It’s finally here: the third and final core book for 5e D&D – the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Let me tell you it was worth the wait. This books if fantastic. It is 320 pages of everything I was expecting from the 5e DMG. If you’re planning to stick with 5e then there’s no question, you’ll want this book.
I’m going to go through the highs and lows of each chapter. The DMG is massive and there is a lot of great material here. I can’t possibly do it all justice so I’m going to really try and focus on the things that I felt were worth noting; the things I’d want to know if I was reading a review of the 5e DMG. If you have questions about any of the things I discuss or you want to know about something you thought was in there but I didn’t cover, leave me a comment below.
It’s finally here: the third and final core book for 5e D&D – the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Let me tell you it was worth the wait. This books if fantastic. It is 320 pages of everything I was expecting from the 5e DMG. If you’re planning to stick with 5e then there’s no question, you’ll. May 21, 2018 All eladrin get a Charisma boost of +1 (along with the +2 to Dexterity shared by all elf races) and they also have use of a fey step, which acts as a type of short teleportation ability.
After I’ve had my piece I’ll give you my final thoughts on the book and then it’s up to you to decide if you want to buy it or not.
High Elves pretty much replaced Eladrin in 5e, but there's an Eladrin variant that retains their Fey Step ability in the DMG.
General Observations
Before I get into each section and each chapter I want to make a few general comments. First of all I love the style of this DMG. Each section gives you just enough to get the point but not so much as to bog you down in rules and specificity. There is a tremendous emphasis on sharing the general concept and leaving it to you the DM to decide on how to reach the specific. Imagination is more important that hard rules. This is the case throughout every chapter of the book, for better or worse. Personally I think it’s great. It’s one of the things I’m enjoying most about 5e. Show me the way and then let me walk the path on my own. I don’t need you to hold my hand. I may stumble along the way, but I’m going to have a lot of fun in the process. Keep that in mind as you’re reading this review and as you’re reading the DMG.
The art in this book is fantastic, starting with the great cover. The are in the DMG is everything I’ve come to expect in a 5e rule book. After seeing the exceptional job done in the PHB and Monster Manual, I expected nothing less. The full splash pages are beautiful and really give you a sense of what D&D is all about. The fantasy worlds and creatures come to life on every page. There is a little bit of art that was borrowed from previous publications, but I can certainly forgive that.
To say there are a lot of table in the 5e DMG is an understatement. This book is packed full of tables. Every section has tables to help the DM use the mechanics quickly and easily. All the tables reminded me of the original 1e DMG, whihc was a good thing.
Part 1
Chapter 1: A World of Your Own
If you’re a new DM who’s never played before or you’re a player who hasn’t played in a very long time then this chapter provides a great introduction to world-building. If you’re an experienced DM and you’ve played any previous edition of D&D in the last few years then you can skip this chapter.
For experienced DMs the only things that you may want to take a look at quickly is the section on Factions & Renown and Tiers of Play. Although these sections are only three pages each, there is some new and interesting material in there.
The Faction section lacks the details about special missions we were hoping for, which was disappointing. The Renown section talks briefly about attitudes of members and perks. There is new rules on losing renown and new rules for how to use renown for pious characters to measure their devotion. The rest of what’s covered in these sections pretty much repeats what we already know from other 5e sources.
The Tiers of Play section names the four tiers:
Half Eladrin 5e
- Levels 1-4: Local Heroes
- Levels 5-10: Heroes of the Realm
- Levels 11-16: Masters of the Realm
- Levels 17-20: Masters of the World
There is also guidelines for beginning play at higher levels and an interesting sidebar that recommends how much equipment, money and magic to give PCs starting above level 1 in low magic campaigns, standard campaigns, and high magic campaigns.
Chapter 2: Creating a Multiverse
If you’re an experienced DM who’s ever flipped through a Manual of the Planes (any edition) then you can likely skip this chapter too. It’s essentially all the good stuff from every Manual of the Planes condensed into 25 pages. It’s very useful if your campaign spans the Multiverse, but for everyday adventures, especially the kind you generally see at low levels and introductory play, this is too much too soon. I will call out the great 2-page write-ups on the Feywild, Shadowfell, and Sigil. This is all I was interested in and what was here was enough for now.
Part 2
Chapter 3: Creating Adventures
This is where the DMG really began to pay dividends for me. The chapter begins with a good breakdown of what makes a good adventure and then talks about the difference between playing a published adventure and one you make up yourself. From there we get helpful hints and many great tables that present numerous options detailing the different types of adventures, complications like plot-twists and side quests, how to create encounters with a strong focus on objectives and monsters, and how and when to use random encounters. This chapter covers how to manage XP budgets to create suitable encounters for your party’s level. It’s brief, but it covers the basics.
What this chapter really illustrated for me was that each section give you a very brief recount of what the intent is, but it leaves the specifics to the DM. This edition is light on rules, and heavy on imagination. They provide framework and it’s up to you to fill in the blanks as appropriate for your gaming group. We’ll continue to see this throughout the DMG in every chapter.
Chapter 4: Creating Nonplayer Characters
The chapter begins with eight tables that let you quickly throw together memorable and unique NPCs just by rolling some dice. Then we get a three pages on NPC party members and hirelings which is something we never got in the official 4e books. There’s a nice optional rule here about using a loyalty score to determine what NPCs will and won’t do in the face of danger.
Then we move on to villains where three more huge tables give the DM plenty of options to choose or roll when they need a quick villain that’s not your standard bad guy. The real gem in this section are the Villainous Class Options. The Cleric can chose the Death Domain and the Paladin can choose Oathbreaker. These are set up like the class options in the PHB, but are skewed for evil PCs. These look very interesting and will make experienced players salivate with delight at the prospect of playing these builds. The Oathbreaker in particular can actually atone and change back into a good aligned Paladin, but it’s a difficult undertaking. Fortunately there’s a DM sidebar to help adjudicate this eventuality. Assuming you want to give up your ability to control undead, your Aura of Hate, or your level 20 Dread Lord status.
Chapter 5: Adventure Environments
If you’ve never played D&D before then this is an important chapter because it talks about campaigns that take place in a dungeon, in the wilderness, or in an urban setting. It talks about how to describe these settings, how to map them, how to fill them with challenges and monsters, and how to survive in the harshest of environments. However, if you have played D&D before then this is another section you can pretty much skip until you need it.
The four pages on Adventures in Unusual Environments, like underwater or in the sky, are nice to have and were entertaining to read through. But the real high point of this chapter for me was the final four pages which were all about traps. After a very brief overview of how to use traps, there are 11 great sample traps. I’m sure all DMs will find clever and creative ways to use these deadly traps in their campaigns soon enough.
Chapter 6: Between Adventures
I think what we all want to know is what can I do with my downtime days? The DMG gives a few additional options beyond those already described in the PHB.
- Building a Stronghold: Spend 60-1,200 downtime days and 5,000-500,000 gp and you’ve got yourself a brand new stronghold.
- Carousing: When you want to party like it’s 1999 then spend those downtime days on some serious partying.
- Crafting Magic Items: Aside from the time and resources required to actually acquire the materials that the DM decides you need to make your magic item, you have to spend some downtime days.
- Gaining Renown: Want to rise through the ranks of your faction? Spend some downtime days to make a name for yourself.
- Perform Sacred Rites: Pray long enough and you’ll get inspiration for it. How much is up to the DM.
- Running a Business: Adventuring is hard work, so when the monsters are defeated come home, relax, and work at your day job.
- Sell Magic Items: In a world with few magic items there are fewer still who can afford to buy them. It takes many downtime days to find a suitable buyer. Maybe you should just keep the item?
- Sowing Rumors: Now the Bard and the Rogue can put those social skills to work by slandering your enemies and making the party sound more heroic than they really are. The bigger the town the longer it takes.
- Training to Gain Levels: As a variant rule the DM may require you to train before you can advance to the next level. Don’t worry it’ll only take 10-40 days depending on your level.
Chapter 7: Treasure
Most of this chapter is the description of magic items. Like the spell descriptions that make up so much of the PHB, you won’t need these descriptions until the items come into your game. However, the descriptions are wonderful to read. Most items have full colour pictures which always makes an item seem special. Some of the illustrations pay homage to previous editions of D&D. For example the Manual of Bodily Health looks a lot like the 3.5e Epic Handbook, the Talisman of the Sphere is shaped like the demon face carving some may recognize from the Tomb of Horrors, the Deck of Many Things shows the faces of nine cards that look similar to the cards provided with the 4e Madness at Gardmore Abbey, and the Book of Vile Darkness looks a lot like the 3.5e supplement of the same name. Also included after all the descriptions of magic items are details for sentient items and good old artifacts.
Aside from the 75 pages of magic items there are also a few other details worth noting in this chapter. At the beginning are some great tables for determining treasure by challenge rating. Following that, there are random magic item tables (tables A-I) with each table listing increasingly more powerful items. It’s got a very old school look and feel to it.
Other good tidbits include 11 tables for randomly determining gem and art objects. They’re not as detailed as the ones in the classic 2e Forgotten Realms Adventures hardcover, but they’ll certainly do the job. There are also good options presented on attuning items, identifying items, and cursed items – so players beware.
One thing I do in my home camping is allow PCs to mix potions. It often creates some random happenstance. There is a table in this DMG that lists some possible consequences of mixing potions. It’s not as imaginative as my list, but it’s nice to see it included.
Finally there are six pages that talk about other rewards beyond gold and magic items. These include things like blessings, medals, land, favours, strongholds, and training. The last section in rewards is Epic Boons. They’re only available to PCs who are level 20 and they are truly epic.
Part 3
Chapter 8: Running the Game
A lot of what’s in this chapter is covered in the free DMG Basic Rules PDF that Wizards already made available on their website. If you’ve DMed before, especially D&D Next or 5e then this is just a good refresher. For new DMs this section will tell you everything you need to know to run a good session. It covers a lot of details but each section is very short and to the point.
We get a few optional or more advanced rules in this chapter including ways to adjust monster damage severity, as well as guidelines for using maps (grids or hexes) and how to determine the tactical aspects that come with it such as flanking to gain advantage and facing rules. There are rules for handling chases, stats for siege equipment, and two pages on poison including the details for some of the deadlier varieties.
Chapter 9: Dungeon Master’s Workshop
This is where they’ve hidden the best stuff in the new DMG. This is all the stuff that we didn’t get in previous editions. When I got my DMG this is the chapter I flipped to and read first. It was all the modular stuff they promised us when they first released D&D Next. Some of these things I’m itching to use in my games, others I’m sure I’ll never use. But I’m certainly glad that all of this stuff is in here because you never know what you may want to add to your campaign down the road.
Before I get into some of tis stuff I want to stress that this is all optional. None of what’s in this chapter is expected to appear at every game table. If you like or dislike something you read in this chapter, talk to the players and DMs in your group and as a group collectively divide which ones you think will work and which ones wont.
- Proficiency dice replace the flat modifier in your traied skills. Instead you get a proficiency dice to roll when using skills you’re trained in. It eliminate auto-success and allows you to try some crazy and wacky stuff knowing that if you roll really well it just might work.
- Hero points are basically the 3e action points. You get a set number of hero points and when you spend one you roll 1d6 and add it to the check. You can also just cash in the points to do cool things including automatically stabilizing if you’re dying.
- Honor and Sanity scores. If you want to play a game with a traditional Asian feel or you want to port in your Call of Cthulhu campaign to D&D, now you have mechanics that will help you do both.
- Healing and resting options allow you to speed up healing by using healing surges like we did in 4e and making a short rest take only 5 minutes. Or you can slow down healing making short rests 8 hours and long rests 7 days.
- Firearms and Explosives will certainly change a traditional D&D campaign, but it does open doors to wild west themed adventures, something my home group has wanted to do for a long time. To take things one step farther there even guidelines for introducing alien technology.
- Plot points borrow heavily from the Dresden Files declaration mechanics. If you want something to happen or you want to change the scene as its unfolding, use a plot point. One interesting variant is to use plot points to change DMs mid-adventure.
- Initiative variations include doing group initiative for team heroes vs. team monsters, applying speed factors to individuals based on weapon type, and my personal favourite, making initiative a passive Dexterity check for everyone all the time.
- So you have the Monster Manual but you can’t find the exact monster you need? No problem. Now you can create you own monster. There is a 20-step procedure for making monsters that literally breaks down each line of a the monster’s stat block. As you add each ability, power, or magical spell the tables explain how the monster’s power level and CR change. This is the most in-depth monster creation I’ve seen in any edition yet it’s quite simple and easy to follow. Experienced DMs will love this. You can even give monsters class levels and spell casting abilities. It’s the best parts of monster creation from 3.5e.
- Want to create a magic item? Now you can. But in a system that’s magic light make sure that this item will add something necessary and doesn’t just feel like a better version of something else.
- Finally there are guidelines for adjusting what’s already in the PHB including new sub-races, adjusting the classes and making your own backgrounds. The Eladrin and Aasimar are both presented as example sub-races.
Appendix A: Random Dungeons
This is the down and dirty way to create a dungeon. There are 12 pages jam packed with tables allowing the DM to roll up a dungeon in just a few minutes. It’s got everything fom door type, to stairs, to the dungeon’s purpose, to the state of the dungeon when the PCs arrive, to traps, and all kinds of dungeon dressing.
Appendix B: Monster Lists
This is everything we wanted in the 5e Monster Manual and didn’t get. Monsters listed by 11 different types of environments and monsters listed by challenge rating.
Appendix C: Maps
You need a quick map, here are nine that should work. Some of the maps may look familiar. On pg 312 is the Vault of the Dracolich map, on pg 314 is a boat from The Talon of Umberlee Lair Assault, and on pg 311 is an updated version of the map printed on pg 95 of the original DMG. Windows 7 for mac free. download full version.
Appendix D: Dungeon Master Inspiration
Want to become a better DM and a better storyteller? Here is a lost of great books and resources. Enjoy.
Thoughts
The only negative thing I can about the 5e DMG say is that it’s expensive, but even that’s not such a big deal. I think the investment of $50 US / $58 CAN is well worth the price considering the quality of the book you get. When balanced against the number of years I’ll be using and referencing this book, I think the price is right. Remember that only one person in your gaming group actually needs a DMG, but if you’ve got the money I’d certainly recommend you pick it up. Christmas is right around the corner. Why not ask Santa to get you a DMG?
What more can I say about this book? This is the DMG that we were waiting for. It delivered on all accounts in my opinion. The history of D&D is deeply steeped into all the 5e core books and the DMG is the best of them. If you’re a serious gamer you’ll want the 5e DMG.
- Final grade: 10 on a d10
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Related
These feats are meant to complement those released in the Racial Feats article by Wizards of the Coast. Each of the feats are tied to races released in offical Wizards of the Coast releases of some kind; the Unearthed Arcana series of articles, the Dungeon Master's Guide, or other sources (not including Volo's Guide to Monsters).
Race | Feat |
---|---|
General | Abyssal Heritage |
General | Celestial Heritage |
General | Elemental Heritage |
General | Infernal Heritage |
General (Druid) | Weathersense |
Aasimar (DMG) | Angelic Wings |
Aasimar (DMG) | Darkened Heavens |
Aasimar (DMG) | Heavenly Emissary |
Aasimar (DMG) | Searing Radiance |
Elf (eladrin) | Seasonal Affectation |
Elf (eladrin) | Sylvan Step |
Elf (eladrin) | Weathersense |
Genasi | Planar Melding |
Genasi (air) | Child of the Clouds |
Genasi (air) | Weathersense |
Genasi (air) | Zephyr Dash |
Genasi (earth) | Artisan's Eye |
Genasi (earth) | Landslide |
Genasi (earth) | Shifting Stone |
Genasi (fire) | Brass Ingenuity |
Genasi (fire) | Flame Rush |
Genasi (fire) | Heated Soul |
Genasi (water) | Eternal Purity |
Genasi (water) | Stormsurge |
Genasi (water) | Water Weird's Gift |
Goliath | Berserker's Fury |
Goliath | Deadweight Toss |
Goliath | Giantkin Wrestler |
Minotaur | Berserker's Fury |
Minotaur | Gore or Glory |
Minotaur | Resident of the Underdark |
Revenant | Baneful Lichdom |
Revenant | Knight of Death |
Revenant | Vengeful Spirit |
Tiefling | Fallen Wings |
Tiefling | Fiendish Melding |
Tiefling (abyssal) | Order of Graz'zt |
Tiefling (abyssal) | Resistance of the Goristro |
Abyssal Heritage
Restricted: No aasimar, eladrin, genasi, or tieflings
Your family has a touch of the Abyss in the blood, tainting you for generations. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Charisma or Constitution by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You learn Abyssal.
- After you complete a long rest, roll on the following Lesser Abyssal Arcana table twice; once in the 'Cantrips' column and once in the '1st level' column. You may use the resulting spells as in the Abyssal Arcana feature (found here).
Lesser Abyssal Arcana
d6 | Cantrips | 1st Level |
---|---|---|
1 | dancing lights | burning hands |
2 | true strike | charm person |
3 | light | magic missile |
4 | message | cure wounds |
5 | spare the dying | Tasha's hideous laughter |
6 | prestidigitation | thunderwave |
Angelic Wings
Prerequisite: Aasimar (DMG)
You gain the ability to manifest a pair of angelic wings, which grant you a flying speed of 20 feet. Your armor must accomodate these wings, and cloth will be ripped if not properly made to account for their growth.
Artisan's Eye
Prerequisite: Genasi (earth)
The treasure seekers of the dao echo in your heritage, allowing you an innate knack for identifying precious items. You have advantage on any check made to determine the quality, rarity, or legitmacy of precious gems or metals, or objects made with them. You also can cast the detect magic spell once per long rest without expending a spell slot, but it only detects magic items and objects, not spells.
Baneful Lichdom
Prerequisite: Revenant
Your link to the world is more tenuous than normal, and your form is maintained by dark, necromantic energy as a lich-like creature. You gain resistance to necrotic damage. You also learn the chill touch cantrip and can cast the ray of sickness spell without expending a spell slot once per long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting modifier for these spells.
https://landclever828.weebly.com/blog/how-to-open-dmg-files-on-ipad. In addition, you are now suceptible to the effects of Turn Undead. A friendly cleric can exempt you from the effect if they use it, but otherwise you are turned as an undead whose CR is equal to half your level.
Berserker's Fury
Prerequisite: Goliath, Minotaur
Your people's rage and wild fighting style has left its mark on you. As an action, you can enter a fury while in combat. This state lasts for 1 minute, and confers the following benefits:
- When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you add +2 to the damage dealt.
- As a reaction to taking bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, you can reduce that damage by half. You may only do this three times, and then your fury ends.
- Your speed increases by 10 feet if you aren't wearing heavy armor.
This fury lasts 1 minute, or until you lose concentration. You may not cast spells while in a fury. You may use this ability once per long rest.
Brass Ingenuity
Prerequisite: Genasi (fire)
Elemental fire lends you skill in the pursuit of crafts. You learn the mending cantrip, though you may only use it to repair metal objects via your internal heat. You also may add your Constiution modifier to any check you make with smithing tools or alchemist's tools. Your resistance to heat allows you greater skill in utilizing fire.
Celestial Heritage
Restricted: No aasimar, eladrin, genasi, or tieflings
A heavenly blessing lies on your family, passing down from parent to child. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Wisdom by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You learn Celestial.
- You learn the light cantrip. You also learn lesser restoration and can cast it once per long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting modifier for these spells.
Child of Clouds
Prerequisite: Genasi (air)
You embody the elemental nature of your heritage, and have domain over the skies. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Dexterity by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You have a flying speed of 30 feet if you are not wearing medium or heavy armor or exceeding your carrying capacity.
- Your Mingle with the Wind racial feature now allows you to cast gust of wind or levitate .
Darkened Heavens
Prerequisite: Aasimar
Your celestial heritage pulls from a darker source, devoid of the radiant light that pervades most of the heavens. Perhaps your angelic ancestor was the servant of a god of darkness, or even a fallen angel. You gain the following benefits:
- You increase your Charisma score by 1.
- You replace the light cantrip with thaumaturgy.
- You replace the lesser restoration spell with false life.
- You replace the daylight spell with darkness.
Deadweight Toss
Prerequisite: Goliath
Years of wrestling with your kin in your youth have taught you a few tricks when it comes to grappling. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Strength by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- Your range with thrown weapons without the Finesse property increases by +10/+20.
- When grappling a target at least one size smaller than you, as an action you can throw them up to 15 feet, knocking them prone when they land.
Elemental Heritage
Restricted: No aasimar, eladrin, genasi, or tieflings
The magic of the Elemental Planes runs in your family, stemming from some distant source. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Constitution by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You learn Primordial.
- Choose one of the following:
- Air. You can cast levitate once per long rest. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
- Earth. You can move across difficult terrain made of earth or stone without expending extra movement.
- Fire. You have fire resistance and know the produce flame cantrip. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
- Water. You can breathe air and water and have a swimming speed of 30 feet.
Eternal Purity
Prerequisite: Genasi (water)
The purity of the elemental plane of water flows through your veins, protecting you against poison. You are now immune to the poisoned condition, and have resistance to posion damage. You can drink any manner of water, so long as it is of an appropriate temperature - this includes sea water, thin mud, and other such liquids - and you still gain the benefits of drinking normal water.
Fallen Wings
Prerequisite: Tiefling
You gain the ability to manifest bat-like demon wings, which give you a flying speed of 30 feet as long as you are not wearing heavy armor. Your armor must be made to accomodate these wings, and cloth will rip if not made to account for their growth.
Fiendish Melding
Prerequisite: Tiefling
While you are sure of your mortal race, the question of where the majority of your more fiendish heritage lies is less certain. You gain the following benefts:
- If you are an Infernal tiefling..
- You learn Abyssal.
- You gain 1 hit point per level.
- You learn one cantrip and one spell of your choice from the Abyssal Arcana feature, and can cast them as in that feature.
- If you are an Abyssal tiefling..
- You learn Infernal.
- You gain fire resistance.
- You add the Infernal Legacy spells to your Abyssal Arcana, replacing spells of your choice from that list.
Flame Rush
Prerequisite: Genasi (fire)
Your body is infused with elemental fire, barely constrained by your mortal nature. You gain the following benefits:
- Whenever you take the Disengage action on your turn, you can choose to turn to flame for the duration of your movement. During this movement, you can pass through another creature's space and deal fire damage to them equal to your proficiency bonus. You may only deal this damage to a creature once per turn, and you may not end your movement in an occupied space.
- As an action, you can make a special unarmed attack with a free hand. This attack deals 1d10 fire damage on a hit.
Giantkin Wrestler
Prerequisite: Goliath, Strength of 13 or higher
Your childhood practice with wrestling has paid dividends; your skill with wrestling is easily a match for far larger creatures. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Strength by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You double your proficiency bonus on all Athletics checks.
- When grappling, you count as one size category larger than you are.
- When grappling a single target your size or smaller, you can use your action to pin them. You become prone, and your target becomes prone and incapacitated. They may still make checks to escape, albeit with disadvantage. The condition ends if you stop grappling the target or stand up.
Gore or Glory
Prerequisite: Minotaur
You've sharpened and cared for your horns to make them into deadly lacerating weapons. You gain the following benefits:
- When making an attack with your horns, you score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.
- On a critical hit with your horns, the target must make a Constitution save at the end of each of its following turns, with a DC equal to 10 + your Constitution modifier. On a failure, the creature takes necrotic damage equal to your proficiency bonus. The condition ends after three successes or 1 minute.
Heated Soul
Prerequisite: Genasi (fire)
As a bonus action, you may flare your internal heat. For 1 minute, any metal weapons you wield deal your ability modifier damage as magical fire damage, rather than the same type of damage dealt by the weapon. You may use this ability once per long rest.
If you attempt to use this ability with a nonmagical wooden weapon, the weapon begins to burn and deals only 1 fire damage on a hit. Additionally, anyone trying to wield one of your weapons within 1 minute of you releasing it while under the effects of this ability suffers fire damage equal to your proficiency modifier each turn.
Heavenly Emissary
Prerequisite: Aasimar (DMG)
Your natural charm makes you trustworthy and earnest. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Charisma or Wisdom by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You gain proficiency in Persuasion. If you are already proficient, you double your proficiency bonus for all Persuasion checks.
- You have advantage on all Insight and Persuasion checks when dealing with celestials.
Infernal Heritage
Restricted: No aasimar, eladrin, genasi, or tieflings
Your bloodline can trace itself back to a distant devilish ancestor. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Charisma or Intelligence by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You learn Infernal.
- You learn the thaumaturgy cantrip. You also learn hellish rebuke and can cast it once per long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Knight of Death
Prerequisite: Revenant
You are maintained by dark energy as a warrior of undeath. You gain resistance to necrotic damage. You also learn the greenflame blade cantrip, and can cast the searing smite spell without expending a spell slot once per long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
In addition, you are now suceptible to the effects of Turn Undead. A friendly cleric can exempt you from the effect if they use it, but otherwise you are turned as an undead whos CR is equal to half your level.
Landslide
Prerequisite: Genasi (earth)
Your body is composed of elemental earth, barely constrained by your mortal nature. You gain the following benefits:
- Whenever you take the Dash action on your turn, you can choose to turn to cascading earth for the duration of your movement. During this movement, you can pass through another creature's space and deal bludgeoning damage to them equal to your proficiency bonus. You may only deal this damage to a creature once per turn, and you may not end your movement in an occupied space.
- As an action, you can make a special unarmed attack with a free hand. This attack deals 1d10 bludgeoning or piercing damage on a hit.
Order of Graz'zt
Prerequisite: Tiefling (abyssal)
You've gained a modicum of control over your abyssal magic, drawing on the few places in the Abyss that know even the barest semblence of order. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Charisma by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- When you roll for your Abyssal Arcana racial feature, you may reroll up to two of the dice. If you reroll a category into the spell you had prior, you must instead use your original roll.
Planar Melding
Prerequisite: Genasi
Your elemental blood runs strong, and from multiple planar sources. Choose one of the following - air, earth, fire, or water. You may not choose the subrace that you already belong to. You gain the following benefits:
- If you choose air..
- You increase your Dexterity by 1, up to a maximum of 20.
- You can hold your breath indefinitely while you aren't incapacitated.
- You learn the gust cantrip. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
- If you choose earth..
- You increase your Strength by 1, up to a maximum of 20.
- You can move across difficult terrain made of earth or stone without expending extra movement.
- You learn the mold earth cantrip. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
- If you choose fire..
- You increase your Intelligence by 1, up to a maximum of 20.
- You gain darkvision out to 60 feet.
- You gain resistance to fire damage.
- If you choose water..
- You increase your Wisdom by 1, up to a maximum of 20.
- You have a swim speed of 30 feet.
- You gain resistance to acid damage.
Resident of the Underdark
Prerequisite: Minotaur
Your ancestors lived far underground, and roamed labrynthian mazes devoid of light. You have darkvision out to 30 feet. Additionally, you have advantage on any checks made to navigate dark, underground spaces.
Resistance of the Goristro
Prerequisite: Tiefling (abyssal)
Your body is infused with some of the hardiest energies of the Abyss, affording you a great deal of strength against mortal damage and effects. You gain the following benefits:
- You gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws.
- You gain a number of hit points equal to your level. You gain 1 additional hit point whenever you level.
- You have resistance to poison damage, and immunity to the poisoned condition.
Searing Radiance
Prerequisite: Aasimar (DMG)
Your celestial nature burns with holy fire, shining forth from your form. You gain the following benefits:
- You learn either the sacred flame or the word of radiance cantrip. Charisma is your spellcasting modifier for either of these spells.
- You learn either the searing smite or the guiding bolt spell. You may cast this spell once per long rest without expending a spell slot. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for either of these spells.
Seasonal Affectation
Prerequisite: Eladrin
The seasons run strong in you, with nature surging in your veins. Once per day, you can cast a spell associated with one of the four seasons listed below. When you do so, your emotions lock into that season for 1 minute after the spell is cast. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Season | Spell |
---|---|
Autumn | Charm Person |
Winter | Ice Knife |
Spring | Silent Image |
Summer | Burning Hands |
Shifting Stone
Prerequisite: Genasi (earth)
Your inner essence shifts easily from one state to another. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Constitution by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You gain a burrowing speed equal to half your movement speed, up to 30 feet.
- Once per long rest, you can harden your skin and become immobile by spending one minute concentrating. You gain resistance to all non-magical damage. This state ends as soon as you are dealt damage by an attack, though you still have resistance to that attack's non-magical damage.
Stormsurge
Prerequisite: Genasi (water)
Your body is composed of elemental water, barely kept together by your mortal nature. You gain the following benefits:
- You ignore difficult terrain caused by water, mud, snow, or any other liquid besides lava.
- While swimming, you may take the Dash or Disengage actions as bonus actions on your turn.
- Whenever you take the Disengage action on your turn, you can choose to dissolve into water for the duration of your movement. During this movement, you can pass through another creature's space or gaps as small as 1 inch, though you can't willingly end your movement there.
Sylvan Step
Prerequisite: Eladrin
Your link to the Feywild remains strong, despite your travels. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Charisma or Intelligence by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You learn one druid cantrip of your choice. Your spellcasting modifier for this cantrip is Intelligence.
- Whenever you cast misty step from your racial feature, you don't provoke attacks of opportunity until the end of your turn.
Vengeful Spirit
Prerequisite: Revenant
Even as your body crumbles, your will remains strong. When you die, your spirit seeks out a recently dead host rather than reform your body. Your DM determines whether or not there are any suitable corpses within 1 mile. The corpse must have been dead for more than 24 hours, but not yet be significantly decayed.
When you possess this new body, your stats change to reflect the race of the new body. Your +1 to Constitution from the revenant subrace remains unchanged. You also gain possession of any items buried with the body. You can also reform your original body by meditating for 24 hours, after which you die and reform in your original body somewhere within 1 mile after an additional 24 hours.
Dnd 5e Eladrin Fey Step
Water Weird's Gift
Prerequisite: Genasi (water)
Eladrin 5e Race
Your form takes to water especially well, allowing you to meld in almost seamlessly with the liquid. Whenever you are submerged in water, you have +10 to any Stealth check you make. Additionally, you can meld into any puddle of water that is at least one inch thick and a number of feet across equal to half your height. While you are melded with water, you cannot take any actions save to exit the water, or move along inside of it.
Weathersense
Prerequisite: Eladrin, Genasi (air), druid 8th level
The ever-changing patterns of weather seem simple to you, due to your deep connection to nature. Over the course of 1 minute, you can meditate to find out the following information about your local region:
- Current temperature and approximate wind speed.
- Weather for the next 8 hours.
- General trend of the season (drier, wetter, warmer, colder).
- Whether or not any outside force has acted on the weather in the past 24 hours.
Zephyr Dash
Prerequisite: genasi (air)
Your body is made of tempests of air, barely held together by your mortal nature. You gain the following benefits:
- You ignore difficult terrain caused by adverse weather effects, such as strong winds or driving rain.
- Whenever you take the Disengage action on your turn, you can choose to dissipate into gas for the duration of your movement. During this movement, you can pass through another creature's space or gaps as small as 1 inch, though you can't willingly end your movement there.
- As an action, you can make a special unarmed attack with a free hand. This attack deals 1d10 slashing damage on a hit, and has a range of 10 feet.
Created by /u/Anathemys
Dnd 5e Eladrin Elf Dmg
Thanks to /r/UnearthedArcana for suggestions!
D&d Eladrin 5e
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