Search Results
All Results
Characters
Compendium
Spells
Items
Monsters
Vehicles
Forums
Returning 35 results for 'battle both down could run'.
Kobold
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
gnomes and other humanoids, the kobolds instinctively attack the gnomes. Kobolds in battle with gnomes are much less likely to run away because their hatred overrules their sense of self-preservation
other useful items, but if they are at risk of discovery, they run away rather than attack anyone in the house. By fleeing before they can be seen or identified, they avoid getting into a situation
Goblin
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
appreciation for the finer things!
— Volo
Goblins occupy an uneasy place in a dangerous world, and they react by lashing out at any creatures they believe they can bully. Cunning in battle and
traps, snares, and nets to catch the unwary, and when their hunting patrols encounter other beings, they always look for ways to capture their foes instead of killing them. Goblins that run up against
Aarakocra
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Species
Elemental Evil Player's Companion
letting the thermals hold them aloft. In battle, they prove dynamic and acrobatic fliers, moving with remarkable speed and grace, diving to lash opponents with weapons or talons before turning and flying
lies on the slopes of the Star Mounts’ southernmost mountains. At the headwaters of the Unicorn Run, the Last Aerie is home to several dozen aarakocra. Recently, aarakocra elders detected
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat
Developments This battle will likely be a challenge to run. It is designed to create an emotional low spot in the adventure, during which overall defeat for the forces of good looks like a real
possibility. Character death — even if temporary — can crush some players’ spirits. For those players, don’t make this battle just a relentless slog toward death. Give the adventurers opportunities to save
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
Developments This battle will likely be a challenge to run. It is designed to create an emotional low spot in the adventure, during which overall defeat for the forces of good looks like a real
possibility. Character death—even if temporary—can crush some players’ spirits. For those players, don’t make this battle just a relentless slog toward death. Give the adventurers opportunities to save
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
Morale Some combatants might run away when a fight turns against them. You can use this optional rule to help determine when monsters and NPCs flee. A creature might flee under any of the following
circumstances: The creature is surprised. The creature is reduced to half its hit points or fewer for the first time in the battle. The creature has no way to harm the opposing side on its turn. A
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
enjoy or the DMs trading focus from session to session. One DM might run combat description and keep a battle moving while the other focuses on miniatures and music. The two DMs can play two different
characters step out of the action when their players take their turns as DM.
Joint DMs can also team up to run each session of a campaign, with each DM focusing on the aspects of the game they most
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh
. They have no concern for the implications of their actions, which could be a precursor to war. The smugglers currently run weapons for a clan of lizardfolk living near Saltmarsh whose queen, Othokent
, is preparing her clan for battle against a terrible enemy: the sahuagin. The peaceful town of Saltmarsh knows nothing of the coming war, or the fact that a sahuagin invasion threatens them as much as the lizardfolk do.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
Running the Siege You have a few options on how to run the battle. Consider the following: You can treat each defender and orc as an individual, and run the combat as a long, complex encounter. If
you do so, the players should control some of the NPCs. You can streamline parts of the fight. The map of the ranch has been divided into specific zones, and you can run regular battles only in the zone
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm King's Thunder
the player characters, rather than have the players run the NPCs in addition to their own characters. If the NPCs survive the battle, award one special quest per character in the party.
, give one NPC to each player and put the extra NPCs aside. These leftover NPCs don’t participate in the battle. After giving out the NPCs, read the following explanatory text to the players: In addition
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
Nemesis During the Last War, you had a run-in with a particularly dangerous foe, one who still haunts your nightmares. One day you’ll have your revenge. Consult the Nemesis table to determine the
identity of your foe. Nemesis d6 Nemesis 1 Necromancer. You lost a lot of friends in battle, but what made it worse was watching that cackling wizard raise them as zombies and turn them against you
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
snarling displacer beast surrounded by the words, “First in battle, last to fall”—the Redcloak insignia and motto—on the right. Allies. As part of Breland’s military forces, the Redcloaks can count on
run both ways. Among the Redcloaks, tensions still run hot regarding their former rivals, particularly those from the following nations: Darguun. The hobgoblins of Darguun fought alongside Brelish
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
the River Styx while Zariel and her forces battle an army of demons beneath the city. A demon lord — either Baphomet or Yeenoghu — has launched an all-out attack on Elturel before it’s dragged into the
River Styx. This section includes encounters that you can run to challenge the characters as they maneuver to confront Zariel. These encounters are suitable for a party of four 13th-level characters. If the party is weaker or stronger, adjust the encounters accordingly.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
confronted by obviously more numerous or powerful opponents usually try to avoid battle. But brave, desperate, or devoted creatures might never retreat from a battle. If you can’t decide whether a
behalf of the group. When creatures that are already engaged in battle realize they’re likely to lose, they usually try to exit that battle. A monster is likely to flee if either of the following is true
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
During the Siege Run the siege as a series of encounters rather than one extended battle. As terrible events unfold around the characters, it’s up to them to determine who and how they’ll help. Begin
deliver orders from General Drakov (likely related to the siege’s climax). As the battle reaches what you determine to be the halfway point, start rolling 2d6 on the Zombie Siege Encounters table and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
products, but many DMs (and players) find them to be exciting additions to the game. Battle Grid and Miniatures Some DMs use a battle grid and miniatures to run combat encounters, which helps players
battle grid. The grid should be marked in 1-inch squares. You also need plastic or metal miniatures to represent characters and monsters in the game, but you can use coins, extra dice, paper counters
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
been spotted to the northwest of the city. Beneath it, the Red Dragon Army has begun to march toward Kalaman. This news ushers in an uneasy day of waiting as the city braces for battle. As the day
progresses, run the following encounters, using the Dread in the Streets table to set the mood as the characters venture across the city. Dread in the Streets d6 Event 1 A makeshift aid camp has taken
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
tapestry depicts a wilderness battle between primitive human hunters and one or more monsters, including a unicorn, a displacer beast, an owlbear, a pack of worgs, and a griffon. Casting a mending cantrip
on a tapestry restores its value (25 gp). 23b. Initiates’ Quarters Furnishings. Eight rows of bunk beds stacked four high run the length of this room.
Wreckage. Along the walls are piles of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
products, but many DMs (and players) find them to be exciting additions to the game. Battle Grid and Miniatures Some DMs use a battle grid and miniatures to run combat encounters, which helps players
battle grid. The grid should be marked in 1-inch squares. You also need plastic or metal miniatures to represent characters and monsters in the game, but you can use coins, extra dice, paper counters
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat
ago, its contents now covered in dust and hung with cobwebs and pathos. Intruders skulking through the warrens can run into Naergoth anywhere. Use him as a roleplaying encounter or add him to a battle that is going well for the party at a time of your choosing.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm Lord’s Wrath
run this encounter. As the characters load the wagons, storm clouds descend and block the sun. Argus Skeel (male vampire spawn) and two ghouls, plus one ghoul per character, including sidekicks
appropriate. (See “Running a Three-sided Battle” sidebar for advice.) RUNNING A THREE-SIDED BATTLE
Combat is a highlight of the game for a large number of players: they love the challenge, the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
, its contents now covered in dust and hung with cobwebs and pathos. Intruders skulking through the warrens can run into Naergoth anywhere. Use him as a roleplaying encounter or add him to a battle that is going well for the party at a time of your choosing.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook
miniatures to run combat encounters, since they help everyone visualize the action. A battle grid can be anything marked out in 1-inch squares, from disposable sheets of paper to poster maps. And
adventurers also solve puzzles, talk with other characters, battle fantastic monsters, and discover magic items and other treasure—all while supporting each other’s fun. Learn by Watching
A great
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer Academy
animate whenever a creature moves within 5 feet of the table, playing out a mock battle between giants and dragons. Disturbing the battle is dangerous, though. Anyone who touches the table or a figurine
is targeted by tiny catapults (+4 to hit; 3 bludgeoning damage on a hit). After making three such attacks, the catapults run out of ammunition. Walk-In Wardrobe This magical wardrobe ensures that
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
sleep underground during the day. Like wolves, they are pack hunters, made bolder by their numbers. When they hunt from the backs of wolves, goblins use hit-and-run attacks. Worshipers of Maglubiyet
. Maglubiyet the Mighty One, the Lord of Depths and Darkness, is the greater god of goblinoids. Envisioned by most goblins as an eleven-foot-tall battle-scarred goblin with black skin and fire erupting
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation
6. Sacrificial Chamber Unless they are lured to area 5 by sounds of battle, four yuan-ti broodguards (see appendix D) stand guard in this chamber, one in each corner. A bloodstained altar stands in
the middle of this room. It has shackles bolted to its top and niches carved into its sides. Housed in each niche is a human skull. Grooves run down the altar to gutters on the floor, allowing spilled
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm King's Thunder
players run their NPCs during the battle is up to them, but encourage the players to review their NPCs’ ideals, bonds, and flaws. For more information on how to use and run these NPCs, see the “Special
Attack on Triboar Thousands of years ago, giants and dragons fought a great battle here, during which the giants unleashed an enormous dragon-slaying construct called the Vonindod. Part of the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
case, the adventure they undertake can set the stage for events in the “present day” of your campaign. You might run an introductory session or flashback set during the waning years of the war, bringing
in a memorable battle? Do they take actions they’ll later regret? Do they make a bitter enemy who comes back to haunt them years later, when the campaign continues in the present day? A magical
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
Meetings with Sarusanda The characters occasionally reunite with Sarusanda as they explore Death House. Each time you roll this result on the Death House Encounters table, run one of the following
encounters, starting with the first and proceeding in order. Wounded Pride The remnants of a deadly battle lie about this chamber: broken bits of furniture, scattered weapons, and two bodies shrouded in
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
Battle Begins This section has no set timeline or specific goals beyond involving characters in Kalaman’s desperate defense. Roll on or choose the encounters you want to run from the Defending the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
black energy run between the pillars and the cloud.
The cult fanatics are named Abberoch, Belora, Liana, Shanzo, Torfiana, and Uzalyn. They are performing a ritual designed to anchor one of
damage from it. Surprise! Each time a cult fanatic dies, a shadow assassin (see appendix A) rises from the fanatic’s corpse and joins the battle, acting on the same initiative count as the fanatic
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd
d8 Personality Trait 1 I don’t run from evil. Evil runs from me. 2 I like to read and memorize poetry. It keeps me calm and brings me fleeting moments of happiness. 3 I spend money freely and live
calling that puts me above the law. (Chaotic) 5 I like to know my enemy’s capabilities and weaknesses before rushing into battle. (Lawful) 6 I’m a monster that destroys other monsters, and anything else
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants
thousand years for good reason: neither giants nor dragons were ever particularly numerous, and actual skirmishes between giants and dragons were rare. For this reason, you could run a campaign where battles
between the warring parties are isolated events along the lines of the world-shaking events described in “Campaign Events.” You might begin the campaign with one such battle, have the adventurers
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
easy to transfer your map to a battle grid. Mapping Principles As you draw your map, keep the following in mind. Asymmetry. Asymmetrical rooms and map layouts make a dungeon interesting and unpredictable
stream might run through the middle of a stronghold, causing variation in the shapes and sizes of rooms and necessitating features such as bridges and drains. Secrets. Add secret doors and secret rooms
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm King's Thunder
their NPCs during the battle is up to them, but encourage the players to review their NPCs’ ideals, bonds, and flaws. For more information on how to use and run these NPCs, see the “Special NPCs
gate)
Beldora, a Harper spy (starts at area B7)
Sir Baric Nylef, a knight of Tyr (starts at area B8)
Statistics and roleplaying notes for these NPCs appear in appendix D. How the players run