Search Results
All Results
Characters
Compendium
Spells
Items
Monsters
Vehicles
Forums
Returning 35 results for 'before back during combatants reside'.
Monsters
Curse of Strahd
Shapechanger. If Strahd isn’t in running water or sunlight, he can use his action to polymorph into a Tiny bat, a Medium wolf, or a Medium cloud of mist, or back into his true form.
While in
the reach of melee combatants and spellcasters, or he flies away (using summoned wolf;wolves or swarm of bats;swarms of bats or swarm of rats;rats to guard his retreat).
Strahd observes the characters
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
boil up from below to repel the invaders out of Avernus, back to the juncture where the Styx enters the Hells. This drive by the devils attracts the attention of more demons from the Abyss, which pushes
the front line back into Avernus. The process repeats itself time and time again. To the good fortune of the rest of the multiverse, almost all the battles in the Blood War take place in the Abyss and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
ichor oozing from holes in its carapace.
A war between thousands of demonic combatants rages throughout the ridge. The forces organized around the tower include driders and monstrous spiders, which
spyder-fiend combatants of the battle linger near the characters: a quavilithku spyder-fiend and three kakkuu spyder-fiends (stat blocks for both appear in appendix A). They’re busily hollowing out the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat
, legendary actions, and lair actions indiscriminately. He tries to push powerful melee combatants back to the walls, then creates a wall of thorns to fence them in. Because this is only a small portion
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
. Slaying the mammoth is a tall order, so characters would be wise to flee from Norsu or try to reason with it. Norsu and the winter wolves reside in an ice lodge built by Garagai. The wolves try to entice
. Characters lured to the ice lodge by the wolves or hired by Speaker Durmoot to find the missing teenagers can try to rescue Silja and Finn from the frost giant’s lodge and see them safely back to town.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
, legendary actions, and lair actions indiscriminately. He tries to push powerful melee combatants back to the walls, then creates a wall of thorns to fence them in. Because this is only a small portion
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
guerrilla tactics, using only as many combatants as necessary to get a job done, never staying in one place too long, and quickly retreating back to their turf. Though the Boromars still control much
Kobold
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
some other convenient way (or, in a cannibalistic tribe, eaten). Kobolds believe that if they die in service to their tribe, Kurtulmak immediately sends each of them back to life as the next egg laid in
.
A kobold’s cautious nature doesn’t mean it can’t get angry. The blood of dragons flows in its veins, and like a raging drake, a kobold that is pushed too far or has its back
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
Background The Iceshield orcs reside in a handful of lodges spaced about a day apart along the western edge of the High Forest. They have long been a thorn in the side of the denizens of that wood
wagons they find, loading them with loot. They take the families as slaves and force them to tow the conveyances back to the Iceshield lodges. Some independent-minded squads of orcs decided that the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Keys from the Golden Vault
About the Students “Sythian has four students currently. They all reside at the conservatory, but their families have grand estates in the nearby city.
“Wylie plays strings and has a beautiful
singing voice. She is attending her father’s birthday party and won’t be back for a couple of days. That leaves Embry, a talented composer and horn player; Mazia, who plays the flute; and Mytchyl, who
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
respond by putting things back to the way they were before. For example, if a character takes the Disengage action to move away from a group of monsters, don’t respond by having those same monsters
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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
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->Tomb of Annihilation
. See appendix D for these creatures’ statistics. The grungs on the roof unleash arrows to ward off intruders. If the intruders fight back, more green-skinned grungs close in from nearby buildings
the combatants.
The inscriptions are written in Old Omuan. The one above the mosaic reads, “Nangnang teaches us to serve only ourselves.” The inscriptions below tell how Nangnang (a grung) stole a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
of the floor on its back, its shriveled tongue hanging out and all six feet sticking up in the air. Clutched in one of its clawed feet is a transparent orb. The basilisk was killed by previous
adventurers and left here. Anyone who inspects the corpse discovers that the basilisk died from wounds consistent with weapon attacks and destructive spells. Two centipedes reside in the corpse. If the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Giants of the Star Forge
Battle on the Crater Rim On the rim of the Star Forge’s crater, four fire giants harry the adult red dragon Akaanvaerd. The five combatants move around the crater’s rim while fighting, effectively
are with the party, the wrestlers rush off to distract the giants, and the characters automatically succeed on their group Dexterity (Stealth) check. “We’ll hold them off,” one wrestler yells back
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
before you can see if blood is drawn, a crowd of spectators clusters around the brawl. What do you do?
The human combatants are five members of the Xanathar Guild (CE human bandits). The one with
in this scene. If he survives, the characters might meet him again in one of the Xanathar Guild’s sewer hideouts (see area Q5). Hanging Back If the characters don’t interfere in the brawl, Yagra
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal->a7
entrance to his halls, and went to reside in his final haunt, while his soul roamed strange planes unknown to even the wisest of sages. If the characters gain access to the innermost part of the tomb
where the lich’s crypt lies, their actions along the way will have caused his soul to be called back to the Material Plane and alerted Acererak, now a demilich, that interlopers have invaded his resting
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries
are twenty feet away from the tree trunk and pushing a wheelbarrow filled with bodies toward it.
Two black puddings reside within the hollow, petrified tree. Bak Mei uses these oozes to dispose of
. The monks don’t stick around to watch the puddings’ feast; they guide the wheelbarrow back to the temple, about 500 yards east of the dump site. If the characters make their presence known, the monks
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
Dwarfholds of the North Who am I? Son, I’ve got hairs on my back longer than that little beard o’ yours. I fought with Emerus to retake Felbarr, and marched with every dwarf king of the North to win
back Gauntlgrym. Lost half my foot to an orc’s blade, and slew every damned one that got in my way marching home. If I want to sit and enjoy my old age now that we finally drove the orcs back, I’ll do
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
sequestered in a cavern off the main chamber, where they protect the young and supervise food stores. These orcs take control of prisoners brought back from raids, using them as slave labor to dig out new
living space and do other menial tasks. Most of Luthic’s faithful reside in this area, close to the whelping pens where young orcs are kept until they grow old enough to contribute to the tribe. When
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation
a great many sacrifices to function. Tabaxi thieves might try to steal the jewel and bear it safely back to Maztica, perhaps trading it for the release of enslaved loved ones. Conversely, a villain
gods reside — turn to dust and are destroyed as soon as they exit the tomb. These items include Obo’laka’s ring of protection (area 10), Moa’s staff of the python (area 14), Wongo’s mace of terror (area
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss
with a soft and well-manicured carpet of green moss. The wererat chief sits on a stone chair flanked by two giant rats. Draped over the chair’s back is a cave badger pelt. “Let’s get down to brass
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->Monster Manual (2014)
. Efreet view all other creatures as enemies or potential serfs. They raid the Material Plane and the elemental planes, bringing captives back to their homes on the Elemental Plane of Fire. Efreet are
oppressive tyrants toward those they force to labor for them. Planar Raiders. Most efreet reside on the Elemental Plane of Fire, either in great domed fortresses of black glass and basalt surrounded by
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
supernatural might. As an alternative, a suitably large opponent can be treated as terrain for the purpose of jumping onto its back or clinging to a limb. After making any ability checks necessary to
makes it easier for melee combatants to harry each other with opportunity attacks. When a creature makes a melee attack, it can also mark its target. Until the end of the attacker’s next turn, any
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm Lord’s Wrath
The Attack
Map 4: Backlot in Town View Player Version
When the characters are packing up to take the supplies back to Leilon at the end of their visit, the spies from both the Cult of Talos
. 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->Candlekeep Mysteries
Watch if the party gives him trouble. If the characters express their intention to question Lord Viallis, Faerl orders his bodyguards to attack while he climbs back in the coach and tries to leave. If
, the bodyguards do their best to protect Faerl and ensure that he escapes in the coach. They then lay into the characters without mercy. The cult fanatics cast command or hold person on melee combatants
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
Mortals and Minions Devils and demons are far from the only combatants in the Blood War. Both sides exploit the Material Plane’s most abundant resource — mortal creatures, whose bodies and souls are
the forces of good, but the combatants in the Blood War have no regard for collateral damage — and on the Material Plane, they can cause a lot of it. If agents of Asmodeus discover a thriving demon cult
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
nothing that occurs beneath the sun-dappled leaves escapes the creature’s notice. A unicorn hears each breathy tune sung by the elves that reside amid the treetops. It senses where every caterpillar
in the affairs of the mortal realm. It is a holy alliance made to cleave the heads from demons and banish devils back to the Nine Hells.
Unicorn
Large celestial, lawful good
Armor Class 12
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Astral Adventurer’s Guide
create are highly sought after by navigators. These maps don’t come cheap, each one priced between 300 and 800 gold pieces, but the owner of an Elmandar map can bring it back to the shop at any time for
members, who reside in their own homes when they’re not on active duty. Led by the renowned Valkan Riogan, who heads up many of the legion’s larger operations personally, the company takes on
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
meet the griffon and its trainer outside the River Gate the following morning shortly after dawn. (The griffon and its trainer normally reside in Peaktop Aerie atop Mount Waterdeep, but most civilians
characters farewell and sees that they are escorted safely back to the docks. Drow Characters If the adventuring party includes one or more drow characters, Captain Zord pays close attention to what they do and say, but doesn’t treat them any differently from the other party members.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
culminate in a journey called peregrination, where they wander the world until they find a new place to call home. The few men who reside permanently in Setessa live in the Amatrophon, training and
men at the start of their journeys), and rescue lost and abandoned children from other communities, bringing them back to Setessa. The Ruling Council Karametra is the queen of Setessa, but of course
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
tension could play a role in a character’s back story, the plot of an adventure, or the reactions of an NPC. Although the nations are afraid to return to all-out war, any of these feuds could escalate
their former enemies. But many of those people believe that Cyre deserves no mercy, and that the refugees should be treated as enemy combatants rather than offered charity and compassion. Karrnath and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Light of Xaryxis
Attacking the Citadel When the characters come within 1 mile of the imperial citadel, read: Ahead, you see an elegant, crystal-spired city built on the back of an asteroid shaped like a moth, with
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->Acquisitions Incorporated
.
— Omin Dran
Majordomo A majordomo administers a franchise headquarters. They typically reside within the headquarters and seldom leave it, sending out communications through a dedicated messenger (at no
(sailors for a seagoing franchise, engineers for a giant hollow statue, and so on). Crew do not leave a franchise and cannot perform franchise tasks. They typically run rather than fight back when attacked
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
Sea Ward The Sea Ward stands proud on the high ground above Mount Waterdeep’s sunset shadow. The rich and the powerful (or those who wish you to think such of them, and can afford the rent) reside or
place is known, but there are precious few ways out. Most who enter don’t come back. If you see blue tiles, turn around and walk away before it is too late. Swift Justice






