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Returning 29 results for 'before barely defusing captives rules'.
Half-Elf
Legacy
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Species
Basic Rules (2014)
friends and loved ones age while time barely touches them. Others live with the elves, growing restless as they reach adulthood in the timeless elven realms, while their peers continue to live as
.
EXCELLENT AMBASSADORS
Many half-elves learn at an early age to get along with everyone, defusing hostility and finding common ground. As a race, they have elven grace without elven aloofness and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice Compendium
things they don’t. In a typical D&D session, a DM makes numerous rules decisions—some barely noticeable and others quite obvious. Players also interpret the rules, and the whole group keeps the game
The Role of Rules Why even have a column like Sage Advice when a DM can just make a ruling? Rules are a big part of what makes D&D a game, rather than simply improvised storytelling. The game’s rules
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice & Errata
typical D&D session, a DM makes numerous rules decisions—some barely noticeable and others quite obvious. Players also interpret the rules, and the whole group keeps the game running. There are times
The Role of Rules Why even have Sage Advice when a DM can just make a ruling? Rules are a big part of what makes D&D a game, rather than simply improvised storytelling. The game’s rules are meant to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
their late teens and live less than a century. Size. Humans vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium
HUMAN TRAITS
If your campaign uses the optional feat rules from chapter 6, your Dungeon Master might allow these variant traits, all of which replace the human’s Ability Score Increase trait
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss
establish telepathic communication to allow everyone to speak freely. The guards aren’t observant enough to notice. You might wish to consult the social interaction rules in the Dungeon Master’s Guide
way the adventure unfolds. The characters can learn the following things from talking with their fellow prisoners, some of who have been captives of the drow for a tenday or two: There are nineteen
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
rescued prisoner, pleading for mercy from an orc chieftain, or persuading a talkative magic mirror to show a distant location to the adventurers. The rules in part 2 (especially "Using Ability Scores" and
characters and other creatures swinging weapons, casting spells, maneuvering for position, and so on—all in an effort to defeat their opponents, whether that means killing every enemy, taking captives, or
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
Approaching the Fortress To get to Xardorok’s fortress, the characters need to negotiate the Spine of the World. Use the rules in the “Mountain Travel” section to simulate the perils of getting
hewn from the rock leads up along one side of the wall.
The steps leading up to it are barely 5 feet wide and climb 150 feet to a frost-covered shelf that adjoins the main entrance (area X1). Difficult
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
here. Residents also include captives that the githyanki have taken on raids.
Law and Order. Warriors patrol above the streets in astral skiffs to keep the peace. Githyanki who cause unwarranted
equivalent of a labor camp. The glathk district, named after the Gith word for “farmer” — a term of derision — is where githyanki are taken when they violate society’s rules. Punishments are nonlethal
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
; 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
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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Astral Adventurer’s Guide
-foot cube Gargantuan 20-foot cube A creature that needs to breathe will exhaust the air in its personal envelope in 1 minute. Since this is barely enough time to get anywhere, most creatures travel
121, and the foul air turns deadly 120 days later. Deadly air is unbreathable. Any creature that tries to breathe deadly air begins to suffocate (see the rules on suffocation in the Player’s Handbook
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
embellishments shouldn’t change the actual effects of spells or magic items. Prison of Souls Everyone among the Domains of Dread is a prisoner. The Darklords number among the most prominent captives, but
supernatural means, it realizes that its spirit is trapped within the Mists, likely forever. Using the rules for “Fear and Stress” from chapter 4, the creature gains a new Seed of Fear. If a being with a soul
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
distances. But that’s what fills Sechepol’s wagon. He will make his money on the road, selling his stock to his fellow travelers in the caravan. He is diplomatic and has a gift for defusing arguments
as the grave, staring sullenly at the road ahead, barely moving on the seat of his wagon, seeming hardly to breathe. No one knows what he transports in his wagon, but it is guarded by a brooding
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Hoard of the Dragon Queen
long distances. But that’s what fills Sechepol’s wagon. He will make his money on the road, selling his stock to his fellow travelers in the caravan. He is diplomatic and has a gift for defusing
silent as the grave, staring sullenly at the road ahead, barely moving on the seat of his wagon, seeming hardly to breathe. No one knows what he transports in his wagon, but it is guarded by a brooding
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook
grown shoddy with the passage of years. A blazing fire in the hearth barely gives any warmth to the room. You see a man behind the counter, methodically cleaning glasses. Three older women huddle
action in the rules glossary.
Russell: “Yeah, whose seal is it?”
Jared: “The Devil Strahd.”
Amy: “Sounds like a pleasant fellow.”
Jared: “No! He is the vampire lord of Castle Ravenloft and a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon Delves
, the character finds the amulet. G16: Overgrown Garden Tall pillars decorated with painted reliefs are barely visible through curtains of ivy that climb toward the vaulted ceiling. Low shrubs and trees
the Captives of the Mirror table. If one of the Green Hags from G15 confronts adventurers here, the hag activates the mirror and frees the Hydra to create as much chaos as possible. Given the chance
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
chambers are connected by vertical or steeply sloped tunnels that the beholder carves out of the surrounding stone, each passage barely large enough to admit the beholder’s body. Enemies that are too big
chamber to hold captives that it chooses not to kill. The simplest kind of prison, easy enough for a beholder to create, typically consists of 20-foot-deep holes disintegrated into the floor
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation
city, patrol its streets, and send raiding parties into the surrounding jungle. Ras Nsi rules over them, but traitorous priests plot his downfall. Salida’s Treachery. One of the guides presented in
barely aware of the kobolds’ existence. Red Wizards of Thay A group of Red Wizards entered the city a couple of days prior to the characters’ arrival. They camped in the ruined compound at area 2, but
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation
71. Lair of the Sewn Sisters Green smoke billows out from a bronze cauldron in the middle of this twenty-foot-high vaulted hall. Barely visible through the haze are three rocking chairs, several work
charm on that character. Each doll can bestow its charm once. These charms are similar to the ones described in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide and follow the same rules. Strawbundle’s Charm
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver
feet (spending half their speed to do so—see the “Being Prone” section in the Basic Rules). They pursue any characters they see, attacking until destroyed. The eastern half of the building is the old
Basic Rules for the effects of being restrained). A snared creature can take an action each round to attempt to break free with a DC 12 Strength check, or it can try to cut its way free by using a light
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Netheril’s Fall: Tales of Terror, Treasure, and Time Travel
, oversees the coliseum’s operations and approves all combatants bound for the arena. The pitmaster is constantly seeking new and creative contest rules for the coliseum battles, and she often awards
such as sabotaging powerful mages or freeing prisoners and captives. Frozen Goods. Secret chambers in the center of the warehouse contain precious eggs of icy monsters, forbidden substances, and even
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation
second fragment of gold, so thoroughly hammered that it’s barely recognizable. These keys once unlocked the door to the treasury (area 6) and are beyond repair; so little of them remains that not
you breathe. You can, however, barely make out what looks like a lantern farther back in the smoke.
These linked caverns are the lair of two smoke mephits. What the characters perceive as a dim
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Keys from the Golden Vault
casino’s boats load and unload passengers at a pair of wooden docks. Two tiefling attendants (commoners) help patrons into and out of the boats. Patrons are expected to abide by the casino’s rules
, which are posted on placards near the docks. The placards read as follows: RULES IN THE AFTERLIFE:
Stay out of the River Styx.
Don’t cheat. (Cheaters never prosper.)
Don’t accost or threaten other
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
slippery. (See chapter 5, “Adventure Environments,” in the Dungeon Master’s Guide for rules on extreme cold and slippery ice.) For every minute the characters spend here, there is a cumulative ten
takes sadistic delight in torturing captives. It guards the outer reaches of the Howling Caves against intruders. Prisoners. The prisoners here are in poor condition. Each one is incoherent and has 1
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm King's Thunder
a giant raven, attack the characters. Rules for mounted combat appear in chapter 9 of the Player’s Handbook. Suggested Encounter (Night) Characters who explore Raven Rock in the dead of night
vengeance. The reigning king of Ruathym is First Axe Vok Dorrg (CE male Illuskan human priest), a blind and vindictive old man who worships Valkur, a lesser god of the sea. The king rules from the Hall of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal->a2
burn brightly on either side of the door, illuminating the western half of the room. Another ledge is barely visible on the other side of the chasm.
The hall beyond the doors, and the great
the forests north of Blasingdell. They keep their captives in a small pen until they put them to death or ransom them. A row of rough-hewn sapling trunks forms a crude but serviceable barrier across the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk
Jomlus on subtle shifts in pronunciation for many weeks, believing his understanding to be just barely out of reach. Klaudel eventually died and was absorbed into the walls of the Briny Maze. Jomlus
following blessing. This blessing adheres to the rules for blessings presented in the Dungeon Master’s Guide: Blessing of the Solipsistic Mind. You access esoteric truths from an ancient tome by focusing
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Quests from the Infinite Staircase
lined with limed-over corpses. A circle of barely distinguishable bodies composes the lower tier, while a fresher ring of calcified corpses stands on the heads and shoulders of those beneath
worship this ravenous spirit and offer up captives and treasure to it as sacrifices. Seven specters created by the spirit lie dormant in their former bodies, awaiting its command. When the characters
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd
in the north wall. (See “Sample Traps” in chapter 5, “Adventure Environments,” of the Dungeon Master’s Guide for the rules on how this trap functions.) The trap resets when the weight is lifted and
, except for one thighbone. If the characters disturb Saint Markovia’s remains, add: A ghostly form appears above the dust, so faint that you can barely discern more than part of a face. From this
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
feet high—barely large enough to accommodate the two granite juggernauts (see appendix A) that trundle between the room’s pillars. The juggernauts attack any intruders they notice, but they won’t
Secrets rules in this book’s introduction. False Treasures. The items on the pedestals are false re-creations of treasures that can be found throughout the complex. A creature that touches one of these






