based blocking defusing continue retreat

Cairnwight

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

exclusion of all other tasks, retreating into a spacious cavern and blocking out all distractions. Creating a masterwork can become such a driving obsession that death can’t stop it: a giant who dies

while creating art might rise as a cairnwight and continue the work. Once the artwork is completed, the cairnwight remains as its undying guardian. A cairnwight looks much like an emaciated stone

Fomorian Noble

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

, fomorians ordered themselves based on achievements of knowledge and magical power. Before Karontor urged his descendants into an ill-fated assault against the Feywild, some of the most ambitious

, inquisitive, and power-hungry fomorians felt they had already learned all they could from the Material Plane, and they departed to the Inner Planes, where they could continue their journeys of knowledge

Half-Elf Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

friends and loved ones age while time barely touches them. Others live with the elves, growing restless as they reach adulthood in the timeless elven realms, while their peers continue to live as

. EXCELLENT AMBASSADORS Many half-elves learn at an early age to get along with everyone, defusing hostility and finding common ground. As a race, they have elven grace without elven aloofness and

Demilich (Variant) Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

souls of the insolent intruders to his tomb, magically transferring them to his phylactery. Liches who follow Acererak’s path believe that by becoming free of their bodies, they can continue

it to retreat into its ancient tomb and forget to feed on souls. The spells it once knew fade from its mind, and it no longer channels the arcane energy it wielded as a lich. However, even as a mere

Yuan-ti Pureblood Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

with that of snakes, producing a caste-based society of hybrids in which the most snakelike are the leaders and the most humanlike are spies and agents in foreign lands. Humans Transformed The

caste system based on how complete a person’s transformation was. The vast majority of yuan-ti fall into three categories — abominations, malisons, and purebloods — while the mutated

Obzedat Ghost

Monsters Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

Council of Five. The ghost has a trait based on who it is, as shown below: Enezesku: Enfeebling Ray. Enezesku’s Innate Spellcasting trait includes ray of enfeeblement, which he can cast at

let go of the fortunes they amassed in life. Addicted to power and prestige, these patriarchs continue to dominate the guild and accumulate even larger fortunes. Mostly Unanimous. The ghosts of the

Elf Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

have been known to retreat from intrusions into their woodland homes, confident that they can simply wait the invaders out. But when the need arises, elves reveal a stern martial side, demonstrating

might continue to use the child name. Each elf’s adult name is a unique creation, though it might reflect the names of respected individuals or other family members. Little distinction exists

The Archmages' Desperation

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin

archmages Mordenkainen and a version of Tasha from Oerth, though Alustriel and Tasha don’t yet know that Mordenkainen is Kas the Destroyer in disguise. These Wizards Three retreat to a sanctum Alustriel

keeps in Sigil. Using their combined magic, the archmages weave a Wish spell in hopes of sabotaging Vecna’s accumulated power and defusing his ritual. Instead of any expected effect, the Wish spell shunts

Adjusting Encounters

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Locathah Rising

Adjusting Encounters This adventure contains advice for adjusting encounters based on the number of characters in the party. You are empowered to modify the number of enemies in an encounter and

their hit point totals as you see fit. If you need to adjust the difficulty of an encounter during combat, you can alter hit point totals without the player characters ever knowing and have enemies retreat or reinforcements arrive as needed.

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

who study its ebb and flow to expect the stalemate to continue. A different view is put forth by the archmage Tzunk, who notes that Maglubiyet has never faced a foe as ferocious and protective as

serve as a battering ram if a settlement dares to close its gates, blocking the way to the treasures and tasty food that lie within. A heavily laden wagon that requires the strongest orcs to return it to

Flight to Steel Springs

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

outnumbered. Rather than joining the Kalaman forces in their advance, the characters find themselves defending a retreat. The adventure unfolds in one of two ways: With Mass Combat. If you’re using

, continue with the following section. WARRIORS OF KRYNN: SCENARIO 4 The characters reach the battlefield as the conflict turns against Kalaman’s forces. Read the introduction to scenario 4 in Dragonlance

Plan of Attack

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons

Plan of Attack This encounter should challenge the adventurers in every way. The characters should be no easy match for the attacking force, such that retreat and escape might be their best option if

they hope to survive. However, if the characters haven’t made escape plans ahead of time, the attackers will have taken steps to make retreat impossible. The specifics are up to you, but should be

Plan of Attack

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat

Plan of Attack Dragon Cultist This encounter should challenge the adventurers in every way. The characters should be no easy match for the attacking force, such that retreat and escape might be

their best option if they hope to survive. However, if the characters haven’t made escape plans ahead of time, the attackers will have taken steps to make retreat impossible. The specifics are up to

Crashing

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

Crashing When an airship crashes into something, both the ship and the creature or object it strikes take Bludgeoning damage based on the size of the struck target, as shown in the Crash Damage table

. If a ship crashes into a creature or an object of its size or larger, it stops; otherwise, the ship can continue moving if it has any movement left, and whatever it struck moves to the nearest

Retreat from Steel Springs

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

javelins at the retreating Kalaman soldiers. The Dragon Army soldiers shift their attention to the characters if attacked. The Kalaman soldiers continue their retreat south instead of engaging. They move

Retreat from Steel Springs When the characters complete the thirty-mile trip to Steel Springs, read the following text: As the brook called the Inkwater comes into view, smoke rises over the tree

Hungry Ogres

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm Lord’s Wrath

PHANDALIN Since this adventure and the ones that follow were designed to continue the story of Dragon of Icespire Peak, there’s a good chance your players have already interacted with the NPCs in the town

the beginning. You should change the attitudes of the NPCs, or the actual NPCs themselves, based on what has come to pass in your campaign. If the characters have not been to Phandalin, you can

Adjusting Encounters

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sleeping Dragon’s Wake

Adjusting Encounters This adventure contains advice for adjusting encounters based on the number of characters in the party. You are empowered to modify the number of enemies in an encounter and

retreat or reinforcements arrive as needed. MAP OF THE SWORD COAST The DM’s Sword Coast map shows a region of the Forgotten Realms called the Sword Coast.This map is for the DM’s eyes only, as it

Journey through Wildspace

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer Academy

succeeds automatically, allowing the training exercise (and the journey) to continue. Challenge 1: Plotting a Course The characters must use their Wildspace map to plot a course to their destination

. Have each character make a DC 12 ability check. Each player chooses which check to make based on their character’s role aboard the ship: Captain: Wisdom (Survival) or Charisma (Persuasion

Adjusting Encounters

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm Lord’s Wrath

Adjusting Encounters This adventure contains advice for adjusting encounters based on the number of characters in the party. You are empowered to modify the number of enemies in an encounter and

retreat or reinforcements arrive as needed. MAP OF THE SWORD COAST The DM’s Sword Coast map shows a region of the Forgotten Realms called the Sword Coast. This map is for the DM’s eyes only, as it

Trouble at the Docks

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Light of Xaryxis

ten thugs blocking her path work for him. Traevus and his thugs are indifferent toward the party but turn hostile if the characters try to force their way onto the Moondancer with Captain Sartell in

of his thugs while the others continue to hold back the mob that has gathered at the docks. If Traevus is defeated, any remaining thugs in his employ lose their will to fight. Some are overrun by the

Bottom Card: Reward or Ruin

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things

a ruin based on how well the players resolved the day’s top card. If you’re using cards that have a different meaning when they’re upright versus upside down, ignore the cards’ orientation. Rewards

this setback: perhaps the characters became lost in the woods or encountered an obstacle blocking their path. Add two more cards to the spread. Lost Gear. The characters lose their rations or are

Cairnwight

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

tasks, retreating into a spacious cavern and blocking out all distractions. Creating a masterwork can become such a driving obsession that death can’t stop it: a giant who dies while creating art might

rise as a cairnwight and continue the work. Once the artwork is completed, the cairnwight remains as its undying guardian. A cairnwight looks much like an emaciated stone giant. Its form is caked with

Summer Is Coming

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

retreat from the world and not allow herself to be imperiled by mortals once more. The characters won’t have to deal with her again in their lifetimes unless they continue meddling in her followers

Exploring the Ruins

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things

, and potentially pitting them against each other. The minotaurs aren’t aggressive, and their camp can serve as a home base for characters who approach them peacefully. A githyanki delegation based in a

infesting the ruins of Gardmore Abbey won’t pursue characters who retreat from the hill to tend their wounds. Characters have the opportunity to return another day, with a new plan to defeat Mekkalath and obtain the deck. Mike Schley Map 16.1: Ruins of Gardmore Abbey View Player Version

Crashing

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Astral Adventurer’s Guide

bludgeoning damage based on the size of the struck object, as shown in the Crash Damage table. If the ship runs into something that doesn’t have hit points (such as a planet or a moon), apply the damage

only to the ship. The ship stops after crashing into a Gargantuan or immovable creature or object; otherwise, the ship can continue moving if it has any movement left, and whatever it struck moves to the

Harshnag's Sacrifice

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm King's Thunder

can escape. If they join the battle instead, Iymrith uses her frightful rage. If one or more characters continue to harass her, she focuses her attention on Harshnag while using her legendary actions

, killing and burying anyone inside the temple. Iymrith escapes the cave-in with the aid of her teleport spell. Harshnag’s fate is uncertain. Either he is killed in the collapse, or he manages to retreat to

Quest for the Giant Relics

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm King's Thunder

. Each lord that appears in this adventure has a conch of teleportation (see appendix B). The characters need only one of them to reach Maelstrom. The Chosen Foe The oracle utters something based on

. The conch you seek is close to her.” “The great river” refers to the Dessarin River. The hill giant den lies along one of its eastern tributaries. When the characters are ready to head there, continue

Goblin Ambush

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver

feet ahead of you, blocking the path. Each has several black-feathered arrows sticking out of it. The woods press close to the trail here, with a steep embankment and dense thickets on either side. If

event that the goblins defeat the adventurers, they leave them unconscious, loot them and the wagon, then head back to the Cragmaw hideout. The characters can continue on to Phandalin, buy new gear at

Running the Adventure

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal->a6

to life. You, as Dungeon Master, must continue to improvise and create, for your players will certainly desire more specifics, seek to do things not provided for herein, and generally defy

playtest, the giants who survived the first foray by the (exceptionally strong and well-played) party set several ambushes, each surprise being timed to allow them to retreat quickly behind a turn in a

Yeenoghu's Hunt

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss

. The characters can retreat away from the sounds of combat, but doing so means backtracking for six miles to find another route. If they continue ahead, they are confronted with a grisly scene. Though

, feasting on the goristro’s corpse. If the characters want to continue forward, the gnolls and hyenas need to be dealt with. Alternatively, if the characters are indecisive or spend too long debating the

Tekeli-li

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

. The party should meet Tekeli-li several times. The vampire’s strategy is to drain the party’s resources, then retreat and recover before attacking again. If Tekeli-li ever takes more than 20 damage

. 5 Area H32. Tekeli-li lurks here in its gnoll form and attacks the characters as soon as they enter. Its keen smell cancels out the sight-based disadvantage imposed by this location. 6

Running the Siege

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse

(s) player characters occupy, summarizing results from the other zones based on how you’d like the narrative to work. This method increases speed of play and lowers complexity. You can concentrate

are within range, they throw javelins at any visible targets. The next round, they charge to close the distance and attack with melee weapons. After two or three rounds, the orcs retreat. The orcs

Redcloak Battalion

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War

of the Last War; if the group is to continue, the Redcloaks of the future have to learn the soldier’s trade in different battles. To such ends, senior members of the battalion send your party on

, and soon enough King Boranel will take his proper place on the throne of a reunited Galifar. Many of these grudges are personal based on an individual soldier’s experience in the war, but some of them

Students

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

form close friendships there that last throughout their educational careers, even when members of tight-knit groups of friends join different colleges in their second year. A few students continue to

and another who dwells on the idea of an orderly progression toward an ideal. The former might encourage the student to choose courses based on gut feeling, to delve into the military aspects of an

Old City

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation

merchant princes, whose positions are based on wealth that passes from generation to generation in the same family, the identities and even the number of the beggar princes changes continually. The Old City

multiple dashes through Executioner’s Run. It’s been suggested that some people continue committing crimes solely because a conviction is the only way to get tossed into the pit, and betting is always

D&D Beyond

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