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Returning 35 results for 'been before decide combatants resolve'.
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been before decide combatant resolve
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Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Divine Contention
Running the Battle This quest is an epic battle involving hundreds of rival combatants. Use the following rules to resolve the conflict.
Initiative
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tied monsters, and the players decide the order among tied characters. The DM decides the order if the tie is between a monster and a player character.Sometimes a DM might have combatants use their
foe who is unaware that combat is starting, that foe is surprised.Initiative Order. A combatant's check total is called their Initiative count, or Initiative for short. The DM ranks the combatants, from
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
roll for an entire group of identical creatures, so each member of the group acts at the same time. The DM ranks the combatants in order from the one with the highest Dexterity check total to the one
among tied DM-controlled creatures, and the players decide the order among their tied characters. The DM can decide the order if the tie is between a monster and a player character. Optionally, the DM
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
roll for an entire group of identical creatures, so each member of the group acts at the same time. The DM ranks the combatants in order from the one with the highest Dexterity check total to the one
among tied DM-controlled creatures, and the players decide the order among their tied characters. The DM can decide the order if the tie is between a monster and a player character. Optionally, the DM
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
Attack Rolls In combat, an attack roll is used to determine whether an attack hits. You can also use attack rolls to resolve noncombat activities that are similar to attacks in combat, such as an
archery contest or a game of darts. Assign an Armor Class to the target, decide whether the character is proficient with the weapon used, then have the player make an attack roll. (See also “Degrees of Success” in this chapter.)
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
Interacting with Objects A character's interaction with objects in an environment is often simple to resolve in the game. The player tells the DM that his or her character is doing something, such as
moving a lever, and the DM describes what, if anything, happens. For example, a character might decide to pull a lever, which might, in turn, raise a portcullis, cause a room to flood with water, or
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
Interacting with Objects A character's interaction with objects in an environment is often simple to resolve in the game. The player tells the DM that his or her character is doing something, such as
moving a lever, and the DM describes what, if anything, happens. For example, a character might decide to pull a lever, which might, in turn, raise a portcullis, cause a room to flood with water, or
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things
road, or a situation the characters are asked to resolve. You decide the scope of the decision the characters must make. You can ask them to make a simple choice (“Do you want to take the path along
ability checks (though another character can help, at your discretion). Whatever choice or challenge you decide the top card represents, the characters’ success or failure while dealing with that situation determines how you read the bottom card.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
Instructor Some fighters are natural-born combatants who have a talent for surviving in battle. Others learned the basics of their combat prowess in their formative years from spending time in a
accomplished veteran of the craft. That instructor was, or perhaps still is, well versed in a certain aspect of combat that relates to the student’s background. If you decide that your character had an
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
characters don’t need to take turns, but you need to give each player a chance to tell you what their character is doing so you can decide how to resolve everyone’s actions. In combat, everyone takes
the DM, you decide how much to tell the players and when. All the information the players need to make choices comes from you. Within the rules of the game and the limits of the characters’ knowledge
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
bookshelf. Outside combat, the characters don’t need to take turns, but you need to give each player a chance to tell you what their character is doing so you can decide how to resolve everyone’s
sections offer more detailed information on how an encounter typically unfolds, in three steps. Step 1: Describe the Situation As the DM, you decide how much to tell the players and when. All the
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
the creature or the group’s leader. If the opposition is overwhelming, the saving throw is made with disadvantage, or you can decide that the save fails automatically. If a group’s leader can’t make the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
attack bonus, assume that it hits once with each of those attacks. If a creature’s attacks have different attack bonuses, resolve each attack separately. This attack resolution system ignores critical
hits in favor of reducing the number of die rolls. As the number of combatants dwindles, switch back to using individual die rolls to avoid situations where one side can’t possibly hit the other. Mob
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook
adversaries are—how far away and in what direction. Roll Initiative. Everyone involved in the combat encounter rolls Initiative, determining the order of combatants’ turns. Take Turns. Each participant in the
their Initiative count, or Initiative for short. The DM ranks the combatants, from highest to lowest Initiative. This is the order in which they act during each round. The Initiative order remains the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
adversaries are—how far away and in what direction. Roll Initiative. Everyone involved in the combat encounter rolls Initiative, determining the order of combatants’ turns. Take Turns. Each participant in the
their Initiative count, or Initiative for short. The DM ranks the combatants, from highest to lowest Initiative. This is the order in which they act during each round. The Initiative order remains the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
in action.) In such situations, have the characters take turns, though it’s usually not necessary to roll Initiative as you would in a combat encounter. Resolve one character’s actions before moving
something during exploration, you decide whether that action requires an ability check to determine success (as described in the earlier “Resolving Outcomes” section). Certain situations might call
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
their foes, or it might join one side or the other. Each time one or more new combatants join the encounter, roll Initiative for them and weave them into the Initiative order. Change the Terrain Consider
changing a battle’s terrain to introduce a new element and give combatants reasons to move around. Perhaps a powerful attack or an explosive spell topples a column, shatters a wall, or breaks up the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
Assigning Assets When you’ve noted which assets are fighting against the cult, it’s time to decide how those forces of good attack. The characters are key figures in the allied force marching on the
decide that assassins provided by the Zhentarim should counter the sacrificial prisoners by infiltrating the cult complex and escorting those prisoners to freedom. In that case, you might remind the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
Information. If you tell the players what the Armor Class of their opponents is, you reduce the steps of interaction needed to resolve an attack. Instead of telling you a number and asking if it hits
know each character’s AC, you don’t need to ask whether a monster’s attack hits. Help Players Keep Up. If a player isn’t sure what to do on their turn in combat, help the player decide by offering a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
target. In addition, spells, special abilities, and other effects can apply penalties or bonuses to your attack roll.
Resolve the attack. You make the attack roll. On a hit, you roll damage
chapter.
If the d20 roll for an attack is a 1, the attack misses regardless of any modifiers or the target’s AC.
Unseen Attackers and Targets Combatants often try to escape their foes’ notice by
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss
about the Pudding King until he has secured a meeting with the Diggermattocks. If there is any hint of violence, he calls for help. If the characters decide to fight, all forty svirfneblin wererats in the
melee combatants locked down. He doesn’t kill the characters, but makes sure they are infected with wererat lycanthropy before dumping them in the maze in Outer Blingdenstone (area 3). During any
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm Lord’s Wrath
and the followers of Myrkul independently decide they are too big a threat to let live. (If the characters have already dealt with both spies, this encounter doesn’t happen.) Use the Backlot Map to
. Three-sided battles can sometimes take longer because of the number of combatants participating. Use your discretion as the DM to have the excitement of the battle build up rather than fizzle out
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
. Baldur’s Gate joined the Lords’ Alliance, a coalition of independent cities that includes Neverwinter and Waterdeep, largely because of disputes with Amn. Should Amn decide to attack Baldur’s Gate
, the city can count on the other members of the Lords’ Alliance to come to its defense. This arrangement infuriates Amn, which is not prepared to test the alliance’s resolve. To the east, the nations of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
’ initiative count, they move toward the characters. If they get close enough, they make melee attacks. The zombies’ stat block contains the information you need to resolve these attacks. If all the
Rest). Runara explains that she heard the sounds of combat and arrived just in time to prevent the zombies from dragging the characters into the sea. Avoiding the Zombies. If the characters decide not
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Intro to Stormwreck Isle
count, they move toward the characters. If they get close enough, they make melee attacks. The zombies’ stat block contains the information you need to resolve these attacks. On each character’s
dragging the characters into the sea. Avoiding the Zombies. If the characters are faring poorly against the zombies or decide not to fight them, the characters can easily escape from the slow
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur’s Gate Gazetteer
. Baldur’s Gate joined the Lords’ Alliance, a coalition of independent cities that includes Neverwinter and Waterdeep, largely because of disputes with Amn. Should Amn decide to attack Baldur’s Gate
, the city can count on the other members of the Lords’ Alliance to come to its defense. This arrangement infuriates Amn, which is not prepared to test the alliance’s resolve. To the east, the nations of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
to collapse under our weight?
Unlike a game of make-believe, D&D gives structure to the stories, a way of determining the consequences of the adventurers’ action. Players roll dice to resolve
storyteller and referee. The DM creates adventures for the characters, who navigate its hazards and decide which paths to explore. The DM might describe the entrance to Castle Ravenloft, and the players decide
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
to collapse under our weight?
Unlike a game of make-believe, D&D gives structure to the stories, a way of determining the consequences of the adventurers’ action. Players roll dice to resolve whether
and referee. The DM creates adventures for the characters, who navigate its hazards and decide which paths to explore. The DM might describe the entrance to Castle Ravenloft, and the players decide what
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated
franchise party. Noteworthy Decisionists: Donaar Blit’zen (“C” Team), Kelshi Annab Essential Functions: Receive one extra vote on franchise matters; resolve interparty conflicts Position Proficiencies: In
in this capacity for years. When she leverages her coin of decisionry, glinting with its final, unswerving resolve, it is because she has heard all.
The Decisonist Franchise Rank Features
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
only when—you say it does. Some characters have abilities that trigger on an Initiative roll; you, not the players, decide if and when Initiative is rolled. A high-level Barbarian can’t just punch their
You can get to the action of combat more quickly by using Initiative scores instead of rolling. You might decide to use Initiative scores just for characters, just for monsters, or for both. Initiative
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook
, you can move a distance equal to your Speed or less. Or you can decide not to move. Your movement can include climbing, crawling, jumping, and swimming (each explained in the rules glossary). These
the rules glossary for more about Speed as well as about special speeds, such as a Climb Speed, Fly Speed, or Swim Speed. Difficult Terrain Combatants are often slowed down by Difficult Terrain. Low
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
material by providing a structured way to resolve a social interaction. Much of this structure will be invisible to your players in play and isn’t meant to be a substitute for roleplaying. 1. Starting
hostile. Whether the adventurers can shift a creature’s attitude is up to you. You decide whether the adventurers have successfully couched their statements in terms that matter to the creature
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Movement and Position On your turn, you can move a distance equal to your Speed or less. Or you can decide not to move. Your movement can include climbing, crawling, jumping, and swimming (each
noted in the monster’s stat block. See the Rules Glossary for more about Speed as well as about special speeds, such as a Climb Speed, Fly Speed, or Swim Speed. Difficult Terrain Combatants are often
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Light of Xaryxis
decide whether they want to open the engagement at range or close to boarding distance. In either case, the Xaryxian ships are surprised at the beginning of combat. The Xaryxian Armada The enemy armada
the start of the encounter. Given the number of ships and combatants on both sides, it is impractical to track everyone’s movements and actions. Instead, narrow the focus of the conflict to the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
way to lay these spirits to rest? Do they have unfinished business they want you to resolve? As a sorcerer, your magical powers could be the result of your exposure to the Mourning. Were you physically
Mourning? A DM running an Eberron campaign can decide the cause of the Mourning or leave it as a mystery that will never be solved. People in Eberron have many theories about the cause of the Mourning






