#xanathars

[thesnadger]

I have a question about this image of Xanathar's Thieves Guild.

Why does he have sexily lounging elf boys?

I ask because I cannot imagine a beholder being attracted to anything other than itself. Does he just understand Sexily Lounging Elf Boys to be a status symbol, and he wants anyone who visits to know he can afford Sexily Lounging Elf Boys?

Maybe I'm the asshole here for assuming. Maybe these boyfriends are master tacticians here to advise Xanathar, they happen to like wearing leather pants and no shirts and I should be less quick to reduce them to sex objects.

I don't care, I love it, this is all I can think of every time I see it:

[knitsmage]

finally finished stitching the beholder cross stitch pattern i designed!

the pattern is for sale in my etsy shop

[klavioli]

Wild Magic Sorc is fun right up until that one time, you're barely pulling through, and it procs and nearly TPKs. But, the opposite can be true too I guess. Vethryn my high elf tiefling Sorcerer that fell into Feywilds many many moons ago. Under the maybe not so guiding hand of an Archfey of Dreams and Wish, he was able to be freed but not without severely messing with his head, and how he spell casts. "Find me the beast that creates through its dreams, and I will give everything back to you."

[doubledealer93]

So I got the Xanathar figure recently with Zero regrets. I love this guy so much, the smile, the fish and the LOOKS. I would like to eventually make replicas of his office.

[dmmchn]

As a DM, I had an inner conflict in me when I was preparing my WDDH module. Xanathar is described as hysterical and paranoid, he's also an eyeball with eyeballs, in other words - he's laughable. I wanted him to be threatening, menacing, posing as a Mafia Boss that he is, maybe not the most competent one, but quite capable to form a criminal guild and kill five other beholders threatening his authority (therefore the teardrops tats).

I drew this picture, and it was a great middle ground for me - the tattoos balanced his goofy identity but still gave off menacing vibes. The book and the hookah are traditionally depicted with him as well.

I'm proud to say my players loved the eccentric mafia boss!

[sarakka]

Xanathar!

[flohgna]

The incredible, the powerful, the majestic, the smartest, the unique, the Xanathar!! Welcomes you to the City of Splendors, Waterdeep ✨

Will you be foolish enough to brave him? 🔆

I love all the antagonists of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, but Xanathar is maybe a tiny bit my favorite.

Process:

[fel-fisk]

some colourised gyl sketches from earlier this year--! including some of when he was v smol & his papa had no clue what to do with him (he is just as clueless with him as an adult)

[gotham-at-nightfall]

D&D Monsters

By JimmyNijs

[natroze]

I feel like if any website will truly appreciate the muppetlike glory of the cake beholder I made my spouse for their birthday, it’s tumblr

[honourablejester]

I’m just browsing some of the common magic items in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, and quite a few of them delight me, for much the same reasons as the trinket tables. Not necessarily because they’re useful, but because they’re quite evocative of setting and character. These feel like … things that would be knocking around your world, and things that certain characters (or NPCs) would be drawn to.

Like. If you’re in a campaign/setting with a lot of intrigue, a combination of the Clothes of Mending (magically mends itself to counteract wear and tear), the Perfume of Bewitching (lasts an hour, gives advantage on all charisma checks, and does not alert people they’re being influenced by magic), and the Veteran’s Cane (transforms into a longsword on command and then becomes nonmagical) all feel like an excellent courtier/spy kit? Your clothes are always pristine, a dab of your perfume or cologne makes people ever so much more amenable to you, and if all else fails you have a weapon to hand even if technically they weren’t allowed on the premises. Create a persona as a somewhat unsteady dowager or a dignified ex-military person, and set about your missions.

I would also be quite fascinated at the thought of an NPC seller who specialises in such items. The perfume in particular. That dingy little shop that all the right gentlemen and women are … knowledgeable of. Perhaps they have other wares. Poisons, perhaps? In a setting with intrigue, definitely an opportunity to create something of a fixer/broker sort of character, someone who sells useful little items to gentlefolk in need.

The Tankard of Sobriety is also an interesting little character detail. You simply can’t get drunk off whatever you drink out of it. (You can still be poisoned or drink acid out of it, it’s not protective in those senses, you just can’t get drunk). That’s a fascinating little thing for someone to have. And, again, it might just be because the Perfume made me think intrigue, but that would be such a useful information gathering tool. You gently encourage your targets to get drunk around you, and you’re tossing back exactly the same stuff as well, so they don’t suspect, but you’re staying fully compos mentis while they descend. I feel like this would be a really good little item for a crime lord sort of NPC to have? Their little way of keeping control while attending fraught meetings and the like.

On a much less delicate and more rough and tumble sort of level, I also quite enjoy both the Rope of Mending and the Pole of Collapsing. The rope you can cut up however you want and then say a command to knit it all back together, though any missing pieces will be lost. The pole you can collapse down from 10ft to 1ft with a command for easy stowing, and expand back out with another command. Interestingly, it’ll only expand as far as the space allows, which gives me distinct Sun Wukong vibes. I wonder if you could use it to arrest your fall down a narrow shaft? Anyway. I like this pair of items because they just feel like the sorts of things a pragmatic explorer would have.

And then there’s interesting little items like the Charlatan’s Die and the Candle of the Deep.

The die requires attunement, and it’s that quintessential cheaters tool of a loaded dice, in that it lands on whatever number you want it to land. So it’s a sophisticated cheater’s die in that you can tailor it to whatever number fits the situation, so it isn’t just perpetually rolling sixes. You can rig every roll as you please, to win, to lose, to be one short of what you need. It’s a great tool for a gambler who likes to play the players as much as play the game, as they can tailor any series of rolls to build drama or lessen tension as they require. It allows a lot more psychological manipulation of what is meant to be a game of chance, so it’s a telling sort of item for a good cheater to have.

And the candle is quite practical, being just a candle that burns underwater, but also just so good for when you want spooky Innsmouth underwater rituals to sea hags or dark gods to be happening in your world. An altar set with these in the middle of a flooded temple dungeon, their eerie light flickering under the murky water, is just a wonderful bit of set-dressing to throw in, and a nice bit of a thing for players to salvage. Possibly at some risk, if they’re taking them off an active altar.

Also, they run down just like normal candles, so I’m delighted again that there’s likely someone out there selling them. A dockside chandler that supplies all your salty ritual needs.

Like, these are all just great little character or setting building details. Interesting things for players to pick up and play with, and potentially informative little things to watch an NPC use or find in their possession.

Low level magic items are potentially a lot of fun. Heh.

[anghraine]

GOG just doesn't appreciate my DOS2 situation :(

[jawn-of-the-dead]

Xanathar! The real power behind Waterdeep.

This was painted as a gift for my DM and oldest friend to commemorate the end of a five year, lvl 1-20 campaign.

[misternohair]

Everyone loves a dude with eyes

[sl0anart]

Jhovi Xanathar, half-beholder nepo baby and all round cool guy from our campaign

[michamiw]

just silly moth drawings :)