before based defusing combat response

Archmage

Monsters Monster Manual

version), Mind Blank (cast before combat), Scrying, TeleportProtective Magic (3/Day). The archmage casts Counterspell or Shield in response to the spell’s trigger, using the same spellcasting

Summon Construct

Spells Player’s Handbook

it drops to 0 Hit Points or when the spell ends. The creature is an ally to you and your allies. In combat, the creature shares your Initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours

spell’s level Bludgeoning damage. Reactions Berserk Lashing (Clay Only). Trigger: The spirit takes damage from a creature. Response: The spirit makes a Slam attack against that creature if

Summon Fey

Spells Player’s Handbook

spell ends. The creature is an ally to you and your allies. In combat, the creature shares your Initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It obeys your verbal commands (no

Force damage. Bonus Actions Fey Step. The spirit magically teleports up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. Then one of the following effects occurs, based on the spirit’s chosen mood

Lyrandar Scion

Monsters Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

response to that spell’s trigger, using the same spellcasting ability as Spellcasting. <p>The Khoravar dragonmarked scions of House Lyrandar include swashbuckling sky captains, seafaring

adventurers, and sinister cultists of the Hurricane Harvest. The power of their dragonmarks manifests as easy control of wind, thunder, and lightning, which they wield as readily in combat as in navigating

Manshoon

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

, Wall of Force 1/Day Each: Befuddlement, Clone, Finger of Death, Mind Blank (cast before combat), SimulacrumProtective Magic. Manshoon casts Counterspell or Shield in response to the spell’s

Martial Arts Adept

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3);{"diceNotation":"1d4+3","rollType":"damage","rollAction":"Dart","rollDamageType":"piercing"} piercing damage.Deflect Missile. In response to being hit

hand-to-hand combat. Some protect monasteries; others travel the world seeking enlightenment or new forms of combat to master. A few become bodyguards, trading their combat prowess and loyalty for

Grandolpha Muzgardt

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

"} poison damage.Grandolpha Muzgardt, the grand dame of the Muzgardt duergar clan, has recently arrived at the fortress after being invited here by Xardorok Sunblight;Xardorok. The Muzgardts are based

admiration for Grandolpha to foresee her treachery. Before entering combat, Grandolpha casts stoneskin on herself. Once her duergar;guards come to her rescue, she withdraws from combat and uses her

Tanarukk

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

+ 4);{"diceNotation":"2d6+4", "rollType":"damage", "rollAction":"Greatsword", "rollDamageType":"slashing"} slashing damage.Unbridled Fury. In response to being hit by a melee attack, the tanarukk can

tanarukks are valued as fearsome fighters, they are a threat to their allies off the battlefield. When not in combat, a tanarukk is destructive and volatile and is usually kept imprisoned by its allies. If

Astral Elf Honor Guard

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

important individuals and locations is entrusted to astral elf honor guards, highly trained warriors who are more than capable of holding their own in combat. Astral Elves Long ago, some elves ventured

harvested from Wildspace systems and bound together with an organic, plant-based material that hardens like ceramic. The elves sculpt these substances in various configurations to create star moth;star

Kobold Dragonshield

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Dragon’s Resistance. The kobold has resistance to a type of damage based on the color of dragon that invested it with power (choose or roll a d10;{"diceNotation":"1d10","rollType":"roll

eggs, but once every few years a kobold hatches with an innate version of the dragonshield’s abilities. In either case, a dragonshield is skilled at hand-to-hand combat and bears a shield made

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

they obey that being’s orders to the best of their ability. In combat, stony claws that drip with thick, gray sludge emerge from a stone cursed’s fingers. This alchemical sludge

Duergar Stone Guard

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

neighbors. To this end, duergar warriors fulfill a variety of combat roles, often marrying their fury in battle with their psionic abilities or training dangerous Underdark creatures as mounts. Denigrated by

carrying. While enlarged, the duergar is Large, doubles its damage dice on Strength-based weapon attacks (included in the attacks), and makes Strength checks and Strength saving throws with advantage

Homunculus Servant

spells Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

by the new one. You determine the homunculus’s appearance, such as a mechanical-looking bird, winged vial, or miniature animate cauldron. Combat. The homunculus is an ally to you and your

allies. In combat, it shares your Initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It obeys your commands (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any, it takes the Dodge

Elkhorn

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

dead.” Combat Notes Elkhorn’s challenge rating is based on him using Feint to improve his rather weak sword attack. Having been trained in his youth to fight ogres and trolls, he&rsquo

Duergar Soulblade

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Underdark, duergar must constantly be on guard against the raids and plots of their neighbors. To this end, duergar warriors fulfill a variety of combat roles, often marrying their fury in battle with

minute, the duergar magically increases in size, along with anything it is wearing or carrying. While enlarged, the duergar is Large, doubles its damage dice on Strength-based weapon attacks

Duergar Xarrorn

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

guard against the raids and plots of their neighbors. To this end, duergar warriors fulfill a variety of combat roles, often marrying their fury in battle with their psionic abilities or training

in size, along with anything it is wearing or carrying. While enlarged, the duergar is Large, doubles its damage dice on Strength-based weapon attacks (included in the attacks), and makes Strength

Half-Elf Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

. 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

-Elf Variants Some half-elves in Faerûn have a racial trait in place of the Skill Versatility trait. If your DM allows it, your half-elf character can forgo Skill Versatility and instead take the elf trait Keen Senses or a trait based on your elf parentage:

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

rage against their enemies. They simply observe and react as a situation warrants. Lizardfolk lack meaningful emotional ties to the past. They assess situations based on their current and future

, if other creatures prove useful to lizardfolk, those creatures can trigger a protective response made all the stronger by their apparent weakness. The lizardfolk assess such beings as hatchlings

Clockwork Stone Defender

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

", "rollDamageType":"bludgeoning"} bludgeoning damage, and if the target is Large or smaller, it is knocked prone.Intercept Attack. In response to another creature within 5 feet of it being hit by an

points or fewer at the start of its turn in combat, roll a d6. If you roll a 1, it retreats from combat if possible. It otherwise keeps fighting. 7 Overheats. Roll a d6 at the start of the

Summon Fey Legacy

Spells Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

points or when the spell ends. The creature is an ally to you and your companions. In combat, the creature shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It obeys

’s level piercing damage + 1d6 force damage. Bonus Actions Fey Step. The fey magically teleports up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. Then one of the following effects occurs, based on

Duergar Warlord

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

dwell in the Underdark, duergar must constantly be on guard against the raids and plots of their neighbors. To this end, duergar warriors fulfill a variety of combat roles, often marrying their fury in

Rest). For 1 minute, the duergar magically increases in size, along with anything it is wearing or carrying. While enlarged, the duergar is Large, doubles its damage dice on Strength-based weapon

Factol Skall

Monsters Adventure Atlas: The Mortuary

takes 10 (3d6);{"diceNotation":"3d6", "rollType":"damage", "rollAction":"Baleful Counterspell", "rollDamageType":"necrotic"} necrotic damage if the spell fails. Near-Death Experience. In response to

eternal nature has eroded any memory of mortal life. As a result of his decay, Skall’s power has waned considerably, but challenging him in combat is as much a death sentence as ever. Factol Skall

Yuan-ti Pureblood Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

with that of snakes, producing a caste-based society of hybrids in which the most snakelike are the leaders and the most humanlike are spies and agents in foreign lands. Humans Transformed The

caste system based on how complete a person’s transformation was. The vast majority of yuan-ti fall into three categories — abominations, malisons, and purebloods — while the mutated

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

their torch-based code. From the lighting, placement, and type of torch arranged on or near a structure, you can gather a great deal of information about those who live or do business there, particularly

Orthon

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

knows which one, but not the exact location there.Explosive Retribution. In response to dropping to 15 hit points or fewer, the orthon explodes. All other creatures within 30 feet of it must each make

value the challenge of the chase and the thrill of one-on-one combat above all else. An orthon’s first loyalty is to its archduke, but one with no immediate assignment might work for anyone who

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

scythe. Only a skilled and determined hero can hope to survive single combat with an orc. Savage and fearless, orc tribes are ever in search of elves, dwarves, and humans to destroy. Motivated by their

while learning to fight, to survive in the wild, and to fear the gods. The children that can’t endure the rigors of a life of combat are culled from the main body of the tribe, taken into the

Young Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

is weakened until the end of its next turn. A weakened creature has disadvantage on Strength-based ability checks and Strength saving throws, and the creature’s weapon attacks that rely on

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 Dragon Adventures The Topaz Dragon

Topaz Dragon Wyrmling

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

":"Desiccating Breath", "rollDamageType":"necrotic"} necrotic damage and is weakened until the end of its next turn. A weakened creature has disadvantage on Strength-based ability checks and Strength

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 Dragon

Experience Points

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

Experience Points Experience points (XP) fuel level advancement for player characters and are most often the reward for completing combat encounters. Each monster has an XP value based on its

received substantial assistance from one or more NPCs, count those NPCs as party members when dividing up the XP. (Because the NPCs made the fight easier, individual characters receive fewer XP.) Chapter 3, "Creating Adventures" provides guidelines for designing combat encounters using experience points.

Event-Based Adventures

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

Event-Based Adventures In an event-based adventure, the focus is on what the characters and villains do and what happens as a result. The question of where those things happen is of secondary

importance. Building an event-based adventure is more work than building a location-based one, but the process can be simplified by following a number of straightforward steps. Several steps include tables

Adjusting Encounters

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

Adjusting Encounters This adventure contains advice for adjusting encounters based on the number of characters in the party. You are empowered to modify the number of enemies in an encounter and

their hit point totals as you see fit. If you need to adjust the difficulty of an encounter during combat, you can alter hit point totals without the player characters ever knowing and have enemies retreat or reinforcements arrive as needed.

Group Attacks

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Flee, Mortals! Rule Primer

the minions into multiple groups based on the type of cover or concealment they have, then make a separate attack for each group. Target Response Effects If a group attack triggers a reaction or

many minions join a group attack. For instance, if five minions surround a target, the GM may decide to have all five attack at once to speed up combat, or may break up the attacks among smaller groups

7. Minotaur Caves

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

minotaurs stand watch in this area and attack in response to any intrusion. The sound of combat here brings the seven minotaurs from area 7a as reinforcements. 7c. Minotaur Graveyard The minotaurs place

devour their kills if they are victorious. Any sound of combat in this area brings the five minotaurs in area 7b as reinforcements. 7b. Northern Cave This cave has the same features as area 7a. Five

Fellow Travelers

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

out while the winning force suffers a few casualties — anywhere from 10 to 50 percent — based on how difficult you judge the combat was for them.

(see chapter 8). This changes some of the conditions described in “Underdark Travel” in chapter 2. ATTACKING IN FORCE When dealing with combat between large groups of creatures — either the

Half-Orcs

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

in Faerûnian civilization — or, perhaps more accurately, civilization has never made room for them. Most of the common folk have an aversion to half-orcs based largely on their appearance: anyone who

in towns and cities, but their appearance marks them as outsiders. In response to being ostracized, half-orcs either embrace their otherness and take pride in their physical superiority, pull back and

D&D Beyond

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