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Returning 35 results for 'before bad deciding cautious rolling'.
Magic Items
Dungeon Master’s Guide
rolling on the Moonblade Properties table.
Minor Property. In addition to its aforementioned properties, each Moonblade has a minor property determined by rolling on the Magic Item’s Minor
. You control this entity, deciding how it acts and moves. It remains until it drops to 0 Hit Points or you dismiss it as a Magic action.
Augury
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Spells
Basic Rules (2014)
By casting gem-inlaid sticks, rolling dragon bones, laying out ornate cards, or employing some other divining tool, you receive an omen from an otherworldly entity about the results of a specific
course of action that you plan to take within the next 30 minutes. The DM chooses from the following possible omens:
Weal, for good results
Woe, for bad results
Weal and woe, for both good and bad
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
The Middle Path Many DMs find that using a combination of the two approaches works best. By balancing the use of dice against deciding on success, you can encourage your players to strike a balance
bad die roll foiling the character’s plans. By the same token, a bad plan or unfortunate circumstances can transform the easiest task into an impossibility, or at least impose disadvantage.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
knowledge, but the dragon is cagey on that point. Seeing good and bad in equal measure among the lesser races, Ileuthra recognizes that helping the humanoids is less a case of deciding whether they are worthy
of aid, and more about deciding whether these adventurer ambassadors can be trusted to properly lead the factions. Desire. Ileuthra has no preconceived sense of what might be the best course, and he
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat
knowledge, but the dragon is cagey on that point. Seeing good and bad in equal measure among the lesser races, Ileuthra recognizes that helping the humanoids is less a case of deciding whether they are worthy
of aid, and more about deciding whether these adventurer ambassadors can be trusted to properly lead the factions. Desire. Ileuthra has no preconceived sense of what might be the best course, and he
Orc
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
everywhere in the world around them, and the priests of a tribe are entrusted with the responsibility of identifying these signs and omens — both good and bad — and deciding how the tribe should
ward off diseases if they are worn.
Don’t stand inside a ring of stones, mushrooms, or any other kind of circle.
Seeing a shooting star before a battle is bad luck. To ward it off, you must
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
gem-inlaid sticks, rolling dragon bones, laying out ornate cards, or employing some other divining tool, you receive an omen from an otherworldly entity about the results of a specific course of
action that you plan to take within the next 30 minutes. The DM chooses from the following possible omens: Weal, for good results Woe, for bad results Weal and woe, for both good and bad results Nothing
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
gem-inlaid sticks, rolling dragon bones, laying out ornate cards, or employing some other divining tool, you receive an omen from an otherworldly entity about the results of a specific course of
action that you plan to take within the next 30 minutes. The DM chooses from the following possible omens: Weal, for good results Woe, for bad results Weal and woe, for both good and bad results Nothing
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
and evil are blurred. Choices involve deciding which outcome is least bad. Corruption and suspicion flourish among organizations and individuals. Magic and magic items might be rarer or require a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
What Does a DM Do? The DM gets to play many fun roles: Actor. The DM plays the monsters, choosing their actions and rolling dice for their attacks. The DM also plays all the people the characters
session and for creating situations that facilitate fun. Improviser. A big part of being the DM is deciding how to apply the rules as you go and imagining the consequences of the characters’ actions in a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
players say otherwise, assume that the characters explore at a cautious rate of 200 feet every 5 minutes. Searching an unnumbered location takes 30 minutes and requires a check for random encounters
(determined by rolling a d20 and consulting the Ythryn Lore table below)
Once a haven for wizards, Ythryn is now a tomb filled with ancient secrets
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
What Does a DM Do? The DM gets to play many fun roles: Actor. The DM plays the monsters, choosing their actions and rolling dice for their attacks. The DM also plays all the people the characters
session and for creating situations that facilitate fun. Improviser. A big part of being the DM is deciding how to apply the rules as you go and imagining the consequences of the characters’ actions in a
Backgrounds
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
;t a native, your reason for leaving “home” probably has something to do with getting away from a bad situation.
Feature: All Eyes on You
Your accent, mannerisms, figures of
along my way. (Good)
2
Reserved. As someone new to these strange lands, I am cautious and respectful in my dealings. (Lawful)
3
Adventure. I’m far from home, and everything is strange
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation
Spirits Any characters inhabited by the spirits of Obo’laka or Wongo receive advice when entering this area: Cautious Obo’laka advises against anyone drinking from the fountain. Reckless Wongo
encourages his host to drink from the fountain. Magic Fountain Any creature that drinks from the fountain experiences a random magical effect, determined by rolling a d4 and consulting the Magic Fountain
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
creature’s efforts. In a contest, the ability checks are compared to each other, rather than to a target number. When you call for a contest, you pick the ability that each side must use, deciding
crowd, lie to someone convincingly INTELLIGENCE CHECK VS. WISDOM CHECK
If you have trouble deciding whether to call for an Intelligence or a Wisdom check to determine whether a character notices
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
around them, and the priests of a tribe are entrusted with the responsibility of identifying these signs and omens — both good and bad — and deciding how the tribe should react to them. As a race, orcs
stones, mushrooms, or any other kind of circle. Seeing a shooting star before a battle is bad luck. To ward it off, you must swallow a stone. A tribute of elf ears brings favor from Gruumsh. If you bury
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
in the face of devastating tragedy are better suited for character backstories. DM Die Rolling Should you hide your die rolls behind a DM screen, or should you roll your dice in the open for all the
example, you could ignore a Critical Hit to save a character’s life. Don’t alter die rolls too often, though, and never let the players know when you fudge a die roll. Visible Die Rolls. Rolling dice
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
in the face of devastating tragedy are better suited for character backstories. DM Die Rolling Should you hide your die rolls behind a DM screen, or should you roll your dice in the open for all the
example, you could ignore a Critical Hit to save a character’s life. Don’t alter die rolls too often, though, and never let the players know when you fudge a die roll. Visible Die Rolls. Rolling dice
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
, they seal the deal with a physical contract, which can take one of many forms (see “Infernal Contracts”). Ability Checks and Deal-Making Most deals with devils can be resolved without rolling dice to
determine the outcome. A Charisma check can’t deceive or persuade most devils into a bad deal because the fiends are too clever and experienced in deal-making to be fooled. If devils do get involved in a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat
. Though he sees both good and bad in the lesser races, he believes that their capacity for attaining great power despite their physical limitations makes them dangerous. For all their capability
full strength. If this puts the humanoids at risk, so be it. Attitude. Neutral. If there are humans or tieflings in the party, Protanther is instead cautious. If there are elves in the party, he is
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh
than a couple of days leads to frayed tempers and brawling. Use the following table to determine the mood around the village, rolling once every few days or choosing as you see fit. Saltmarsh Mood
d20 Result 1–6 Poor Catch. The townsfolk are frustrated and prone to bickering; everyone is in a bad mood. 7–12 Bountiful Catch. Music and merriment echo through town as everyone celebrates. 13–20
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
. Though he sees both good and bad in the lesser races, he believes that their capacity for attaining great power despite their physical limitations makes them dangerous. For all their capability, humanoids
strength. If this puts the humanoids at risk, so be it. Attitude. Neutral. If there are humans or tieflings in the party, Protanther is instead cautious. If there are elves in the party, he is unfriendly
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Domains of Delight: A Feywild Accessory
. Conversely, a bad guide can easily get an adventuring party into trouble. Use the Feywild Guide Names, Feywild Guide Identities, and Feywild Guide Quirks tables to create Fey guides on the fly
scout stat block, but change its size to Small) 2 Gloomy wood elf druid (use the druid stat block) 3 Flamboyant pixie 4 Happy-go-lucky satyr 5 Ultra-competitive sprite 6 Overly cautious treant sapling
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
hits the fourth, and a 19 or higher strikes the bull’s-eye. Critical Success or Failure Rolling a 20 or a 1 on an ability check or a saving throw doesn’t normally have any special effect. However, you
. For example, rolling a 1 on a failed attempt to pick a lock might jam the lock, and rolling a 20 on a successful Intelligence (Investigation) check might reveal an extra clue. For attack rolls, the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
which good luck wouldn’t play a part but bad luck might. For example, someone rolling dice would invoke Tymora because they want random chance to fall in their favor, but someone about to cross a
cruel and capricious goddess who must be propitiated to avoid attracting her attention and interest in a negative way. Beshaba’s name is invoked when someone is beset by bad luck — which could be as
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss
full extent of the threat, as corruption and madness have already infiltrated their secret outpost since those initial reports (see chapter 9). However, even the most cautious member of the Zhentarim
knows that demons at large in the world are bad for business. The organization thus views the possible presence of the demon lords in the Underdark with the same concern as any other external threat
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
sown with too many traps, and if the characters are victimized over and over again as a result, they are likely to take steps to prevent further bad things from happening. Because of their recent
experience, the characters can become overly cautious, and you run the risk of the action grinding to a halt as the players search every square inch of the dungeon for trip wires and pressure plates
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
example, a fighter wants to turn a winch to raise a portcullis. This is a complex, difficult action. You could rule that it incurs a -5 initiative penalty. Rolling Initiative. After deciding on an action
initiative that introduces more uncertainty into combat, at the cost of speed of play. Under this variant, the participants in a battle roll initiative each round. Before rolling, each character or
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
to bring down that beast. Its pelt would be worth a fortune, even if it’s not real gold. A few of the more cautious types warn that the creature is clearly a blessed being and that killing it would
bring bad luck on the caravan, but no more than two or three people are persuaded. In minutes, the hunt is on, and the deer herd scatters into the nearby forest and through farmers’ fields. The
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Hoard of the Dragon Queen
to bring down that beast. Its pelt would be worth a fortune, even if it’s not real gold. A few of the more cautious types warn that the creature is clearly a blessed being and that killing it would
bring bad luck on the caravan, but no more than two or three people are persuaded. In minutes, the hunt is on, and the deer herd scatters into the nearby forest and through farmers’ fields. The
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
rune beyond the first grants the Moonblade an additional property. The DM chooses each property or determines it randomly by rolling on the Moonblade Properties table. Minor Property. In addition to its
aforementioned properties, each Moonblade has a minor property determined by rolling on the Magic Item’s Minor Property table (see earlier in this chapter). Sentience. A Moonblade is a sentient weapon
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation
thorny bushes choke the streets. Statues representing the trickster gods leer from many junctions. Cautious characters can move through the city at a rate of 200 feet every 5 minutes. Even if they
1d6 giant wasps 3–4 2d6 stirges 5–6 1d3 swarms of poisonous snakes Plant Discovery The ruin contains one or more rare plants, determined by rolling a d6 and consulting the Plant Discovery table
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk
following snippets of conversation from the crowd: A halfling woman complains, “I thought the Redbrands were bad, but at least they never smashed the bar. Who does that?” A human miner shouts, “The
Exchange is falling over, and some of my friends are missin’!” An annoyed elf man in a baker’s apron says, “If I see one more of those gremlins come near my shop, I’m hitting them with a rolling pin. I
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook
polyhedral dice (shown in chapter 1). You can find dice like these in game stores and from online retailers. Dice-rolling apps are also available. Character Sheet. To keep track of important
useful: DM Screen. Many DMs like to use a screen to shield their notes and dice rolls from players. It’s bad manners to peek over the screen! Miniatures and Battle Grid. Some DMs use a battle grid and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated
glasses.
3 Burning a small piece of the body and looking for shapes in the smoke.
4 A cautious, reasoned, professional guesstimate.
5 Careful measurements. The distance between
balance, but hate the idea that “balance” means good and bad things can both happen to you. Good things happening to you and bad things happening to other people seems perfectly reasonable.
2 You