before barriers drive combat rooting

Doppelganger Legacy

Monsters Basic Rules (2014)

. Surprise Attack. If the doppelganger surprises a creature and hits it with an attack during the first round of combat, the target takes an extra 10 (3d6);{"diceNotation":"3d6","rollType":"roll

magically reads the surface thoughts of one creature within 60 feet of it. The effect can penetrate barriers, but 3 feet of wood or dirt, 2 feet of stone, 2 inches of metal, or a thin sheet of lead

Sacred Statue

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

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

soul; it then animates this effigy and uses the statue to drive out the intruders.Cold, Necrotic, PoisonAcid, Fire, Lightning; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

Rilsa Rael

Monsters Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

Cunning Action. On each of her turns in combat, Rilsa can use a bonus action to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action. Focus. If Rilsa damages a creature with a weapon attack, she gains advantage

headquarters. In addition to hosting regular public forums in her shop, Rael tacitly oversees the Garden of Whispers, a maze of wood-and-paper screens where people from across the city can buy and sell secrets with Guild agents and each other, speaking through the barriers so as to maintain anonymity.

Stone Cursed

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Cunning Opportunist. The stone cursed has advantage on the attack rolls of opportunity attack;opportunity attacks. False Appearance. If the stone cursed is motionless at the start of combat, it has

, animating the statue and turning it into a useful guardian. Stone cursed possess a malevolent drive to slay the living, yet they are utterly loyal to whoever performed the ritual to animate them, and

Goblin Psi Commander

Monsters Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

of their psionic abilities, goblin psi commanders wield blades of pure psychic energy. They can throw barriers of mental force while toppling foes with a single, mind-splitting burst. Psionic

goblins often struggle to handle the turbulent psychic energy within their minds and bodies. Those psionic goblins who learn how to safely tap into this psychic power are formidable forces in combat

Vinyl Record

Equipment

Combat Utility Whimsy 15 15 15 These black disks are covered in a continuous spiral that moves to the center of the disk—believed to be an ancient and lost way of

objects are found in caches where they are often stacked like plates in a restaurant. But discoveries are few and far between, and merchants are sure to drive a hard bargain.

Barbarian Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

of his drow foe, then turns to drive his armored elbow into the gut of another. These barbarians, different as they might be, are defined by their rage: unbridled, unquenchable, and unthinking fury

by walls and crowds. They thrive in the wilds of their homelands: the tundra, jungle, or grasslands where their tribes live and hunt. Barbarians come alive in the chaos of combat. They can enter a

Marine

Backgrounds Ghosts of Saltmarsh

who rarely lose composure on the battlefield. Marines who leave the service tend to work as mercenaries, but their combat experience also makes them excellent adventurers. Though they are self-reliant

difficult and struggle to say the right thing in social situations. 3 My intensity can drive others away. 4 I hold grudges and have difficulty forgiving others. 5 I become irrational when

Warlock Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

(such as the ability to see in darkness or to read any language) to access to powerful spells. Unlike bookish wizards, warlocks supplement their magic with some facility at hand-to-hand combat. They

gained. Rather, the vast majority of warlocks spend their days in active pursuit of their goals, which typically means some kind of adventuring. Furthermore, the demands of their patrons drive

Cleric Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

her holy symbol as light pours from it to drive back the zombies crowding in on her companions. Clerics are intermediaries between the mortal world and the distant planes of the gods. As varied as the

their combat training to let them wade into melee with the power of the gods on their side. Divine Agents Not every acolyte or officiant at a temple or shrine is a cleric. Some priests are called to

Paladin Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

skills of combat, mastering a variety of weapons and armor. Even so, their martial skills are secondary to the magical power they wield: power to heal the sick and injured, to smite the wicked and the

while you were at prayer? Did another paladin sense the potential within you and decide to train you as a squire? Or did some terrible event—the destruction of your home, perhaps—drive you to

Doppelganger

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Infernal Machine Rebuild

. It reverts to its true form if it dies. Ambusher. In the first round of a combat, the doppelganger has advantage on attack rolls against any creature it surprised. Surprise Attack. If the

doppelganger surprises a creature and hits it with an attack during the first round of combat, the target takes an extra 10 (3d6) damage from the attack. Actions Multiattack. The doppelganger makes two

Divine Ordeals

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros

described in chapter 1. Will the character’s drive prove strong enough to overcome everything else? An ordeal is a single encounter, which might involve combat, interaction, a series of ability checks

dreamscape constructed by the god. Work to craft an ordeal that provides a significant challenge for the character to overcome. Fundamentally, an ordeal is a test of the character’s heroic drive, as

Doppelganger

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver

creature and hits it with an attack during the first round of combat, the target takes an extra 10 (3d6) damage from the attack. Actions Multiattack. The doppelganger makes two melee attacks

of it. The effect can penetrate barriers, but 3 feet of wood or dirt, 2 feet of stone, 2 inches of metal, or a thin sheet of lead blocks it. While the target is within range, the doppelganger can

Character Objectives

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

combat encounter, characters might have to fight their way through evil minions before attempting to disrupt the ritual’s magic. This could also drive an exploration encounter, where the challenge is

its own ends. An encounter aimed at making peace might involve only social interaction, perhaps with the threat of combat if negotiations go poorly. It could also begin as a combat encounter, with the

Creating a Gold Dragon

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

to help select spells for a spellcasting dragon. Gold Dragon Personality Traits d8 Trait 1 I prefer to parley before combat. If villains can be reformed without violence, all the better

the motivation to overcome my barriers, then their matter is unworthy of my attention. 8 On a long enough timescale, all actions are meaningless. So why should I deny myself anything? Gold

The Winged God

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

Warriors (Neutral) who demand that the merchant surrender his goods. In combat, the kobolds shout things like “For the Winged God!” and “Fight to reclaim our home!” If four of them fall in battle, the

if the adventurers drive off the dragon. Kobold Camp. If the adventurers follow fleeing kobolds, they can find the kobolds’ camp on a nearby outcropping. The kobolds there don’t fight, though, instead

Goristro Raid

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin

“treasure” that the erinyes are after: a unicorn named Sterling in an iron cage. Nykaia explains that Kypris will drive the war machine close to the goristro. The three erinyes will then fly to the

the demons in the palanquin. True Treasure Revealed. Once combat finishes, the three erinyes carry down their claimed treasure: A large cage lands with a thud before the vehicle. Through the iron

Hosts of the Nine Hells

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat

Hosts of the Nine Hells Tiamat has long threatened Faerûn, often appearing in lands such as Chessenta and Unther to drive mortals to worship her awesome power. Although mortals don’t know it, the end

who expended tremendous amounts of magical power to breach the barriers that separate the Nine Hells from other planes. Using Devils Devils aren’t numerous in The Rise of Tiamat until the final

Hosts of the Nine Hells

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons

Hosts of the Nine Hells Tiamat has long threatened Faerûn, often appearing in lands such as Chessenta and Unther to drive mortals to worship her awesome power. Although mortals don’t know it, the end

, and though Asmodeus can bend these laws, he seldom does. Most devils in the Material Plane were summoned there by mortal mages who expended tremendous amounts of magical power to breach the barriers

Hag Lairs

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

their lairs inside the hulls of wrecked or abandoned ships. Best of Both Worlds Many hags settle in places where the barriers between the mortal world and the Feywild are thin, making it easy for

occasional visitors, but not so close that a community would see the hag’s presence as a threat and try to defeat her or drive her off. Treasure, Treasure Everywhere A hag’s home is cluttered with mundane

Doppelganger

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)

reverts to its true form if it dies. Ambusher. In the first round of a combat, the doppelganger has advantage on attack rolls against any creature it surprised. Surprise Attack. If the

doppelganger surprises a creature and hits it with an attack during the first round of combat, the target takes an extra 10 (3d6) damage from the attack. Actions Multiattack. The doppelganger makes two melee

Hosts of the Nine Hells

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Hosts of the Nine Hells Tiamat has long threatened Faerûn, often appearing in lands such as Chessenta and Unther to drive mortals to worship her awesome power. Although mortals don’t know it, the end

who expended tremendous amounts of magical power to breach the barriers that separate the Nine Hells from other planes. Using Devils Devils aren’t numerous in The Rise of Tiamat until the final

Adult Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

beauty of the ocean. (Good) 6 Code of Combat. I despise most other dragons, but I meet them face to face without resorting to the base trickery I use on lesser creatures. (Lawful) Topaz

drive the giant away. 2 An adult topaz dragon and an adult bronze dragon are finding their centuries-old enmity turning into a more romantic passion. 3 A djinni hopes to convince a topaz

Flavors of Fantasy

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

to drive the action of a campaign: Evil Cult. Wicked cultists infiltrate a peaceful realm to free an ancient evil entity trapped in a dungeon. Releasing the entity would surely spell the realm’s doom

symbolize the decadence and corruption of civilization, and mages are the classic villains of these settings. Magic items are therefore rare and often dangerous. Consider conflicts like these to drive the

Stone Cursed

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monsters of the Multiverse

the burned feathers of a cockatrice, awakens a dim echo of the petrified victim’s spirit, animating the statue and turning it into a useful guardian. Stone cursed possess a malevolent drive to slay

the living, yet they are utterly loyal to whoever performed the ritual to animate them, and they obey that being’s orders to the best of their ability. In combat, stony claws that drip with thick, gray

Sparkrender's Ritual

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragons of Stormwreck Isle

characters leave and take a long rest before confronting Sparkrender, or if they flee from combat with Sparkrender and return after they’ve rested. Another possibility is that the characters drive

dragon wyrmling), if they can free Aidron from his chains (see “Freeing Aidron” below). Any surviving kobolds and winged kobolds lurk here, but they stay out of combat if possible. See “Waking the

Unwelcome Party

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

was planning to take her boys to find safety. High Overseer Thavius Kreeg is the leader of the city, and Harkina hopes that he is working on a plan to rescue survivors and drive away the devils. If

those NPCs in combat. The easiest option is to have the NPCs stay back and out of the way, limiting their options to following the characters or hiding from enemies. During fights, you can effectively

King's Dark Lanterns

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War

willing to exercise his considerable power on that agent’s behalf. The King’s Citadel. The Citadel has three branches besides the Dark Lanterns. The King’s Swords are elite special combat forces. The

, possibly including Oargev himself, call for the establishment of an independent nation in what is now Brelish territory, but Boranel is determined to hold on to every acre of his land. The Dark Lanterns actively infiltrate the Cyran refugee community, rooting out those who would act against the king.

Plot Points

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

you like, especially if you want the players to drive more of the story. Once every player at the table has spent a plot point, they each gain 1 plot point. Option 1: What a Twist! A player who spends a

can spend a plot point to become the DM. That player’s character becomes an NPC, and play continues. It’s probably not a good idea to swap roles in the middle of combat, but it can happen if your group

Lizardfolk

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)

territorial, they use camouflaged scouts to guard the perimeter of their domain. When unwelcome visitors are detected, a tribe sends a hunting band to harass or drive the trespassers off, or tricks them into

taste for humanoid flesh. Prisoners are often taken back to their camps to become the centerpieces of great feasts and rites involving dancing, storytelling, and ritual combat. Victims are either

Styes Encounters

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh

Styes Encounters The adventure presents only those encounters and events that drive the plot, but any character who spends time in the Styes is bound to have additional unpleasant interactions. As

attack, the militia retreat if any of them are killed or at the end of the second round of combat. If any militia members are killed, the characters are immediately attacked by any other militia

Stone Cursed

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

malevolent drive to slay the living, yet they are utterly loyal to whoever performed the ritual to animate them, and they obey that being’s orders to the best of their ability. In combat, stony claws

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

can divert the characters’ attention away from the dragon and make a combat encounter more interesting—as well as more dangerous. See “Followers” earlier in this chapter for ideas about how the

Battle Master

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

Battle Master Those who emulate the archetypal Battle Master employ martial techniques passed down through generations. To a Battle Master, combat is an academic field, sometimes including subjects

well-rounded fighters of great skill and knowledge. Combat Superiority When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you learn maneuvers that are fueled by special dice called superiority dice. Maneuvers

D&D Beyond

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