Xanathar's Guide To Everything

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SORCEROUS ORIGINS ^ fl ^ctrUi-trqr . " /ur* il/\°u.(.A b u/ IWNCS l4

At 1st level, a sorcerer gains the Sorcerous Origin fea- the outcome. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it
ture. The following options are available to a sorcerer,
in addition to those offered in the Players Handbook: again until you finish a short or long rest.
Divine Soul, Shadow Magic, and Storm Sorcery.
EMPOWERED HEALING
DIVINE SOUL
Starting at 6th level, the divine energy coursing through
Sometimes the spark of magic that fuels a sorcerer
comes from a divine source that glimmers within the you can empower healing spells. Whenever you or
soul. Having such a blessed soul is a sign that your
innate magic might come from a distant but powerful fa- an ally within 5 feet of you rolls dice to determine the
milial connection to a divine being. Perhaps your ances- number of hit points a spell restores, you can spend 1
tor was an angel, transformed into a mortal and sent to sorcery point to reroll any number of those dice once,
fight in a god’s name. Or your birth might align with an
ancient prophecy, marking you as a servant of the gods provided you aren’t incapacitated. You can use this fea-
or a chosen vessel of divine magic.
ture only once per turn.
A Divine Soul, with a natural magnetism, is seen as a
OTHERWORLDLY WINGS
threat by some religious hierarchies. As an outsider who
Starting at 14th level, you can use a bonus action to
commands sacred power, a Divine Soul can undermine
an existing order by claiming a direct tie to the divine. manifest a pair of spectral wings from your back. While
the wings are present, you have a flying speed of 30 feet.
In some cultures, only those who can claim the power
The wings last until you’re incapacitated, you die, or you
of a Divine Soul may command religious power. In
dismiss them as a bonus action.
these lands, ecclesiastical positions are dominated by a
The affinity you chose for your Divine Magic feature
few bloodlines and preserved over generations. determines the appearance of the spectral wings: eagle
wings for good or law, bat wings for evil or chaos, and
DIVINE SOUL FEATURES
dragonfly wings for neutrality.
Sorcerer Level Feature
1st Divine Magic, Favored by the Gods UNEARTHLY RECOVERY
6th Empowered Healing At 18th level, you gain the ability to overcome grievous
14th Otherworldly Wings injuries. As a bonus action when you have fewer than
18th Unearthly Recovery
half of your hit points remaining, you can regain a num-
DIVINE MAGIC
ber of hit points equal to half your hit point maximum.
Your link to the divine allows you to learn spells from Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until

the cleric class. When your Spellcasting feature lets you you finish a long rest.

learn or replace a sorcerer cantrip or a sorcerer spell of SHADOW MAGIC

1st level or higher, you can choose the new spell from You are a creature of shadow, for your innate magic

the cleric spell list or the sorcerer spell list. You must comes from the Shadowfell itself. You might trace your

otherwise obey all the restrictions for selecting the lineage to an entity from that place, or perhaps you were
spell, and it becomes a sorcerer spell for you.
exposed to its fell energy and transformed by it.
In addition, choose an affinity for the source of your
The power of shadow magic casts a strange pall over
divine power: good, evil, law, chaos, or neutrality. You your physical presence. The spark of life that sustains
you is muffled, as if it struggles to remain viable against
learn an additional spell based on that affinity, as shown
the dark energy that imbues your soul. At your option,
below. It is a sorcerer spell for you, but it doesn’t count
against your number of sorcerer spells known. If you you can pick from or roll on the Shadow Sorcerer

later replace this spell, you must replace it with a spell Quirks table to create a quirk for your character.

from the cleric spell list. SHADOW SORCERER QUIRKS

Affinity Spell d6 Quirk
Good cure wounds 1 You are always icy cold to the touch.
Evil inflict wounds 2 When you are asleep, you don’t appear to breathe
Law bless
Chaos bane (though you must still breathe to survive).
Neutrality protection from evil and good 3 You barely bleed, even when badly injured.
4 Your heart beats once per minute. This event
FAVORED BY THE GODS
Starting at 1st level, divine power guards your destiny. sometimes surprises you.

If you fail a saving throw or miss with an attack roll, you 5 You have trouble remembering that living creatures
can roll 2d4 and add it to the total, possibly changing and corpses should be treated differently.

6 You blinked. Once. Last week.

CHAPTER 1 I CHARACTER OPTIONS

SHADOW MAGIC FEATURES

Sorcerer Feature
Level Eyes of the Dark, Strength of the Grave
Eyes of the Dark (darkness)
1st Hound of III Omen
3 rd Shadow Walk
6th Umbral Form
14th
18th

EYES OF THE DARK but only against its target. Additionally, while the hound

Starting at 1st level, you have darkvision with a range is within 5 feet of the target, the target has disadvantage

of 120 feet. on saving throws against any spell you cast. The hound

When you reach 3rd level in this class, you learn disappears if it is reduced to 0 hit points, if its target is
the darkness spell, which doesn’t count against your
number of sorcerer spells known. In addition, you can reduced to 0 hit points, or after 5 minutes.
cast it by spending 2 sorcery points or by expending a
spell slot. If you cast it with sorcery points, you can see SHADOW WALK

through the darkness created by the spell. At 14th level, you gain the ability to step from one

STRENGTH OF THE GRAVE shadow into another. When you are in dim light or dark-

Starting at 1st level, your existence in a twilight state be- ness, as a bonus action, you can magically teleport up to
tween life and death makes you difficult to defeat. When 120 feet to an unoccupied space you can see that is also
damage reduces you to 0 hit points, you can make a
Charisma saving throw (DC 5 + the damage taken). On in dim light or darkness.

a success, you instead drop to 1 hit point. You can’t use UMBRAL FORM

this feature if you are reduced to 0 hit points by radiant Starting at 18th level, you can spend 6 sorcery points
damage or by a critical hit. as a bonus action to magically transform yourself into
a shadowy form. In this form, you have resistance to
After the saving throw succeeds, you can’t use this all damage except force and radiant damage, and you
can move through other creatures and objects as if they
feature again until you finish a long rest.
were difficult terrain. You take 5 force damage if you end
HOUND OF III OMEN your turn inside an object.

At 6th level, you gain the ability to call forth a howling You remain in this form for 1 minute. It ends early if
creature of darkness to harass your foes. As a bonus you are incapacitated, if you die, or if you dismiss it as a
action, you can spend 3 sorcery points to magically bonus action.
summon a hound of ill omen to target one creature you
STORM SORCERY
can see within 120 feet of you. The hound uses the dire
Your innate magic comes from the power of elemental
wolf’s statistics (see the Monster Manual or appendix C air. Many with this power can trace their magic back to
in the Player's Handbook), with the following changes: a near-death experience caused by the Great Rain, but
perhaps you were born during a howling gale so power-
• The hound is size Medium, not Large, and it counts as ful that folk still tell stories of it, or your lineage might
a monstrosity, not a beast. include the influence of potent air creatures such as

• It appears with a number of temporary hit points djinn. Whatever the case, the magic of the storm perme-

equal to half your sorcerer level. ates your being.

• It can move through other creatures and objects as CHAPTER 1 | CHARACTER OPTIONS

if they were difficult terrain. The hound takes 5 force
damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

• At the start of its turn, the hound automatically knows

its target’s location. If the target was hidden, it is no
longer hidden from the hound.

The hound appears in an unoccupied space of your

choice within 30 feet of the target. Roll initiative for the
hound. On its turn, it can move only toward its target by

the most direct route, and it can use its action only to at-

tack its target. The hound can make opportunity attacks,

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Storm sorcerers are invaluable members of a ship’s HEART OF THE STORM

crew. Their magic allows them to exert control over At 6th level, you gain resistance to lightning and thunder

wind and weather in their immediate area. Their abili- damage. In addition, whenever you start casting a spell
ties also prove useful in repelling attacks by sahuagin,
of 1st level or higher that deals lightning or thunder
pirates, and other waterborne threats.
damage, stormy magic erupts from you. This eruption
STORM SORCERY FEATURES
causes creatures of your choice that you can see within
Sorcerer Feature 10 feet of you to take lightning or thunder damage
Level (choose each time this ability activates) equal to half
Wind Speaker, Tempestuous Magic your sorcerer level.
1st Heart of the Storm, Storm Guide
6th Storm’s Fury STORM GUIDE
14th Wind Soul
18th At 6th level, you gain the ability to subtly control the

WIND SPEAKER weather around you.

The arcane magic you command is infused with ele- If it is raining, you can use an action to cause the rain
mental air. You can speak, read, and write Primordial. to stop falling in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on
you. You can end this effect as a bonus action.
Knowing this language allows you to understand and
If it is windy, you can use a bonus action each
be understood by those who speak its dialects: Aquan, round to choose the direction that the wind blows in a
100-foot-radius sphere centered on you. The wind blows
Auran, Ignan, and Terran.
in that direction until the end of your next turn. This fea-

ture doesn’t alter the speed of the wind.

TEMPESTUOUS MAGIC STORM S FURY

I Starting at 1st level, you can use a bonus action on your Starting at 14th level, when you are hit by a melee at-

i turn to cause whirling gusts of elemental air to briefly tack, you can use your reaction to deal lightning damage

surround you, immediately before or after you cast a to the attacker. The damage equals your sorcerer level.

spell of 1st level or higher. Doing so allows you to fly up The attacker must also make a Strength saving throw

to 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks. against your sorcerer spell save DC. On a failed save,

the attacker is pushed in a straight line up to 20 feet

away from you.

WIND SOUL

At 18th level, you gain immunity to lightning and thun-

der damage.
You also gain a magical flying speed of 60 feet. As an

action, you can reduce your flying speed to 30 feet for 1

hour and choose a number of creatures within 30 feet
of you equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier. The chosen

creatures gain a magical flying speed of 30 feet for 1

hour. Once you reduce your flying speed in this way, you
can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

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WARLOCK 1 Your patron has guided and helped your family for

You THINK ME MAD? I THINK TRUE INSANITY IS BEING generations and is kindly toward you.

content to live a life of mortal drudgery when knowledge 2 Each interaction with your capricious patron is a
surprise, whether pleasant or painful.
and power is there for the taking in the realm beyond.
3 Your patron is the spirit of a long-dead hero who
— Xarren , herald of Acamar
sees your pact as a way for it to continue to influ-
Warlocks are finders and keepers of secrets. They push
ence the world.
at the edge of our understanding of the world, always 4 Your patron is a strict disciplinarian but treats you

seeking to expand their expertise. Where sages or wiz- with a measure of respect.
5 Your patron tricked you into a pact and treats you
ards might heed a clear sign of danger and end their
as a slave.
research, a warlock plunges ahead, heedless of the cost. 6 You are mostly left to your own devices with no in-
Thus, it takes a peculiar mixture of intelligence, curios-
terference from your patron. Sometimes you dread
ity, and recklessness to produce a warlock. Many folk the demands it will make when it does appear.
would describe that combination as evidence of mad-
SPECIAL TERMS OF THE PACT
ness. Warlocks see it as a demonstration of bravery.
A pact can range from a loose agreement to a formal
Warlocks are defined by two elements that work contract with lengthy, detailed clauses and lists of re-

in concert to forge their path into this class. The first —quirements. The terms of a pact what a warlock must

element is the event or circumstances that led to a —do to receive a patron’s favor are always dictated by

warlock’s entering into a pact with a planar entity. The the patron. On occasion, those terms include a special

second one is the nature of the entity a warlock is bound proviso that might seem odd or whimsical, but warlocks
take these dictates as seriously as they do the other re-
to. Unlike clerics, who typically embrace a deity and that
quirements of their pacts.
god’s ethos, a warlock might have no love for a patron,
Does your character have a pact that requires you
or vice versa. to change your behavior in an unusual or seemingly
frivolous way? Even if your patron hasn’t imposed
The sections that follow provide ways to embellish a such a duty on you already, that’s not to say it couldn’t
warlock character that could generate some intriguing still happen.

story and roleplaying opportunities. SPECIAL TERMS

PATRON S ATTITUDE 66 Term
I When directed, you must take immediate action
Every relationship is a two-way street, but in the case of
warlocks and their patrons it’s not necessarily true that against a specific enemy of your patron.
both sides of the street are the same width or made of 2 Your pact tests your willpower; you are required to
the same stuff. The feeling that a warlock holds for their
abstain from alcohol and other intoxicants.
patron, whether positive or negative, might be recipro- 3 At least once a day, you must inscribe or carve your

cated by the patron, or the two participants in the pact patron’s name or symbol on the wall of a building.
4 You must occasionally conduct bizarre rituals to
might view one another with opposing emotions.
maintain your pact.
When you determine the attitude your warlock charac- 5 You can never wear the same outfit twice, since
ter holds toward your patron, also consider how things
your patron finds such predictability to be boring.
look from the patron’s perspective. How does your pa- 6 When you use an eldritch invocation, you must

tron behave toward you? Is your patron a friend and ally, speak your patron’s name aloud or risk incurring
or an enemy that grants you power only because you its displeasure.
forced a pact upon it?
CHAPTER 1 | CHARACTER OPTIONS

2

I OTHERWORLDLY PATRONS

WARLOCK OF At 1st level, a warlock gains the Otherworldly Patron
THE CELESTIAL feature. The following options are available to a warlock,

in addition to those offered in the Player’s Handbook:
the Celestial and the Hexblade.

THE CELESTIAL

Your patron is a powerful being of the Upper Planes.
You have bound yourself to an ancient empyrean, solar,

ki-rin, unicorn, or other entity that resides in the planes

of everlasting bliss. Your pact with that being allows you
to experience the barest touch of the holy light that illu-
minates the multiverse.

Being connected to such power can cause changes in

your behavior and beliefs. You might find yourself driven

to annihilate the undead, to defeat fiends, and to protect

the innocent. At times, your heart might also be filled

with a longing for the celestial realm of your patron,
and a desire to wander that paradise for the rest of your

days. But you know that your mission is among mortals

for now, and that your pact binds you to bring light to the

dark places of the world.

CELESTIAL FEATURES

Warlock Feature
Level
1 st Expanded Spell List, Bonus Cantrips,
Healing Light
6th Radiant Soul
10th Celestial Resilience

14th Searing Vengeance

BINDING MARK EXPANDED SPELL LIST

Some patrons make a habit of, and often enjoy, mark- The Celestial lets you choose from an expanded list of
spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following
ing the warlocks under their sway in some fashion. A
spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.
—binding mark makes it clear to those who know about
CELESTIAL EXPANDED SPELLS
—such things that the individual in question is bound to
Spell Level Spells
the patron’s service. A warlock might take advantage of
such a mark, claiming it as proof of one’s pact, or might 1st cure wounds, guiding bolt
2nd flaming sphere, lesser restoration
want to keep it under wraps (if possible) to avoid the dif- 3 rd daylight, revivify
4th guardian of faith, wall of fire
ficulties it might bring. 5th flame strike, greater restoration
If your warlock’s pact comes with a binding mark,
BONUS CANTRIPS
how you feel about displaying it probably depends on the
nature of your relationship with the one who gave it to At 1st level, you learn the light and sacred flame can-

you. Is the mark a source of pride or something you are trips. They count as warlock cantrips for you, but they
don’t count against your number of cantrips known.
secretly ashamed of?
HEALING LIGHT
BINDING MARKS
At 1st level, you gain the ability to channel celestial
d6 Mark
energy to heal wounds. You have a pool of d6s that you
1 One of your eyes looks the same as one of your spend to fuel this healing. The number of dice in the
patron’s eyes.
pool equals 1 + your warlock level.
2 Each time you wake up, the small blemish on your As a bonus action, you can heal one creature you can
face appears in a different place.
see within 60 feet of you, spending dice from the pool.
3 You display outward symptoms of a disease but
suffer no ill effects from it. The maximum number of dice you can spend at once

4 Your tongue is an unnatural color. equals your Charisma modifier (minimum of one die).
5 You have a vestigial tail.
6 Your nose glows in the dark.

CHAPTER I I CHARACTER OPTIONS

Roll the dice you spend, add them together, and restore EXPANDED SPELL LIST

a number of hit points equal to the total. The Hexblade lets you choose from an expanded list of
Your pool regains all expended dice when you finish a
spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following
long rest. spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.

RADIANT SOUL HEXBLADE EXPANDED SPELLS

Starting at 6th level, your link to the Celestial allows Spell Level Spells
1st
you to serve as a conduit for radiant energy. You have 2nd shield, wrathful smite
3 rd blur, branding smite
resistance to radiant damage, and when you cast a spell 4th blink , elemental weapon
5th phantasmal killer, staggering smite
that deals radiant or fire damage, you can add your Cha- banishing smite, cone of cold

risma modifier to one radiant or fire damage roll of that HEXBLADE S CURSE

spell against one of its targets. Starting at 1st level, you gain the ability to place a bale-

CELESTIAL RESILIENCE ful curse on someone. As a bonus action, choose one

Starting at 10th level, you gain temporary hit points creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The target is

whenever you finish a short or long rest. These tempo- cursed for 1 minute. The curse ends early if the target
dies, you die, or you are incapacitated. Until the curse
rary hit points equal your warlock level + your Charisma
ends, you gain the following benefits:
modifier. Additionally, choose up to five creatures you
can see at the end of the rest. Those creatures each gain • You gain a bonus to damage rolls against the cursed
target. The bonus equals your proficiency bonus.
temporary hit points equal to half your warlock level +
• Any attack roll you make against the cursed target is a
your Charisma modifier. critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 on the d20.

SEARING VENGEANCE • If the cursed target dies, you regain hit points equal
to your warlock level + your Charisma modifier (mini-
Starting at 14th level, the radiant energy you channel
mum of 1 hit point).
allows you to resist death. When you have to make a
You can’t use this feature again until you finish a short
death saving throw at the start of your turn, you can or long rest.
instead spring back to your feet with a burst of radiant
energy. You regain hit points equal to half your hit point HEX WARRIOR

maximum, and then you stand up if you so choose. Each At 1st level, you acquire the training necessary to effec-

creature of your choice that is within 30 feet of you takes tively arm yourself for battle. You gain proficiency with
radiant damage equal to 2d8 + your Charisma modifier, medium armor, shields, and martial weapons.
and it is blinded until the end of the current turn.
The influence of your patron also allows you to mys-
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until
tically channel your will through a particular weapon.
you finish a long rest.
Whenever you finish a long rest, you can touch one
THE HEXBLADE weapon that you are proficient with and that lacks

You have made your pact with a mysterious entity from the two-handed property. When you attack with that

—the Shadowfell a force that manifests in sentient magic weapon, you can use your Charisma modifier, instead of

weapons carved from the stuff of shadow. The mighty Strength or Dexterity, for the attack and damage rolls.
sword Blackrazor is the most notable of these weapons, This benefit lasts until you finish a long rest. If you later
which have been spread across the multiverse over the

ages. The shadowy force behind these weapons can

offer power to warlocks who form pacts with it. Many
hexblade warlocks create weapons that emulate those

formed in the Shadowfell. Others forgo such arms,

content to weave the dark magic of that plane into their

spellcasting.
Because the Raven Queen is known to have forged the

first of these weapons, many sages speculate that she
and the force are one and that the weapons, along with
hexblade warlocks, are tools she uses to manipulate

events on the Material Plane to her inscrutable ends.

HEXBLADE FEATURES

Warlock Feature
Level
Expanded Spell List, Hexblade’s Curse,
1st
Hex Warrior

6th Accursed Specter

10th Armor of Hexes

14th Master of Hexes

CHAPTER 1 | CHARACTER OPTIONS

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WARLOCK OF THE liEXBLADE the creature cursed by your Hexblade’s Curse dies,
you can apply the curse to a different creature you can
gain the Pact of the Blade feature, this benefit extends see within 30 feet of you, provided you aren’t inca-
to every pact weapon you conjure with that feature, no pacitated. When you apply the curse in this way, you
don’t regain hit points from the death of the previously
matter the weapon’s type. cursed creature.

ACCURSED SPECTER ELDRITCH INVOCATIONS

Starting at 6th level, you can curse the soul of a person At 2nd level, a warlock gains the Eldritch Invocations

you slay, temporarily binding it to your service. When feature. Here are new options for that feature, in addi-

you slay a humanoid, you can cause its spirit to rise from tion to the options in the Player's Handbook.
its corpse as a specter, the statistics for which are in
If an eldritch invocation has a prerequisite, you must
the Monster Manual. When the specter appears, it gains
meet it to learn the invocation. You can learn the invo-
temporary hit points equal to half your warlock level. cation at the same time that you meet its prerequisite. A
Roll initiative for the specter, which has its own turns. level prerequisite refers to your level in this class.

It obeys your verbal commands, and it gains a special ASPECT OF THE MOON
bonus to its attack rolls equal to your Charisma modifier
(minimum of +0). Prerequisite: Pact of the Tome feature

The specter remains in your service until the end of You no longer need to sleep and can’t be forced to sleep
your next long rest, at which point it vanishes to the by any means. To gain the benefits of a long rest, you
afterlife.
can spend all 8 hours doing light activity, such as read-
Once you bind a specter with this feature, you can’t
ing your Book of Shadows and keeping watch.
use the feature again until you finish a long rest.
CLOAK OF FLIES
ARMOR OF HEXES
Prerequisite: 5th level
At 10th level, your hex grows more powerful. If the tar-
get cursed by your Hexblade’s Curse hits you with an As a bonus action, you can surround yourself with a
attack roll, you can use your reaction to roll a d6. On a
4 or higher, the attack instead misses you, regardless magical aura that looks like buzzing flies. The aura ex-
of its roll.
tends 5 feet from you in every direction, but not through
MASTER OF HEXES
Starting at 14th level, you can spread your Hexblade’s total cover. It lasts until you’re incapacitated or you dis-
Curse from a slain creature to another creature. When
miss it as a bonus action.
CHAPTER 1 | CHARACTER OPTIONS The aura grants you advantage on Charisma (Intimi-

dation) checks but disadvantage on all other Charisma
checks. Any other creature that starts its turn in the
aura takes poison damage equal to your Charisma mod-
ifier (minimum of 0 damage).

Once you use this invocation, you can’t use it again

until you finish a short or long rest.

ELDRITCH SMITE
Prerequisite: 5th level, Pact of the Blade feature

Once per turn when you hit a creature with your pact
weapon, you can expend a warlock spell slot to deal an
extra ld8 force damage to the target, plus another ld8
per level of the spell slot, and you can knock the target

prone if it is Huge or smaller.

GHOSTLY GAZE

Prerequisite: 7th level

As an action, you gain the ability to see through solid
objects to a range of 30 feet. Within that range, you have
darkvision if you don’t already have it. This special sight
lasts for 1 minute or until your concentration ends (as

if you were concentrating on a spell). During that time, port up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see
within 5 feet of the target cursed by your hex spell or by
you perceive objects as ghostly, transparent images. a warlock feature of yours, such as Hexblade’s Curse or
Sign of Ill Omen. To teleport in this way, you must be
Once you use this invocation, you can’t use it again
able to see the cursed target.
until you finish a short or long rest.
SHROUD OF SHADOW
GIFT OF THE DEPTHS
Prerequisite: 15th level
Prerequisite: 5th level
You can cast invisibility at will, without expending a
You can breathe underwater, and you gain a swimming spell slot.
speed equal to your walking speed.
TOMB OF LEVISTUS
You can also cast water breathing once without ex-
Prerequisite: 5th level
pending a spell slot. You regain the ability to do so when
you finish a long rest. As a reaction when you take damage, you can entomb
yourself in ice, which melts away at the end of your
GIFT OF THE EVER-LIVING ONES
next turn. You gain 10 temporary hit points per warlock
Prerequisite: Pact of the Chain feature level, which take as much of the triggering damage as
possible. Immediately after you take the damage, you
Whenever you regain hit points while your familiar is
within 100 feet of you, treat any dice rolled to determine gain vulnerability to fire damage, your speed is reduced
the hit points you regain as having rolled their maxi-
mum value for you. to 0, and you are incapacitated. These effects, including

GRASP OF HADAR any remaining temporary hit points, all end when the

Prerequisite: eldritch blast cantrip ice melts.

Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature Once you use this invocation, you can’t use it again
with your eldritch blast, you can move that creature in a
straight line 10 feet closer to you. until you finish a short or long rest.

IMPROVED PACT WEAPON TRICKSTER S ESCAPE

Prerequisite: Pact of the Blade feature Prerequisite: 7th level

You can use any weapon you summon with your Pact of You can cast freedom of movement once on yourself
the Blade feature as a spellcasting focus for your war-
without expending a spell slot. You regain the ability to
lock spells. do so when you finish a long rest.

In addition, the weapon gains a +1 bonus to its attack

and damage rolls, unless it is a magic weapon that al-

ready has a bonus to those rolls.

Finally, the weapon you conjure can be a shortbow,

longbow, light crossbow, or heavy crossbow.

LANCE OF LETHARGY
Prerequisite: eldritch blast cantrip

Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with
your eldritch blast, you can reduce that creature’s speed

by 10 feet until the end of your next turn.

MADDENING HEX
Prerequisite: 5th level, hex spell or a warlock feature

that curses

As a bonus action, you cause a psychic disturbance
around the target cursed by your hex spell or by a war-
lock feature of yours, such as Hexblade’s Curse or Sign

of Ill Omen. When you do so, you deal psychic damage
to the cursed target and each creature of your choice
that you can see within 5 feet of it. The psychic damage

equals your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 dam-

age). To use this invocation, you must be able to see the
cursed target, and it must be within 30 feet of you.

RELENTLESS HEX
Prerequisite: 7th level, hex spell or a warlock feature

that curses

Your curse creates a temporary bond between you and

your target. As a bonus action, you can magically tele-

.y*j f »*^V

Only a select few people in the world are wielders of A tome with pages that are thin sheets of metal
spells etched into them with acid
magic. Of all those, wizards stand at the pinnacle of Long straps of leather on which spells are written,
the craft. Even the least of them can manipulate forces wrapped around a staff for ease of transport
A battered tome filled with pictographs that only
that flout the laws of nature, and the most accomplished you can understand
Small stones inscribed with spells and kept in a
among them can cast spells with world-shaking effects. cloth bag

The price that wizards pay for their mastery is that A scorched book, ravaged by dragon fire, with the
script of your spells barely visible on its pages
most valuable of commodities: time. It takes years of
A tome full of black pages whose writing is visible
study, instruction, and experimentation to learn how to only in dim light or darkness
harness magical energy and carry spells around in ones
own mind. For adventuring wizards and other spellcast- AMBITION
ers who aspire to the highest echelons of the profession,
the studying never ends, nor does the quest for knowl- Few aspiring wizards undertake the study of magic
without some personal goal in mind. Many wizards use
edge and power. their spells as a tool to produce a tangible benefit, in ma-
terial goods or in status, for themselves or their compan-
If you’re playing a wizard, take advantage of the
opportunity to make your character more than just a ions. For others, the theoretical aspect of magic might

stereotypical spell-slinger. Use the advice that follows to have a strong appeal, pushing those wizards to seek out
knowledge that supports new theories of the arcane or
add some intriguing details to how your wizard interacts
confirms old ones.
with the world.
Beyond the obvious, why does your wizard character
SPELLBOOK study magic, and what do you want to achieve? If you ha-
ven’t given these questions much thought, you can do so
—Your wizard character’s most prized possession your now, and the answers you come up with will likely affect

spellbook— might be an innocuous-looking volume how your future unfolds.

whose covers show no hint of what’s inside. Or you AMBITIONS

might display some flair, as many wizards do, by car- d6 Ambition

rying a spellbook of an unusual sort. If you don’t own 1 You will prove that the gods aren’t as powerful as
folk believe.
such an item already, one of your goals might be to find
a spellbook that sets you apart by its appearance or its 2 Immortality is the end goal of your studies.
means of manufacture. 3 If you can fully understand magic, you can unlock

CHAPTER 1 | CHARACTER OPTIONS its use for all and usher in an era of equality.
4 Magic is a dangerous tool. You use it to protect

what you treasure.
5 Arcane power must be taken away from those who

would abuse it.
6 You will become the greatest wizard the world has

seen in generations.

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ECCENTRICITY WAR MAGE

Endless hours of solitary study and research can have In great battles, a war mage often works with evokers,

a negative effect on anyone’s social skills. Wizards, who abjurers, and other types of wizards. Evokers, in par-
are a breed apart to begin with, are no exception. An
ticular, sometimes tease war mages for splitting their
odd mannerism or two is not necessarily a drawback, attention between offense and defense. A war mage’s
though; an eccentricity of this sort is usually harmless typical response: “ What good is being able to throw a
and could provide a source of amusement or serve as a mighty fireball if I die before I can cast it?”

calling card of sorts. WAR MAGIC FEATURES

If your character has an eccentricity, is it a physical Wizard Level Feature
tic or a mental one? Are you well known in some circles 2nd Arcane Deflection, Tactical Wit
6th Power Surge
because of it? Do you fight to overcome it, or do you em- 10th Durable Magic

brace this minor claim to fame of yours? 14th Deflecting Shroud

ECCENTRICITIES ARCANE DEFLECTION

d6 Eccentricity At 2nd level, you have learned to weave your magic to

1 You have the habit of tapping your foot incessantly, fortify yourself against harm. When you are hit by an at-

which often annoys those around you. tack or you fail a saving throw, you can use your reaction
2 Your memory is quite good, but you have no trou- to gain a +2 bonus to your AC against that attack or a +4

ble pretending to be absentminded when it suits bonus to that saving throw.

your purposes. When you use this feature, you can’t cast spells other
3 You never enter a room without looking to see than cantrips until the end of your next turn.

what’s hanging from the ceiling. CHAPTER 1| CHARACTER OPTIONS
4 Your most prized possession is a dead worm that

you keep inside a potion vial.
5 When you want people to leave you alone, you start

talking to yourself. That usually does the trick.

6 Your fashion sense and grooming, or more ac-

curately lack thereof, sometimes cause others to

assume you are a beggar.

ARCANE TRADITION

At 2nd level, a wizard gains the Arcane Tradition fea-

ture. The following War Magic option is available to a
wizard, in addition to the options offered in the Play-
er's Handbook.

WAR MAGIC

A variety of arcane colleges specialize in training wiz-

ards for war. The tradition of War Magic blends princi-

ples of evocation and abjuration, rather than specializ-

ing in either of those schools. It teaches techniques that
empower a caster’s spells, while also providing methods
for wizards to bolster their own defenses.

Followers of this tradition are known as war mages.

They see their magic as both a weapon and armor, a re-
source superior to any piece of steel. War mages act fast
in battle, using their spells to seize tactical control of a

situation. Their spells strike hard, while their defensive
skills foil their opponents’ attempts to counterattack.

War mages are also adept at turning other spellcasters’

magical energy against them.

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TACTICAL WIT Once per turn when you deal damage to a creature
Starting at 2nd level, your keen ability to assess tactical or object with a wizard spell, you can spend one power
situations allows you to act quickly in battle. You can surge to deal extra force damage to that target. The ex-
tra damage equals half your wizard level.
give yourself a bonus to your initiative rolls equal to your
DURABLE MAGIC
Intelligence modifier.
Beginning at 10th level, the magic you channel helps
POWER SURGE
ward off harm. While you maintain concentration on a
Starting at 6th level, you can store magical energy spell, you have a +2 bonus to AC and all saving throws.
within yourself to later empower your damaging spells.
In its stored form, this energy is called a power surge. DEFLECTING SHROUD

You can store a maximum number of power surges At 14th level, your Arcane Deflection becomes infused

equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one). with deadly magic. When you use your Arcane Deflec-

Whenever you finish a long rest, your number of power tion feature, you can cause magical energy to arc from

surges resets to one. Whenever you successfully end you. Up to three creatures of your choice that you can
a spell with dispel magic or counterspell, you gain one
see within 60 feet of you each take force damage equal
power surge, as you steal magic from the spell you
foiled. If you end a short rest with no power surges, you to half your wizard level.

gain one power surge.

THIS IS YOUR LIFE ,A Y O U N G S T R E E T U R C H I N P I L F E R S A P O U C H A N D T O H E R W
S U R P R I S E, B E C O M E S T H E N E W O W N E R O F A S P E L L B O O K
The character creation rules in the Players Handbook 6T
Personal Decisions. After you have selected your
provide all the information you need to define your char- character’s background and class, use the appro-

acter in preparation for a life of adventuring. What they priate tables to determine how you came to make

don't do is account for all the circumstances that shaped those choices.
your character during the years between your birth and Life Events. Your character’s existence until now, no

the start of your career as a member of a class. matter how brief or uneventful, has been marked by one

What did your character accomplish or experience be- —or more life events memorable happenings that have
fore deciding to become an adventurer? What were the
circumstances of your birth? How large is your family, had an effect on who you are today.
and what sorts of relationships do you have with your Supplemental Tables. Your life has intersected with
relatives? Which people were the greatest influences on
you during your formative years, for better or worse? the lives of plenty of other people, all the way from your

To answer these questions and more, you can use infancy to today. When a result mentions such a person,
the tables and the advice in this section to compose a
— —you can use the supplemental tables (page 72) to add
—well-developed backstory for your character— an auto-
needed details such as race, class, or occupation to
biography of sorts that you can use to inform how you
that person. Some tables in the other sections direct you
roleplay the character. Your DM can draw from this ma-
to one or more of the supplemental tables, and you can
terial as the campaign proceeds, creating situations and
also use them any other time you see fit.
scenarios that build off your previous life experiences.
ORIGINS
IDEAS, NOT RULES
The usual first step in creating your character’s life story
Even though these pages are full of tables and die rolls, is to determine your early circumstances. Who were
your parents? Where were you born? Did you have any
they don’t make up a rules system — in fact, the opposite siblings? Who raised you? You can address these ques-
tions by using the following tables.
is true. You can use as much or as little of this material
PARENTS
as you desire, and you can make decisions in any or- You had parents, of course, even if they didn’t raise you.

der you want. To determine what you know about these people, use

For instance, you might not want these tables to help the Parents table. If you want, you can roll separately on
you decide who your parents and siblings are, because
that’s among the information you’ve already come up the table for your mother and your father. Use the sup-

with. But you can still use other parts, such as the sec- plemental tables as desired (particularly Class, Occupa-

tion on life events, to provide added depth and detail. tion, and Alignment) to learn more about your parents.

How AND WHEN TO USE THE TABLES CHAPTER 1 | CHARACTER OPTIONS

If you’re comfortable with letting the dice decide a cer-

tain fact about your character, go ahead and roll. If not,

you can take charge and make the decision, choosing
from among the possibilities on a table. Of course, you
also have the option of disregarding the result of a die
roll if it conflicts with another result. Likewise, if the
text instructs you to roll on a table, that’s not meant to
be taken literally. You can always make your own choice.

Although these tables are meant to augment the
step-by-step character creation process in the Players
Handbook , they don’t occupy a specific place in that pro-

—cess. You can use some of them early on for instance,

it’s possible to determine your parents and other family
members immediately after deciding your character’s

—race but you could also wait until later in the process.

You might prefer to establish more facts about your

—character’s game identity such as your class, ability
—scores, and alignment before supplementing that infor-

mation with what’s offered here.

SECTION BY SECTION

This material is divided into four sections, each address-

ing a different aspect of your character’s backstory.
Origins. To find out who and where you came from,

use the “ Origins” section. When you’re done, you will

have a summary of facts about your parents, your sib-

lings, and the circumstances under which you grew up.

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BIRTHPLACE

dlOO Location

PARENTS 01-50 Home
51-55 Home of a family friend
dlOO Parents 56-63 Home of a healer or midwife
Carriage, cart, or wagon
0 1-9 5 You know who your parents are or were. 64-65 Barn, shed, or other outbuilding
9 6-0 0 You do not know who your parents were. Cave
66-68 Field
Nonhuman Parents. If your character is a half-elf, a 69-70
71-72 Forest
half-ore, or a tiefling, you can use one of the tables below 73-74 Temple
75-77 Battlefield
to determine the race of each of your parents. When you Alley or street
78 Brothel, tavern, or inn
have a result, randomly determine which part of the re- 7 9-8 0 Castle, keep, tower, or palace
81-82 Sewer or rubbish heap
sult refers to your father and which to your mother. Among people of a different race
83-84 On board a boat or a ship
l HALF-ELF PARENTS In a prison or in the headquarters of a secret orga-
85 nization
IX d8 Parents 8 6-8 8 In a sage’s laboratory
v\ 89-91 IntheFeywild
1-5 One parent was an elf and the other was a human. 92-93 In the Shadowfell
On the Astral Plane or the Ethereal Plane
6 One parent was an elf and the other was a half-elf. 94-95
96 On an Inner Plane of your choice
7 One parent was a human and the other was a half- On an Outer Plane of your choice
97
elf. 98
99
8 Both parents were half-elves. 00

HALF-ORC PARENTS SIBLINGS
You might be an only child or one of many children.
d8 Parents Your siblings could be cherished friends or hated rivals.

1-3 One parent was an ore and the other was a human. Roll on the Number of Siblings table to determine how
4-5 One parent was an ore and the other was a half-
many brothers or sisters you have. If you are a dwarf or
ore. an elf, subtract 2 from your roll. Then, roll on the Birth

-6-7 One parent was a human and the other was a half Order table for each sibling to determine that person’s
age relative to yours (older, younger, or born at the
ore.
same time).
8 Both parents were half-ores. Occupation. For each sibling of suitable age, roll on

TIEFLING PARENTS the Occupation supplemental table to determine what

d8 Parents that person does for a living.
Alignment. You can choose your siblings’ alignments
1-4 Both parents were humans, their infernal heritage
dormant until you came along. or roll on the Alignment supplemental table.
Status. By now, each of your siblings might be alive
5-6 One parent was a tiefling and the other was a
and well, alive and not so well, in dire straits, or dead.
human. Roll on the Status supplemental table.

7 One parent was a tiefling and the other was a devil. Relationship. You can roll on the Relationship sup-

8 One parent was a human and the other was a devil. plemental table to determine how your siblings feel

BIRTHPLACE about you. They might all have the same attitude toward

After establishing your parentage, you can determine you, or some might view you differently from how the

where you were born by using the Birthplace table. others do.
(Modify the result or roll again if you get a result that’s Other Details. You can decide any other details you
inconsistent with what you know about your parents.)
Once you have a result, roll percentile dice. On a roll of like about each sibling, including gender, personality,

00, a strange event coincided with your birth: the moon and place in the world.
briefly turning red, all the milk within a mile spoiling,
the water in the area freezing solid in midsummer, all
the iron in the home rusting or turning to silver, or some

other unusual event of your choice.

6 2 NX CHAPTER 1 | CHARACTER OPTIONS

NUMBER OF SIBLINGS

dlO Siblings

2 or lower None
3-4 ld 3

5-6 ld4 + 1
7-8 ld6 + 2
9-10 ld8 + 3

BIRTH ORDER

2d6 Birth Order
2 Twin, triplet, or quadruplet

3-7 Older
8-12 Younger

FAMILY AND FRIENDS YEARS LATER, WHILE SERVING ON A SHIP S CREW, SHE

Who raised you, and what was life like for you when you CALLS ON A BIT OF HER MAGIC TO HELP RIG A MAST
were growing up? You might have been raised by your
parents, by relatives, or in an orphanage. Or you could ABSENT PARENT

have spent your childhood on the streets of a crowded d4 Fate

city with only your fellow runaways and orphans to keep 1 Your parent died (roll on the Cause of Death sup-

you company. plemental table).
Use the Family table to determine who raised you. If 2 Your parent was imprisoned, enslaved, or other-

you know who your parents are but you get a result that wise taken away.
3 Your parent abandoned you.
does not mention one or both of them, use the Absent 4 Your parent disappeared to an unknown fate.

Parent table to determine what happened.

Next, refer to the Family Lifestyle table to determine

the general circumstances of your upbringing. (Chapter

5 of the Players Handbook has more information about

lifestyles.) The result on that table includes a number

that is applied to your roll on the Childhood Home table,

which tells you where you spent your early years. Wrap

up this section by using the Childhood Memories table,
which tells you how you were treated by other young-

sters as you were growing up.
Supplemental Tables. You can roll on the Relation-

ship table to determine how your family members or

other important figures in your life feel about you. You

can also use the Race, Occupation, and Alignment ta-
bles to learn more about the family members or guard-

ians who raised you.

FAMILY

d100 Family

01 None FAMILY LIFESTYLE
02 Institution, such as an asylum
03 Temple 3d6 Lifestyle*
0 4-0 5 Orphanage
0 6-0 7 Guardian 3 Wretched (-40)
Squalid (-20)
0 8-1 5 Paternal or maternal aunt, uncle, or both; or ex- 4-5 Poor (-10)
tended family such as a tribe or clan
16-25 Paternal or maternal grandparent(s) 6-8 Modest (+0)
26-35 Adoptive family (same or different race) Comfortable (+10)
36-55 Single father or stepfather 9-12 Wealthy (+20)
Single mother or stepmother 13-15 Aristocratic (+40)
5 6-7 5 Mother and father
7 6-0 0 1 6-1 7
18

*Use the number in this result as a modifier to your roll on the
Childhood Home table.

CHAPTER 1 CHARACTER OPTIONS

3d6 + Memory
Cha mod
I had several friends, and my childhood was
13-15
generally a happy one.
18 or higher
I always found it easy to make friends, and I
loved being around people.
Everyone knew who I was, and I had friends
everywhere I went.

PERSONAL DECISIONS

Your character’s life takes a particular course depend-

ing on the choices you make for the character’s back-

ground and class.

BACKGROUND
Roll on the appropriate table in this section as soon as
you decide your background, or at any later time if you
choose. If a background includes a special decision
point, such as a folk hero’s defining event or the spe-

cialty of a criminal or a sage, it’s best to make that deter-

mination before using the pertinent table below.

21-30 No permanent residence; you moved around ACOLYTE
a lot
31-40 Encampment or village in the wilderness I became an acolyte because ...
41-50 Apartment in a rundown neighborhood
51-70 Small house I ran away from home at an early age and found
71-90 Large house refuge in a temple.
My family gave me to a temple, since they were un-
able or unwilling to care for me.

I grew up in a household with strong religious con-
victions. Entering the service of one or more gods

seemed natural.

An impassioned sermon struck a chord deep in my
soul and moved me to serve the faith.
I followed a childhood friend, a respected acquain-

.tance, or someone I loved into religious service

6 After encountering a true servant of the gods, I was
so inspired that I immediately entered the service
of a religious group.

91-110 Mansion CHARLATAN

111 or higher Palace or castle d6 I became a charlatan because ...

After making this roll, apply the modifier from the Family Life- 1 I was left to my own devices, and my knack for ma-
style table to arrive at the result. nipulating others helped me survive.

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES 2 I learned early on that people are gullible and easy
to exploit.
3d6 + Memory
Cha mod 3 I often got in trouble, but I managed to talk my way
3 or lower I am still haunted by my childhood, when I out of it every time.
was treated badly by my peers.
4-5 I spent most of my childhood alone, with no 4 I took up with a confidence artist, from whom I
close friends. learned my craft.
6-8 Others saw me as being different or strange,
and so I had few companions. 5 After a charlatan fleeced my family, I decided to
9-12 I had a few close friends and lived an ordinary learn the trade so I would never be fooled by such
childhood.
deception again.

6 I was poor or I feared becoming poor, so I learned

the tricks I needed to keep myself out of poverty.

CHAPTER 1 | CHARACTER OPTIONS

'

CRIMINAL d6 I became a guild artisan because ...
d6 I became a criminal because ...
3 One of my family members who belonged to the
1 I resented authority in my younger days and saw a guild made a place for me.
life of crime as the best way to fight against tyranny
and oppression. 4 I was always good with my hands, so I took the op-

2 Necessity forced me to take up the life, since it was portunity to learn a trade.
the only way I could survive. 5 I wanted to get away from my home situation and

3 I fell in with a gang of reprobates and ne’er-do- start a new life.
6 I learned the essentials of my craft from a mentor
wells, and I learned my specialty from them.
4 A parent or relative taught me my criminal spe- but had to join the guild to finish my training.

cialty to prepare me for the family business. HERMIT
5 I left home and found a place in a thieves’ guild or d6 I became a hermit because ...

some other criminal organization. 1 My enemies ruined my reputation, and I fled to the
wilds to avoid further disparagement.
6 I was always bored, so I turned to crime to pass the
2 I am comfortable with being isolated, as I seek
time and discovered I was quite good at it.
.inner peace
ENTERTAINER
3 I never liked the people I called my friends, so it
d6 I became an entertainer because ... was easy for me to strike out on my own.

1 Members of my family made ends meet by per- 4 I felt compelled to forsake my past, but did so with
great reluctance, and sometimes I regret making
forming, so it was fitting for me to follow their that decision.
example.
2 I always had a keen insight into other people, 5 I lost everything— my home, my family, my friends.
enough so that I could make them laugh or cry Going it alone was all I could do.
with my stories or songs.
3 I ran away from home to follow a minstrel troupe. 6 Society’s decadence disgusted me, so I decided to
4 I saw a bard perform once, and I knew from that leave it behind.
moment on what I was born to do.
5 I earned coin by performing on street corners and NOBLE
eventually made a name for myself.
6 A traveling entertainer took me in and taught me d6 I became a noble because ...
the trade.
1 I come from an old and storied family, and it fell to
FOLK HERO me to preserve the family name.
d6 I became a folk hero because ...
1 I learned what was right and wrong from my family. 2 My family has been disgraced, and I intend to clear
our name.
2 I was always enamored by tales of heroes and
wished I could be something more than ordinary. 3 My family recently came by its title, and that eleva-

3 I hated my mundane life, so when it was time for tion thrust us into a new and strange world.
someone to step up and do the right thing, I took
my chance. 4 My family has a title, but none of my ancestors
have distinguished themselves since we gained it.
4 A parent or one of my relatives was an adventurer,
and I was inspired by that person’s courage. 5 My family is filled with remarkable people. I hope
to live up to their example.
5 A mad old hermit spoke a prophecy when I was
6 I hope to increase my family’s power and influence.
born, saying that I would accomplish great things.
OUTLANDER
6 I have always stood up for those who are weaker
d6 I became an outlander because ...
than I am.
1 I spent a lot of time in the wilderness as a young-
GUILD ARTISAN ster, and I came to love that way of life.
d6 I became a guild artisan because ...
1 I was apprenticed to a master who taught me the 2 From a young age, I couldn’t abide the stink of the
cities and preferred to spend my time in nature.
guild's business.
3 I came to understand the darkness that lurks in the
2 I helped a guild artisan keep a secret or complete a wilds, and I vowed to combat it.

task, and in return I was taken on as an apprentice. 4 My people lived on the edges of civilization, and I
learned the methods of survival from my family.

5 After a tragedy I retreated to the wilderness, leav-

ing my old life behind.
6 My family moved away from civilization, and I

learned to adapt to my new environment.

CHAPTER 1 | CHARACTER OPTIONS

I became a sage because ... I became an urchin because ...
I was naturally curious, so I packed up and went to
a university to learn more about the world. 3 Monsters wiped out my village, and I was the sole
My mentor’s teachings opened my mind to new survivor. I had to find a way to survive.

possibilities in that field of study. 4 A notorious thief looked after me and other or-

I was always an avid reader, and I learned much phans, and we spied and stole to earn our keep.
about my favorite topic on my own. 5 One day I woke up on the streets, alone and hun-
I discovered an old library and pored over the texts
I found there. That experience awakened a hunger gry, with no memory of my early childhood.
for more knowledge. 6 My parents died, leaving no one to look after me. I

I impressed a wizard who told me I was squander- raised myself.

ing my talents and should seek out an education to CLASS TRAINING
take advantage of my gifts. If you haven’t chosen your class yet, do so now, keeping
One of my parents or a relative gave me a basic ed- in mind your background and all the other details you
ucation that whetted my appetite, and I left home have established so far. Once you’ve made your selec-
to build on what I had learned.
tion, roll a d6 and find the number you rolled on the ap-
SAILOR
propriate table in this section, which describes how you
d6 I became a sailor because ...
came to be a member of that class.
l I was press-ganged by pirates and forced to serve
on their ship until I finally escaped. The class sections earlier in this chapter have further
story suggestions, which you can use in concert with the
2 I wanted to see the world, so I signed on as a deck-
hand for a merchant ship. material here.

3 One of my relatives was a sailor who took me to BARBARIAN
sea.
d6 I became a barbarian because ...
4 I needed to escape my community quickly, so I
1 My devotion to my people lifted me in battle, mak-
stowed away on a ship. When the crew found me, I ing me powerful and dangerous.

was forced to work for my passage. 2 The spirits of my ancestors called on me to carry
5 Reavers attacked my community, so I found refuge out a great task.

on a ship until I could seek vengeance. 3 I lost control in battle one day, and it was as if
6 I had few prospects where I was living, so I left to something else was manipulating my body, forcing
it to kill every foe I could reach.
find my fortune elsewhere.
4 I went on a spiritual journey to find myself and
SOLDIER instead found a spirit animal to guide, protect, and

d6 I became a soldier because ... inspire me.
1 I joined the militia to help protect my community
5 I was struck by lightning and lived. Afterward, I
from monsters. found a new strength within me that let me push
2 A relative of mine was a soldier, and I wanted to
beyond my limitations.
carry on the family tradition.
6 My anger needed to be channeled into battle, or I
3 The local lord forced me to enlist in the army. risked becoming an indiscriminate killer.
4 War ravaged my homeland while I was growing up.
BARD I became a bard because ...
Fighting was the only life I ever knew.
5 I wanted fame and fortune, so I joined a mercenary d6 I awakened my latent bardic abilities through trial
1
company, selling my sword to the highest bidder. 2 and error.
6 Invaders attacked my homeland. It was my duty to
3 I was a gifted performer and attracted the atten-
take up arms in defense of my people. 4 tion of a master bard who schooled me in the old
5
URCHIN 6 techniques.
d6 I became an urchin because ...
1 Wanderlust caused me to leave my family to see I joined a loose society of scholars and orators to

the world. I look after myself. learn new techniques of performance and magic.

2 I ran away from a bad situation at home and made I felt a calling to recount the deeds of champions
my own way in the world. and heroes, to bring them alive in song and story.

I joined one of the great colleges to learn old lore,
the secrets of magic, and the art of performance.

I picked up a musical instrument one day and in-

stantly discovered that I could play it.

CHAPTER 1 | CHARACTER OPTIONS

fiSV'1
u\

CLERIC ...I became a cleric because mm

d6 A supernatural being in service to the gods called
1 me to become a divine agent in the world.
2 I saw the injustice and horror in the world and felt
3 moved to take a stand against them.
4 My god gave me an unmistakable sign. I dropped
5 everything to serve the divine.
Although I was always devout, it wasn’t until I com-
6 pleted a pilgrimage that I knew my true calling.
I used to serve in my religion’s bureaucracy but
found I needed to work in the world, to bring the
message of my faith to the darkest corners of the

land.

I realize that my god works through me, and I do as
commanded, even though I don’t know why I was
chosen to serve.

DRUID .I became a druid because .. MONK
d6
d6 I saw too much devastation in the wild places, too
1 1
much of nature’s splendor ruined by the despoil-
2 2
3 ers. I joined a circle of druids to fight back against
4 3
the enemies of nature.
5 4
I found a place among a group of druids after I fled
6 5
a catastrophe.
6 ...I became a monk because
I have always had an affinity for animals, so I ex-
I was chosen to study at a secluded monastery.
plored my talent to see how I could best use it. There, I was taught the fundamental techniques
required to eventually master a tradition.
I befriended a druid and was moved by druidic
teachings. I decided to follow my friend’s guidance I sought instruction to gain a deeper understand-
and give something back to the world. ing of existence and my place in the world.

While I was growing up, I saw spirits all around %
me— entities no one else could perceive. I sought
out the druids to help me understand the visions I stumbled into a portal to the Shadowfell and took
and communicate with these beings. refuge in a strange monastery, where I learned how
to defend myself against the forces of darkness.
I have always felt disgust for creatures of unnatural
origin. For this reason, I immersed myself in the I was overwhelmed with grief after losing someone
study of the druidic mysteries and became a cham- close to me, and I sought the advice of philoso-

pion of the natural order. phers to help me cope with my loss.

FIGHTER I could feel that a special sort of power lay within

...d6 I became a fighter because me, so I sought out those who could help me call it

1 I wanted to hone my combat skills, and so I joined forth and master it.

a war college. I was wild and undisciplined as a youngster, but
2 I squired for a knight who taught me how to fight, then I realized the error of my ways. I applied to a
monastery and became a monk as a way to live a
care for a steed, and conduct myself with honor. I life of discipline.

decided to take up that path for myself.
3 Horrible monsters descended on my community,

killing someone I loved. I took up arms to destroy
those creatures and others of a similar nature.

4 I joined the army and learned how to fight as part

of a group.

5 I grew up fighting, and I refined my talents by de-
fending myself against people who crossed me.

6 I could always pick up just about any weapon and
know how to use it effectively.

CHAPTER 1 | CHARACTER OPTIONS

ROGUE

...I became a rogue because

I’ve always been nimble and quick of wit, so I de-

cided to use those talents to help me make my way

in the world.
An assassin or a thief wronged me, so I focused
my training on mastering the skills of my enemy to
better combat foes of that sort.

An experienced rogue saw something in me and
taught me several useful tricks.

I decided to turn my natural lucky streak into the
basis of a career, though I still realize that improv-

ing my skills is essential.

I took up with a group of ruffians who showed me
how to get what I want through sneakiness rather
than direct confrontation.
I’m a sucker for a shiny bauble or a sack of coins,
as long as I can get my hands on it without risking

life and limb.

I always had a way with animals, able to calm them ..I became a sorcerer because .
with a soothing word and a touch.
I suffer from terrible wanderlust, so being a ranger When I was born, all the water in the house froze
gave me a reason not to remain in one place for solid, the milk spoiled, or all the iron turned to cop-
too long. per. My family is convinced that this event was a
I have seen what happens when the monsters harbinger of stranger things to come for me.
come out from the dark. I took it upon myself to I suffered a terrible emotional or physical strain,
become the first line of defense against the evils which brought forth my latent magical power. I
that lie beyond civilization's borders. have fought to control it ever since.
I met a grizzled ranger who taught me woodcraft My immediate family never spoke of my ancestors,
and the secrets of the wild lands. and when I asked, they would change the subject.
I served in an army, learning the precepts of my It wasn’t until I started displaying strange talents
profession while blazing trails and scouting enemy that the full truth of my heritage came out.
encampments. When a monster threatened one of my friends, I

CHAPTER 1 | CHARACTER OPTIONS became filled with anxiety. I lashed out instinctively

and blasted the wretched thing with a force that
came from within me.
Sensing something special in me, a stranger taught
me how to control my gift.
After I escaped from a magical conflagration, I
realized that though I was unharmed, I was not
unchanged. I began to exhibit unusual abilities that
I am just beginning to understand.

WARLOCK

..d6 I became a warlock because .

1 While wandering around in a forbidden place, I
encountered an otherworldly being that offered to
enter into a pact with me.

2 I was examining a strange tome I found in an aban-
doned library when the entity that would become

my patron suddenly appeared before me.

d6 I became a warlock because ... LIFE EVENTS BY AGE

3 I stumbled into the clutches of my patron after I ac- d l O O Current Age Life Events
cidentally stepped through a magical doorway.
01-20 20 years or younger 1
4 When I was faced with a terrible crisis, I prayed to 21-59 21-30 years ld4
any being who would listen, and the creature that 60-69 31-40 years ld6
70-89 41-50 years ld8
answered became my patron. 90-99 51-60 years ldlO
61 years or older 1dl 2
5 My future patron visited me in my dreams and of- 00

fered great power in exchange for my service. LIFE EVENTS

6 One of my ancestors had a pact with my patron, so d!00 Event M
that entity was determined to bind me to the same 01-10
11-20 You suffered a tragedy. Roll on the Tragedies table.
agreement. 21-30
You gained a bit of good fortune. Roll on the Boons
WIZARD 31-40
table.
d6 I became a wizard because ... 41-50
You fell in love or got married. If you get this result
1 An old wizard chose me from among several candi- 51-70 more than once, you can choose to have a child
dates to serve an apprenticeship. 71-75
instead. Work with your DM to determine the iden-
2 When I became lost in a forest, a hedge wizard 76-80
found me, took me in, and taught me the rudi- tity of your love interest.
81-85 You made an enemy of an adventurer. Roll a d6. An
ments of magic. 86-90 odd number indicates you are to blame for the rift,
and an even number indicates you are blameless.
3 I grew up listening to tales of great wizards and 91-95 Use the supplemental tables and work with your
knew I wanted to follow their path. I strove to be DM to determine this hostile character’s identity
accepted at an academy of magic and succeeded. 96-99
00 and the danger this enemy poses to you.
4 One of my relatives was an accomplished wizard
You made a friend of an adventurer. Use the sup-
who decided I was smart enough to learn the craft.
plemental tables and work with your DM to add
5 While exploring an old tomb, library, or temple, more detail to this friendly character and establish
how your friendship began.
I found a spellbook. I was immediately driven to
You spent time working in a job related to your
learn all I could about becoming a wizard.
background. Start the game with an extra 2d6 gp.
6 I was a prodigy who demonstrated mastery of the
You met someone important. Use the supplemen-
arcane arts at an early age. When I became old
tal tables to determine this character’s identity and
enough to set out on my own, I did so to learn how this individual feels about you. Work out ad-
more magic and expand my power. ditional details with your DM as needed to fit this

LIFE EVENTS character into your backstory.

No matter how long you’ve been alive, you have expe- You went on an adventure. Roll on the Adventures
rienced at least one signature event that has markedly table to see what happened to you. Work with your
DM to determine the nature of the adventure and
influenced your character. Life events include wondrous
happenings and tragedies, conflicts and successes, and the creatures you encountered.
encounters with the unusual. They can help to explain
You had a supernatural experience. Roll on the Su-
why your character became an adventurer, and some
pernatural Events table to find out what it was.
might still affect your life even after they are long over.
You fought in a battle. Roll on the War table to
The older a character is, the greater the chance for
multiple life events, as shown on the Life Events by Age learn what happened to you. Work with your DM to
come up with the reason for the battle and the fac-
table. If you have already chosen your character’s start- tions involved. It might have been a small conflict
between your community and a band of ores, or it
ing age, see the entry in the Life Events column that
could have been a major battle in a larger war.
corresponds to how old you are. Otherwise, you can roll
You committed a crime or were wrongly accused of
dice to determine your current age and number of life doing so. Roll on the Crime table to determine the
nature of the offense and on the Punishment table
events randomly. to see what became of you.

After you know the number of life events your charac- You encountered something magical. Roll on the
ter has experienced, roll once on the Life Events table
Arcane Matters table.
for each of them. Many of the results on that table direct
you to one of the secondary tables that follow. Once you Something truly strange happened to you. Roll on
the Weird Stuff table.
have determined all of your character’s life events, you
can arrange them in any chronological order you see fit.

CHAPTER 1 | CHARACTER OPTIONS

SECONDARY TABLES BOONS
These tables add detail to many of the results on the Life
d I O Boon
Events table. The tables are in alphabetical order.
1 A friendly wizard gave you a spell scroll containing
ADVENTURES one cantrip (of the DM’s choice).

dlOO Outcome 2 You saved the life of a commoner, who now owes
01-10 you a life debt. This individual accompanies you on
11-20 You nearly died. You have nasty scars on your your travels and performs mundane tasks for you,
21-30 body, and you are missing an ear, ld3 fingers, or
31-40 but will leave if neglected, abused, or imperiled.
ld4 toes.
41-50 Determine details about this character by using the
You suffered a grievous injury. Although the wound supplemental tables and working with your DM.
51-60 healed, it still pains you from time to time. 3 You found a riding horse.
You were wounded, but in time you fully recovered. 4 You found some money. You have ld20 gp in addi-
71-80 tion to your regular starting funds.
81-90 You contracted a disease while exploring a filthy
91-99 warren. You recovered from the disease, but you 5 A relative bequeathed you a simple weapon of your
have a persistent cough, pockmarks on your skin,
or prematurely gray hair. choice.
6 You found something interesting. You gain one
You were poisoned by a trap or a monster. You re-
additional trinket.
covered, but the next time you must make a saving 7 You once performed a service for a local temple.

throw against poison, you make the saving throw The next time you visit the temple, you can receive
with disadvantage. healing up to your hit point maximum.

You lost something of sentimental value to you 8 A friendly alchemist gifted you with a potion of

.during your adventure Remove one trinket from healing or a flask of acid, as you choose.
9 You found a treasure map.
your possessions. 10 A distant relative left you a stipend that enables

You were terribly frightened by something you en- you to live at the comfortable lifestyle for ld20

countered and ran away, abandoning your compan- .years If you choose to live at a higher lifestyle, you

ions to their fate. reduce the price of the lifestyle by 2 gp during that
You learned a great deal during your adventure. time period.

The next time you make an ability check or a saving CRIME Crime
throw, you have advantage on the roll. Murder
You found some treasure on your adventure. You d8 Theft
have 2d6 gp left from your share of it. 1 Burglary
2 Assault
You found a considerable amount of treasure on 3 Smuggling
your adventure. You have ld20 + 50 gp left from 4
your share of it. 5 Kidnapping
You came across a common magic item (of the 6
DM’s choice). 7 Extortion
8 Counterfeiting
ARCANE MATTERS
PUNISHMENT
Magical Event
d!2 Punishment
You were charmed or frightened by a spell. 1-3
4-6 You did not commit the crime and were exonerated
You were injured by the effect of a spell. 7-8 after being accused.
You committed the crime or helped do so, but
You witnessed a powerful spell being cast by a 9-12 nonetheless the authorities found you not guilty.
cleric, a druid, a sorcerer, a warlock, or a wizard. You were nearly caught in the act. You had to flee
and are wanted in the community where the crime
You drank a potion (ofthe DM’s choice).
occurred.
You found a spell scroll (of the DM's choice) and
succeeded in casting the spell it contained. You were caught and convicted. You spent time in
You were affected by teleportation magic.
You turned invisible for a time. jail, chained to an oar, or performing hard labor.
You identified an illusion for what it was. You served a sentence of ld4 years or succeeded in
You saw a creature being conjured by magic. escaping after that much time.
Your fortune was read by a diviner. Roll twice on
the Life Events table, but don’t apply the results.
Instead, the DM picks one event as a portent of
your future (which might or might not come true).

CHAPTER 1|CHARACTER OPTIONS

SUPERNATURAL EVENTS

dlOO Event Tragedy
01-05
06-10 You were ensorcelled by a fey and enslaved for ld6 A terrible blight in your home community caused
11-15 years before you escaped. crops to fail, and many starved. You lost a sibling
or some other family member.
16-20 You saw a demon and ran away before it could do
21-30 You did something that brought terrible shame to
31-40 anything to you. you in the eyes of your family. You might have been
involved in a scandal, dabbled in dark magic, or
41-50 A devil tempted you. Make a DC 10 Wisdom saving offended someone important. The attitude of your
51-60 throw. On a failed save, your alignment shifts one family members toward you becomes indifferent at
61-70 step toward evil (if it’s not evil already), and you best, though they might eventually forgive you.
start the game with an additional ld20 + 50 gp.
71-75 You woke up one morning miles from your home, 10 For a reason you were never told, you were exiled

76-80 with no idea how you got there. from your community. You then either wandered in
81-85 the wilderness for a time or promptly found a new
86-90 You visited a holy site and felt the presence of the
91-95 place to live.
96-00 divine there. 11 A romantic relationship ended. Roll a d6. An odd

You witnessed a falling red star, a face appearing in number means it ended with bad feelings, while an
the frost, or some other bizarre happening. You are even number means it ended amicably.

certain that it was an omen of some sort. 12 A current or prospective romantic partner of yours

You escaped certain death and believe it was the died. Roll on the Cause of Death supplemental
intervention of a god that saved you.
table to find out how. If the result is murder, roll a
You witnessed a minor miracle. d!2. On a 1, you were responsible, whether directly

You explored an empty house and found it to be %

haunted. or indirectly.

You were briefly possessed. Roll a d6 to determine
what type of creature possessed you: 1, celestial; 2,
devil; 3, demon; 4, fey; 5, elemental; 6, undead.

You saw a ghost.
You saw a ghoul feeding on a corpse.

A celestial or a fiend visited you in your dreams to

give a warning of dangers to come.

You briefly visited the Feywild or the Shadowfell.

You saw a portal that you believe leads to another

plane of existence.

TRAGEDIES WAR War Outcome

d!2 Tragedy d!2 You were knocked out and left for dead. You woke
1-2 A family member or a close friend died. Roll on 1 up hours later with no recollection of the battle.
You were badly injured in the fight, and you still
the Cause of Death supplemental table to find out 2-3
bear the awful scars of those wounds.
how. 4
3 A friendship ended bitterly, and the other person You ran away from the battle to save your life, but
5-7 you still feel shame for your cowardice.
is now hostile to you. The cause might have been a
misunderstanding or something you or the former You suffered only minor injuries, and the wounds
friend did. all healed without leaving scars.
4 You lost all your possessions in a disaster, and you
had to rebuild your life.
5 You were imprisoned for a crime you didn’t com-
mit and spent ld6 years at hard labor, in jail, or

shackled to an oar in a slave galley.

6 War ravaged your home community, reducing ev-

erything to rubble and ruin. In the aftermath, you

either helped your town rebuild or moved some-
where else.
7 A lover disappeared without a trace. You have been
looking for that person ever since.

CHAPTER 1 | CHARACTER OPTIONS

dl 2 War Outcome 3d6 Alignment
8-9 13-15
You survived the battle, but you suffer from terrible 16-17 Neutral good
10-11 nightmares in which you relive the experience. Lawful good (50%) or lawful neutral (50%)
You escaped the battle unscathed, though many of 18 Chaotic good (50%) or chaotic neutral (50%)
12
your friends were injured or lost. CAUSE OF DEATH

You acquitted yourself well in battle and are re- dl2 Cause of Death
membered as a hero. You might have received a
medal for your bravery. 1 Unknown
2 Murdered
WEIRD STUFF 3 Killed in battle
4 Accident related to class or occupation
d!2 What Happened 5 Accident unrelated to class or occupation
1 You were turned into a toad and remained in that 6-7 Natural causes, such as disease or old age
8 Apparent suicide
form for ld4 weeks. 9 Torn apart by an animal or a natural disaster
2 You were petrified and remained a stone statue for 10 Consumed by a monster
11 Executed for a crime or tortured to death
a time until someone freed you. 12 Bizarre event, such as being hit by a meteorite,
3 You were enslaved by a hag, a satyr, or some other
struck down by an angry god, or killed by a hatch-
being and lived in that creature’s thrall for ld6
ing slaad egg
years.
CLASS Class
4 A dragon held you as a prisoner for ld4 months Barbarian
until adventurers killed it. d100 Bard
01-07 Cleric
i 5 You were taken captive by a race of evil humanoids 08-14 Druid
such as drow, kuo-toa, or quaggoths. You lived as a 15-29 Fighter
30-36 Monk
slave in the Underdark until you escaped. 37-52 Paladin
53-58 Ranger
6 You served a powerful adventurer as a hireling. You 59-64 Rogue
65-70 Sorcerer
have only recently left that service. Use the supple- 71-84 Warlock
85-89 Wizard
mental tables and work with your DM to determine 90-94
the basic details about your former employer. 95-00

7 You went insane for ld6 years and recently re- OCCUPATION

gained your sanity. A tic or some other bit of odd d100 Occupation
behavior might linger.
8 A lover of yours was secretly a silver dragon. 01-05 Academic
9 You were captured by a cult and nearly sacrificed Adventurer (roll on the Class table)
on an altar to the foul being the cultists served. 06-10 Aristocrat
You escaped, but you fear they will find you. Artisan or guild member
10 You met a demigod, an archdevil, an archfey, a de- 11 Criminal
mon lord, or a titan, and you lived to tell the tale. 12-26 Entertainer
11 You were swallowed by a giant fish and spent a 27-31 Exile, hermit, or refugee
month in its gullet before you escaped. 32-36 Explorer or wanderer
12 A powerful being granted you a wish, but you 37-38 Farmer or herder
squandered it on something frivolous. 39-43 Hunter or trapper
44-55 Laborer
SUPPLEMENTAL TABLES 56-60 Merchant
61-75 Politician or bureaucrat
The supplemental tables below give you a way to ran- 76-80
domly determine characteristics and other facts about 81-85

individuals who are part of your character’s life. Use 86-90 Priest
91-95 Sailor
these tables when directed to do so by another table, or 96-00 Soldier
when you simply want to come up with a piece of infor-

mation quickly. The tables are in alphabetical order.

ALIGNMENT

24M 3d6 Alignment
3 Chaotic evil (50%) or chaotic neutral (50%)

m 4-5 Lawful evil
6-8 Neutral evil
9-12 Neutral

X

72 v CHAPTER 1 | CHARACTER OPTIONS
XX

v\

RACE Race RACIAL FEATS

dlOO Human Leveling up in a class is the main way a character
01-40 Dwarf
41-50 Elf evolves during a campaign. Some DMs also allow the
51-60 Halfling use of feats to customize a character. Feats are an op-
61-70 Dragonborn
71-75 Gnome tional rule in chapter 6, “ Customization Options,” of the
76-80 Half-elf
81-85 Player's Handbook. The DM decides whether they’re
86-90 Half-ore
91-95 Tiefling used and may also decide that some feats are available
96-00 DM's choice
in a campaign and others aren’t.
RELATIONSHIP
This section introduces a collection of special feats
3d4 Attitude
3-4 Hostile that allow you to explore your character’s race fur-
5-10 Friendly
11-12 Indifferent ther. These feats are each associated with a race from
the Player's Handbook , as summarized in the Racial
STATUS
Feats table. A racial feat represents either a deepening
3d6 Status
3 connection to your race’s culture or a physical trans-
Dead (roll on the Cause of Death table) formation that brings you closer to an aspect of your
4-5 Missing or unknown
6-8 race’s lineage.
Alive, but doing poorly due to injury, financial trou-
9-12 The cause of a particular transformation is up to you
13-15 ble, or relationship difficulties and your DM. A transformational feat can symbolize a
16-17 Alive and well
Alive and quite successful latent quality that has emerged as you age, or a transfor-
18 Alive and infamous
Alive and famous mation might be the result of an event in the campaign,
such as exposure to powerful magic or visiting a place of
ancient significance to your race. Transformations are a

fundamental motif of fantasy literature and folklore. Fig-

uring out why your character has changed can be a rich

addition to your campaign’s story.

WHAT S NEXT? RACIAL FEATS Feat /

When you’re finished using these tables, you’ll have a Race Dragon Fear 73
Dragon Hide
—collection of facts and notes that at a minimum— encap- Dragonborn Dwarven Fortitude
Dragonborn Squat Nimbleness
sulate what your character has been doing in the world Dwarf Elven Accuracy
up till now. Sometimes that might be all the information Dwarf
Elf Drow High Magic
you want, but you don’t have to stop there. Elf (drow) Fey Teleportation
Elf (high) Wood Elf Magic
By using your creativity to stitch all these bits together Elf (wood) Fade Away
into a continuous narrative, you can create a full-fledged Squat Nimbleness
autobiography for your character in as little as a few Gnome Elven Accuracy
Gnome Prodigy
—sentences an excellent example of how the whole is Orcish Fury
Half-elf Prodigy
greater than the sum of its parts. Half- elf Bountiful Luck
Half-ore Second Chance
Did you get a couple of results on the tables that don’t Half-ore Squat Nimbleness
outright contradict each other but also don’t seem to fit Halfling Prodigy
together smoothly? If so, now is your chance to explain Halfling Flames of Phlegethos
Halfling Infernal Constitution
what happened to you. For instance, let’s say you were Human
Tiefling
born in a castle, but your childhood home was in the Tiefling

wilderness. It could be that your parents traveled from The feats are presented below in alphabetical order.

their forest home to seek help from a midwife at the BOUNTIFUL LUCK

castle when your mother was close to giving birth. Or Prerequisite: Halfling

your parents might have been members of the castle’s Your people have extraordinary luck, which you have
staff before you were born, but they were released from learned to mystically lend to your companions when you
service soon after you came into the world.
see them falter. You’re not sure how you do it; you just
In addition to deepening your own roleplaying experi- wish it, and it happens. Surely a sign of fortune’s favor!
ence, your character’s history presents your DM with op-
portunities to weave those elements into the story of the

campaign. Any way you look at it, adding definition to
your character’s pre-adventuring life is time well spent.

CHAPTER 1 | CHARACTER OPTIONS

When an ally you can see within 30 feet of you rolls a • Whenever you take the Dodge action in combat, you
1 on the d20 for an attack roll, an ability check, or a sav-
ing throw, you can use your reaction to let the ally reroll can spend one Hit Die to heal yourself. Roll the die,

the die. The ally must use the new roll. add your Constitution modifier, and regain a number
of hit points equal to the total (minimum of 1).
When you use this ability, you can’t use your Lucky
ELVEN ACCURACY
racial trait before the end of your next turn. -Prerequisite: Elf or half elf

DRAGON FEAR The accuracy of elves is legendary, especially that of elf
archers and spellcasters. You have uncanny aim with at-
Prerequisite: Dragonborn
tacks that rely on precision rather than brute force. You
When angered, you can radiate menace. You gain the
following benefits: gain the following benefits:

• Increase your Strength, Constitution, or Charisma • Increase your Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Cha-

score by 1, to a maximum of 20. risma score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

• Instead of exhaling destructive energy, you can ex- • Whenever you have advantage on an attack roll using
pend a use of your Breath Weapon trait to roar, forcing Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, you can
each creature of your choice within 30 feet of you to reroll one of the dice once.
make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency
FADE AWAY
bonus + your Charisma modifier). A target automati-
Prerequisite: Gnome
cally succeeds on the save if it can’t hear or see you.
Your people are clever, with a knack for illusion magic.
On a failed save, a target becomes frightened of you
You have learned a magical trick for fading away when
for 1 minute. If the frightened target takes any dam- you suffer harm. You gain the following benefits:

age, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect • Increase your Dexterity or Intelligence score by 1, to a

on itself on a success. maximum of 20.

DRAGON HIDE • Immediately after you take damage, you can use a
reaction to magically become invisible until the end
Prerequisite: Dragonborn of your next turn or until you attack, deal damage,

You manifest scales and claws reminiscent of your dra- or force someone to make a saving throw. Once you
conic ancestors. You gain the following benefits: use this ability, you can’t do so again until you finish a
short or long rest.
• Increase your Strength, Constitution, or Charisma
FEY TELEPORTATION
score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
Prerequisite: Elf (high)
• Your scales harden. While you aren’t wearing armor,
Your study of high elven lore has unlocked fey power
you can calculate your AC as 13 + your Dexterity mod- that few other elves possess, except your eladrin cous-

ifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit. ins. Drawing on your fey ancestry, you can momentarily

• You grow retractable claws from the tips of your fin- stride through the Feywild to shorten your path from

gers. Extending or retracting the claws requires no one place to another. You gain the following benefits:
action. The claws are natural weapons, which you can
use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you • Increase your Intelligence or Charisma score by 1, to

deal slashing damage equal to ld4 + your Strength a maximum of 20.
modifier, instead of the normal bludgeoning damage
• You learn to speak, read, and write Sylvan.
for an unarmed strike. • You learn the misty step spell and can cast it once

DROW HIGH MAGIC without expending a spell slot. You regain the abil-
ity to cast it in this way when you finish a short or
Prerequisite: Elf (drow)
long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for
You learn more of the magic typical of dark elves. You this spell.

learn the detect magic spell and can cast it at will, with- FLAMES OF PHLEGETHOS

out expending a spell slot. You also learn levitate and Prerequisite: Tiefling
dispel magic, each of which you can cast once without
expending a spell slot. You regain the ability to cast You learn to call on hellfire to serve your commands.
those two spells in this way when you finish a long rest.
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for all three spells. You gain the following benefits:

DWARVEN FORTITUDE • Increase your Intelligence or Charisma score by 1, to

Prerequisite: Dwarf a maximum of 20.

You have the blood of dwarf heroes flowing through • When you roll fire damage for a spell you cast, you can
reroll any roll of 1 on the fire damage dice, but you
your veins. You gain the following benefits: must use the new roll, even if it is another 1.

• Increase your Constitution score by 1, to a max • Whenever you cast a spell that deals fire damage, you
imum of 20. can cause flames to wreathe you until the end of your

CHAPTER 1 I CHARACTER OPTIONS

\

next turn. The flames don’t harm you or your posses- SQUAT NIMBLENESS

sions, and they shed bright light out to 30 feet and dim Prerequisite: Dwarf or a Small race

light for an additional 30 feet. While the flames are You are uncommonly nimble for your race. You gain the
following benefits:
present, any creature within 5 feet of you that hits you
• Increase your Strength or Dexterity score by 1, to a
with a melee attack takes ld4 fire damage. maximum of 20.

INFERNAL CONSTITUTION • Increase your walking speed by 5 feet.
• You gain proficiency in the Acrobatics or Athletics
Prerequisite: Tiefling
skill (your choice).
Fiendish blood runs strong in you, unlocking a resil- • You have advantage on any Strength (Athletics) or

ience akin to that possessed by some fiends. You gain Dexterity (Acrobatics) check you make to escape from
being grappled.
the following benefits:
WOOD ELF MAGIC
• Increase your Constitution score by 1, to a max-
Prerequisite: Elf (wood)
imum of 20.
You learn the magic of the primeval woods, which are
• You have resistance to cold damage and poi-
revered and protected by your people. You learn one
son damage. druid cantrip of your choice. You also learn the long-

• You have advantage on saving throws against be- strider and pass without trace spells, each of which you

ing poisoned. can cast once without expending a spell slot. You regain

ORCISH FURY the ability to cast these two spells in this way when you

Prerequisite: Half-ore finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for
all three spells.
Your inner fury burns tirelessly. You gain the follow-
ing benefits:

• Increase your Strength or Constitution score by 1, to a
maximum of 20.

• When you hit with an attack using a simple or martial
weapon, you can roll one of the weapon’s damage dice
an additional time and add it as extra damage of the

weapon’s damage type. Once you use this ability, you
can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
• Immediately after you use your Relentless Endur-

ance trait, you can use your reaction to make one
weapon attack.

PRODIGY

Prerequisite: Half-elf, half-ore, or human

You have a knack for learning new things. You gain the

following benefits:

• You gain one skill proficiency of your choice, one tool
proficiency of your choice, and fluency in one language

of your choice.
• Choose one skill in which you have proficiency. You

gain expertise with that skill, which means your profi-
ciency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make

with it. The skill you choose must be one that isn’t

already benefiting from a feature, such as Expertise,

that doubles your proficiency bonus.

SECOND CHANCE

Prerequisite: Halfling

Fortune favors you when someone tries to strike you.

You gain the following benefits:

• Increase your Dexterity, Constitution, or Charisma

score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

• When a creature you can see hits you with an attack
roll, you can use your reaction to force that creature to

reroll. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again

until you roll initiative at the start of combat or until

you finish a short or long rest.

fti .

. . fum’ . r,p- -.‘-"F: I _:.-— I

CHAPTER 2

>* vr\

DUNGEON MASTER S TOOLS

s THE DUNGEON MASTER, YOU OVERSEE turn, you descend up to 500 feet at the end of that turn. U

the game and weave together the story ex- This process continues until the fall ends, either be- /1

perienced by your players. You’re the one cause you hit the ground or the fall is otherwise halted. 1m
who keeps it all going, and this chapter is
FLYING CREATURES AND FALLING
for you. It gives you new rules options, as
A flying creature in flight falls if it is knocked prone, if
well as some refined tools for creating and its speed is reduced to 0 feet, or if it otherwise loses the
running adventures and campaigns. It is a ability to move, unless it can hover or it is being held
supplement to the tools and advice offered
in the Dungeon Master's Guide. aloft by magic, such as the fly spell .
The chapter opens with optional rules meant to help
If you’d like a flying creature to have a better chance of
you run certain parts of the game more smoothly. The surviving a fall than a non-flying creature does, use this
rule: subtract the creature’s current flying speed from
—chapter then goes into greater depth on several topics
the distance it fell before calculating falling damage.
encounter building, random encounters, traps, magic
This rule is helpful to a flier that is knocked prone but
items, and downtime— which largely relate to how you is still conscious and has a current flying speed that is
create and stage your adventures.
greater than 0 feet. The rule is designed to simulate the
The material in this chapter is meant to make your
creature flapping its wings furiously or taking similar
life easier. Ignore anything you find here that doesn’t
measures to slow the velocity of its fall.
help you, and don’t hesitate to customize the things that
If you use the rule for rate of falling in the previous
you do use. The game’s rules exist to serve you and the section, a flying creature descends 500 feet on the turn
games you run. As always, make them your own.
when it falls, just as other creatures do. But if that crea-
SIMULTANEOUS EFFECTS
ture starts any of its later turns still falling and is prone,
Most effects in the game happen in succession, follow- it can halt the fall on its turn by spending half its flying
ing an order set by the rules or the DM. In rare cases, speed to counter the prone condition (as if it were stand-
effects can happen at the same time, especially at the
ing up in midair).
start or end of a creature’s turn. If two or more things
SLEEP
happen at the same time on a character or monster’s
Just as in the real world, D&D characters spend many
—turn, the person at the game table whether player or
—DM who controls that creature decides the order in hours sleeping, most often as part of a long rest. Most
monsters also need to sleep. While a creature sleeps,
which those things happen. For example, if two effects it is subjected to the unconscious condition. Here are a
few rules that expand on that basic fact.
occur at the end of a player character’s turn, the player
WAKING SOMEONE
decides which of the two effects happens first.
A creature that is naturally sleeping, as opposed to be-
FALLING ing in a magically or chemically induced sleep, wakes
up if it takes any damage or if someone else uses an ac-
Falling from a great height is a significant risk for ad-
tion to shake or slap the creature awake. A sudden loud
venturers and their foes. The rule given in the Players
—noise— such as yelling, thunder, or a ringing bell also
Handbook is simple: at the end of a fall, you take ld6
bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet you fell, to a maxi- awakens sojneone that is sleeping naturally.

mum of 20d6. You also land prone, unless you somehow Whispers don’t disturb sleep, unless a sleeper’s pas-
avoid taking damage from the fall. Here are two optional sive Wisdom (Perception) score is 20 or higher and the

rules that expand on that simple rule. whispers are within 10 feet of the sleeper. Speech at a

RATE OF FALLING normal volume awakens a sleeper if the environment
is otherwise silent (no wind, birdsong, crickets, street
The rule for falling assumes that a creature immediately sounds, or the like) and the sleeper has a passive Wis-

drops the entire distance when it falls. But what if a dom (Perception) score of 15 or higher.

creature is at a high altitude when it falls, perhaps on SLEEPING IN ARMOR
the back of a griffon or on board an airship? Realisti-
cally, a fall from such a height can take more than a few Sleeping in light armor has no adverse effect on the
seconds, extending past the end of the turn when the fall wearer, but sleeping in medium or heavy armor makes it

occurred. If you’d like high-altitude falls to be properly difficult to recover fully during a long rest.
time-consuming, use the following optional rule.

When you fall from a great height, you instantly de-
scend up to 500 feet. If you’re still falling on your next

CHAPTER 2 1 DUNGEON MASTER’S TOOLS

When you finish a long rest during which you slept in TOOLS AND SKILLS TOGETHER
medium or heavy armor, you regain only one quarter of
Tools have more specific applications than skills. The
your spent Hit Dice (minimum of one die). If you have History skill applies to any event in the past. A tool such

any levels of exhaustion, the rest doesn’t reduce your as a forgery kit is used to make fake objects and little

exhaustion level. else. Thus, why would a character who has the opportu-

GOING WITHOUT A LONG REST nity to acquire one or the other want to gain a tool profi-

A long rest is never mandatory, but going without sleep ciency instead of proficiency in a skill?
To make tool proficiencies more attractive choices for
does have its consequences. If you want to account for
the characters, you can use the methods outlined below.
the effects of sleep deprivation on characters and crea- Advantage. If the use of a tool and the use of a skill

tures, use these rules. both apply to a check, and a character is proficient with

Whenever you end a 24-hour period without finishing the tool and the skill, consider allowing the character
a long rest, you must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution
to make the check with advantage. This simple benefit
saving throw or suffer one level of exhaustion.
It becomes harder to fight off exhaustion if you stay can go a long way toward encouraging players to pick

awake for multiple days. After the first 24 hours, the up tool proficiencies. In the tool descriptions that follow,

DC increases by 5 for each consecutive 24-hour period this benefit is often expressed as additional insight (or
something similar), which translates into an increased
without a long rest. The DC resets to 10 when you finish
a long rest. chance that the check will be a success.

ADAMANTINE WEAPONS Added Benefit. In addition, consider giving characters
who have both a relevant skill and a relevant tool profi-
Adamantine is an ultrahard metal found in meteorites
ciency an added benefit on a successful check. This ben-
and extraordinary mineral veins. In addition to being
efit might be in the form of more detailed information or
used to craft adamantine armor; the metal is also used could simulate the effect of a different sort of successful

for weapons. check. For example, a character proficient with mason’s

Melee weapons and ammunition made of or coated tools makes a successful Wisdom (Perception) check to
with adamantine are unusually effective when used find a secret door in a stone wall. Not only does the char-

to break objects. Whenever an adamantine weapon acter notice the door’s presence, but you decide that the

or piece of ammunition hits an object, the hit is a tool proficiency entitles the character to an automatic
critical hit. success on an Intelligence (Investigation) check to deter-

The adamantine version of a melee weapon or of mine how to open the door.
ten pieces of ammunition costs 500 gp more than the
normal version, whether the weapon or ammunition is TOOL DESCRIPTIONS

made of the metal or coated with it. The following sections go into detail about the tools pre-

TYING KNOTS sented in the Player's Handbook, offering advice on how

The rules are purposely open-ended concerning mun- to use them in a campaign.
dane tasks like tying knots, but sometimes knowing Components. The first paragraph in each description
how well a knot was fashioned is important in a dra-
matic scene when someone is trying to untie a knot or gives details on what a set of supplies or tools is made

slip out of one. Here’s an optional rule for determining up of. A character who is proficient with a tool knows
the effectiveness of a knot. how to use all of its component parts.

The creature who ties the knot makes an Intelligence Skills. Every tool potentially provides advantage on a
check when used in conjunction with certain skills, pro-
(Sleight of Hand) check when doing so. The total of the vided a character is proficient with the tool and the skill.
As DM, you can allow a character to make a check using
check becomes the DC for an attempt to untie the knot the indicated skill with advantage. Paragraphs that be-
with an Intelligence (Sleight of Hand) check or to slip gin with skill names discuss these possibilities. In each
of these paragraphs, the benefits apply only to someone
out of it with a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. who has proficiency with the tool, not someone who sim-
ply owns it.
This rule intentionally links Sleight of Hand with
Intelligence, rather than Dexterity. This is an example With respect to skills, the system is mildly abstract in
of how to apply the rule in the “ Variant: Skills with terms of what a tool proficiency represents; essentially,
it assumes that a character who has proficiency with a
Different Abilities” section in chapter 7 of the Play- tool also has learned about facets of the trade or pro-
fession that are not necessarily associated with the use
er's Handbook.
of the tool.
TOOL PROFICIENCIES
In addition, you can consider giving a character extra
Tool proficiencies are a useful way to highlight a charac-
information or an added benefit on a skill check. The
ter’s background and talents. At the game table, though,
text provides some examples and ideas when this oppor-
the use of tools sometimes overlaps with the use of
skills, and it can be unclear how to use them together in tunity is relevant.
Special Use. Proficiency with a tool usually brings
certain situations. This section offers various ways that
with it a particular benefit in the form of a special use,
tools can be used in the game.
as described in this paragraph.

CHAPTER 2 | DUNGEON MASTER’S TOOLS —

Sample DCs. A table at the end of each section lists CALLIGRAPHER S SUPPLIES I jf i
activities that a tool can be used to perform, and sug-
Calligraphy treats writing as a delicate, beautiful art.
gested DCs for the necessary ability checks.
Calligraphers produce text that is pleasing to the eye,
ALCHEMIST S SUPPLIES
using a style that is difficult to forge. Their supplies also
Alchemist’s supplies enable a character to produce use-
give them some ability to examine scripts and determine
ful concoctions, such as acid or alchemist’s fire. if they are legitimate, since a calligrapher’s training in-
Components. Alchemist’s supplies include two glass
volves long hours of studying writing and attempting to
beakers, a metal frame to hold a beaker in place over
an open flame, a glass stirring rod, a small mortar and replicate its style and design.
pestle, and a pouch of common alchemical ingredients,
Components. Calligrapher’s supplies include ink, a
including salt, powdered iron, and purified water. dozen sheets of parchment, and three quills.

Arcana. Proficiency with alchemist’s supplies allows Arcana. Although calligraphy is of little help in deci-
you to unlock more information on Arcana checks in-
phering the content of magical writings, proficiency with
volving potions and similar materials.
Investigation. When you inspect an area for clues, these supplies can aid in identifying who wrote a script

proficiency with alchemist’s supplies grants additional of a magical nature.
insight into any chemicals or other substances that History. This tool proficiency can augment the
might have been used in the area.
benefit of successful checks made to analyze or inves-
Alchemical Crafting. You can use this tool proficiency tigate ancient writings, scrolls, or other texts, includ-
ing runes etched in stone or messages in frescoes or
to create alchemical items. A character can spend
other displays.
money to collect raw materials, which weigh 1 pound
for every 50 gp spent. The DM can allow a character to Decipher Treasure Map. This tool proficiency grants
make a check using the indicated skill with advantage.
As part of a long rest, you can use alchemist’s supplies you expertise in examining maps. You can make an
to make one dose of acid, alchemist’s fire, antitoxin,
oil, perfume, or soap. Subtract half the value of the cre- Intelligence check to determine a map’s age, whether a
ated item from the total gp worth of raw materials you
map includes any hidden messages, or similar facts.
are carrying.

ALCHEMIST'S SUPPLIES

Activity

Create a puff of thick smoke

Identify a poison

Identify a substance

Start a fire

Neutralize acid

BREWER S SUPPLIES
Brewing is the art of producing beer. Not only does beer

serve as an alcoholic beverage, but the process of brew-

ing purifies water. Crafting beer takes weeks of fermen-
tation, but only a few hours of work.

Components. Brewer’s supplies include a large
glass jug, a quantity of hops, a siphon, and several feet
of tubing.

History. Proficiency with brewer’s supplies gives
you additional insight on Intelligence (History) checks

concerning events that involve alcohol as a signifi-

cant element.
Medicine. This tool proficiency grants additional

insight when you treat anyone suffering from alcohol

poisoning or when you can use alcohol to dull pain.
Persuasion. A stiff drink can help soften the hardest

heart. Your proficiency with brewer’s supplies can help

you ply someone with drink, giving them just enough

alcohol to mellow their mood.
Potable Water. Your knowledge of brewing enables

you to purify water that would otherwise be undrink-

able. As part of a long rest, you can purify up to 6 gal-
lons of water, or 1 gallon as part of a short rest.

CHAPTER 2 | DUNGEON MASTER’S TOOLS

CALLIGRAPHER S SUPPLIES DC Nature. Your familiarity with physical geography
10 makes it easier for you to answer questions or solve is-
Activity 15 sues relating to the terrain around you.
Identify writer of nonmagical script 15
Determine writer’s state of mind 20 Survival. Your understanding of geography makes it
Spot forged text easier to find paths to civilization, to predict areas where
Forge a signature villages or towns might be found, and to avoid becom-
ing lost. You have studied so many maps that common
CARPENTER S TOOLS patterns, such as how trade routes evolve and where
settlements arise in relation to geographic locations, are
Skill at carpentry enables a character to construct
familiar to you.
wooden structures. A carpenter can build a house, a
Craft a Map. While traveling, you can draw a map as
shack, a wooden cabinet, or similar items.
you go in addition to engaging in other activity.

Components. Carpenter’s tools include a saw, a ham- CARTOGRAPHER S TOOLS

mer, nails, a hatchet, a square, a ruler, an adze, a plane, Activity
Determine a map’s age and origin
and a chisel. Estimate direction and distance to a landmark DC
Discern that a map is fake 10
History. This tool proficiency aids you in identifying Fill in a missing part of a map 15
15
the use and the origin of wooden buildings and other 20

large wooden objects.

Investigation. You gain additional insight when in-

specting areas within wooden structures, because you

know tricks of construction that can conceal areas from COBBLER S TOOLS

discovery. Although the cobbler’s trade might seem too humble for
an adventurer, a good pair of boots will see a character
Perception. You can spot irregularities in wooden
across rugged wilderness and through deadly dungeons.
walls or floors, making it easier to find trap doors and Components. Cobbler’s tools consist of a hammer,

secret passages. an awl, a knife, a shoe stand, a cutter, spare leather,

Stealth. You can quickly assess the weak spots in a and thread.
Arcana, History. Your knowledge of shoes aids you in
wooden floor, making it easier to avoid the places that
identifying the magical properties of enchanted boots or
creak and groan when they’re stepped on.
the history of such items.
Fortify. With 1 minute of work and raw materials, Investigation. Footwear holds a surprising number

you can make a door or window harder to force open. of secrets. You can learn where someone has recently

Increase the DC needed to open it by 5. visited by examining the wear and the dirt that has ac-
cumulated on their shoes. Your experience in repairing
Temporary Shelter. As part of a long rest, you can shoes makes it easier for you to identify where damage

construct a lean-to or a similar shelter to keep your might come from.
group dry Maintain Shoes. As part of a long rest, you can repair
and in the shade for the duration of the rest.
your companions’ shoes. For the next 24 hours, up to six
Because it was fashioned quickly from whatever wood
creatures of your choice who wear shoes you worked on
was available, the shelter collapses ld3 days after being can travel up to 10 hours a day without making saving

assembled. throws to avoid exhaustion.
Craft Hidden Compartment. With 8 hours of work,
CARPENTER S TOOLS DC
10 you can add a hidden compartment to a pair of shoes.
Activity 15
Build a simple wooden structure 15 The compartment can hold an object up to 3 inches long
Design a complex wooden structure 20 and 1 inch wide and deep. You make an Intelligence
Find a weak point in a wooden wall check using your tool proficiency to determine the In-
Pry apart a door telligence (Investigation) check DC needed to find the

CARTOGRAPHER S TOOLS compartment.

Using cartographer’s tools, you can create accurate COBBLER S TOOLS DC
maps to make travel easier for yourself and those who 10
Activity 15
come after you. These maps can range from large-scale Determine a shoe’s age and origin
Find a hidden compartment in a boot heel
depictions of mountain ranges to diagrams that show
COOK S UTENSILS
the layout of a dungeon level.
Components. Cartographer’s tools consist of a Adventuring is a hard life. With a cook along on the jour-

quill, ink, parchment, a pair of compasses, calipers, ney, your meals will be much better than the typical mix

and a ruler. of hardtack and dried fruit.
Components. Cook’s utensils include a metal pot,
Arcana, History, Religion. You can use your knowl-
knives, forks, a stirring spoon, and a ladle.
edge of maps and locations to unearth more detailed

information when you use these skills. For instance, you

might spot hidden messages in a map, identify when the

map was made to determine if geographical features

have changed since then, and so forth.

CHAPTER 2 | DUNGEON MASTER’S TOOLS

History. Your knowledge of cooking techniques al- FORGERY KIT
lows you to assess the social patterns involved in a cul-
A forgery kit is designed to duplicate documents and to
ture’s eating habits.
Medicine. When administering treatment, you can make it easier to copy a person’s seal or signature.
Components. A forgery kit includes several different
transform medicine that is bitter or sour into a pleasing
types of ink, a variety of parchments and papers, several
concoction. quills, seals and sealing wax, gold and silver leaf, and

Survival. When foraging for food, you can make do small tools to sculpt melted wax to mimic a seal.
Arcana. A forgery kit can be used in conjunction
with ingredients you scavenge that others would be un-
with the Arcana skill to determine if a magic item is
able to transform into nourishing meals.
Prepare Meals. As part of a short rest, you can pre- real or fake.

pare a tasty meal that helps your companions regain Deception. A well-crafted forgery, such as papers pro-
their strength. You and up to five creatures of your
choice regain 1 extra hit point per Hit Die spent during claiming you to be a noble or a writ that grants you safe
a short rest, provided you have access to your cook’s
utensils and sufficient food. passage, can lend credence to a lie.

COOK'S UTENSILS DC History. A forgery kit combined with your knowledge
10
Activity 10 of history improves your ability to create fake historical
Create a typical meal 15
Duplicate a meal 15 documents or to tell if an old document is authentic.
Spot poison or impurities in food Investigation. When you examine objects, proficiency
Create a gourmet meal
with a forgery kit is useful for determining how an ob-
DISGUISE KIT
ject was made and whether it is genuine.
The perfect tool for anyone who wants to engage in Other Tools. Knowledge of other tools makes your

trickery, a disguise kit enables its owner to adopt a forgeries that much more believable. For example, you
could combine proficiency with a forgery kit and profi-
false identity.
Components. A disguise kit includes cosmetics, hair ciency with cartographer’s tools to make a fake map.

dye, small props, and a few pieces of clothing. Quick Fake. As part of a short rest, you can produce
a forged document no more than one page in length. As
Deception. In certain cases, a disguise can improve part of a long rest, you can produce a document that is

your ability to weave convincing lies. up to four pages long. Your Intelligence check using a

Intimidation. The right disguise can make you look forgery kit determines the DC for someone else’s Intelli-
more fearsome, whether you want to scare someone
away by posing as a plague victim or intimidate a gang gence (Investigation) check to spot the fake.
of thugs by taking the appearance of a bully.
FORGERY KIT DC
Performance. A cunning disguise can enhance an au- 15
dience’s enjoyment of a performance, provided the dis- Activity 20
guise is properly designed to evoke the desired reaction. Mimic handwriting
Duplicate a wax seal
Persuasion. Folk tend to trust a person in uniform. If
GAMING SET
you disguise yourself as an authority figure, your efforts
Proficiency with a gaming set applies to one type of
to persuade others are often more effective.
Create Disguise. As part of a long rest, you can game, such as Three-Dragon Ante or games of chance
that use dice.
create a disguise. It takes you 1 minute to don such a
Components. A gaming set has all the pieces needed
disguise once you have created it. You can carry only
to play a specific game or type of game, such as a com-
one such disguise on you at a time without drawing plete deck of cards or a board and tokens.
undue attention, unless you have a bag of holding or
History. Your mastery of a game includes knowledge
a similar method to keep them hidden. Each disguise of its history, as well as of important events it was con-
nected to or prominent historical figures involved with it.
weighs 1 pound.
At other times, it takes 10 minutes to craft a disguise Insight. Playing games with someone is a good way to
gain understanding of their personality, granting you a
that involves moderate changes to your appearance, better ability to discern their lies from their truths and
and 30 minutes for one that requires more exten- read their mood.

sive changes. Sleight'ofHand. Sleight of Hand is a useful skill for

DISGUISE KIT DC cheating at a game, as it allows you to swap pieces,
10 palm cards, or alter a die roll. Alternatively, engrossing
Activity 15 a target in a game by manipulating the components with
Cover injuries or distinguishing marks 20 dexterous movements is a great distraction for a pick-
Spot a disguise being used by someone else pocketing attempt.
Copy a humanoid’s appearance
GAMING SET DC
15 IA
Activity 15
Catch a player cheating I
Gain insight into an opponent’s personality
/
CHAPTER 2 | DUNGEON MASTER’S TOOLS
f 8l

GLASSBLOWER S TOOLS This insight proves handy when you make Arcana

Someone who is proficient with glassblower’s tools checks related to gems or gem-encrusted items.
has not only the ability to shape glass, but also spe- Investigation. When you inspect jeweled objects, your

cialized knowledge of the methods used to produce proficiency with jeweler’s tools aids you in picking out

glass objects. clues they might hold.
Components. The tools include a blowpipe, a small Identify Gems. You can identify gems and determine

marver, blocks, and tweezers. You need a source of heat their value at a glance.
to work glass.
JEWELER'S TOOLS DC
Arcana, History. Your knowledge of glassmaking 15
Activity 20
techniques aids you when you examine glass objects, Modify a gem’s appearance
Determine a gem’s history
such as potion bottles or glass items found in a treasure
LAND AND WATER VEHICLES
hoard. For instance, you can study how a glass potion
Proficiency with land vehicles covers a wide range of op-
bottle has been changed by its contents to help deter-
tions, from chariots and howdahs to wagons and carts.
mine a potion’s effects. (A potion might leave behind a
Proficiency with water vehicles covers anything that nav-
residue, deform the glass, or stain it.)
Investigation. When you study an area, your knowl- igates waterways. Proficiency with vehicles grants the

edge can aid you if the clues include broken glass or knowledge needed to handle vehicles of that type, along

glass objects. with knowledge of how to repair and maintain them.
In addition, a character proficient with water vehicles
Identify Weakness. With 1 minute of study, you can
identify the weak points in a glass object. Any damage is knowledgeable about anything a professional sailor

dealt to the object by striking a weak spot is doubled. would be familiar with, such as information about the

GLASSBLOWER S TOOLS DC sea and islands, tying knots, and assessing weather and
10
Activity 20 sea conditions.
Identify source of glass Arcana. When you study a magic vehicle, this tool pro-
Determine what a glass object once held
ficiency aids you in uncovering lore or determining how
HERBALISM KIT
the vehicle operates.
Proficiency with an herbalism kit allows you to identify
Investigation, Perception. When you inspect a vehi-
plants and safely collect their useful elements.
cle for clues or hidden information, your proficiency aids
Components. An herbalism kit includes pouches to
you in noticing things that others might miss.
store herbs, clippers and leather gloves for collecting
Vehicle Handling. When piloting a vehicle, you can
plants, a mortar and pestle, and several glass jars. apply your proficiency bonus to the vehicle’s AC and sav-
Arcana. Your knowledge of the nature and uses of
ing throws.
herbs can add insight to your magical studies that deal
VEHICLES DC
with plants and your attempts to identify potions.
Activity 10
Investigation. When you inspect an area overgrown Navigate rough terrain or waters 15
Assess a vehicle’s condition 20
with plants, your proficiency can help you pick out de- Take a tight corner at high speed

tails and clues that others might miss. LEATHERWORKER S TOOLS

Medicine. Your mastery of herbalism improves your Knowledge of leatherworking extends to lore concern-

ability to treat illnesses and wounds by augmenting your ing animal hides and their properties. It also confers

methods of care with medicinal plants. knowledge of leather armor and similar goods.
Nature and Survival. When you travel in the wild, Components. Leatherworker’s tools include a knife,

your skill in herbalism makes it easier to identify plants a small mallet, an edger, a hole punch, thread, and

and spot sources of food that others might overlook. leather scraps.
Identify Plants. You can identify most plants with a Arcana. Your expertise in working with leather grants

quick inspection of their appearance and smell. you added insight when you inspect magic items crafted

HERBALISM KIT DC from leather, such as boots and some cloaks.
15
Activity Investigation. You gain added insight when studying
Find plants 20 leather items or clues related to them, as you draw on
Identify poison your knowledge of leather to pick out details that others

a JEWELER S TOOLS would overlook.
Identify Hides. When looking at a hide or a leather
boS Training with jeweler’s tools includes the basic tech-
82 > item, you can determine the source of the leather and
niques needed to beautify gems. It also gives you exper- any special techniques used to treat it. For example,

tise in identifying precious stones. you can spot the difference between leather crafted
using dwarven methods and leather crafted using half-
Components.Jeweler’s tools consist of a small saw
and hammer, files, pliers, and tweezers. ling methods.

Arcana. Proficiency with jeweler’s tools grants you
knowledge about the reputed mystical uses of gems.

CHAPTER 2 | DUNGEON MASTER’S TOOLS

r LEATHERWORKER'S TOOLS DC NAVIGATOR S TOOLS DC
10 10
/ Activity 20 Activity 15
Modify a leather item’s appearance Plot a course
Determine a leather item’s history Discover your position on a nautical chart

MASON S TOOLS PAINTER S SUPPLIES

Mason’s tools allow you to craft stone structures, includ- Proficiency with painter’s supplies represents your

ing walls and buildings crafted from brick. ability to paint and draw. You also acquire an under-

Components. Mason’s tools consist of a trowel, a standing of art history, which can aid you in examining
hammer, a chisel, brushes, and a square.
works of art.
History. Your expertise aids you in identifying a stone Components. Painter’s supplies include an easel, can-
building’s date of construction and purpose, along with
vas, paints, brushes, charcoal sticks, and a palette.
insight into who might have built it. Arcana, History; Religion. Your expertise aids you in
Investigation. You gain additional insight when in-
uncovering lore of any sort that is attached to a work of
specting areas within stone structures.
art, such as the magical properties of a painting or the
Perception. You can spot irregularities in stone walls
or floors, making it easier to find trap doors and se- origins of a strange mural found in a dungeon.
cret passages. Investigation, Perception. When you inspect a

Demolition. Your knowledge of masonry allows you painting or a similar work of visual art, your knowledge
of the practices behind creating it can grant you addi-
to spot weak points in brick walls. You deal double dam-
tional insight.
age to such structures with your weapon attacks. Painting and Drawing. As part of a short or long rest,

MASON S TOOLS DC you can produce a simple work of art. Although your
10
Activity 15 work might lack precision, you can capture an image or
Chisel a small hole in a stone wall
Find a weak point in a stone wall a scene, or make a quick copy of a piece of art you saw.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS PAINTER S SUPPLIES DC
10
Proficiency with a musical instrument indicates you are Activity 20
Paint an accurate portrait
familiar with the techniques used to play it. You also Create a painting with a hidden message

have knowledge of some songs commonly performed POISONER S KIT

with that instrument. A poisoner’s kit is a favored resource for thieves, assas-
History. Your expertise aids you in recalling lore re-
sins, and others who engage in skulduggery. It allows
lated to your instrument.
you to apply poisons and create them from various
Performance. Your ability to put on a good show
materials. Your knowledge of poisons also helps you
is improved when you incorporate an instrument treat them.

into your act. Components. A poisoner’s kit includes glass vials, a
Compose a Tune. As part of a long rest, you can mortar and pestle, chemicals, and a glass stirring rod.

compose a new tune and lyrics for your instrument. You History. Your training with poisons can help you

might use this ability to impress a noble or spread scan- when you try to recall facts about infamous poisonings.
dalous rumors with a catchy tune. Investigation, Perception. Your knowledge of poisons

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT DC has taught you to handle those substances carefully, .i/fl
10 giving you an edge when you inspect poisoned objects or
Activity 20 /
Identify a tune try to extract clues from events that involve poison.
Improvise a tune Medicine. When you treat the victim of a poison, your *
83
NAVIGATOR S TOOLS knowledge grants you added insight into how to provide

Proficiency with navigator’s tools helps you determine a the best care to your patient.

true course based on observing the stars. It also grants Nature, Survival. Working with poisons enables
you to acquire lore about which plants and animals are
you insight into charts and maps while developing your
poisonous.
sense of direction.
Components. Navigator’s tools include a sextant, a Handle Poison. Your proficiency allows you to handle
and apply a poison without risk of exposing yourself to
compass, calipers, a ruler, parchment, ink, and a quill.
Survival. Knowledge of navigator’s tools helps you its effects.

avoid becoming lost and also grants you insight into the POISONER'S TOOLS DC
10
most likely location for roads and settlements. Activity 20
Sighting. By taking careful measurements, you can Spot a poisoned object
Determine the effects of a poison
determine your position on a nautical chart and the

time of day.

CHAPTER 2 | DUNGEON MASTER’S TOOLS

-4

.Arcana and History, Your expertise lends you ad- 1

ditional insight when examining metal objects, such

as weapons.

Investigation. You can spot clues and make deduc-
tions that others might overlook when an investigation
involves armor, weapons, or other metalwork.

Repair. With access to your tools and an open flame

hot enough to make metal pliable, you can restore 10 hit

points to a damaged metal object for each hour of work.

SMITH'S TOOLS DC
10
Activity 15
Sharpen a dull blade 15
Repair a suit of armor
Sunder a nonmagical metal object

POTTER S TOOLS THIEVES TOOLS

Potter’s tools are used to create a variety of ceramic ob- Perhaps the most common tools used by adventurers,
thieves’ tools are designed for picking locks and foiling
jects, most typically pots and similar vessels. traps. Proficiency with the tools also grants you a gen-
Components. Potter’s tools include potter’s needles,
eral knowledge of traps and locks.
ribs, scrapers, a knife, and calipers. Components. Thieves’ tools include a small file, a set
History. Your expertise aids you in identifying ce-
of lock picks, a small mirror mounted on a metal handle,
ramic objects, including when they were created and a set of narrow-bladed scissors, and a pair of pliers.

their likely place or culture of origin. History. Your knowledge of traps grants you insight
Investigation, Perception. You gain additional insight when answering questions about locations that are re-

when inspecting ceramics, uncovering clues others nowned for their traps.
Investigation and Perception. You gain additional in-
would overlook by spotting minor irregularities.
sight when looking for traps, because you have learned
Reconstruction. By examining pottery shards, you
can determine an object’s original, intact form and its a variety of common signs that betray their presence.

likely purpose. Seta Trap.Just as you can disable traps, you can also

set them. As part of a short rest, you can create a trap
using items you have on hand. The total of your check

becomes the DC for someone else’s attempt to discover

or disable the trap. The trap deals damage appropriate
to the materials used in crafting it (such as poison or a
weapon) or damage equal to half the total of your check,

whichever the DM deems appropriate.

THIEVES' TOOLS DC
Varies
Activity Varies
Pick a lock
Disable a trap

POTTER'S TOOLS DC TINKER S TOOLS
10
Activity 15 A set of tinker’s tools is designed to enable you to repair
Determine what a vessel once held 20
Create a serviceable pot many mundane objects. Though you can’t manufacture
Find a weak point in a ceramic object
much with tinker’s tools, you can mend torn clothes,
SMITH S TOOLS
sharpen a worn sword, and patch a tattered suit of
Smith’s tools allow you to work metal, heating it to
chain mail.
alter its shape, repair damage, or work raw ingots into
Components. Tinker’s tools include a variety of hand
useful items.
Components. Smith’s tools include hammers, tongs, tools, thread, needles, a whetstone, scraps of cloth and

charcoal, rags, and a whetstone. leather, and a small pot of glue.
History. You can determine the age and origin of ob-

jects, even if you have only a few pieces remaining from

the original.

Investigation. When you inspect a damaged ob-

ject, you gain knowledge of how it was damaged and
how long ago.

CHAPTER 2 | DUNGEON MASTER’S TOOLS

Hm

.Repair You can restore 10 hit points to a damaged ob- SPELLCASTING

ject for each hour of work. For any object, you need ac- This section expands on the spellcasting rules pre-

cess to the raw materials required to repair it. For metal sented in the Player's Handbook and the Dungeon Mas-

objects, you need access to an open flame hot enough to ter's Guide, providing clarifications and new options.

make the metal pliable. PERCEIVING A CASTER AT WORK

TINKER S TOOLS DC Many spells create obvious effects: explosions of fire,
10
Activity 15 walls of ice, teleportation, and the like. Other spells,
Temporarily repair a disabled device 20
Repair an item in half the time such as charm person, display no visible, audible, or oth-
Improvise a temporary item using scraps erwise perceptible sign of their effects, and could easily

WEAVER S TOOLS go unnoticed by someone unaffected by them. As noted
in the Player's Handbook , you normally don’t know that
Weaver’s tools allow you to create cloth and tailor it into
a spell has been cast unless the spell produces a notice-
articles of clothing. able effect.
Components. Weaver’s tools include thread, needles,
But what about the act of casting a spell? Is it possible
and scraps of cloth. You know how to work a loom, but for someone to perceive that a spell is being cast in their
such equipment is too large to transport. presence? To be perceptible, the casting of a spell must
involve a verbal, somatic, or material component. The
Arcana, History. Your expertise lends you additional form of a material component doesn’t matter for the
purposes of perception, whether it’s an object specified
insight when examining cloth objects, including cloaks
in the spell’s description, a component pouch, or a spell-
and robes.
Investigation. Using your knowledge of the process of casting focus.

creating cloth objects, you can spot clues and make de- If the need for a spell’s components has been removed
by a special ability, such as the sorcerer’s Subtle Spell
ductions that others would overlook when you examine feature or the Innate Spellcasting trait possessed by
many creatures, the casting of the spell is imperceptible.
tapestries, upholstery, clothing, and other woven items. If an imperceptible casting produces a perceptible ef-
Repair. As part of a short rest, you can repair a single fect, it’s normally impossible to determine who cast the

damaged cloth object. spell in the absence of other evidence.

Craft Clothing. Assuming you have access to suf- IDENTIFYING A SPELL

ficient cloth and thread, you can create an outfit for a Sometimes a character wants to identify a spell that

creature as part of a long rest. someone else is casting or that was already cast. To do

WEAVER S TOOLS DC so, a character can use their reaction to identify a spell
10 as it’s being cast, or they can use an action on their turn
Activity 10
Repurpose cloth 15 to identify a spell by its effect after it is cast.
Mend a hole in a piece of cloth
Tailor an outfit If the character perceived the casting, the spell’s ef-
fect, or both, the character can make an Intelligence (Ar-
WOODCARVER S TOOLS
cana) check with the reaction or action. The DC equals
Woodcarver’s tools allow you to craft intricate objects
from wood, such as wooden tokens or arrows. 15 + the spell’s level. If the spell is cast as a class spell
and the character is a member of that class, the check
Components. Woodcarver’s tools consist of a knife, a
gouge, and a small saw. is made with advantage. For example, if the spellcaster

Arcana, History. Your expertise lends you additional casts a spell as a cleric, another cleric has advantage on
insight when you examine wooden objects, such as figu-
rines or arrows. the check to identify the spell. Some spells aren’t asso-

Nature. Your knowledge of wooden objects gives you ciated with any class when they’re cast, such as when a
some added insight when you examine trees.
monster uses its Innate Spellcasting trait.
Repair. As part of a short rest, you can repair a single
This Intelligence (Arcana) check represents the fact
damaged wooden object. that identifying a spell requires a quick mind and famil-
iarity withlhe theory and practice of casting. This is
Craft Arrows. As part of a short rest, you can craft true even for a character whose spellcasting ability is
Wisdom or Charisma. Being able to cast spells doesn’t
up to five arrows. As part of a long rest, you can craft by itself make you adept at deducing exactly what others
up to twenty. You must have enough wood on hand to
are doing when they cast their spells.
produce them.
INVALID SPELL TARGETS
WOODCARVER S TOOLS DC
10 A spell specifies what a caster can target with it: any
Activity 15 type of creature, a creature of a certain type (humanoid
Craft a small wooden figurine or beast, for instance), an object, an area, the caster,
Carve an intricate pattern in wood
or something else. But what happens if a spell tar-

gets something that isn’t a valid target? For example,

CHAPTER 2 | DUNGEON MASTER’S TOOLS

I someone might cast charm person on a creature be- DIAGRAM 2.I:
lieved to be a humanoid, not knowing that the target is
Vv in fact a vampire. If this issue comes up, handle it using CONE TEMPLATE
86 the following rule.
DIAGRAM 2.2:
Li: If you cast a spell on someone or something that can’t SPHERE TEMPLATE
be affected by the spell, nothing happens to that target,
but if you used a spell slot to cast the spell, the slot is DIAGRAM 2.3: SQUARE
AREA USING TOKENS
still expended. If the spell normally has no effect on a
DIAGRAM 2.4: SQUARE
target that succeeds on a saving throw, the invalid target AREA WITH TOTAL COVER
appears to have succeeded on its saving throw, even
though it didn’t attempt one (giving no hint that the crea- %

ture is in fact an invalid target). Otherwise, you perceive
that the spell did nothing to the target.

AREAS OF EFFECT ON A GRID

The Dungeon Master's Guide includes the following
short rule for using areas of effect on a grid.

Choose an intersection of squares as the point of
origin of an area of effect, then follow the rules for that
kind of area as normal (see the “Areas of Effect” section

in chapter 10 of the Player's Handbook ). If an area of ef-

fect is circular and covers at least half a square, it affects

that square.

That rule works, but it can require a fair amount of
on-the-spot adjudication. This section offers two alterna-
tives for determining the exact location of an area: the

template method and the token method. Both of these

methods assume you’re using a grid and miniatures of

some sort. Because these methods can yield different

results for the number of squares in a given area, it’s

—not recommended that they be combined at the table

choose whichever method you and your players find eas-

ier or more intuitive.

TEMPLATE METHOD
The template method uses two-dimensional shapes
that represent different areas of effect. The aim of the

method is to accurately portray the length and width
of each area on the grid and to leave little doubt about

which creatures are affected by it. You’ll need to make
these templates or find premade ones.

Making a Template. Making a template is simple. Get

a piece of paper or card stock, and cut it in the shape of

the area of effect you’re using. Every 5 feet of the area
equals 1 inch of the template’s size. For example, the

20-foot-radius sphere of the fireball spell, which has a
40-foot diameter, would translate into a circular tem-

plate with an 8-inch diameter.

Using a Template. To use an area-of-effect template,
apply it to the grid. If the terrain is flat, you can lay it on
the surface; otherwise, hold the template above the sur-
face and take note of which squares it covers or partially
covers. If any part of a square is under the template, that

square is included in the area of effect. If a creature’s

miniature is in an affected square, that creature is in
the area. Being adjacent to the edge of the template
isn’t enough for a square to be included in the area of
effect; the square must be entirely or partly covered by

the template.
You can also use this method without a grid. If you do

so, a creature is included in an area of effect if any part

of the miniature’s base is overlapped by the template.

CHAPTER 2 | DUNGEON MASTER’S TOOLS

DIAGRAM 2.6: LINES USING TOKENS

When you place a template, follow all the rules in the .Using Tokens Every 5-foot square of an area of effect
Player's Handbook for placing the associated area of
becomes a die or other token that you place on the grid.
effect. If an area of effect, such as a cone or a line, origi- Each token goes inside a square, not at an intersection

nates from a spellcaster, the template should extend out of lines. If an area’s token is in a square, that square is
from the caster and be positioned however the caster included in the area of effect. It’s that simple.

likes within the bounds of the rules. Diagrams 2.3 through 2.6 show this method in action,

Diagrams 2.1 and 2.2 show the template method .using dice as the tokens.
Circles This method depicts everything using
in action. squares, and a circular area of effect becomes square in

TOKEN METHOD it, whether the area is a sphere, cylinder, or radius. For
The token method is meant to make areas of effect
tactile and fun. To use this method, grab some dice or instance, the 10-foot radius of flame strike, which has a
diameter of 20 feet, is expressed as a square that is 20
other tokens, which you’re going to use to represent your
feet on a side, as shown in diagram 2.3. Diagram 2.4
areas of effect. shows that area with total cover inside it.

Rather than faithfully representing the shapes of the Cones. A cone is represented by rows of tokens on the
different areas of effect, this method gives you a way to grid, extending from the cone’s point of origin. In the
create square-edged versions of them on a grid easily, as rows, the squares are adjoining side by side or corner to
corner, as shown in diagram 2.5. To determine the num-
described in the following subsections.
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER’S TOOLS

ber of rows a cone contains, divide its length by 5. For STEP 3: DETERMINE NUMBERS AND
example, a 30-foot cone contains six rows.
CHALLENGE RATINGS
Here’s how to create the rows. Starting with a square
The process for building fights that feature only one leg-
adjacent to the cone’s point of origin, place one token.
The square can be orthogonally or diagonally adjacent endary monster is simple. The Solo Monster Challenge

to the point of origin. In every row beyond that one, Rating table shows you which challenge rating (CR) to
use for a legendary creature opposing a party of four to
place as many tokens as you placed in the previous row,
six characters, creating a satisfying but difficult battle.
plus one more token. Place this row’s tokens so that
For example, for a party of five 9th-level characters, a
their squares each share a side with a square in the
CR 12 legendary creature makes an optimal encounter.
previous row. If the cone is orthogonally adjacent to the
For a more perilous battle, match up the characters
point of origin, you’ll have one more token to place in the with a legendary creature whose challenge rating is 1 or
row; place it on one end or the other of the row you just
created (you don’t have to pick the side chosen in dia- 2 higher than optimal. For an easy fight, use a legendary

gram 2.5). Keep placing tokens in this way until you’ve creature whose challenge rating is 3 or more lower than
created all of the cone’s rows.
the challenge rating for an optimal encounter.
Lines. A line can extend from its source orthogonally
or diagonally, as shown in diagram 2.6. SOLO MONSTER CHALLENGE RATING

ENCOUNTER BUILDING Character Party Size 4 Characters
Level 6 Characters 5 Characters
This section introduces new guidelines on building com-
1st 2 2 1
bat encounters for an adventure. They are an alternative
f to the rules in “ Creating Encounters” in chapter 3 of the 2nd 4 3 2
Dungeon Master's Guide. This approach uses the same 3rd 5 4 3
\
math that underlies the rules presented in that book, but 4th 6 5 4
i\ 5th 9 8 7
it makes a few adjustments to the way that math is pre- 6th 10 9 8
i 7th 11 10 9
sented to produce a more flexible system. 8th 12 11 10
88 This encounter-building system assumes that, as DM, 9th 13 12 11

you want to have a clear understanding of the threat 10th 14 13 12
11th 15 14 13
posed by a group of monsters. It will be useful to you if
12th 17 16 15
you want to emphasize combat in your adventure, if you 13th 18 17 16
want to ensure that a foe isn’t too deadly for a group of 14th 19 18 17
characters, and if you want to understand the relation- 15th 20 19 18
ship between a character’s level and a monster’s chal-
16th 21 20 19
lenge rating. 17th 22 21 20
18th 22 21 20
Building an encounter using these guidelines follows 19th 23 22 21

a series of steps. 20th 24 23 22

STEP 1: ASSESS THE CHARACTERS If your encounter features multiple monsters, balanc-

To build an encounter using this system, first take stock ing it takes a little more work. Refer to the Multiple
of the player characters. This system uses the charac- Monsters tables, which are broken up by level ranges,
ters’ levels to determine the numbers and challenge
ratings of creatures you can pit them against without providing information for how to balance encounters for
making a fight too hard or too easy. Even though char-
acter level is important, you should also take note of characters of lst-5th level, 6th-10th level, 11th— 15th
each character’s hit point maximum and saving throw
modifiers, as well as how much damage the mightiest level, and 16th-20th level.
characters can deal with a single attack. Character level
and challenge rating are good for defining the difficulty First, you need to note the challenge rating for each
of an encounter, but they don’t tell the whole story. You’ll
make use of these additional character statistics when creature the party will face. Then, to create your encoun-
you select monsters for an encounter in step 4.
ter, find the level of each character on the appropriate ta-
STEP 2: CHOOSE ENCOUNTER SIZE ble. Each table shows what a single character of a given

Determine whether you want to create a battle that pits level is equivalent to in terms of challenge rating— a
one creature against the characters, or if you want to
use multiple monsters. If the fight is against a single value represented by a ratio that compares numbers of
opponent, your best candidate for that foe is one of the
game’s legendary creatures, which are designed to fill characters to a single monster ranked by challenge rat-
ing. The first number in each expression is the number
this need. If the battle involves multiple monsters, de- of characters of the given level. The second number tells

cide roughly how many creatures you want to use before how many monsters of the listed challenge rating those
continuing with step 3.
characters are equivalent to.

CHAPTER 2 | DUNGEON MASTER’S TOOLS V

7JI Ksai

For example, reading the row for lst-level characters smaller than it is. For example, to make an easy encoun-
from the lst-5th Level table, we see that one lst-level ter for a party of five characters, put them up against
monsters that would be a tough fight for three charac-
character is the equivalent of two CR 1/8 monsters or
one CR 1/4 monster. The ratio reverses for higher chal- ters. Likewise, you can treat the party as up to half again

lenge ratings, where a single monster is more powerful larger to build a battle that is potentially deadly, though

than a single lst-level character. One CR 1/2 creature is still not likely to be an automatic defeat. A party of four

equivalent to three lst-level characters, while one CR 1 characters facing an encounter designed for six charac-
ters would fall into this category.
opponent is equivalent to five.
Let’s say you have a party of four 3rd-level characters. WEAK MONSTERS AND HIGH-LEVEL

Using the table, you can see that one CR 2 foe is a good CHARACTERS

match for the entire party, but that the characters will To save space on the tables and keep them simple, some
of the lower challenge ratings are missing from the high
likely have a hard time handling a CR 3 creature. er-level tables. For low challenge ratings not appearing
on the table, assume a 1:12 ratio, indicating that twelve
Using the same guidelines, you can mix and match creatures of those challenge ratings are equivalent to
challenge ratings to put together a group of creatures
one character of a specific level.
to oppose four 3rd-level characters. For example, you
STEP 4: SELECT MONSTERS
could select one CR 1 creature. That’s worth two 3rd-
After using the tables from the previous step to deter-
level characters, leaving you with two characters’ worth
mine the challenge ratings of the monsters in your en-
of monsters to allocate. You could then add two CR 1/4
counter, you’re ready to pick individual monsters. This
monsters to account for one other character and one CR process is more of an art than a science.

1/2 monster to account for the final character. In total, In addition to assessing monsters by challenge rating,
your encounter has one CR 1, one CR 1/2, and two CR it’s important to look at how certain monsters might
1/4 creatures.

For groups in which the characters are of different lev-
els, you have two options. You can group all characters

of the same level together, match them with monsters,

and then combine all the creatures into one encounter.

Alternatively, you can determine the group’s average

level and treat each character as being of that level for

the purpose of selecting appropriate monsters.

The above guidelines are designed to create a fight

that will challenge a party while still being winnable.

If you want to create an easier encounter that will

challenge characters but not threaten to defeat them ,

you can treat the party as if it were roughly one-third

MULTIPLE MONSTERS: IST-STH LEVEL

Character Challenge Rating
Level
1/8 1/4 1/2

1st 1:2 1:1

2nd 1:3 1:2

3rd 1:5 1:2

4th 1:8 1:4 1:2

5th 1:12 1:8 1:4

MULTIPLE MONSTERS: 6TH-IOTH LEVEL

Character Challenge Rating
Level
1/8 1/4 1/2 1

6th 1:12 1:9 1:5 1:2

7th 1:12 1:12 1:6 1:3

8th 1:12 1:12 1:7 1:4 1:2

9th 1:12 1:12 1:8 1:4 1:2

10th 1:12 1:12 1:10 1:5 1:2

MULTIPLE MONSTERS: HTH-ISTH LEVEL

Character Challenge Rating
Level
11th 1 23
12th 1:6 1:3 1:2
13th 1:8 1:3 1:2
14th 1:9 1:4 1:2 1:2
15th 1:10 1:4 1:3 1:2
1:12 1:5 1:3 1:2

MULTIPLE MONSTERS: I6TH-20TH LEVEL

Character Challenge Rating

Level 234 2:1 2:1
1:1 2:1
16th 1:5 1:3 1:2 1:1 1:1

17th 1:7 1:4 1:3 1:2

18th 1:7 1:5 1:3 1:2 1:1 1:1 1:1

19th 1:8 1:5 1:3 1:2 1:2 1:1 1:1

20th 1:9 1:6 1:4 1:2 1:2 1:1 1:1

stack up against your group. Hit points, attacks, and number of creatures in the encounter, you can come up
with different options for building the encounter.
saving throws are all useful indicators. Compare the
STEP 5: ADD FLAVOR
damage a monster can deal to the hit point maximum of
The events that unfold during an encounter have to do
each character. Be wary of any monster that is capable with a lot more than swinging weapons and casting

of dropping a character with a single attack, unless you spells. The most interesting confrontations also take

are designing the fight to be especially deadly. into account the personality or behavior of the monsters,
In the same way, compare the monsters’ hit points to
perhaps determining whether they can be communi-
the damage output of the party’s strongest characters,
again looking for targets that can be killed with one cated with or whether they’re all acting in concert. Other

blow. Having a significant number of foes drop in the possible factors include the nature of the physical envi-
first rounds of combat can make an encounter too easy. ronment, such as whether it includes obstacles or other
features that might come into play, and the ever-present
Likewise, look at whether a monster’s deadliest
possibility of something unexpected taking place.
abilities call for saving throws that most of the party
members are weak with, and compare the characters’ If you already have ideas for how to flesh out your
encounter in these ways, go right ahead and finish your
offensive abilities to the monsters’ saving throws.
creation. Otherwise, take a look at the following sec-
If the only creatures you can choose from at the de-
sired challenge rating aren’t a good match for the char- tions for some basic advice on adding flavor elements to
acters’ statistics, don’t be afraid to go back to step 3. By
altering your challenge rating targets and adjusting the the simple mechanics of the fight.

CHAPTER 2 | DUNGEON MASTER’S TOOLS

MONSTER PERSONALITY RANDOM EVENTS

To address the question of a monster’s personality, you Consider what might happen in an encounter area if the
characters were to never enter it. Do the guards serve in
can use the tables in chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master’s shifts? What other characters or monsters might visit?

Guide, use the Monster Personality table below, or sim- Do creatures gather there to eat or gossip? Are there
ply jot down a few notes based on a creature’s Monster
Manual description. During the battle, you can use these any natural phenomena such as strong winds, earth
ideas to inform how you portray the monsters and their
actions. To keep things simple, you can assign the same ——tremors, or rain squalls that sometimes take place

personality traits to an entire group of monsters. For ex- in the area? Random events can add a fun element of

ample, one bandit gang might be an unruly mob of brag- the unexpected to an encounter. Just when you think
garts, while the members of another gang are always on
a fight’s outcome is evident, an unforeseen event can
edge and ready to flee at the first sign of danger.
make things more compelling.
MONSTER PERSONALITY
A number of the tables in the Dungeon Master’s Guide
d8 Personality can suggest random events. The tables used for encoun-

1 Cowardly; looking to surrender ter location, weird locales, and wilderness weather in

2 Greedy; wants treasure chapter 5 of that book are a good starting point for out-

3 Braggart; makes a show of bravery but runs from —door encounters. The tables in appendix A can be useful
danger
for indoor and outdoor encounters especially the tables
4 Fanatic; ready to die fighting
for obstacles, traps, and tricks. Finally, consult the ran-
5 Rabble; poorly trained and easily rattled
dom encounter tables in the next section of this book for
6 Brave; stands its ground
inspiration.
7 Joker; taunts its enemies
QUICK MATCHUPS
8 Bully; refuses to believe it can lose
The guidelines above assume that you are concerned
MONSTER RELATIONSHIPS
about balance in your combat encounters and have
Do rivalries, hatreds, or attachments exist among the
monsters in an encounter? If so, you can use such re- enough time to prepare them. If you don’t have much
lationships to inform the monsters’ behavior during
time, or if you want simpler but less precise guidelines,
combat. The death of a much-revered leader might
the Quick Matchups table below offers an alternative.
throw its followers into a frenzy. On the other hand, a
monster might decide to flee if its spouse is killed, or a This table gives you a way to match a character of
mistreated toady might be eager to surrender and betray
its master in return for its life. a certain level with a number of monsters. The table

MONSTER RELATIONSHIPS lists the challenge ratings to use for including one, two,

66 Relationship and four monsters per character for each level. For in-

1 Has a rival; wants one random ally to suffer stance, looking at the 3rd-level entry on the table, you
2 Is abused by others; hangs back, betrays at first
can see that a CR 1/2 monster is equivalent to one 3rd-
opportunity level character, as are two CR 1/4 monsters and four
CR 1/8 ones.
3 Is worshiped; allies will die for it
QUICK MATCHUPS
4 Is outcast by group; its allies ignore it
5 Is outcast by choice; cares only for itself Character 1 Monster 2 Monsters 4 Monsters
Level
6 Is seen as a bully; its allies want to see it defeated 1/8 1/8
1st 1/4 1/4 1/4
TERRAIN AND TRAPS 2nd 1/2 1/4 1/2
3rd 1/2 1/ 2 1/2
A few elements that make a battlefield something other 1/2
than a large area of flat ground can go a long way to- 4th 1 1
ward spicing up an encounter. Consider setting your en- 1 1
counter in an area that would provide challenges even if 5th 2 1 1
2 1
a fight were not taking place there. What potential perils 6th 2 2 2 BVI
2 2
or other features might draw the characters’ attention, 3 2 :i
either before or during the fight? Why are monsters lurk- 3 2
7th 3 4 3
ing in this area to begin with— does it offer good hiding 4 3
8th 3 4 3
places, for instance? 4 3
To add details to an encounter area at random, look to 9th 4 5 4
5 4
the tables in appendix A of the Dungeon Master’s Guide 10th 4 6
6
to determine room and area features, potential hazards, nth 4

obstacles, traps, and more. 12th 5

13th 6

14th 6

15th 7

16th 7

17th 8

18th 8

19th 9

20th 10

CHAPTER 2 | DUNGEON MASTER’S TOOLS

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS: dlOO Encounter
A WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES
18-20 ld3 winged kobolds with ld6 kobolds
Chapter 3 of the Dungeon Master's Guide provides guid- 21-25 The partially eaten carcass of a mammoth, from
which ld4 weeks of rations can be harvested
ance on using random encounters in your game. This
26-29 2d8 hunters (tribal warriors)
section builds on that guidance, offering a host of ran-
dom encounter tables for you to use when you determine 30-35 1 half-ogre
that a random encounter is going to take place.
36-40 Single-file tracks in the snow that stop abruptly
Using the monster lists in appendix B of that book as
a basis, we’ve built a set of tables for each environment 41-45 ld3 ice mephits
category: arctic, coastal, desert, forest, grassland, hill,
mountain, swamp, Underdark, underwater, and urban. 46-50 1 brown bear
Within each category, separate tables are provided for
each of the four tiers of play: levels 1-4, 5-10, 11-16, 51-53 ld6 + lores

and 17-20. 54-55 1 polar bear

Even though you can use these tables “ out of the box,” 56-57 ld6 scouts
the advice in the Dungeon Master's Guide still holds
true: tailoring such tables to your game can reinforce 58-60 1 saber-toothed tiger
the themes and flavor of your campaign. We encourage 61-65
A frozen pond with a jagged hole in the ice that ap-
you to customize this material to make it your own.
pears recently made
In the tables, a name in bold refers to a stat block in
the Monster Manual. 66-68 1 berserker

FLIGHT, OR FIGHT, OR ... ? 69-70 1 ogre

Each of the results on these tables represents a certain 71-72 1 griffon

kind of challenge or potential challenge. 73-75 1 druid
76-80 3d4 refugees (commoners) fleeing from ores
If you let the dice have their way and the result is a
large number of monsters, the generated encounter 81 ld3 veterans
might be too difficult or dangerous for the characters in
82 ld4 orogs
their present circumstances. They might want to flee to
83 2 brown bears
avoid contact, or not to approach any closer after per-
84 1 ore Eye of Gruumsh with 2d8 ores
ceiving the monsters from a distance.
Of course, you also have the freedom to adjust the 85 ld3 winter wolves

numbers, but it’s important to remember that not every 86-87 ld4 yetis

encounter involving a monster needs to result in combat. 88 1 half-ogre

An encounter might indeed be the prelude to a battle, 89 ld3 manticores
90 1 bandit captain with 2d6 bandits
a parley, or some other interaction. What happens next
91 1 revenant
depends on what the characters try, or what you decide
92-93 1 troll
is bound to occur.
94-95 1 werebear
The tables also include entries for what the Dungeon
Master's Guide calls “ encounters of a less monstrous 96-97 1 young remorhaz

nature.” Many of these results cry out to be customized 98 1 mammoth

or detailed, which offers you an opportunity to connect 99 1 young white dragon

them to the story of your campaign. And in so doing, 00 1 frost giant

you’ve taken a step toward making your own personal- ARCTIC ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 5-10)
ized encounter table. Now, keep going!
dlOO Encounter
y 01-05
06-07 2 saber-toothed tigers
08-10 ld4 half-ogres
11-15
16-20 ld3 + 1 brown bears
21-25 ld3 polar bears

ARCTIC ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 1-4) 2d4 berserkers
A half-ore druid tending to an injured polar bear. If
dlOO Encounter the characters assist the druid, she gives them a
vial of antitoxin.

01 1 giant owl 26-30 2d8 scouts
ld6 + 3 kobolds 2d4 ice mephits
02-05 ld4 + 3 trappers (commoners) 31-35 2d6 + 1 zombies aboard a galleon trapped in the
1 owl
06-08 2d4 blood hawks 36-40 ice. Searching the ship yields 2d20 days of rations.
09-10 2d6 bandits
11-12 41-45 1 manticore
13-17 46-50
51-53 2d6 + 3 ores
ld6 + 2 ogres

CHAPTER 2 | DUNGEON MASTER’S TOOLS

dlOO Encounter ARCTIC ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 17-20)
54-55 2d4 griffons
56-57 ld4 veterans dlOO Encounter
58-60
1 bandit captain with 1 druid, ld3 berserkers, and 01-02 2dl0 revenants
61-65 2dl0 + 5 bandits 03-04 2d8 trolls
ld4 hours of extreme cold (see chapter 5 of the 05-06 2dl0 werebears
66-68 Dungeon Master's Guide) 07-08 1 frost giant
69-72 1 young remorhaz 09-10 2d4 young remorhazes
1 ore Eye of Cruumsh with ld6 orogs and 2d8 + 6 11-20 ld4 frost giants
73-75 21-25 A circular patch of black ice on the ground. The air
76-80 ores
81-82 temperature around the patch is warmer than in
83-84 1 revenant the surrounding area, and characters who inspect
85-86 A howl that echoes over the land for ld3 minutes the ice find bits of machinery frozen within.
87-88 ld3 mammoths 26-35 1 ancient white dragon
89-90 1 young white dragon 36-40 An adventurer frozen 6 feet under the ice; 50%
91-92 2d4 winter wolves chance the corpse has a rare magic item of the
93-94 ld6 -h 2 yetis DM’s choice
95-96 ld2 frost giants 41-50 ld3 abominable yetis
97-98 ld3 werebears 51-60 ld4 remorhazes
ld4 trolls 61-65 A 500-foot-high wall of ice that is 300 feet thick and
99 1 abominable yeti spread across ld4 miles
00 1 remorhaz 66-75 ld4 rocs
1 roc 76-80 The likeness of a stern woman with long, flowing
2d4 young remorhazes hair, carved into the side of a mountain
81-90 IdlO frost giants with 2d4 polar bears
ARCTIC ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS n-16) 91-96 ld3 adult white dragons
97-99 2d4 abominable yetis
dlOO Encounter 00 1 ancient white dragon with ld3 young white
dragons
01 1 abominable yeti

02-04 ld6 revenants a
05-10 ld4 + 1 werebears
11-20 ld3 young white dragons
21-25 A blizzard that reduces visibility to 5 feet for ld6
hours

26-35 1 roc COASTAL ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 1-4)
36-40
A herd of 3d20 + 60 caribou (deer) moving through dlOO Encounter
41-50 the snow
ld4 mammoths 01 1 pseudodragon
51-60 l d8 + l trolls
61-65 02-05 2d8 crabs
A mile-wide frozen lake in which the preserved
66-75 06-10 2d6 fishers (commoners)
76-80 corpses of strange creatures can be seen
2d4 young remorhazes 11 ld3 poisonous snakes
81-90 A crumbling ice castle littered with the frozen bod-
91-96 ies of blue-skinned humanoids 12-13 ld6 guards protecting a stranded noble
97-99 1 adult white dragon
ld8 + 1 frost giants 14-15 2d4 scouts M
00 ld4 remorhazes
1 ancient white dragon 16-18 2dl0 merfolk

19-20 ld6 + 2 sahuagin
21-25
ld4 ghouls feeding on corpses aboard the wreck-

age of a merchant ship. A search uncovers 2d6

bolts of ruined silk, a 50-foot length of rope, and a
barrel of salted herring.

26-27 ld4 winged kobolds with ld6 + 1 kobolds

28-29 2d6 tribal warriors

30-31 3d4 kobolds

H ^4U * 4<}(.( ivv><. 32-33 2d4 + 5 blood hawks

ul l | 4OVA UKOU /tq- J LU 34-35 ld8 + 1 pteranodons

36-40 A few dozen baby turtles struggling to make their

4IA< coru\<r °r 41A^4 A0c»r °r way to the sea

tUci t 4 41IK - - j>i u(/i<r< l Artui 41-42 ld6 + 2 giant lizards

4l Awq(( \0 S < $rv< S. ^ 4(«AM A CHAPTER 2 | DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS

4Ur< s4i((. -tu

4bovAi^. °£ wv < ^ .ill/V i

dlOO Encounter dl 00 Encounter
43-44 36-40
45-46 ld6 + 4 giant crabs A stoppered bottle containing an illegible note and
47-48 2d4 stirges 41-43 half buried in the sand
49- 53 2d6 + 3 bandits 44-46 3 sea hags
54-55 2d4 sahuagin 47-50 ld8 + l harpies
56-60 ld6 + 2 scouts 51-53 ld4 plesiosauruses
61-65 1 sea hag 54-56 ld4 manticores
A momentary formation in the waves that looks 57-60
66-70 like an enormous humanoid face 61-65 2d4 ogres
71-75 1 druid 66-70 1dl0 griffons
76- 80 ld4 harpies 71-75 A battle at sea between two galleons
A lone hermit (acolyte) sitting on the beach, con-
81 templating the meaning of the multiverse 76-80 ld4 + 3 merrow
82 ld4 berserkers 81- 82 A pirate crew consisting of 1 bandit captain, 1
83 ld6 giant eagles 83- 84 druid, 2 berserkers, and 2dl2 bandits, all searching
84 2d4 giant toads 85-86 for buried treasure
85 ld4 ogres or ld4 merrow 87- 88 A severed humanoid hand tangled in a net
86 3d6 sahuagin 89-90 1 water elemental
87 91-93
88 ld4 veterans 94-95 1 cyclops
89 ld2 plesiosauruses ld4 banshees (night only)
90 1 bandit captain with 2d6 bandits 96 2d4 veterans
91-92 ld3 manticores 1 young bronze dragon
93-94 1 banshee 97 ld3 cyclopes
ld4 + 3 griffons 98 1 young blue dragon
95-96 1 sahuagin priestess with ld3 merrow and 2d6 99 1 sahuagin baron with ld3 sahuagin priestesses
97-98 sahuagin 00 and 2d8 sahuagin
1 sahuagin baron 1 djinni
99 1 water elemental
00 1 cyclops 1 roc
1 young bronze dragon
1 marid
1 storm giant

COASTAL ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS n-16)

COASTAL ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 5-10) d100 Encounter
01
dlOO Encounter ld4 banshees (night only)
02- 04
01 2d8 giant wolf spiders 05-08 1 cyclops
02-03 3d6 pteranodons 09-10 ld6 + 2 manticores
11-20 ld8 + 2 veterans
04-05 2d4 scouts 21-25 1 young blue dragon
26-35 A nest of ld6 dragon turtle eggs
06-07 ld6 + 2 sahuagin 36-40 ld4 sahuagin barons
41-50 A trident partially buried in the sand
08 1 sea hag 51-55 1 young bronze dragon
56- 60
09-10 ld4 + 1 giant toads 61-65 1 marid
ld6 water elementals
.[+r 11-15 3d6 sahuagin 66-70 2d6 ghasts crawling over ld6 wrecked ships and
16-20 2d6 giant eagles 71-75 feeding on the dead
76-80
21-25 A pseudodragon chasing gulls through the air 1 djinni
81-82 ld3 young bronze dragons
26-29 ld2 druids 83-84 A beached whale, dead and bloated. If it takes any
85-86
30-32 2d4 + 1 giant toads damage, it explodes, and each creature within
30 feet of it must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving
33-35 1 commoner singing a dirge (day only) or throw, taking 5d6 bludgeoning damage on a failed
save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
1 banshee (night only)
2d4 cyclopes
I
1 storm giant
- w - : iorJUvs w«r*\'. ld3 young blue dragons

,-JvV'V/
“tw~ •A •

94 \CHAPTER 2 | DUNGEON MASTER S T O O L S
r

dlOO Encounter D E S E R T E N C O U N T E R S (L E V E L S 1-4)
87-88
89-90 1 adult bronze dragon dlOO Encounter
91-93 1 adult blue dragon
94-97 l d3 rocs 01 3d8 scorpions
98-99 1 dragon turtle 02 2d4 vultures
1 ancient bronze dragon 03 1 abandoned mule
00 1 ancient blue dragon
04 2d6 commoners with 2d4 camels bound for a dis-
C O A S T A L E N C O U N T E R S (LEVELS 17-20)
tant city
dlOO Encounter 05 ld6 flying snakes
06 2d6 hyenas or 2d6 jackals
01-10 1 roc 07 ld6 guards escorting a noble to the edge of the
11-20 1 storm giant
desert, all of them astride camels
21-25 An adult bronze dragon fighting an adult blue 08 ld6 cats
dragon to the death 09 1 pseudodragon
10 ld4 poisonous snakes
26-40 2d6 cyclopes
41-50 1 adult bronze dragon or 1 adult blue dragon 11-13 2d4 stirges
51-60 ld3 djinn or ld3 marids
61-70 1 dragon turtle 14-15 ld6 + 2 giant wolf spiders
71-75 ld3 rocs 16-17 1 scout
76-80 ld6 + 2 waterspouts that dance on the water before 18-20 2d4 giant poisonous snakes
21-25 Single-file tracks marching deeper into the desert
stopping abruptly 26-27 4d4 kobolds
81-90 ld6 young blue dragons 28-29 1 jackalwere
91-96 1 ancient bronze dragon 30-31 3d6 tribal warriors
97-99 1 ancient blue dragon

00 ld3 + 1 storm giants

CHAPTER 2 | DUNGEON MASTER’S TOOLS

1

dlOO Encounter dlOO Encounter
18-20 ld8 + 1 giant vultures
32-33 ld6 giant lizards 21-25
34-35 1 swarm of insects 26-28 A stone obelisk partly buried in the sand
36-40 An oasis surrounded by palm trees and containing 29-35 1 ogre with ld3 half-ogres
the remnants of an old camp IdlO giant hyenas

41-44 3d6 bandits 36-40 ld6 + 1 empty tents

45-46 ld4 constrictor snakes 41-43 ld6 + 2 thri-kreen

47-48 2d4 winged kobolds 44-46 2d4 yuan-ti purebloods

49-50 1 dust mephit 47-50 ld6 + 3 death dogs

51-52 ld3 + 1 giant toads 51-52 ld4 giant scorpions

53-54 ld4 giant spiders 53 1 fire elemental
54-55 1 hobgoblin captain with 3d4 hobgoblins
55 1 druid

56-57 2d4 hobgoblins 56 ld6 + 2 ogres

58 1 wight 57-58 ld4 lamias

59-60 1 ogre 59-60 1 air elemental
61-65 A brass lamp lying on the ground 61-65 A meteorite resting at the bottom of a glassy crater

66-67 ld4 giant vultures 66 ld4 + l wights

68 1 phase spider 67-68 1 young brass dragon
69 1 giant constrictor snake 69-70 1 bandit captain with ld3 berserkers and 3d6

70-71 1 gnoll pack lord with ld3 giant hyenas bandits

i 72 ld6 + 2 gnolls 71-72 1 cyclops

73-74 1 mummy 73 ld4 couatls
74-75 ld4 yuan-ti malisons
75 ld3 half-ogres 76-80 Strong winds that kick up dust and reduce visibility
A pile of humanoid bones wrapped in rotting cloth to ld6 feet for ld4 hours
76-80 1 lamia 81-83 1 revenantwith ld3 wights
81-82 1 hobgoblin captain with 2d6 hobgoblins 84-85 ld8 + 1 phase spiders
2d4 death dogs
83

84

85-86 ld4 giant scorpions 86-87 ld6 + 2 weretigers
1 yuan-ti malison with ld4 + 1 yuan-ti purebloods 88-90 2d4 gnoll fangs of Yeenoghu
87 1 bandit captain with 1 druid and 3d6 bandits 1 young blue dragon
91 ld4 cyclopes
88-89 2d4 thri-kreen 92

90

1 air elemental 93 ld3 yuan-ti abominations

ld3 couatls 94 ld4 medusas

1 fire elemental 95 1 guardian naga

ld4 gnoll fangs of Yeenoghu 96 ld3 young brass dragons

1 revenant 97 1 efreeti

ld4 weretigers 98 1 roc

1 cyclops 99 1 gynosphinx

1 young brass dragon 00 1 adult brass dragon

1 medusa DESERT ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS n-16)
1 yuan-ti abomination

dlOO Encounter

DESERT ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 5-10) 01 1 young brass dragon

dlOO Encounter 02-05 4d6 gnolls
01 06-10 3dl0 giant hyenas
02 ld6 scouts 11-12 l d8 + l lamias
03 2d4 jackalweres 13-14 2d4 gnoll fangs of Yeenoghu
04 2d6 hobgoblins 15-17 ld6 + 2 giant scorpions
05 ld4 + 3 dust mephits 18-20 2d4 phase spiders
06 ld6 swarms of insects 21-25 A desert caravan consisting of ld6 merchants (no-
1 giant constrictor snake bles) with 2d6 guards
07-08 1 lion 26-27 ld6 + 1 couatls
09-10 2d4 gnolls 28-30 ld4 fire elementals
11-12 2d6 giant toads 31-32 1 hobgoblin captain with 3dl0 + 10 hobgoblins
13-17 1 mummy 33-35 2d4 wights

CHAPTER 2 | DUNGEON MASTER’S TOOLS

^ >» "

dlOO Encounter FOREST ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 1-4)
36-40 ld6 square miles of desert glass
41-42 1 young blue dragon dlOO Encounter
43-45 1d6 + 2 weretigers
46-48 ld4 air elementals 01 1 giant owl
49-50 ld6 + 1 yuan-ti malisons
51-55 ld4 medusas 02 ld4 cats
56-60 ld4 revenants with 3dl2 skeletons
61-65 A plundered pyramid 03 2d4 woodcutters (commoners)
66-70 ld4 young brass dragons
71-75 ld3 yuan-ti abominations 04 1 badger or ld4 poisonous snakes
76-78 ld6 + 2 Cyclopes
79-82 1 adult brass dragon 05 2d8 baboons
83-85 1 purple worm
1d2 young blue dragons 06 ld6 + 3 hyenas
86 1 mummy lord
87-88 ld3 guardian nagas 07 1 owl
1 adult blue dragon
89 ld2 gynosphinxes 08 1 pseudodragon
90 ld3 efreet
91 1 androsphinx 09 1 panther
92-93 ld4 rocs
94 1 adult blue dracolich 10 1 giant poisonous snake
95 1 ancient brass dragon
96-97 1 ancient blue dragon 11 ld6 + 2 boars
98-99 12 ld4 + 1 giant lizards
00
13 1 ape or 1 tiger

14 2d6 tribal warriors with ld6 mastiffs

15 ld6 + 2 giant bats or 3d6 flying snakes
16 1 scout or 2d4 guards with ld8 mastiffs

17 ld8 + 1 winged kobolds

18 1d3 constrictor snakes

DESERT ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 17-20) 19 ldlO + 5 giant rats or 2d6 + 3 giant weasels »
20
dlOO Encounter 21-25 ld4 + 1 needle blights with ld6 + 3 twig blights
A lost, weeping child. If the characters take the
01-05 1 adult brass dragon 26
06-10 ld2 yuan-ti abominations with 2dl0 + 5 yuan-ti 27 child home, the parents reward them with ld3 po-
tions of healing.
malisons and 4d6 + 6 yuan-ti purebloods
11-14 ld6 + 2 medusas ld8 + 1 giant frogs
15-18 ld2 purple worms
19-22 2d4 cyclopes 4d4 kobolds
23-25 An abandoned city made from white marble, empty
28 ld3 black bears
during the day. At night, harmless apparitions
roam the streets, replaying the final moments of 29 3d6 stirges

their lives. 30 1 satyr

26-30 ld3 young blue dragons 31 2d4 kenku
31-35 1 mummy lord
36-40 ld4 hours of extreme heat (see chapter 5 of the 32 ld3 vine blights with 1dl2 awakened shrubs

Dungeon Master ’s Guide) 33 ld4 swarms of ravens
41-50 ld3 guardian nagas
51-60 ld4 efreet 34 1 faerie dragon (yellow or younger)

61-63 An old signpost identifying a single destination, 35 ld4 + 2 giant badgers
36- 40 A young woodcutter (scout) racing through the for-
called Pazar est to rescue a lost friend
64-72 ld4 rocs
73-80 ld3 gynosphinxes 41 2d4 blink dogs
81-85 1 adult blue dracolich
86-90 1 androsphinx 42 ld8 + 1 sprites
91-96 1 ancient brass dragon 43 ld6 + 2 elk
97-99 1 ancient blue dragon 44 ld4 lizardfolk or 3d6 bandits

00 ld4 adult brass dragons 45 ld4 + 4 wolves
46 2d4 giant wolf spiders

47 1 swarm of insects or 2d8 blood hawks

48 ld6 + 2 pixies

49 1 brown bear

50 ld4 + 3 goblins

51 ld3 dryads

52 1 awakened tree

CHAPTER 2 | DUNGEON MASTER’S TOOLS 97

1 lizardfolk shaman with ld3 swarms of poisonous
snakes and IdlO + 2 lizardfolk
ld4 displacer beasts

ld3 green hags
1 hobgoblin captain with 2d6 hobgoblins and ld4
giant boars
1 yuan-ti malison with ld6 + 1 yuan-ti purebloods

ld3 weretigers

1 gorgon or 1 unicorn
1 shambling mound
1 yuan-ti abomination

FOREST ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 5-10) d100 Encounter
82
dlOO Encounter 2d4 displacer beasts
83 ld4 shambling mounds
2d4 vine blights 84 1 hobgoblin captain with 3dl0 hobgoblins and 4dl2
2d6 hobgoblins or 2d6 ores goblins
2d4 apes or 2d4 satyrs 85 1 yuan-ti abomination
86 ld8 + 1 phase spiders
04 ld3 will-o'-wisps 87 ld4 trolls
88 2d4 yuan-ti malisons
05 ld4 swarms of poisonous snakes 89 1 oni
90 ld4 unicorns
06 1 ore Eye of Cruumsh with ld3 orogs and ld8 + 2 91 ld6 + 2 weretigers
92 1 young green dragon
07 ores 93 ld4 gorgons
08 94 ld6 + 2 gnoll fangs ofYeenoghu
09 ld3 constrictor snakes or ld4 tigers 95
10 1 goblin boss with 3d6 goblins 96 1 treant
11-13 1 faerie dragon (any age) 97
14-15 1 brown bear or ld6 + 2 black bears 98 ld4 revenants
16-17 ld4 giant boars 99 1 grick alpha with ld6 + 1 gricks
18 ld8 + 1 giant spiders 00 ld4 giant apes
19 1 lizardfolk shaman with 2d4 lizardfolk 1 guardian naga
20 1 adult gold dragon
21-25 ldlO giant toads

ld4 ankhegs
ld3 awakened trees (day) or 1 banshee (night)
A small shack almost hidden by the deep forest.

The interior is empty aside from a large cast-iron

oven.

26 1 couatl FOREST ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS n-i6)
27-28 ld4 ogres or ld6 + 2 half-ogres
29-30 1 gnoll pack lord with ld4 + 1 giant hyenas dlOO Encounter
31- 32 01-03
ld6 wererats 04-05 1 werebear
33 ld4 druids performing a ritual for the dead (day
34 ld4 gricks 06-07 only) or ld4 banshees (night only)
35 08-10 ld3 couatls
36-40 ld8 + 1 yuan-ti purebloods 11-15 ld3 gnoll fangs ofYeenoghu with 2d6 + 3 gnolls
16-20 2d4 displacer beasts
41- 42 ld6 pegasi 21-25
43 1d6 + 2 veterans
44 An old stone archway of obvious elven design. Any 26-30
31-35 A pool of clear, still water. Gold coins litter the bot-
45-46 character who passes under it makes Wisdom (Per- 36-40 tom, but they disappear if removed from the pool.
47- 48
49-50 ception) checks with advantage for 1 hour. 41- 45 ld4 + 1 green hags with ld3 owlbears
51- 52 46-50 ld6 + 2 werewolves
53-54 ld6 + 2 dryads 51-52 A small woodland shrine dedicated to a mysterious
55-56 ld4 giant elk 53-54 cult named the Siswa
57-58 ld8 + 1 harpies 55- 56 ld6 + 2 phase spiders
59- 60 1 bandit captain with 1 druid and ld6 + 5 bandits 57-58 2d4 yuan-ti malisons
61-65 2d4 dire wolves 59- 60 ld3 werebears
2d4 bugbears 61- 65
66-67 ld4 revenants
68-69 2d4 centaurs 66- 67 1 young green dragon
70-71 3dl0 blink dogs 68- 69 ld4 trolls
72-73 ld4 owlbears 70-71 ld6 + 2 wereboars
74-75 ld8 + 1 berserkers 72-73 A group of seven people (commoners) wearing ani-
76-80 ld3 green hags 74-75 mal masks and ambling through the woods
A clear pool of water with ld6 sleeping animals 76-80
81 lying around its edge 81-82 ld4 gorgons
ld4 werewolves 83- 84 ld3 shambling mounds

1 werebear 1 treant

ld8 + 1 ettercaps ld4 unicorns
2dl0 elk
ld6 + 2 weretigers
ld4 veterans Peals of silvery laughter that echo from a distance
An old tree with a wizened face carved into the 1 guardian naga
trunk 1 young gold dragon
ld4 wereboars

CHAPTER 2 | DUNGEON MASTER’S TOOLS