Lair actions are really cool. However, I have a hard time describing to the players what is causing a lair action. Take an Adult Red Dragon. Its lair actions allow it to cause magma to erupt, a tremor to occur, or poisonous gas to be released. Is the dragon in control of these events, or are they just natural occurrences in its lair?
They all seem like they could be natural phenomena. But if that's the case, why do they coincidentally occur right where it's most inconveniemt for the players?
On the other hand, if the dragon is controlling them, how? Is it like a spell? If so, does it have any components, at least verbal? Other than the tremor, it would seem to require some kind of supernatural connection to the elements to telekinetically cause geological eruptions, which the dragon could certainly have, but it isn't really mentioned.
I think the way I would interpret it is that these events are randomly occurring all over the lair all the time, at least while the dragon is present and in a fiery mood. The dragon doesn't consciously target them toward the players, and there are actually many other such events occurring elsewhere in the lair on initiative 20 and other initiatives, but since there are no PCs in those areas, there's no need to roll any dice. You might want to narrate a few of them, so PCs become aware of the kind of hazards they might be facing before they actually befall them. Then on initiative 20, one such event "happens" to strike in their area.
I think might help to look at the lair actions of Adult Green Dragon which include plants and magical phenomena to get an idea of the relationship between a Host and its lair... To my mind a lair becomes inextricably infused and warped by (in this case) the Dragons innate Draconic magic so that it is in fact an extension of the creature.
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Yeah it really depends on the creature. For a dragon in particular, they have a pretty deep connection to their surroundings and their lair is basically an extension of their body. I would think a red dragon could make its lair erupt with a thought.
The way the effects have to originate from a point the dragon can see supports the idea of the dragon doing it rather than something that can happen on its own.
Lair actions are really cool. However, I have a hard time describing to the players what is causing a lair action. Take an Adult Red Dragon. Its lair actions allow it to cause magma to erupt, a tremor to occur, or poisonous gas to be released. Is the dragon in control of these events, or are they just natural occurrences in its lair?
They all seem like they could be natural phenomena. But if that's the case, why do they coincidentally occur right where it's most inconveniemt for the players?
On the other hand, if the dragon is controlling them, how? Is it like a spell? If so, does it have any components, at least verbal? Other than the tremor, it would seem to require some kind of supernatural connection to the elements to telekinetically cause geological eruptions, which the dragon could certainly have, but it isn't really mentioned.
I think the way I would interpret it is that these events are randomly occurring all over the lair all the time, at least while the dragon is present and in a fiery mood. The dragon doesn't consciously target them toward the players, and there are actually many other such events occurring elsewhere in the lair on initiative 20 and other initiatives, but since there are no PCs in those areas, there's no need to roll any dice. You might want to narrate a few of them, so PCs become aware of the kind of hazards they might be facing before they actually befall them. Then on initiative 20, one such event "happens" to strike in their area.
In those specific cases, I'd probably describe the magma or volcanic gases as a product of the dragon breathing a quick jet of fire into a crevice, which then causes an eruption further down the cave. The tremor might be from it slamming its tail into the ground
With a dragon you can always made them more innately magical, but I tend to prefer describing them as essentially natural traps -- aspects of the lair's geography etc. that the creature knows well enough to exploit
For example, in a recent session for a lower level party I had them fighting a manticore and her bratty teenage sons; her lair actions included firing her tails spikes into the ceiling to dislodge stalactites and loose rocks that then fell on anyone in a 20x20 area
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Lair actions are generally under the control of the creature (e.g. two of the adult red dragon's lair actions occur at a point it can see, and the second occurs in a burst around it) but do not require the creature to take any type of action, they just happen because the monster wants it to happen.
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Lair actions are really cool. However, I have a hard time describing to the players what is causing a lair action. Take an Adult Red Dragon. Its lair actions allow it to cause magma to erupt, a tremor to occur, or poisonous gas to be released. Is the dragon in control of these events, or are they just natural occurrences in its lair?
They all seem like they could be natural phenomena. But if that's the case, why do they coincidentally occur right where it's most inconveniemt for the players?
On the other hand, if the dragon is controlling them, how? Is it like a spell? If so, does it have any components, at least verbal? Other than the tremor, it would seem to require some kind of supernatural connection to the elements to telekinetically cause geological eruptions, which the dragon could certainly have, but it isn't really mentioned.
I think the way I would interpret it is that these events are randomly occurring all over the lair all the time, at least while the dragon is present and in a fiery mood. The dragon doesn't consciously target them toward the players, and there are actually many other such events occurring elsewhere in the lair on initiative 20 and other initiatives, but since there are no PCs in those areas, there's no need to roll any dice. You might want to narrate a few of them, so PCs become aware of the kind of hazards they might be facing before they actually befall them. Then on initiative 20, one such event "happens" to strike in their area.
I think might help to look at the lair actions of Adult Green Dragon which include plants and magical phenomena to get an idea of the relationship between a Host and its lair...
To my mind a lair becomes inextricably infused and warped by (in this case) the Dragons innate Draconic magic so that it is in fact an extension of the creature.
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Yeah it really depends on the creature. For a dragon in particular, they have a pretty deep connection to their surroundings and their lair is basically an extension of their body. I would think a red dragon could make its lair erupt with a thought.
The way the effects have to originate from a point the dragon can see supports the idea of the dragon doing it rather than something that can happen on its own.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
In those specific cases, I'd probably describe the magma or volcanic gases as a product of the dragon breathing a quick jet of fire into a crevice, which then causes an eruption further down the cave. The tremor might be from it slamming its tail into the ground
With a dragon you can always made them more innately magical, but I tend to prefer describing them as essentially natural traps -- aspects of the lair's geography etc. that the creature knows well enough to exploit
For example, in a recent session for a lower level party I had them fighting a manticore and her bratty teenage sons; her lair actions included firing her tails spikes into the ceiling to dislodge stalactites and loose rocks that then fell on anyone in a 20x20 area
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Lair actions are generally under the control of the creature (e.g. two of the adult red dragon's lair actions occur at a point it can see, and the second occurs in a burst around it) but do not require the creature to take any type of action, they just happen because the monster wants it to happen.