (transmutation) Infernal calling (conjuration)
F AInfestation (conjuration) Negative energy flood (necromancy) Invulnerability (abjuration)
u PDMold earth (transmutation) Skill empowerment (transmutation) Mass polymorph (transmutation)
benShape water (transmutation) Steel wind strike (conjuration) Psychic scream (enchantment)
DeThunderclap (evocation) Synaptic static (enchantment)
n ofToll the dead (necromancy)
versiolST LEVEL
moAbsorb elements (abjuration)
deCatapult (transmutation)
ing aCause fear (necromancy)
usEarth tremor (evocation)
ifiedIce knife (conjuration)
odSnare (abjuration)
een m2ND LEVEL
as bAganazzar's scorcher (evocation)
F hDragon's breath (transmutation)
PDDust devil (conjuration)
ThisEarthbind (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)
The words you are searching are inside this book. To get more targeted content, please make full-text search by clicking here.
Xanathar's Guide to Everything
Discover the best professional documents and content resources in AnyFlip Document Base.
Search