Introduction
"A very small man can cast a very large shadow." That’s what Lord Varys said to Tyrion Lannister in the Song of Ice and Fire series.
In the D&D world, a “man” doesn’t need to be a human. In this case, the term refers to a frog.
Dendro's Backstory
Dendro Croaker is a frogfolk monk with an outsize impact on the lands of Faerun. Though many players don’t know his name, he’s a key historical figure within the Gobsverse.
Longtime viewers know Dendro for saving the mining town of Quervarr, welcoming an awakened barnyard animal (who presented himself as a half-orc named Alaun) into his extended family, redeeming a ranger named Daelin Hoofbane, and being granted the blessing of the Alseiad, the fairy that guards the Proving Glade of Quervarr.
Deep-lore scholars know his mountain monastery was the only institution that survived the onslaught of Ashardalon the Calamity, the great red dragon. His disciples were called the Frogs Who Fought by supporters, but Dendro, ever the pacifist, only ever named them the Pondguard.
Centuries after his death, his followers empowered the druid Dydd of Osse to fight back against Ashardalon’s cultists--and, eventually, the great wyrm himself.
Dendro's Personality
Dendro was humble. He never bragged. He never demanded acknowledgement. His frogfolk acolytes prioritized caution and camouflage, so they are never duly credited for turning the tide in wars, blazing trails for other small, underappreciated, green-skinned species (remind you of anyone?), or spreading holiday cheer with stealthily delivered gifts to orphanages (what would they think if they learned it was a boon from the frogs, not a blessing from the Dawnlord?). That’s why there aren’t too many sects around the lands of Toril that give Dendro’s legacy the praise it deserves.
The citizens of the southern continent of Osse, however, venerate Dendro as a saint, holding him up next to Dydd the Wise in their canon. Dendro never had or would request such reverence, but what remains of his spirit is surely contended by how accurately these erstwhile students hold to his teachings.
Only good-aligned creatures are granted access to these lessons--first shared by Dendro, then adopted by Dydd, and finally disseminated through Osse.
Dendro's Implications
Dendro’s connection to the legend of the Erl-Princeszn? It’ll have to wait for another day…or another campaign.
Bard: College of Croaks
Bards of the College of Croaks know the secret to an enjoyable night has far less to do with technical skill and musical mastery than with people feeling comfortable being themselves. They encourage their audiences--niche as they might be--to get out of their comfort zone, read things in silly voices, and make fools of themselves in the best way.
They often endear themselves to crowds by warming up to sing, pretending to be impressive, and then croaking awkwardly on their first line. You can recognize croakers by their broaches, which bear the symbol of an abstractly rendered frog’s head.
When you join the College of Croaks at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Performance skill if you weren’t already proficient, and expertise (doubling your proficiency bonus) if you were.
Cutting Croaks
- Also at 3rd level, you learn how to use your croaks to engage and empower others. When a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a damage roll, you can use your reaction to expend one of your uses of Bardic Inspiration, rolling a Bardic Inspiration die and adding the number rolled from the creature's roll as your croaks strengthen their resolve. You can choose to use this feature after the creature makes its roll, but before the DM determines whether the attack roll or ability check succeeds or fails, or before the creature deals its damage. The creature is immune if it can't hear you or if it's immune to being charmed.
Charming Croaks
- At 6th level, your croaks help you charm your foes. You are granted a number of extra Suggestion spells equal to your proficiency bonus; once you’ve used them, you can’t use them again until you finish a short or long rest.
Captivating Croaks
- Starting at 14th level, you can use your croaks to cast Dominate Monster a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus; once you’ve used them, you can’t use them again until you finish a short or long rest. This version of the spell can only last for one minute (instead of the full hour). When dominating a monster with your croaks, you can’t communicate verbally with others unless you stop croaking, which breaks the spell.
Cleric: Rainforest Domain
Clerics of the rainforest domain are at peace with the natural world, celebrating all forms of flora and fauna, predators and prey. They worship deities of the hearth, forest, and weather. These clerics channel their love of the natural world and the joys of the bountiful land as its protectors. They often reside in unique ecosystems, defending them from encroaching industrialists, merchants, and conquerors.
Rainforest Domain Spells
- Cleric Level 1 Spells: Absorb Elements, Create or Destroy Water
- Cleric Level 3 Spells: Gust of Wind, Snilloc's Snowball Storm
- Cleric Level 5 Spells: Plant Growth, Wall of Water
- Cleric Level 7 Spells: Grasping Vine, Guardian of Nature
- Cleric Level 9 Spells: Maelstorm, Wrath of Nature
Bonus Cantrip
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain the Druidcraft cantrip if you don't already know it. This cantrip doesn’t count against the number of cleric cantrips you know.
What Was That?
- Also at 1st level, you can call upon the rainforest to entice others with its majesty. When a creature within 60 feet of you that you can see attempts a skill check, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the skill check, conjuring sounds of the rainforest to steal their focus.
- An attacker that can't hear you is immune to this feature. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Channel Divinity: Metamorphosis
- Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to summon the spirits that dwell in rainforests to bolster you and your companions. As an action, you present your holy symbol, and all malodorous stenches (for example, those created by a Ghast or a Stench Kow) are suppressed for one minute.
- Additionally, each consenting non-hostile creature within 30 feet of you is empowered by the rainforest, and they evolve, growing per the Enlarge/Reduce spell for two turns before reverting to their normal size.
Take a Look at that Snout!
- Starting at 6th level, you can also use your What Was That? feature as a reaction to impose disadvantage on saving throws.
One with the World
- Starting at 8th level, you gain expertise in Nature, Survival, and Animal Handling ability checks.
A Green Thumb
- Starting at 17th level, you can tap into the spirit of the rainforest in and around all creatures. By using your action, you create a 60-foot aura that lasts for 1 minute or until you dismiss it using another action. Any flesh-and-blood creature with 100 hit points or lower in the aura when it appears, or that enters it later, must make a Constitution saving throw (your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier + 10). On a successful save, the creature can't be accepted by the aura for 24 hours. On a failed save, the creature is overwhelmed by the beauty of the rainforest and is incapacitated.
- You can only use this creature once per long rest.
Pictured: a Disciple of Dendro making her way to the Tomb of Annihilation.
Pictured: a little guy, just trying his best. Aren't we all?
Monk: Way of the Jumper
Monks who follow Dendro’s teachings are committed to nonviolence. When they battle, they look similar to Kermit the Frog when he flails in delight. They bounce around a battlefield, nonlethally subduing their opponents through hugs and distracting their foes from harming to others. They laugh hard, they play hard, and they work hard to keep violent people from fighting hard.
Monks who follow this path are recognizable to the learned by their unique attire: they cover themselves in lily pads instead of wearing armor. A new initiate may wear only a few pads for modesty’s sake; a veteran monk will look more like a shambling mound than a person.
Hip-Hoppity Hugging
Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, as a bonus action, you can jump a number of feet equal to five times your proficiency bonus without provoking opportunity attacks. If you jump next to another creature, as part of this bonus action, you spend a ki point to attempt to grapple them, which forces an Ability Check contest between your Strength (Athletics) and the target creature's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics). You can use this trait only if your speed is greater than 0.
That’s a Jumper
Beginning at 6th level, you don’t need to have a move speed to use the Hip-Hoppity Hugging bonus action.
If you would be subjected to a condition (such as Stunned or Incapacitated) that reduces your move speed to 0, and your HP would not be reduced to 0 by the condition’s trigger, you can make the saving throw with advantage. If you succeed on the saving throw to avoid the condition that would reduce your move speed to 0, you can spend a ki point to use your reaction to jump a number of feet equal to five times your proficiency bonus without provoking opportunity attacks.
That’s a Thumper
At 10th level, if you grapple a creature, you can use an action to force them to make a Constitution saving throw (your Strength or Dexterity modifier + your proficiency bonus + 10). If they fail, they fall asleep (per the Sleep spell) in your arms. If the creature would be woken up from damage or another creature’s actions, and the creature is still in the grapple, you can spend a ki point to use your reaction to force them to make another Constitution saving throw or fall asleep again.
No, Please, No, Please
At 14th level, your croaking becomes more compelling. You can spend a ki point to use an action to endear yourselves to your opponents. All creatures within 60 feet will have to make a Wisdom saving throw (your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus + 10) or be charmed to stop hostilities against others for two rounds or until they’re dealt damage again. If you have already grappled them, they make this saving throw with disadvantage. The creature is immune if it can't hear you or if it's immune to being charmed.
Paladin: Oath of the Pondguard
The Pondguard, a more comparatively militant faction of Dendro’s disciples, swore an oath to help all the downtrodden and small fight back against invaders. They do battle with honor, efficiency, and a disdain for needless bloodshed. The Pondguard have battled with the cultists of the Ashardalon the Calamity, empowered Dydd of Osse with their teachings, and sought to curtail the spread of Gulthias Trees. Some scholars give them credit for supporting the Order of the Silver Dragon, a band of humanoid knights dedicated to the goodly dragon Argynvost of Barovia.
Tenets of the Pondguard
The tenets of the Oath of the Pondguard hold a paladin to standards of sincerity, straightforwardness, and humility.
- Hop. Help others get back on their feet. You’ve got to stand before you can hop.
- Paddle. Bullies deserve a paddling.
- Gulp. You might have to take things, including lives, but be fast about it. No need to draw things out.
- Alum. There are all sorts of critters out there. Just because you aren’t familiar with them yet doesn’t mean they aren’t worth knowing.
- Camouflage. Try to blend in. Don’t make yourself a target. And always have a plan B to regroup, but don’t give up the mission.
Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.
- Paladin Level 3 Spells: Entangle, Expeditious Retreat
- Paladin Level 5 Spells: Mirror Image, Misty Step
- Paladin Level 9 Spells: Haste, Blinding Smith
- Paladin Level 13 Spells: Mordenkainen's Faithful Toad, Aura of Purity
- Paladin Level 17 Spells: Holy Weapon, Reincarnate
Channel Divinity
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.
- Up, Up, and Away. You can use your Channel Divinity to boost you out of sticky situations. As a bonus action, you grant yourself a +5 bonus to Acrobatics and Athletics checks for the next 10 minutes.
- Rainbow Connection. You can use your Channel Divinity to connect your spirit to your friends. Immediately after an attacker within 30 feet of you deals damage with an attack against a creature other than you, you can use your reaction to take the damage in their place. You can choose to take all or half of the damage (at your discretion).
Hooray!
Starting at 7th level, you can use your spirit of good cheer a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (regaining expended uses after a short or long rest). As a reaction, when applauding for your team, you replicate the effects of Silvery Barbs.
That’s a Paddling
Starting at 15th level, your limbs are loose enough to match that of the finest frogfolk monks. As a bonus action on your turn, you can make two unarmed strikes if you’re not wielding a two-handed weapon. These unarmed strikes are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage resistance.
Do It Like Dendro
At 20th level, you gain an understanding of the way of things equal to that of your ancient master. As an action, you can touch the corpse of a creature that died within the past 24 hours. The creature then returns to life, regaining a number of hit points equal to 5d10 + your Wisdom modifier. If the creature died while subject to any of the following conditions, it revives with them removed: blinded, deafened, paralyzed, poisoned, and stunned. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
Pictured: well-regarded graduate of the College of Croaks, Jason Funderberger.
Happy Holidays
I always write about the multiverse and different possibilities because I’m fascinated by things as they could be. You are one of very few things in my life, Jessica, that makes me focus on keeping things as they are. It’s in our repetition--the stable, predictable moments, the call-and-response, the arm-raised-for-scratches--that I find comfort.
Maybe that’s why I love doing things like this. It takes familiar things, things as we’ve known them, and reimagines them--just a bit. It’s like sampling a great old track for a new song. I love it. And the fact we get to do it on the holidays makes this feel like a real tradition. It’s like Auld Lang Syne, Groundhog Day, or a Passover seder. It might even be more special to me than those; writing these fills me with a spiritual urgency.
Thank you for helping me imagine better stories--and being someone I’m inspired to write better stories for.