battle before defense core role

Monk

Classes Player’s Handbook

Core Monk Traits Primary Ability Dexterity and Wisdom Hit Point Die D8 per Monk level Saving Throw Proficiencies Strength and Dexterity Skill Proficiencies Choose 2

manifestation of defense and speed, this power infuses all that a Monk does. Monks focus their internal power to create extraordinary, even supernatural, effects. They channel uncanny speed and

Sword of Kas

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide

cast a spell, you can’t cast that spell again from it until the next dawn. Spirit of Kas. While the sword is on your person, you gain the following benefits: Battle Hunger. You add 1d10 to your

Initiative rolls. Blade of Defense. When you take an action to attack with the sword, you can transfer some or all of its attack bonus to your Armor Class instead. The adjusted bonuses remain in

Barbarian

Classes Player’s Handbook

Core Barbarian Traits Primary Ability Strength Hit Point Die D12 per Barbarian level Saving Throw Proficiencies Strength and Constitution Skill Proficiencies Choose 2

deepest self. For every Barbarian, their Rage is a power that fuels not just battle prowess, but also uncanny reflexes and heightened senses. Barbarians often serve as protectors and leaders in their

Druid

Classes Player’s Handbook

Core Druid Traits Primary Ability Wisdom Hit Point Die D8 per Druid level Saving Throw Proficiencies Intelligence and Wisdom Skill Proficiencies Choose 2: Animal Handling

regions of unspoiled nature, but when a significant danger arises, Druids take a more active role as adventurers who combat the threat. Becoming a Druid... As a Level 1 Character Gain all the

Cleric

Classes Player’s Handbook

Core Cleric Traits Primary Ability Wisdom Hit Point Die D8 per Cleric level Saving Throw Proficiencies Wisdom and Charisma Skill Proficiencies Choose 2: History, Insight

, a Cleric can reach out to the divine magic of the Outer Planes—where gods dwell—and channel it to bolster people and battle foes. Because their power is a divine gift, Clerics typically

Warlord

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

take on the role of monarch or general and attract followers willing to die for the warlord’s banner. Warlords urge their troops into the fray with shouted exhortations. You can roll on the

Warlord Battle Cries table to select one, or choose a battle cry that fits with your campaign. Warlord Battle Cries d8;{"diceNotation":"1d8","rollType":"roll","rollAction":"Battle Cry"} Battle

Android

Monsters Quests from the Infinite Staircase

Design Specialization. When the android is created, it gains one of six possible designs suited for its role (choose or roll a d6;{"diceNotation":"1d6", "rollType":"roll", "rollAction":"Design

an android’s sophisticated construction, electrical surges can temporarily disrupt its finely tuned components. Similarly, damage to its core processing functions or long stretches of isolation

Soldier Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

or deck of cards, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp Specialty During your time as a soldier, you had a specific role to play in your unit or army. Roll a d8 or choose

from the options in the table below to determine your role: d8 Specialty 1 Officer 2 Scout 3 Infantry 4 Cavalry 5 Healer 6 Quartermaster 7 Standard

Leonin Iconoclast

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

, requiring no material components: 1/day each: banishment, detect evil and good Unarmored Defense. While the leonin is wearing no armor and wielding no shield, its AC includes its Wisdom

one another and the land. Only in recent times have some leonin started guardedly looking beyond their homeland and wondering what role they might take in the wider world. Most leonin hunters are tribal

Battle Smith Legacy

Classes Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

before being saved by a Battle Smith and a steel defender. In the world of Eberron, Battle Smiths played a key role in House Cannith’s work on battle constructs and the original warforged, and after

Armies require protection, and someone has to put things back together if defenses fail. A combination of protector and medic, a Battle Smith is an expert at defending others and repairing both

Steel Crane

Monsters Candlekeep Mysteries

Unarmored Defense. While Steel Crane is wearing no armor and wielding no shield, his AC includes his Wisdom modifier.Multiattack. Steel Crane makes three attacks. Force Strike. Melee Weapon Attack

’s role in the theft. Personality Trait. “The technique of the Immortal Lotus is beautiful and powerful. I will succeed Master Bak Mei.” Ideal. “The ancient traditions and secret

Oriq Recruiter

Monsters Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

Misdirecting Defense. The AC of the recruiter includes its Charisma modifier while it isn’t wearing armor or wielding a shield. Oriq Mask. The recruiter wears an Oriq mask. While wearing the

their leader, Extus Narr. Narr was in consideration for elevation to the role of Oracle of Strixhaven, but when the Founder Dragons passed him over in favor of Jadzi, his bitterness knew no bounds. He

Soldier - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp Specialty During your time as a soldier, you had a specific role to play in your unit or army. Roll a d8 or choose from the options in the table below to

determine your role: d8 Specialty 1 Officer 2 Scout 3 Infantry 4 Cavalry 5 Healer 6 Quartermaster 7 Standard bearer 8 Support staff (cook

Draegloth

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

to strike at its rivals when the draegloth is fully grown. These plans use the draegloth in a significant role, because its abilities can turn the tide in a battle against a house that doesn’t

. Before a draegloth is given any duties, it receives instruction in accepting the role set for it and not challenging authority. Most draegloths fiercely resent being given orders, but thanks to their

Armanite

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

the Abyss, bent on slaughter and death, driven by unrestrained bloodlust. Whether they’re controlled by more powerful demons or charging into battle for the sake of it, armanites use their

claws and hooves, as well as their long, whiplike tails, to tear apart foes. In the armies of demon lords, armanites perform the role of heavy cavalry, leading the charge and tearing into their enemies

City Watch / Investigator

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

You have served the community where you grew up, standing as its first line of defense against crime. You aren’t a soldier, directing your gaze outward at possible enemies. Instead, your

success. d6 Ideal 1 Greater Good. Our lot is to lay down our lives in defense of others. (Good) 2 Responsibility. I do what I must and obey just authority. (Lawful

Harshnag the Grim

Monsters Storm King's Thunder

some and a hero to others. In Waterdeep, he’s remembered as the largest member of Force Grey, a notoriously destructive adventuring company that came to the city’s defense on more than one

talking. When he does speak outside of combat, he comes across as surprisingly calm and soft-spoken. While swinging his axe in battle, however, he bellows and laughs like a berserker. Harshnag knows the

Snapping Hydra

Monsters Monstrous Compendium Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures

", "rollAction":"Bite"} to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5);{"diceNotation":"2d8+5", "rollType":"damage", "rollAction":"Bite", "rollDamageType":"piercing"} piercing damage. Shell Defense

, it’s never long before a hungry or curious creature arrives to investigate, leaping into battle with the hydra’s foes while the hydra makes an opportune exit.

Mercenary Veteran

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

behind the life of a soldier for hire, but your skills are undeniably suited for battle, so now you fight on in a different way. MERCENARIES OF THE NORTH Countless mercenary companies

-states in the North are willing to field an army alongside the Chill, but several are happy to quietly pay the Chill to battle the Uthgardt, orcs, trolls of the Evermoors, and other threats to

Bugbear Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

. Shiftless, Savage Layabouts When they’re not in battle, bugbears spend much of their time resting or dozing. They don’t engage in crafting or agriculture to any great extent, or

indolence offers no clue to how vicious the creatures are. Bugbears are capable of bouts of incredible ferocity, using their muscular bodies to exact swift and ruthless violence. At their core

Needle Lord

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

Needle Defense. Each time a creature makes a melee attack against a needle lord, it takes 2 piercing damage. A creature can choose to make an attack with disadvantage to avoid this damage.Multiattack

wrap around the corpse to animate it, causing it to rise and lurch about like a zombie. Invasive Species. When a great battle is fought in a fey woodland, the plants of the wood sometimes take on the

Criminal / Spy Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

. Even criminals who operate outside of such organizations have strong preferences for certain kinds of crimes over others. Choose the role you played in your criminal life, or roll on the table below

sold the secrets you uncovered to the highest bidder. Suggested Characteristics Criminals might seem like villains on the surface, and many of them are villainous to the core. But some have an

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

in the other humanoids and makes them less helpful in battle. Utility and Survival The lizardfolk mindset might seem unnecessarily cruel, but it helps them survive in a hostile environment. The

plans, or cultivating other methods to progress beyond their simple existence as hunters and gatherers. Hapless Soft Ones At their core, lizardfolk view other humanoids with an indifference verging on

Barbarian Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

fierce animal spirits. Others draw from a roiling reservoir of anger at a world full of pain. For every barbarian, rage is a power that fuels not just a battle frenzy but also uncanny reflexes

sufficient to defeat whatever threats arise. A Life of Danger A barbarian plays an important role as a protector of their people and a leader in times of war. Life in the wild places of the world is

War Magic

Classes Xanathar's Guide to Everything

magic as both a weapon and armor, a resource superior to any piece of steel. War mages act fast in battle, using their spells to seize tactical control of a situation. Their spells strike hard, while

often works with evokers, abjurers, and other types of wizards. Evokers, in particular, sometimes tease war mages for splitting their attention between offense and defense. A war mage’s typical

Hobgoblin Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

a powerful magic item), by fine performances (writing and performing a great ballad about the legion), by designing and constructing a great defense or monument, and through other means. But the

greatest respect is reserved for those who earn their glory in battle. In theory, the fortunes of war can elevate the lowest-ranking banner in a legion to the highest status. In practice, warlords are

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

the plane of Acheron. It is there in the afterlife where the chosen ones will join Gruumsh and his armies in their endless extraplanar battle for supremacy. Gods of the Orcs Orcs believe their gods

gather and celebrate, dwell the followers of Yurtrus, the god of disease and death, and Shargaas, the god of darkness and the unknown. Orcs too weak for battle (because of bodily weakness, malformation

Archon of Falling Stars

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

recounts the battle between a group of the gods’ champions and a mighty archon, which took place at the mysterious eastern edge of the world. Defeated, the falling archon is said to have met the

developed into the poleis of today. Even though the age of archons is long past, many wonder if the few surviving archons might someday attempt to reestablish their empire or if they are truly resigned to their lesser role in the world.Radiant

War Magic (XGtE)

Classes Xanathar's Guide to Everything

magic as both a weapon and armor, a resource superior to any piece of steel. War mages act fast in battle, using their spells to seize tactical control of a situation. Their spells strike hard, while

often works with evokers, abjurers, and other types of wizards. Evokers, in particular, sometimes tease war mages for splitting their attention between offense and defense. A war mage’s typical

Way of the Ascendant Dragon (FToD)

Classes Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

who follow this tradition augment their prowess in battle, bolster their allies, and can even soar through the air on draconic wings. But all this power is in service of a greater goal: achieving a

dragon personally took an active role in shaping your inner energy. 3 You studied at a monastery that traces its teachings back centuries or more to a single dragon’s instruction, or one

Way of the Ascendant Dragon

Classes Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

who follow this tradition augment their prowess in battle, bolster their allies, and can even soar through the air on draconic wings. But all this power is in service of a greater goal: achieving a

dragon personally took an active role in shaping your inner energy. 3 You studied at a monastery that traces its teachings back centuries or more to a single dragon’s instruction, or one

Sapphire Dragon Wyrmling

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

defense—until someone bests the dragon’s security measures. 3 A sapphire dragon seeks adventurers to lead into battle against the mind flayer;mind flayers that usurped the dragon

. 3 Two sapphire dragon wyrmling;sapphire dragon wyrmlings vie for the same territory. Their primary battle tactic involves luring grell;grells into each other’s lairs. 4 A group of Lolth

Priest of Osybus (Ectoplasmic)

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

demanded their worship. In time, his goal was achieved: he became a lich of almost godly power. Acknowledging the role that his disciples played in his ascension, Osybus gifted them with a trace of his

raised alarms far and wide. In response, the Ulmist Inquisition and the then-mortal Count Strahd von Zarovich faced the lich in battle. Their bravery would have been for naught if Osybus’s

Priest of Osybus (Spectral)

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

. In time, his goal was achieved: he became a lich of almost godly power. Acknowledging the role that his disciples played in his ascension, Osybus gifted them with a trace of his power. Taking the form

wide. In response, the Ulmist Inquisition and the then-mortal Count Strahd von Zarovich faced the lich in battle. Their bravery would have been for naught if Osybus’s disciples hadn’t

Priest of Osybus (Vampiric)

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

power. Acknowledging the role that his disciples played in his ascension, Osybus gifted them with a trace of his power. Taking the form of a shadowy tattoo, this boon allows the priests to steal souls

Strahd von Zarovich faced the lich in battle. Their bravery would have been for naught if Osybus’s disciples hadn’t betrayed him. Fearing that their master would eventually consume their

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