Search Results
All Results
Characters
Compendium
Spells
Items
Monsters
Vehicles
Forums
Returning 35 results for 'before being defeat calls rather'.
Other Suggestions:
before being defeat class rather
before being deflect class rather
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
. Unfortunately, when it reaches that breaking point, its diabolical nature asserts itself, and it remains in this scheming, dominating mindset until its plans are foiled and it faces defeat. Then, overwhelmed
Backgrounds
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
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
Investigation rather than Athletics.
Suggested Characteristics
Use the tables for the soldier background below as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to
Soldier
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Backgrounds
Basic Rules (2014)
forget the crushing defeat my company suffered or the enemies who dealt it.
5
Those who fight beside me are those worth dying for.
6
I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves
mistake in battle that cost many lives—and I would do anything to keep that mistake secret.
4
My hatred of my enemies is blind and unreasoning.
5
I obey the law, even if the law causes misery.
6
I’d rather eat my armor than admit when I’m wrong.
Classes
Xanathar's Guide to Everything
The Oath of Conquest calls to paladins who seek glory in battle and the subjugation of their enemies. It isn’t enough for these paladins to establish order. They must crush the forces of chaos
conquest seared on the upper arm.
Douse the Flame of Hope. It is not enough to merely defeat an enemy in battle. Your victory must be so overwhelming that your enemies’ will to fight is shattered
Classes
Xanathar's Guide to Everything
The Oath of Conquest calls to paladins who seek glory in battle and the subjugation of their enemies. It isn’t enough for these paladins to establish order. They must crush the forces of chaos
conquest seared on the upper arm.
Douse the Flame of Hope. It is not enough to merely defeat an enemy in battle. Your victory must be so overwhelming that your enemies’ will to fight is shattered
Goliath
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Species
Elemental Evil Player's Companion
individual skill. They have a compulsion to keep score, counting their deeds and tallying their accomplishments to compare to others. Goliaths love to win, but they see defeat as a prod to improve their
away in the night to seek the cold will of fate.
In some ways, the goliath drive to outdo themselves feeds into the grim inevitability of their decline and death. A goliath would much rather die in
Lizardfolk
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
aggression toward creatures that they could defeat in a fight and that can’t be dealt with in some other manner. They are aggressive toward prey they want to eat, creatures that want to harm them, and
pleasurable creatures and things are ones that allow lizardfolk to assess more situations as benign rather than fearsome.
Cold and Calculating
Most humanoids describe cold-blooded people as lacking in
Backgrounds
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
never leave a friend behind.
3
My honor is my life.
4
I’ll never forget the crushing defeat my company suffered or the enemies who dealt it.
5
Those who fight beside me are those
enemies is blind and unreasoning.
5
I obey the law, even if the law causes misery.
6
I’d rather eat my armor than admit when I’m wrong.
Backgrounds
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
life on the battlefield. To this day, I will never leave a friend behind.
3
My honor is my life.
4
I’ll never forget the crushing defeat my company suffered or the enemies who dealt it
keep that mistake secret.
4
My hatred of my enemies is blind and unreasoning.
5
I obey the law, even if the law causes misery.
6
I’d rather eat my armor than admit when I’m wrong.
Yuan-ti Pureblood
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
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
rather than among other creatures, including my own kind.
4
I sometimes become consumed by philosophy.
5
I believe I am superior to others of my caste.
6
I am driven by wanderlust
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
created by the lich Acererak. The characters must defeat a false lich that calls himself Rerak—a less-powerful version of the Acererak—before they can claim the rod piece.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
Reaching the Tower Lolth’s forces surround the tower, but they are focused on the spyder-fiends below rather than on defense. Hundreds of driders, Humanoids, and demons surround the tower, but the
driders, 1d6 giant spiders, and 1d4 assassins. Characters who defeat the squad can try again to infiltrate the tower.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
Rolling with It Some DMs rely on die rolls for almost everything. When a character attempts a task, the DM calls for a check and picks a DC. As a DM using this style, you can’t rely on the
might work. A drawback of this approach is that roleplaying can diminish if players feel that their die rolls, rather than their decisions and characterizations, always determine success.
Goblin
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
cruel in victory, goblins are fawning and servile in defeat, just as in their own society lower castes must scrape before those of greater status and as goblin tribes bow before other goblinoids
was conquered by Maglubiyet, after all, and now when the Mighty One calls for it, even their souls are forfeit. It is this realization that drives them to dominate other creatures whenever they can
Druid
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Classes
Basic Rules (2014)
Holding high a gnarled staff wreathed with holly, an elf summons the fury of the storm and calls down explosive bolts of lightning to smite the torch-carrying orcs who threaten her forest.
Crouching
of nature itself or from a nature deity. Many druids pursue a mystic spirituality of transcendent union with nature rather than devotion to a divine entity, while others serve gods of wild nature
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver
heads are trophies from the hobgoblins’ recent victory over an elf hunting party. Clever characters might try to reason with Targor by urging him to think of himself as Grol’s successor rather than
) check. Awarding Experience Points Divide 500 XP equally among the characters if they defeat the hobgoblin war band or come to terms with Targor.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
Khur Joins Early 349 AC The Green Dragon Army was dispatched to the steppes of Khur to subdue the tribes there. Rather than fight a protracted campaign, Ariakas allowed the cunning Khur leader Salah
-Khan to defeat the Green Dragon Army’s original highlord in battle, then offered to make Salah-Khan highlord in his place. In exchange for control over Khur and the surrounding lands, Salah-Khan
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon Delves
missing villagers and forced them to serve him. The characters must investigate the grove’s corruption and defeat this wyrmling, who calls himself Sunset-Is-Nigh.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss
focus for the power of the ritual rather than a source of power itself. Vizeran’s plan calls for the adventurers to place the dark heart in Menzoberranzan. Vizeran would prefer for the dark heart to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
understand that a troll is a fearsome, dangerous creature and react accordingly. Lizardfolk never become angry in the way others do, but they act with aggression toward creatures that they could defeat in a
for lizardfolk. Pleasurable things should be preserved and protected, sometimes at the cost of the lizardfolk’s own safety. The most pleasurable creatures and things are ones that allow lizardfolk to assess more situations as benign rather than fearsome.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
them to defeat. Rather than presenting him as a foe to be challenged in combat, portray Soth as a terrifying example of the villains in the Dragon Queen’s service—a lurking threat to be avoided. By the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
himself. As he attacks, he calls on the characters to focus on slaying the stirges and then douse the troll with lamp oil and set it on fire when it falls. Yagra joins the fight if she’s conscious
. To any characters who help defeat the troll, Durnan says matter-of-factly, “You fought well.” If any of the characters are reduced to 0 hit points during the fight, employees of the Yawning Portal step forward to stabilize them.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
avoid contact with those they see as lesser creatures. They are obsessed with the Draconic Prophecy, which is a map of possible futures rather than a clear-cut prediction. Its paths are revealed in
Khorvaire without contact with Argonnessen, and some dragons have been twisted by the daelkyr or corrupted by fiends; any of these could be an antagonist if the adventure you’re crafting calls for a cruel
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd
High Deck The cards that compose the high deck aren’t considered to be one suit, although they are often denoted with a crown icon to mark their importance. Rather, each card is an important power in
or lurking just below the surface Broken One Defeat, failure, and despair; the loss of something or someone important, without which one feels incomplete Darklord A single, powerful individual of an
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
lie outright, though I choose my words carefully. I will fight to the death rather than break my word or abandon a comrade. (Lawful)
4 Discipline. Disorganization breeds defeat. I demand self
strategy. A quick death in combat is its own kind of courtesy.
6 I trust my gut. I’d rather act on incomplete information than be hamstrung by indecision.
7 I’m fascinated by other species
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
the stone-like features of a deep gnome who finds a truly remarkable gem, and such a discovery lightens the mood in the enclave for a time. Elminster calls gnomes the Forgotten Folk — an apt name
is marked by smooth, curving shapes rather than straight lines and hard edges. Svirfneblin are intensely community-minded and have little concern about privacy among themselves. Thus, they don’t
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries
regardless of their approach. Bloodbath It’s possible to kill or defeat the Amberdune Pack without ever hearing their side of the story. With no one to stop them, characters in this situation can
Digressions and see the book safely back to Candlekeep, if they so desire. NIDALIA
The true leader of the Amberdune Pack, Nidalia is a lamia who delights in hoarding books rather than in corruption and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk
Nematode writhing 500 feet above the town like a malevolent cloud. The creature is far too large to defeat by conventional attacks or spells, so the characters must once again explore the Nematode from
rather than lightning). Beyond the membrane in the Nematode’s head is a massive, fluid-filled chamber that serves as the Nematode’s brain. The characters must damage each of the five electroreceptors in
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
. Mordenheim attack the party or their allies (at the doctor’s command or otherwise). These foes are more powerful than the characters, who might defeat the majority of the attackers before being overwhelmed
. Worse Than Death? The characters are legitimately defeated during another adventure. Rather than the campaign ending, they awake in Dr. Mordenheim’s clutches, delivered there by the Mists.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
inspired and equipped two human heroes, Kynaios and Tiro, to overthrow the archon Agnomakhos. Divergent tales describe their history following the defeat of the tyrant. Some claim that they warred with each
Akros and Skophos were born from that bloodshed, inspired by the martial doctrines of Iroas and Mogis rather than the legal code of Ephara. Eventually the years of war settled into an uneasy peace with
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd
Ravenloft without first increasing their power will likely die. You can award experience points for the defeat of foes, use milestone awards, or a mixture of both. Given the fact that much of the
adventure involves social interaction and exploration, rather than combat, your work will probably be easier if you use milestone awards. Appropriate milestone awards include the following: Finding
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
characters discover a trap, be open to adjudicating their ideas for defeating it. The trap’s description is a starting point for countermeasures, rather than a complete definition. To make it easier
for you to describe what happens next, the players should be specific about how they want to defeat the trap. Simply stating the desire to make a check isn’t helpful for you. Ask the players where their characters are positioned and what they intend to do to defeat the trap.
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
never have to think about sacrificing their characters, but you should be prepared for the possibility of one or more of the heroes giving up their lives in order to defeat the evil that has arisen in
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
During the Siege Run the siege as a series of encounters rather than one extended battle. As terrible events unfold around the characters, it’s up to them to determine who and how they’ll help. Begin
horde soon begins overwhelming defenses nearby. Once the characters defeat a few zombies, roll 1d6 and consult the Zombie Siege Encounters table. The event rolled unfolds within sight of one of the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
one competitor Hazlik was unable to defeat: the Red Wizard Indreficus. Hazlik gradually came to fixate on Indreficus as his true rival. Indreficus shared Hazlik’s genius and arrogance, and they spent
impress his people’s rulers and gain their patronage. Instead, the zulkirs revealed that Indreficus had not betrayed him. Rather, the zulkirs had watched the pair’s ascent and, wary of their potential






