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Returning 35 results for 'before battle diffusing change retreats'.
Classes
Xanathar's Guide to Everything
incompetent combatant who proves frustrating to engage. The drunken master’s erratic stumbles conceal a carefully executed dance of blocks, parries, advances, attacks, and retreats.
A drunken
master often enjoys playing the fool to bring gladness to the despondent or to demonstrate humility to the arrogant, but when battle is joined, the drunken master can be a maddening, masterful foe.
Way
Classes
Xanathar's Guide to Everything
incompetent combatant who proves frustrating to engage. The drunken master’s erratic stumbles conceal a carefully executed dance of blocks, parries, advances, attacks, and retreats.
A drunken
master often enjoys playing the fool to bring gladness to the despondent or to demonstrate humility to the arrogant, but when battle is joined, the drunken master can be a maddening, masterful foe.
Way
Monsters
Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
minds, probability, and the fabric of magic itself. Their equations shift perceptions in profound ways, alter probability, and interfere with the formation of other magic. In battle, the professors tweak
interacts with the world can change the world. They impress upon their students to use magic as a tool to shape the overall experience of reality, and in turn make the world a better place.
Quandrix
Classes
Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
force in battle, as well as helpful company for the ranger. Some Swarmkeepers are outcasts or hermits, keeping to themselves and their attendant swarms rather than dealing with the discomfort of others
into the swarm, instead of a cloud of mist, or the arcane eye spell could create an extension of your swarm that spies for you. Such descriptions don’t change the effects of spells, but they are
Goliath
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Species
Elemental Evil Player's Companion
seek out a larger, more powerful wyrm to battle. Few goliath adventurers reach old age, as most die attempting to surpass their past accomplishments.
Fair Play
For goliaths, competition exists only
battle, at the peak of strength and skill, than endure the slow decay of old age. Few folk have ever meet an elderly goliath, and even those goliaths who have left their people grapple with the urge to
Monsters
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
Grave Magic. When the master of souls cast a spell that deals damage, it can change the spell's damage type to necrotic.
Spellcasting. The master of souls is a 5th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting
Myrkul;Necromites are initiates who have not yet mastered arcane magic and rely on their flails in battle. Skull Lasher of Myrkul;Skull lashers are spellcasters who use magic to augment their combat
Dwarf
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Species
Basic Rules (2014)
mountains they love, weathering the passage of centuries with stoic endurance and little change. They respect the traditions of their clans, tracing their ancestry back to the founding of their most
industrious labor, skill in battle, and devotion to the forge.
Individual dwarves are determined and loyal, true to their word and decisive in action, sometimes to the point of stubbornness. Many dwarves
Backgrounds
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
Change. Life is like the seasons, in constant change, and we must change with it. (Chaotic)
2
Greater Good. It is each person’s responsibility to make the most happiness for the whole tribe
constructs of civilization. (Neutral)
6
Glory. I must earn glory in battle, for myself and my clan. (Any)
d6
Bond
1
My family, clan, or tribe is the most important thing
Classes
Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
force in battle, as well as helpful company for the ranger. Some Swarmkeepers are outcasts or hermits, keeping to themselves and their attendant swarms rather than dealing with the discomfort of others
into the swarm, instead of a cloud of mist, or the arcane eye spell could create an extension of your swarm that spies for you. Such descriptions don’t change the effects of spells, but they are
Deck of Many Things
Legacy
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Magic Items
Basic Rules (2014)
alteration, causing your alignment to change. Lawful becomes chaotic, good becomes evil, and vice versa. If you are true neutral or unaligned, this card has no effect on you.
Comet. If you single
you, warning all others that you must win the battle alone. The avatar fights until you die or it drops to 0 hit points, whereupon it disappears. If anyone tries to help you, the helper summons its
Monsters
Eberron: Rising from the Last War
"} to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (3d8 + 4);{"diceNotation":"3d8+4","rollType":"damage","rollAction":"Spawned Ranged Weapon","rollDamageType":"force"} force damage.
Change Shape. Rak
impulses that drives many mortals to battle. Fear, greed, hatred — these are seeds that the Rage of War sows in the hopes of producing a bloody harvest.
Rak Tulkhesh typically takes the form of a vaguely
Kobold
Legacy
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
, kobold females aren’t exempted from war or work. Furthermore, kobolds can slowly change sex. If most males or females of a tribe are killed, some survivors change over several months until the
populated areas, practice cannibalism, believing it is foolish to waste good meat.
In any case, kobolds that eat humanoids don’t simply start consuming corpses or prisoners right after a battle
Magic Items
Lost Laboratory of Kwalish
spades
Rogue
Two of spades
Balance
Joker (with TM)
Fool
Joker (without TM)
Jester
Balance. Your mind suffers a wrenching alteration, causing your alignment to change for
tattered black robe. It appears in a space of the DM’s choice within 10 feet of you and attacks you, warning all others that you must win the battle alone. The avatar fights until you die or it
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss
battle to the death, with the only restriction being that they can’t withdraw from the combat. Brief tactical retreats are permissible, but Vizeran’s ritual has filled the demon lords with the rage
where they wait out the battle, attacking at once. Roll a d4 to determine the demons involved. Demon Sortie Force d4 Demon Sortie 1 4 barlguras 2 4 chasmes 3 2 hezrous 4 3 vrocks Demon Thief An
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
hostility, Gravillok retreats to area 13 while shouting out to his family in Giant, “Invasion! Arm yourselves! We’re under attack!” Gravillok’s deep bellow echoes throughout the level. To the best of his
to change his mind. In addition to his greatclub, Gravillok carries a favorite chisel, much too large for Medium or smaller characters to use as an effective tool. A successful DC 15 Intelligence
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
Mercenary Interrogation Unless the characters previously spared the life of a specific mercenary (such as Gragonis), the mercenary captured during the Battle of High Hill is a low-ranking guard of
anyone harm the captive. Cudgel initially tries to lead the interrogation, but she struggles to contain her anger at her betrayal. She soon retreats to watch from a distance as the characters lead
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Divine Contention
than once, it retreats into the clouds. If the dragon retreats, the defenders are inspired to turn the tide of battle against their enemies. The party drives off the dragon. Mark one victory and go to
Battlefield Events The following events correspond to boxes marked on the Battle Flowchart. Event 1. Dawn of the Dead The battle begins when Ularan Mortus orders his ghoulish army to attack the south
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Turn of Fortune’s Wheel
Beast of Grakenok When Grakenok comes into sight, read or paraphrase the description below. If Sytri or Tol reached Grakenok before the characters, they are already engaged in battle. With its
swiftly on land and retains its 50-foot walking speed. Change its lightning breath to deal thunder damage. This represents its discombobulating roar. The enraged whirlwyrm fights to the death. Mike
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
Foot,” “White Claw,” and “Scurry” are Common translations of often-used names. A kobold might change its name when it becomes an adult, or add additional word-syllables after important events such as
completing its first hunt, laying its first egg, or surviving its first battle. The Kobold Names table presents kobold names suitable for any campaign. Kobold Names d20 Name 1 Arix 2 Eks 3 Ett 4
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
, here are a few techniques you can use to get things moving again or bring the encounter to a speedy close. Don’t Repeat Game States When characters do something to change the tactical situation, don’t
. See “Fight or Flight” later in this chapter for more suggestions. Add a Combatant To add excitement to a battle, consider adding a combatant. Maybe a monstrous predator wanders onto the scene where the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
retreats. A drunken master often enjoys playing the fool to bring gladness to the despondent or to demonstrate humility to the arrogant, but when battle is joined, the drunken master can be a maddening
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss
A Change of Heart At some point as the characters explore Menzoberranzan, Grin Ousstyl confesses that his master Vizeran has not been entirely truthful with the adventurers. (If Grin didn’t accompany
Menzoberranzan. Placing the talisman there only ensures that the drow city becomes the site of the demon lords’ battle — and might well be laid waste in the process. If pressed, Grin admits that he isn’t
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
Sovereigns represent values tied to civilization: Law, community, trade, industry, agriculture, honor in war. The Dark Six embody dangerous concepts: Death, chaos and change, the destructive powers
of nature, treachery in battle, dark magic and monsters, passion and madness. Those who worship the Sovereigns fear these things; those who revere the Six embrace them and don’t consider them to be
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Before the Siege However the characters become enlisted in Lekar’s defense, they face a hopeless battle. They join hundreds of unprepared defenders, including commoners holding clubs or longbows for
precision tactics will change the characters’ fortunes against the zombie horde. Allow the characters to strategize however they please, though. Fortifications. Stairways within Lekar’s 40-foot-high
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
with stoic endurance and little change. They respect the traditions of their clans, tracing their ancestry back to the founding of their most ancient strongholds in the youth of the world, and don’t
abandon those traditions lightly. Part of those traditions is devotion to the gods of the dwarves, who uphold the dwarven ideals of industrious labor, skill in battle, and devotion to the forge
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss
Menzoberranzan If the City of Spiders is the site of the demon lords’ battle, it is damaged even more than it was by Demogorgon’s arrival. Word of the city’s misfortune spreads throughout the
blaming a lack of faith in the Demon Queen of Spiders, as well as the power of the wizards. Chaos and agitation for change embroil the city, forcing the already weakened ruling houses to put down
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
with stoic endurance and little change. They respect the traditions of their clans, tracing their ancestry back to the founding of their most ancient strongholds in the youth of the world, and don’t
abandon those traditions lightly. Part of those traditions is devotion to the gods of the dwarves, who uphold the dwarven ideals of industrious labor, skill in battle, and devotion to the forge
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Keranos’s Champions Keranos sees his champions as tools to bring insight and change to the world. He doesn’t contemplate the moral or ethical consequences of his insights, believing that such
Find a long-lost artifact that bestows oracular visions upon the user.
5 Defeat the champion of another god in a battle of wits (perhaps Phenax, Mogis, or Klothys).
6 Find and restore a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Seeds of Fear Aside from supernatural sources of dread and monsters who strike terror in their victims, fear is subjective and often quite personal. A battle-hardened warrior and a reclusive scholar
Seeds of Fear table offers some examples. These can change over time as characters grow, overcome old fears, and discover new uncertainties. Work with players to determine when their Seeds of Fear might
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
Aerenal In Aerenal, you might… Consult an elven archmage who’s been dead for twenty thousand years. Battle sinister forces that have crawled into Eberron from a realm of eternal night. Learn secrets
elves, the honored dead walk among the living. Heroes who died in glorious battle return to serve the Sibling Kings. And in the depths of Shae Mordai, the deathless lords of the Undying Court study
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
of 5 minutes and a long rest of 1 hour. This change makes combat more routine, since characters can easily recover from every battle. You might want to make combat encounters more difficult to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Keys from the Golden Vault
altar is a serene priest in sunny robes.
The priest is, in fact, a gray slaad using its Change Shape ability to fool the characters. The slaad was sent here to kill them, plain and simple. It
The slaad’s master watches the battle unfold through an invisible scrying sensor like the one created by a scrying spell. If the characters defeat the slaad, a magically altered voice issues from the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation
to the shrine stand ajar. If the tide of battle turns against Chief Yorb, he retreats into the shrine with his elite guards and bars the doors. A character can force open the barred doors with a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
the ballistae to attack the approaching dragonnels. A dragonnel struck by a ballista bolt panics and retreats with its two riders. Highmaster’s Message This encounter occurs while the characters are
forth in the form of a massive skeletal dragon.
This lesser death dragon (see appendix B) has come specifically for the characters. After its dramatic crash landing, it starts the battle with 160
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things
out orders in the heat of battle. This is especially useful for allies who serve as the bodyguard for a wizard character or who partner with a rogue character to help the rogue perform sneak attacks. In
. The important thing is that the ally is available when the characters want them and retreats into the background when the characters don’t want or need the help. Consider ways the ally could help the