before being dealing contest rather - Search

Alter Self

Spells Player’s Handbook

), horns (Piercing), or hooves (Bludgeoning). When you use your Unarmed Strike to deal damage with that new growth, it deals 1d6 damage of the type in parentheses instead of dealing the normal damage for

your Unarmed Strike, and you use your spellcasting ability modifier for the attack and damage rolls rather than using Strength.

Poltergeist Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

, the poltergeist makes a Charisma check contested by the target’s Strength check. If the poltergeist wins the contest, the poltergeist hurls the target up to 30 feet in any direction, including

path (+4;{"diceNotation":"1d20+4","rollType":"to hit"} to hit) and dealing 5 (2d4);{"diceNotation":"2d4","rollType":"damage","rollDamageType":"bludgeoning"} bludgeoning damage on a hit.Necrotic, PoisonAcid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Thunder; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

Swarmkeeper

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

Vladimir Horngaard

Monsters Curse of Strahd

","rollDamageType":"bludgeoning"} bludgeoning damage. Instead of dealing damage, Vladimir can grapple the target (escape DC 14) provided the target is Large or smaller. +2 Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack

witnessing Strahd himself slay Vladimir's beloved, his fellow knight Sir Godfrey Gwilym. With the battle won, Strahd surrounded Argynvostholt. Rather than cower in his lair, Argynvost emerged and

Jammer Leech

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

defensive measure. If the crew of a ship becomes aware of leeches that have become attached, it’s customary for them to try to scrape the leeches off the hull rather than attack them with weapons

. The leech attaches itself to a ship’s hull in its space, dealing 2 (1d4);{"diceNotation":"1d4","rollType":"damage","rollAction":"Attach to Hull","rollDamageType":"piercing"} piercing damage to

Swarmkeeper (TCoE)

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

Forlarren

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

bound to their fey lord and unable to bargain away their souls. So rather than claim them, Fierna warped and twisted them before returning them to the Feywild, content that the corruption of the satyrs

peppered with a parental attitude toward strangers. Another is a mirthful sybarite with an unfettered love of food, drink, and romance. When dealing with the forlarren, the only constant is the malleable

City Watch / Investigator

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

experience in enforcing the law, and dealing with lawbreakers, gives you a feel for local laws and criminals. You can easily find the local outpost of the watch or a similar organization, and just as

easily pick out the dens of criminal activity in a community, although you’re more likely to be welcome in the former locations rather than the latter. Variant: Investigator Rarer

Firbolg Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

the group’s needs, but the effect each action will have on the forest and the rest of the natural world. Firbolg tribes would rather go hungry than strain the land during a famine. Hidden

Shepherds As caretakers of the land, firbolgs prefer to remain out of sight and out of mind. They don’t try to dominate nature, but rather seek to ensure that it prospers and survives according to its

Fireside Contests

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Giants of the Star Forge

wrestler competes in each contest against any characters who take part. Purposefully dealing damage to another competitor immediately disqualifies the attacker. Other forms of interference—such as

contest, but each contest is held only once. After hearing a contest’s objective, all the characters who wish to compete in the contest must do so at the same time. Objective. To win a contest, a

Ability Checks

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

creature’s efforts. In a contest, the ability checks are compared to each other, rather than to a target number. When you call for a contest, you pick the ability that each side must use, deciding

adventurers are undercover agents of the king. If the rogue loses a contest of Charisma (Deception) against the guard’s Wisdom (Insight), the same lie told again won’t work. The characters can come up with a

Yuan-ti Pureblood Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

of evil that calls for them to butcher or eradicate all who oppose them. In keeping with their goal of domination, the yuan-ti would rather capture potentially useful opponents than kill them. They use

get into places their normal forms couldn’t enter. Their immunity to poison gives all yuan-ti a tactical advantage in dealing with other creatures. A pureblood serving as a food taster for a

Faction Agent

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

knowledge, rather than brute force. Harper agents are often proficient in Investigation, enabling them to be adept at snooping and spying. They often seek aid from other Harpers, sympathetic bards and

dealing with people in the outside world. d6 Ideal 1 Tradition. The ancient traditions of worship and sacrifice must be preserved and upheld. (Lawful) 2 Charity. I always

Festivities

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

advantage on this check if they brought their own fishing gear to the contest rather than borrowing gear. If a character fails this check by 10 or more, they are pulled into the water and are out of the

bait. At the end of each 30-minute contest, participants are given charming but valueless trophies; bragging rights are the real prize at stake. Should characters choose to participate, they find one

Feature: Watcher's Eye

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

Feature: Watcher’s Eye Your experience in enforcing the law, and dealing with lawbreakers, gives you a feel for local laws and criminals. You can easily find the local outpost of the watch or a

similar organization, and just as easily pick out the dens of criminal activity in a community, although you’re more likely to be welcome in the former locations rather than the latter.

Action Options

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

) check. If it wins the contest, the smaller creature successfully moves into the target creature’s space and clings to its body. While in the target’s space, the smaller creature moves with the target and

or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If the attacker wins the contest, the attack causes no damage or other ill effect, but the defender drops the item. The attacker has disadvantage on its attack roll if

Dealing with the Soldiers

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

Dealing with the Soldiers If the characters confront the Dragon Army soldiers on the cliffs, the messenger attempts to retreat to the Dragon Army camp on her warhorse rather than aiding her allies

Who Dwells Here?

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

such figures have been included as NPCs, but you should not treat this adventure’s approach to those characters as canon. Rather, use them to flesh out this particular adventure in “what-if” fashion

their characters should treat with such legendary figures carefully — a warning that is repeated by whichever agent the characters are dealing with.

Need a Lift?

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

character who suspects that “Vilroy” is hiding something can make a Wisdom (Insight) check contested by the changeling’s Charisma (Deception) check. A character who wins the contest detects slight

real Sergeant Vilroy and flubs any sustained questioning. If the characters realize they’re not dealing with the real Sergeant Vilroy and confront the changeling, Jas leaps out of the skycoach, uses a

Alter Self

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook

to deal damage with that new growth, it deals 1d6 damage of the type in parentheses instead of dealing the normal damage for your Unarmed Strike, and you use your spellcasting ability modifier for the attack and damage rolls rather than using Strength.

Alter Self

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

to deal damage with that new growth, it deals 1d6 damage of the type in parentheses instead of dealing the normal damage for your Unarmed Strike, and you use your spellcasting ability modifier for the attack and damage rolls rather than using Strength.

General Features

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

“Cover” in the Basic Rules). DISGUISED CHARACTERS Rather than storm Cragmaw Castle with weapons in hand, clever characters might try to talk their way inside. For example, they might don the scarlet

the contest, the deception is a success. You may award XP for monsters fooled by the deception. As the party makes its way deeper into the castle, additional checks might be required, at your discretion.

The Lords of Dust

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

operate as an alliance of like-minded cabals rather than a single monolithic organization. Each cabal serves its particular overlord above all others, and the conditions that release one overlord could

races is in directing them and their affairs down the paths necessary to release their overlords; aside from that, dealing with mortals is a tedious chore.

Confronting the Demon Lords

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

fight alongside them in this last battle. Most of the heroes’ allies are of limited use against the demon lords — creatures immune to many forms of attack, including nonmagical weapons. Rather than

dealing with the ineffectual attacks of allies or a dozen or more additional actions each round, give characters backed up by a group of allies the following benefits. Healing Support. A character regains

Demon Showdown

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

break cover to aid their allies against the demons. If they do, another demon sortie attacks them 1d4 rounds later. OPTION: PLAYING OUT THE BATTLE OPTION Rather than focusing on the adventurers

biding their time and dealing with the fallout of the titanic battle between the demon lords, you can shift focus for this part of the adventure. Consider having the players take control of the various

Magewrights

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

make a business out of predicting events that occur in the next 30 minutes. In dealing with a magewright, think about the form their magic takes. A locksmith can perform knock as a ritual. But they

don’t just snap their fingers. They may use lengths of wire or iron rods, tracing patterns around the lock they’re dealing with while murmuring incantations. An oracle might work with cards or dice, or

Wood Elves: The Tairnadal

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

Tairnadal most often encountered in Khorvaire. Despite sharing a homeland with the Aereni, the Tairnadal have distinct religious traditions, revering their patron ancestors rather than the Undying Court. In

scimitar is a martial weapon, weighing 6 pounds and dealing 2d4 slashing damage on a hit. It has the two-handed property and the following special property: If you attack with a double-bladed

Jammer Leech

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Boo’s Astral Menagerie

the leeches off the hull rather than attack them with weapons. Killing a leech while it is attached to the ship is dangerous, because the trauma of its death can be felt by the ship’s spelljammer

(1d4) piercing damage. Bonus Actions Attach to Hull. The leech attaches itself to a ship’s hull in its space, dealing 2 (1d4) piercing damage to the ship (ignoring the ship’s damage threshold). This

Specter

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

target’s Strength check. If the poltergeist wins the contest, the poltergeist hurls the target up to 30 feet in any direction, including upward. If the target then comes into contact with a hard

poltergeist can use the object as a ranged weapon, attacking one creature along the object’s path (+4 to hit) and dealing 5 (2d4) bludgeoning damage on a hit.

The Role of Rules

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice Compendium

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

running. There are times, though, when the design intent of a rule isn’t clear or when one rule seems to contradict another. Dealing with those situations is where Sage Advice comes in. This column

Unwelcome Party

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

family or attracting other fiends, but does so as a last resort. Members of the Hunt family reduced to 0 hit points by the devils are knocked unconscious rather than killed, as the devils are hoping to

forget about those NPCs, assuming that the most capable among them are dealing with minor threats in the background while the adventurers handle the potent foes. You can also have combat-worthy NPCs

The Role of Rules

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice & Errata

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

, though, when the design intent of a rule isn’t clear or when one rule seems to contradict another. Dealing with those situations is where Sage Advice comes in. It doesn’t replace a DM’s adjudication

Octopus Attack

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

to the monsters aboard the ship. To keep things simple, rather than roll saving throws for them assume they take 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage at the start of their turns. Attacking the Octopus A

character can attempt to drive off the octopus by dealing damage to it. A character can use an action to make a ranged attack or melee attack, or to cast a spell. Assume that any attack rolls hit but are

1. Entry Hall

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

. The clone challenged Halaster to a spell duel and lost more than just the contest. Halaster turned the limb into a guardian that attacks all intruders until the Mad Mage or a creature that looks like

the characters choose to deal with the bone devil rather than give up their magic items, the headmaster leads them south through areas 2, 3, 6, 38, 39, and 46. It waits for them in area 46b while

The Moonshaes

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

Northlander culture. There’s no safe harbor for outsiders; you just have no idea what you are dealing with. For other Northlanders, the settlement of Westhaven on Pandira serves as a neutral ground where

blessed by both Valkur and Umberlee at her birth, the Storm Maiden gathered great numbers of Norls to her banner, and it seemed she might contest the king for control of Norland. However, a decade

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