before badly defusing combat relatively - Search

Living Doll

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

False Appearance. If the doll is motionless at the start of combat, it has advantage on its initiative roll. Moreover, if a creature hasn’t observed the doll move or act, that creature must

living doll is a mean spirit that encourages those around it to behave badly toward others. The doll takes pleasure in tormenting the guilt-ridden and despondent, hastening their descent into depression

Scorpion Ship

Equipment

. The ship’s two claws are relatively inefficient in combat, but a claw that grabs a creature can quickly take it out of action.

Fighter Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

mastery with weapons and armor, and a thorough knowledge of the skills of combat. And they are well acquainted with death, both meting it out and staring it defiantly in the face. Well-Rounded

Specialists Fighters learn the basics of all combat styles. Every fighter can swing an axe, fence with a rapier, wield a longsword or a greatsword, use a bow, and even trap foes in a net with some degree of

Urchin Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

are not in combat, you (and companions you lead) can travel between any two locations in the city twice as fast as your speed would normally allow. Suggested Characteristics Urchins are

life — and maybe get some payback on all the rich people who treated them badly. d8 Personality Trait 1 I hide scraps of food and trinkets away in my pockets. 2 I ask a lot

Young Deep Dragon Legacy

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

skin, especially around the head and neck. Their wings are attached to their front legs and can fold in close to the body, allowing deep dragons to easily maneuver through relatively narrow tunnels

manipulation and crafty dealmaking to exerting themselves in combat. Deep dragons look down on any creature that isn’t useful to them, though they are willing to bargain for knowledge they lack

Deep Dragon Wyrmling Legacy

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

wings are attached to their front legs and can fold in close to the body, allowing deep dragons to easily maneuver through relatively narrow tunnels. Deep dragons often hoard secrets, delighting in

combat. Deep dragons look down on any creature that isn’t useful to them, though they are willing to bargain for knowledge they lack. Creating a Deep Dragon Use the Deep Dragon Personality

Urchin - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

can find passages through the urban sprawl that others would miss. When you are not in combat, you (and companions you lead) can travel between any two locations in the city twice as fast as your

; and maybe get some payback on all the rich people who treated them badly. d8 Personality Trait 1 I hide scraps of food and trinkets away in my pockets. 2 I ask a lot of questions

Mercenary Veteran

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

called the Chill. Unlike most of their kind, the Chill refrains from raiding the people of the North and maintains relatively good relations so that they can hire themselves out as warriors. Few city

tales from my military experience relevant to almost every combat situation. 5 I can stare down a hell hound without flinching. 6 I enjoy being strong and like breaking things. 7 I have

Quick NPCs

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

Quick NPCs An NPC doesn’t need combat statistics unless it poses a threat. Moreover, most NPCs need only one or two qualities to make them memorable. For example, your players will have no trouble

remembering the no-nonsense blacksmith with the tattoo of the black rose on his right shoulder or the badly dressed bard with the broken nose.

Chapter 2: The Land of Chult

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation

level. If the adventuring party is relatively weak, it’s up to the players to choose whether to flee instead of fight, negotiate instead of attack, or surrender instead of die. It’s up to you as the

DM to be flexible and keep the story moving forward as best you can. If an encounter is going badly for the adventurers, you can have the monsters suddenly withdraw, demand the party’s surrender, or

Ancient Deep Dragon Legacy

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

attached to their front legs and can fold in close to the body, allowing deep dragons to easily maneuver through relatively narrow tunnels. Deep dragons often hoard secrets, delighting in knowledge of

far-off lands. Many seek out new insights and tricks that they can use against other denizens of the Underdark, preferring social manipulation and crafty dealmaking to exerting themselves in combat

Trained for Danger

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)

Trained for Danger Not every member of the city watch, the village militia, or the queen’s army is a fighter. Most of these troops are relatively untrained soldiers with only the most basic combat

Flight to Steel Springs

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

Flight to Steel Springs Assuming the characters head to Steel Springs, they arrive as Kalaman’s forces engage the Dragon Army. However, Kalaman received faulty intelligence, and its troops are badly

outnumbered. Rather than joining the Kalaman forces in their advance, the characters find themselves defending a retreat. The adventure unfolds in one of two ways: With Mass Combat. If you’re using

Adult Deep Dragon Legacy

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

attached to their front legs and can fold in close to the body, allowing deep dragons to easily maneuver through relatively narrow tunnels. Deep dragons often hoard secrets, delighting in knowledge

of far-off lands. Many seek out new insights and tricks that they can use against other denizens of the Underdark, preferring social manipulation and crafty dealmaking to exerting themselves in combat

Trained for Danger

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)

Trained for Danger Not every member of the city watch, the village militia, or the queen’s army is a fighter. Most of these troops are relatively untrained soldiers with only the most basic combat

Controlling a Mount

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)

independent mount retains its place in the initiative order. Bearing a rider puts no restrictions on the actions the mount can take, and it moves and acts as it wishes. It might flee from combat, rush to

attack and devour a badly injured foe, or otherwise act against your wishes. In either case, if the mount provokes an opportunity attack while you’re on it, the attacker can target you or the mount.

Controlling a Mount

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)

independent mount retains its place in the initiative order. Bearing a rider puts no restrictions on the actions the mount can take, and it moves and acts as it wishes. It might flee from combat, rush to

attack and devour a badly injured foe, or otherwise act against your wishes. In either case, if the mount provokes an opportunity attack while you’re on it, the attacker can target you or the mount.

Tabaxi Traits

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters

equivalent to humans. Size. Tabaxi are taller on average than humans and relatively slender. Your size is Medium. Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Darkvision. You have a cat’s keen senses

. Feline Agility. Your reflexes and agility allow you to move with a burst of speed. When you move on your turn in combat, you can double your speed until the end of the turn. Once you use this trait, you

Deep Dragons

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

relatively narrow tunnels. Deep dragons often hoard secrets, delighting in knowledge of far-off lands. Many seek out new insights and tricks that they can use against other denizens of the Underdark

, preferring social manipulation and crafty dealmaking to exerting themselves in combat. Deep dragons look down on any creature that isn’t useful to them, though they are willing to bargain for knowledge they lack. The ultimate paradox: some deep dragons are actually very shallow. -Fizban

Scorpion Ship

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Astral Adventurer’s Guide

ship’s two claws are relatively inefficient in combat, but a claw that grabs a creature can quickly take it out of action. Scorpion Ship Summary Armor Class: 19 (metal) Cargo: 12 tons Hit Points: 250

Ghostly Events

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm Lord’s Wrath

Thalivar’s ghost in combat is difficult, so the players are better off finding a way to lay it to rest using the clues in the tower. TOWER FEATURES The House of Thalivar is an 80-foot-tall stone tower

day. Doors. Doors are made of wood and are unlocked and badly rotted. They all creak loudly when operated. Dangerous Floors. Some sections of floor are perilously weak and rotten. If a creature

Dragon Encounters

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

encounter with a dragon needs to involve combat, let alone an all-out fight to the death. Maybe the characters are trying to help a kobold Keeper of Dragons retrieve a wyrmling kidnapped by a gang of

a dragon’s lair is more likely to mean a fight to the death, since the dragon will be less keen on fleeing an encounter that goes badly and more determined to hunt down adventurers who flee after

Combat Encounter Difficulty

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules

Combat Encounter Difficulty Use the following guidelines to create a combat encounter of a desired level of difficulty. Step 1: Choose a Difficulty Three categories describe the range of encounter

. Moderate Difficulty. Absent healing and other resources, an encounter of moderate difficulty could go badly for the adventurers. Weaker characters might get taken out of the fight, and there’s a

Living Doll

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

Living Doll A living doll is easily mistaken for an inanimate doll or a stuffed animal until it moves. Trapped within each living doll is a mean spirit that encourages those around it to behave badly

Perception 10 Languages Common Challenge 2 (450 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2 False Appearance. If the doll is motionless at the start of combat, it has advantage on its initiative roll. Moreover, if a

Arrival

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon of Icespire Peak

spell, sounds of combat in areas not completely sealed off from the outside by doors, or a whisper in the dragon’s ear. If the dragon realizes intruders are near but can’t determine their whereabouts

, Cryovain is slow-witted and easily baited. The howling of the wind prevents Cryovain from hearing intruders who remain relatively quiet. The wind also silences the characters as they follow the icy path (area H1) that leads to and from the gatehouse (areas H2 through area H6).

Combat Encounters

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide

Combat Encounters Chris Seaman Otto's conversation with a magic mirror is an exciting social interaction encounter The following features can make a combat encounter more interesting or

move around, such as chandeliers, kegs of gunpowder or oil, and rolling stone traps. Combat Encounter Difficulty Use the following guidelines to create a combat encounter of a desired level of difficulty

Old Owl Well

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

the Triboar Trail. The site is relatively easy to find, and any NPC in Phandalin can provide directions to the ruins. Recently, prospectors in the area have noted that someone has set up a campsite at

during combat, he temporarily calls off his zombies. The Red Wizard is not particularly aggressive, and he is willing to strike a deal that advances his interests at the same time it helps the characters

Initiative Variants

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

Initiative Variants This section offers different ways to handle initiative. Initiative Score With this optional rule, creature don’t roll initiative at the start of combat. Instead, each creature

completed their turns. If more than two sides take part in a battle, each side rolls for initiative. Sides act from the highest roll to lowest. Combat continues in the initiative order until the battle

Narration in Combat

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

badly!” As the characters fight monsters, you can reveal information to help the players make good choices, as described in the sections that follow. Awarding Heroic Inspiration As discussed in the

Mephit Lair Locations

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Heroes of the Borderlands

and barely fulfilling its duties. The mephit is Indifferent but defends itself in combat. If the mephit sees the characters enter the cave, it peers at them through the arrow slit and whistles like a

remains that way unless they try to spoil its fun, which provokes the hot-tempered elemental to start combat. If a fight breaks out, the mephits in areas B2 and B7 quickly join the fray. B6: Old Barrack

Freeing Miken

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer Academy

you, obscured by the smoke, are two gaunt figures in armor. One clutches a greatsword, while the other holds a struggling, badly wounded Miken Haverstance. Hallway Features The hallway in the cadet

dead giff’s grenades was primed but not released when the giff died at the bend in the corridor. At the end of each turn in combat, roll a d6. On a 6, the grenade rolls from the giff’s hand and goes off

9. Quarters of the Kraken Priests

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Locathah Rising

failed to slay the kraken, it was so badly wounded in the fight that the rest of the sea life around it began to strike at it, taking advantage of its greatly weakened state. Just before passing away

party’s presence and have prepared to surprise them. While the characters are in combat, they retreat from this chamber into area 10 and take refuge behind a coral outcropping.

17. Spellcasting Hall

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

with three archmages, one of whom appears to be Halaster. Turbulence is losing badly and has only 3 hit points remaining. Before the archmages can finish her off, the tiefling shouts, “I surrender!” On

unconscious. The first time the adventurers defeat a particular animated archmage statue, they receive XP for it as with any creature defeated in combat. Subsequent victories against that statue don’t provide

The Drow

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss

example to emulate. That changed after she saw how Ilvara treated Jorlan Duskryn, a seasoned drow warrior who was the commander’s lover up until he was badly wounded. Ilvara discarded Jorlan without a

the injuries suffered by his predecessor, Jorlan Duskryn. Shoor is relatively young and quite arrogant for a drow male, proud of his abilities and accomplishments. He is still flush with his success in

Bladesinging

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

Bladesinging Bladesingers are elves who bravely defend their people and lands. They are elf wizards who master a school of sword fighting grounded in a tradition of arcane magic. In combat, a

. Styles that focus on the use of a hafted weapon, such as an axe or hammer, have been grouped together as bird styles, yet they vary wildly. All relatively new styles, they use weapons not typically favored

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