Dungeon Master's Guide

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contacts for beginning adventurers, and characters are likely to secure more helpful contacts over the course of their adventuring careers. A name and a few choice details are all you need for casual contacts, but take the time to flesh out a recurring contact, especially one who might become an ally or enemy at some point. At the very least, give some thought to a contact's goals and how those goals are likely to come into play. VILLAINS By their actions, villains provide job security for heroes. Chapter 3 helps you determine suitable villains for you: adventures, while this section helps you flesh out their evil schemes, methods, and weaknesses. Let the table_ that follow inspire you. VILLAIN'S SCHEME PATRONS A patron is a contact who employs the adventurers, providing help or rewards as well as quests and adventure hooks. Most of the time, a patron has a vested interest in the adventurers' success and doesn't need to be persuaded to help them. A patron might be a retired adventurer who seeks younger heroes to deal with rising threats, or a mayor who knows that the town guard can't handle a dragon demanding tribute. A sheriff becomes a patron by offering a bounty for kobold raiders terrorizing the local countryside, as does a noble who wants an abandoned estate cleared of monsters. HIRELINGS Adventurers can pay NPCs to provide services in a variety of circumstances. Information on hirelings appears in chapter 5, "Equipment," of the Player's Handbook. Hireling NPCs rarely become important in an adventure, and most require little development. When adventurers hire a coach to carry them across town or need a letter delivered, the driver or messenger is a hireling, and the adventurers might never even converse with that NPC or learn his or her name. A ship captain carrying the adventurers across the sea is also a hireling, but such a character has the potential to turn into an ally, a patron, or even an enemy as the adventure unfolds. When the adventurers hire an NPC for long-term work, add the cost of that NPC's services to the characters' lifestyle expenses. See the "Additional Expenses" section of chapter 6, "Between Adventures," for more information. ExTRAS Extras are the characters and creatures in the background that the main characters rarely, if ever, interact with. Extras might be elevated to more important roles by virtue of adventurers singling them out. For instance, a player might be hooked by a passing reference you make to a street urchin and try to strike up a conversation with the youngster. Suddenly, an extra on whom you placed no importance becomes a central figure in an improvised roleplaying scene. Whenever extras are present, be prepared to come up with names and mannerisms on the fly. In a pinch, you can plunder the race-specific character names found in chapter 2, "Races," of the Player's Handbook. d8 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Objective and Scheme Immortality (d4) l Acquire a legendary item to prolong life 2 Ascend to godhood 3 Become undead or obtain a younger body 4 Steal a planar creature's essence Influence (d4) l Seize a position of power or title 2 Win a contest or tournament 3 Win favor with a powerful individual 4 Place a pawn in a position of power Magic (d6) l Obtain an ancient artifact 2 Build a construct or magical device 3 Carry out a deity's wishes 4 Offer sacrifices to a deity 5 Contact a lost deity or power 6 Open a gate to another world Mayhem (d6) Fulfill an apocalyptic prophecy 2 Enact the vengeful wi ll of a god or patron 3 Spread a vile contagion 4 Overthrow a government 5 Trigger a natural disaster 6 Utterly destroy a bloodline or clan Passion (d4) l Prolong the life of a loved one 2 Prove worthy of another person's love 3 Raise or restore a dead loved one 4 Destroy rivals for another person's affection Power (d4) l Conquer a region or incite a rebellion 2 Seize control of an army 3 Become the power behind the throne 4 Gain the favor of a ru ler Revenge (d4) l Avenge a past humiliation or insult 2 Avenge a past imprisonment or injury 3 Avenge the death of a loved one 4 Retrieve stolen property and punish the thief Wealth (d4) Control natural resources or trade 2 Marry into wealth 3 Plunder ancient ruins 4 Steal land, goods, or money 94 CHAPTER 4 I CREATING NON PLAYER CHARACTERS
o1 LL AIN 1 S METHODS d20 Methods Methods 12 Murder (d10) Agricultural devastation (d4) 1 Assassination 1 Blight 2 Cannibalism 2 Crop failure 3 Dismemberment 3 Drought 4 Drowning 4 Famine 5 Electrocution 2 Assault or beatings 6 Euthanasia (involuntary) 3 Bounty hunting or assassination 7 Disease 4 Captivity or coercion (d10) 8 Poisoning 1 Bribery 9 Stabbing 2 Enticement 10 Strangulation or suffocation 3 Eviction .13 Neglect 4 Imprisonment 14 Politics (dG) 5 Kidnapping 1 Betrayal or treason 6 Legal intimidation 2 Conspiracy 7 Press gangs 3 Espionage or spying 8 Shackling 4 Genocide 9 Slavery 5 Oppression 10 Threats or harassment 6 Raising taxes 5 Confidence scams (d6) 15 Religion (d4) 1 Breach of contract 1 Curses 2 Cheating 2 Desecration 3 Fast tal king 3 False gods 4 Fine print 4 Heresy or cults 5 Fraud or swindling 16 Stalking 6 Quackery or tricks 17 Theft or Property Crime (d10) 6 Defamation (d4) 1 Arson 1 Framing 2 Blackmail or extortion 2 Gossiping or slander 3 Burglary 3 Humiliation 4 Counterfeiting 4 Libel or insults 5 Highway robbery 7 Dueling 6 Looting 8 Execution (d8) 7 Mugging 1 Beheading 8 Poaching 2 Burnin g at the stake 9 Seizing property 3 Burying alive 10 Smuggling 4 Crucifixion 18 Torture (dG) 5 Drawing and quartering 1 Acid 6 Hanging 2 Blind ing 7 Impalement 3 Branding 8 Sacrifice (living) 4 Racking 9 Impersonation or disguise 5 Thumbscrews 10 Lyi ng or perjury 6 Whipping ll Magical mayhem (d8) 19 Vice (d4) 1 Hauntings 1 Adultery 2 Illusions 2 Drugs or alcohol 3 Infernal bargai ns 3 Gambling 4 Mind control 4 Seduction 5 Petrification 20 Warfare (d6) 6 Raising or animating the dead 1 Ambush 7 Summoning monsters 2 Invas ion 8 Weather control 3 Massacre 4 Mercenaries 5 Rebellion 6 Terrorism - • • • . CHAPTER 4 I C REATING NONPLAYER CHARACTERS • " . 95 • . .
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CREDITS D&D Lead Designers: Mike Me
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INTRODUCTION T'S GOOD TO BE THE DUN
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KNow YouR PLAYERS The success of a
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OUR WORLD IS THE SETTING FOR YOUR C
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for example, might also be patron o
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FORCES AND PHILOSOPHIES Not all div
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SETTLEMENTS The places where people
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_ lost settlements are agricultural
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each is ruled by a council of drow
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11ARPER5 ORDER OF THE GAUNTLET EMER
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dedicated to preserving the natural
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CREATING A CAMPAIGN The world you c
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PuTTING EvENTS IN MoTION -------- W
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• Describe or name the creature t
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Who or what is to blame for the los
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times of day. And some holy days ar
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CHARACTER NAMES Part of your campai
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Characters who reach 20th level hav
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DARK FANTASY Vampires brood on the
Page 43 and 44: HAPTER 2: CREATING A MULTIVERSE lHE
Page 45 and 46: "PLANAR PORTALS • aistlin's] eyes
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Page 49 and 50: ETHEREAL CURTAINS d8 Plane Color of
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Page 55 and 56: PLANE OF FIRE Fire represents vibra
Page 57 and 58: ·cinder Wastes ,, ' '" THE EM ENTA
Page 59 and 60: -=:;.·.,.,-,
Page 61 and 62: O PTIONAL RULE: INTENSE YEARNING -e
Page 63 and 64: that figure into the schemes of the
Page 65 and 66: Stygia is also home to its previous
Page 67 and 68: have the celestial type and are alw
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Page 72 and 73: USEFUL MAPS A good adventure needs
Page 74 and 75: O""i'Mi:.'i\ C.o~"L~ dl2 Goal Seize
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Page 78 and 79: Suspects might be obvious or could
Page 80 and 81: on the characters. A love interest
Page 82 and 83: COMBAT ENCOUNTER DIFFICULTY There a
Page 84 and 85: medium, hard, and deadly encounters
Page 86 and 87: CHECKING FOR RANDOM ENCOUNTERS You
Page 89 and 90: CHAPTER 4: CREATING NONPLAYER CHARA
Page 91 and 92: BOND In a sentence, summarize the p
Page 93: protecting lower-level NPC party me
Page 97: H A NNEL DIVINITY: TOUCH OF DEATH :
Page 100 and 101: eholder·s disintegration eye ray h
Page 102 and 103: after door and killing whatever lie
Page 104 and 105: (Perception) check. To set an appro
Page 106: WILDERNESS Between the dungeons and
Page 109 and 110: STRONGHOLDS Strongholds provide the
Page 111 and 112: THIN leE Thin ice has a weight tole
Page 113 and 114: RANDOM BUILDINGS Pulse-pounding cha
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Page 117 and 118: determining exhaustion. Swimming fo
Page 119 and 120: AIRBORNE AND WATERBORNE VEHICLES Sh
Page 121 and 122: actively looking for a trap can att
Page 123: 15 Dexterity check using thieves' t
Page 126 and 127: To keep players from straying, save
Page 128 and 129: MoRE Do-\\~TIME AcTn~TIE Chapter 8,
Page 130 and 131: individuals interested in buying ma
Page 133 and 134: CHAPTER 7: TREASURE DVENTURERS STRI
Page 135 and 136: 250 GP ART OBJECTS dlO Object Gold
Page 137 and 138: TREASURE HOARD: CHALLENGE 0-4 CP SP
Page 139 and 140: i cursed. Most methods of identifyi
Page 141 and 142: Dwarves might make items usable onl
Page 143 and 144: WHAT MINOR PROPERTY DOES IT HAVE? d
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MAGIC ITEM TABLE c dlOO Magic Item
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MAGIC ITEM TABLE G dlOO Magic Item
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MAGIC ITEM TABLE I dlOO 01-05 06-10
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APPARATUS OF K W A LISH ANIMATED SH
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BAG OF 110LOING dlOO Effect 01 Sd4
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The belt of stone giant strength an
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BooTs o• STRIDING AND SPRINGING B
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CLOAK OF THE MANTA RAY C I RCLE T O
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The tower is made of adamantine, an
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CHAPTER 7 I TREASURE
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~t il the start of your next turn,
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DR IFTGLOBE DusT OF DISAPPEARANCE E
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Eves OF THE EAGLE SERPENTINE Owe FI
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FLAME ToNGUE GAUNTLETS OF OGRE PowE
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HAMMER OF THUNDERBOLTS Weapon (maul
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1oLv AvENGER I MMOVABLE Roo 110RN O
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A stone has AC 24, 10 hit points, a
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JAVELIN OF LIGHTNING KEOGHTOM'S OIN
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To create a golem, you must spend t
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NINE LIVES STEALER Weapon (any swor
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P I PES OF liAUNTING PiPES OF THE S
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POTIONS OF HEALING Potion of ... He
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RING OF ANIMAL INFLUENCE FREE ACTIO
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RING OF P ROTECT ION RING OF SPELL
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Rose oF Eves The eyes on the robe c
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slots, up to a maximum of 5th level
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RoPE oF ENTANGLEMENT by the rope ca
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successfully copied. Whether the ch
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equal to 16 x the number of charge
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STAFF OF THE WooDLAND S STAFF OF WI
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TALISMAN OF THE SPHERE TALISMAN OF
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Vecna watches anyone using this tom
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AND OF LIGHTNING BOLTS -land, rare
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dlOO Effect 54-58 You cast darkness
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A LIGN MENT A sentient magic item h
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when it wants to communicate someth
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MAJOR DETRIMENTAL PROPERTIES MINOR
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Blessings of Moradin. If you are a
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psychic damage, and each non-evil c
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SwoRD OF KAs Wondrous item, artifac
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A character should receive only a b
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more·concerned about doing right b
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BooN OF CoMBAT PROWESS When you mis
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Have another player run the missing
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CONTESTS A contest is a kind of abi
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For example, imagine a wizard is ru
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• RESOLUTION AND CONSEQUENCES You
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TRACKING Adventurers sometimes choo
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Also, characters and monsters with
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ogres, each of which has 59 hit poi
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launch a lightning bolt (100-foot l
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OPTIONAL RULE: DIAGONALS The Player
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Characters can create their own com
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SIEGE TOWER Gargantuan object Armor
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and is poisoned for 24 hours. On a
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LONG-TERM MADNESS dlOO Effect (last
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CHAPTER 9: DuNGEON MASTER's WoRKSHO
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Honor measures not only a character
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A character who uses a healing surg
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PLOT POINTS Plot points allow playe
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Initiative Modifiers. Modifiers mig
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Instead of using the effect describ
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adjust the challenge rating uggesre
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STEP 9. DAMAGE VuL "ER..'\BILITIES,
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The Monster Features table list \·
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Name Light Sensitivity Magic Resist
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The NPC Features table summarizes t
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The simpler your approach. the easi
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Age. Aasimar mature at the arne rat
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SPELL POINTS BY LEVEL Class Level S
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DOORS Whenever a table roll indicat
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DUNGEO N: LAIR d20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8-
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GENERAL DUNGEON CHAMBERS d100 Purpo
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I / d20 2 4-8 9-12 13-14 15 16 17 1
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AIR dlOO 01-60 61-70 71-80 81-83 84
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CONTAINER CONTENTS dlOO Item dlOO I
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Monsters Challenge Rating (XP) Brow
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UNDERDARK MONSTERS UNDERWATER MONST
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Half-ogre Harpy Hippogriff Imp Kuo
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CHALLENGE 11 (7,200 XP) Vampire Mum
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APPENDIX C I MAPS
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APPENDiX C I MAPS
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APPENDIX D: DUNGEON MASTER INSPIRAT
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creating a wi lderness, 14, El emen
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shipwrecks, 118 structure (ad ventu
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