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Returning 35 results for 'before bad defending contain rules'.
Magic Items
Princes of the Apocalypse
. Reducing it to 0 hit points causes it to explode instantly.
A special container can be crafted to contain a devastation orb and prevent it from detonating. The container must be inscribed with symbols
of the orb’s opposing element. For example, a case inscribed with earth symbols can be used to contain a devastation orb of air and keep it from detonating. While in the container, the orb thrums
Criminal / Spy
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Backgrounds
Basic Rules (2014)
than most people to the world of murder, theft, and violence that pervades the underbelly of civilization, and you have survived up to this point by flouting the rules and regulations of society
.
4
I have a “tell” that reveals when I’m lying.
5
I turn tail and run when things look bad.
6
An innocent person is in prison for a crime that I committed. I’m okay with that.
Tortle
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Species
The Tortle Package
, defending their offspring, and sharing a lifetime of knowledge before they die. When the children are old enough to leave the compound, they pick up whatever weapons and tools their parents left behind and
regard these settlements as places worth defending with their lives, and they will abandon a settlement when it no longer serves their needs.
Most tortles like to see how other creatures live and
Orc
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
laden wagon or after heroically defending it from thieves gain great respect and advance higher in the tribe’s pecking order.
All Are Fighters
Most of the orcs that stay behind when the
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
Bard
Legacy
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Classes
Basic Rules (2014)
of song, speech, and the magic they contain. Bards say that the multiverse was spoken into existence, that the words of the gods gave it shape, and that echoes of these primordial Words of Creation
versatility. Many bards prefer to stick to the sidelines in combat, using their magic to inspire their allies and hinder their foes from a distance. But bards are capable of defending themselves in melee if
Backgrounds
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
underbelly of civilization, and you have survived up to this point by flouting the rules and regulations of society.
Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Stealth
Tool Proficiencies: One
tail and run when things look bad.
6
An innocent person is in prison for a crime that I committed. I’m okay with that.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
between relying on their bonuses and abilities and paying attention to the game and immersing themselves in its world. Remember that dice don’t run your game — you do. Dice are like rules. They’re
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->Lost Mine of Phandelver
adventure. It also introduces the world of the Forgotten Realms, one of the game’s most enduring settings, and it teaches you how to run a D&D game. The Basic Rules contain the rules you need to adjudicate situations that arise during the adventure.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
Table Rules Ideally, players come to the gaming table with the same goal: to have a fun time together. This section gives recommendations for table rules you can establish to help meet that goal
. Here are some fundamentals: Foster respect. Don’t bring personal conflicts to the table or let disagreements escalate into bad feelings. Don’t touch others’ dice if they’re sensitive about it. Avoid
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
Music and Magic In the worlds of D&D, words and music are not just vibrations of air, but vocalizations with power all their own. The bard is a master of song, speech, and the magic they contain
sidelines in combat, using their magic to inspire their allies and hinder their foes from a distance. But bards are capable of defending themselves in melee if necessary, using their magic to bolster their
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
Rules House rules include optional rules, such as those presented in chapter 9 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, and rules you create. If you plan to use any house rules, session zero is a good time to
discuss those rules with the players and solicit their input. House rules are best presented as experiments, and time will tell if they’re good for your game. If you introduce a house rule in session
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
his father’s belligerence, ill temper, and bad judgment. Renaer lives off a sizable inheritance left to him by his mother. Approaching middle age, he has given up adventuring and settled down somewhat
. As a Harper, he spends a lot of time defending Waterdavians against those who, like his father, would deprive them of their coin and rights. He owns Neverember House, a four-story residence in the Sea
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
Music and Magic In the worlds of D&D, words and music are not just vibrations of air, but vocalizations with power all their own. The bard is a master of song, speech, and the magic they contain
sidelines in combat, using their magic to inspire their allies and hinder their foes from a distance. But bards are capable of defending themselves in melee if necessary, using their magic to bolster their
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Borderlands Quest: Goblin Trouble
Introducing the Game Once the players have familiarized themselves with their characters, you’re ready to introduce the game. Now that you’re familiar with your characters and the basics of the rules
, we’re going to play a short adventure to introduce you to Dungeons & Dragons. As the Dungeon Master, I tell you what’s going on in the world around you, and I use the rules and dice rolls to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
Rules of Conduct Although Zybilna is indisposed, three of the rules she put into place when she created her Feywild domain continue to hold weight: the rule of hospitality, the rule of ownership, and
the rule of reciprocity. These three rules are common knowledge in Prismeer, and both natives and visitors would do well to abide by them: Rule of Hospitality. When a friend, an enemy, or a stranger
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
fishing rules ("Fishing for Knucklehead Trout"), only replace the knucklehead trout with an octopus. Befriending Its Comrades. Angajuk lives alongside other sea creatures, including narwhals and
Angajuk. Fending Off Hunters. If the characters are having trouble finding another way to earn Angajuk’s trust, use the “Whale Hunt” encounter below. Defending the whale against these hunters earns its trust.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation Supplement
safety of greater numbers. Tortles don’t regard these settlements as places worth defending with their lives, and they will abandon a settlement when it no longer serves their needs. Most tortles like to
learning skills they can put to use when building forts to contain their offspring. Although they spend a considerable portion of their lives in isolation, tortles are social creatures that like to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
monsters compelled the poorly defended lakeside towns to turn Bryn Shander from a modest hilltop trading post into a walled town capable of defending all Ten-Towners if and when the worst comes. Most
of the towns contain trace evidence of the immigrant cultures that birthed them. This evidence is carved into houses, statues, and other fixtures. For example, the dinosaur carvings on the older
Kobold
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
invasion and oppression. Although individually they are timid and shy away from conflict, kobolds are dangerous if cornered, vicious when defending their eggs, and notorious for the dangerous
earth are strong or weak, are bearing a load or are safe to excavate, or are likely to contain minerals or offer access to water. This ability enables them to fashion secure homes in places where other
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
. We’ve visited Waterdeep before, but not like this. Clever heroes will respect the city’s rules. Those who get on the city’s bad side are in for a rough time, as the City of Splendors is home to some of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
carved with frescoes depicting dwarves defending their mountain homes against ankhegs, purple worms, umber hulks, and other burrowing monsters. (Hidden behind a fresco of a dwarf battling a bulette is a
(see “Gates”). Its rules are as follows: If a creature flies or levitates within 5 feet of the arch, the gate opens for 1 minute. Characters must be 10th level or higher to pass through this gate (see
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
threat. Use this book to help you and your players communicate about a game’s rules, plots, and other content, assuring it includes only the elements you all enjoy. Focus on Fun. Suspenseful stories don’t
attention for both of us. We’ve found no trace of Vhorishkova since arriving, but I feel her watching. It’s like she’s everywhere.
It’s bad here, Uncle. Not snake-headed hogs bad. Like, full Delmunster
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
spies. This rumor might contain truth, as many who whisper it vanish in the night and are never seen again. Chateau Delanuit. Upon an island in the center of the Musarde sits Chateau Delanuit, the
hereditary Renier estate. From here, Jacqueline Renier rules Richemulot. She holds audience from her parlors and public courtrooms, but her private residence is sacrosanct, and few outside her family ever
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal->a5
network of which the Bloodgate was a part gave her the ability to open portals directly into the Doomvault. The following sections contain details on the logistics of running an adventure set there. When
originally produced in 2014 as an adventure for the D&D Encounters organized play program. At that time, it also served as a playtest for the rules that eventually became the fifth edition of the game. This
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon Delves
aloud: Mayhem rules in the seaside village of Respite. The Cobblehook Corsairs, a crew of troublemakers who aren’t normally violent, have raided the village. Black smoke billows from buildings
. Sizzling streams of acid flow down the streets. Villagers rush about, shouting for loved ones and struggling to contain the damage.
Near the shore, flames leap from the windows of a low-roofed building
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
wall above the arch are the following words in Draconic: “Only a dragon can unlock this gate.”
Fountains. Alcoves to the west and east contain stone fountains, each carved to look like a perched
object that weighs 500 pounds. Arch Gate The arch is one of Halaster’s gates (see “Gates”). Its rules are as follows: The gate opens for 1 minute when a real or illusory dragon touches the arch. An
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
a successful DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check or a knock spell. The cells contain no furnishings other than waste buckets. The middle cell on the east side of the hall holds three goblins abducted
wish spell over a century ago. The statue stands atop a 2-foot-high, 5-foot-wide stone cylinder engraved with the following words in Common: “Follow the rules. Obey your instructors. Don’t be this guy.”
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon of Icespire Peak
, full of dust and bad memories. It’s quiet most of the time, except when the sorrowful wails of the banshee fill the place. The following features are common throughout.
Arrow Slits. When using an arrow
slit for protection, a creature gains three-quarters cover (see the Basic Rules) against outside threats. A Medium character can’t squeeze through an arrow slit, but a Small character can with a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
themselves. Towns and cities are the seats of the nobles who govern the surrounding area, and who carry the responsibility for defending the villages from attack. Occasionally, a local lord or lady
lives in a keep or fortress with no nearby town or city. Village Population: Up to about 1,000 Government: A noble (usually not a resident) rules the village, with an appointed agent (a reeve) in
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
Special Travel Pace The rules on travel pace in the Player’s Handbook assume that a group of travelers adopts a pace that, over time, is unaffected by the individual members’ walking speeds. The
-powered gnomish contraption doesn’t travel at a normal rate, since the magic, engine, or wind doesn’t tire the way a creature does and the air doesn’t contain the types of obstructions found on land. When a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
the south alcove is one of Halaster’s magic gates (see “Gates”). Its rules are as follows: Standing within 5 feet of the arch and imitating the moves of the dancing dwarves carved into it causes the
Weapons The racks contain a total of twenty suits of dwarf-sized scale mail, twenty battleaxes, twenty war picks, and twenty steel shields emblazoned with the symbol of Dumathoin. All the equipment
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
Dense webbing fills this room as well (see area 19c for rules). Suspended within the webs are six cocoons. Five contain the desiccated corpses of four goblins and a nothic. The sixth contains a swarm
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
The characters might use their mounts to fight foes in the air, using the mounted combat rules in the Player’s Handbook. As intelligent creatures, the characters’ mounts can act independently, but they
talked out of apprehending them. During combat, the knights attempt to shove characters off the platform whenever possible. Fighting the Silent Roar If the characters are defending the Pedestal of Judgment
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
family died of the plague. Mademoiselle Jacqueline Renier, the nation’s most prestigious aristocrat, rules as temporary warden. When the plague swells to epidemic proportions, the state police, the
cities contain an inexplicably large number of buildings, an amount greater than their highest populations would have ever warranted. Rat swarms prowl city streets like packs of dogs. RICHEMULOISE
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
Narration in Combat Although it’s important that the players understand what’s going on in terms of the rules, the game can get dull if everyone uses only “gamespeak”: “That’s an 18 to hit,” “You hit
; now roll damage,” “11 points,” and “OK, now we’re to Initiative count 13.” Instead, use the rules and your knowledge of the scene to help your narration. If 18 is barely a hit, but the 11 points of






