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Returning 35 results for 'before both dealing combatant rule'.
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Monsters
The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
","rollType":"damage","rollAction":"Eldritch Staff","rollDamageType":"bludgeoning"} bludgeoning damage when used with two hands, and Skylla can expend up to 3 of the staff’s charges, dealing an
effective melee combatant. She is more dangerous when she can use magic from a safe distance. She can also use her faerie fire spell to make foes easier for her allies to hit.
League of Malevolence
The
Monsters
Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1
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
, set itself up as a petty lord, and rule over all those who fall into its grasp.
A Sinister Cycle. A forlarren in its fey aspect demonstrates self-destructive urges that reflect the inherent tension in
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
Rule of Matriarchs Females are the top figures in drow society. At the head of each house is someone who is a shrewd business operator, a skilled tactician, a high priestess of Lolth, and probably
never direct and is always paved with death. A male drow can advance in standing as a combatant, a consort, or both. Physical beauty and fitness are highly prized in male drow, and those who are
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Locathah Rising
, Amble can also act as a backup healer for the party. Note that dealing damage to Gar does not break Amble’s rule, as the tortle believes that Gar is some kind of aberrant being. Because of this, Amble will not intercede when the characters attack Gar.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
Keeping Combat Moving Sometimes even the best-planned combat encounter can turn into a slog, where no one’s moving and neither side is hitting or dealing much damage to the other. When that happens
. 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->Basic Rules (2014)
. Weapons that have the finesse or thrown property break this rule. Some spells also require an attack roll. The ability modifier used for a spell attack depends on the spellcasting ability of the
Sometimes fate blesses or curses a combatant, causing the novice to hit and the veteran to miss. If the d20 roll for an attack is a 20, the attack hits regardless of any modifiers or the target's AC
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice Compendium
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
perspectives. RAW. “Rules as written”—that’s what RAW stands for. When I dwell on the RAW interpretation of a rule, I’m studying what the text says in context, without regard to the designers’ intent. The
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice & Errata
, 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
. RAW “Rules as written”—that’s what RAW stands for. When we dwell on the RAW interpretation of a rule, we’re studying what the text says in context, without regard to the designers’ intent. The text is
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
Initiative Variants This section offers different ways to handle initiative. Initiative Score With this optional rule, creature don’t roll initiative at the start of combat. Instead, each creature
remembering where you are in the list can bog the game down. If you want quicker combats, at the risk of those combats becoming unbalanced, try using the side initiative rule. Under this variant, the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh
leadership. A typical crew member uses the commoner stat block in the Monster Manual. Optional Rule: Loyalty and Quality When dealing with an individual member of the crew, you might find it useful to use
the optional loyalty rule from chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. To convert a quality score into an individual’s loyalty score, add 10 to the crew’s quality score. Mutiny A poorly led or
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
counts as an attack, the rule is simple: if you’re making an attack roll, you’re making an attack.
Attack Rolls When you make an attack, your attack roll determines whether the attack hits or misses. To
weapon attack is Strength, and the ability modifier used for a ranged weapon attack is Dexterity. Weapons that have the finesse or thrown property break this rule. Some spells also require an attack
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
melee combatant. She is more dangerous when she can use magic from a safe distance. She can also use her faerie fire spell to make foes easier for her allies to hit. Skylla
Medium Humanoid (Human
, dealing an extra 4 (1d8) lightning damage for each expended charge.
Spellcasting. Skylla casts one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability
Yuan-ti Pureblood
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
the blood, as it once did.
Because their population is so small, the yuan-ti are aware they are vulnerable in open warfare. Instead, their current plans assume they will never rule outwardly in
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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Flee, Mortals! Rule Primer
companion to build up their ferocity during a fight. However, a too-easy target doesn’t rile up a companion the way being threatened by an enemy combatant in a battle for survival does. As such, the GM
companion enters a rampage, they immediately move up to their speed toward the nearest creature they can sense and attack that creature with their signature attack (see below), dealing extra damage equal
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
Roleplaying Devils As the DM, you can play devils as humorous, aloof, bombastic, conniving, or scatterbrained, but a general rule to follow is this: devils have no desire to do good. When dealing
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
fight constantly for survival, and in that respect the lives of all githyanki became easier. The mission laid out by Vlaakith in her grand proclamation remains of utmost importance. Her rule remains
raids, she risks her best warriors and marauders becoming experienced and powerful enough to challenge her rule. Also, if she sends out too many raiding parties at one time, the security of Tu’narath
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice Compendium
sides. What happens with surprise when a third group of combatants sneaks up, hidden from the melee, and ambushes? The surprise rule is relevant only when a combat is starting. Any ambushes during the
. Can you move through the space of a prone enemy? The prone condition doesn’t override the rule that prevents you from moving through an enemy’s space, unless that enemy is at least two sizes larger or
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
spice that you can use to enhance your campaign. Some DMs forgo using inspiration, while others embrace it as a key part of the game. If you take away anything from this section, remember this golden rule
: inspiration should make the game more enjoyable for everyone. Award inspiration when players take actions that make the game more exciting, amusing, or memorable. As a rule of thumb, aim to award
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
lifetime, the isle of Gwynneth has become ever more fey and mysterious, home to the elven realm of Sarifal, under the rule of High Lady Ordalf. Sarifal shares the island with the reclusive mountain
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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
adventures for them. Rules Discussions Work out a policy about rules discussions at the table. Some groups don’t mind putting the game on hold while they discuss different interpretations of a rule. Others
wants to pause play to find a specific rule or reference, you can invite the player to search for it while you and the rest of the players continue the game. That player’s character essentially steps
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
discussions at the table. Some groups don’t mind putting the game on hold while they discuss different interpretations of a rule. Others prefer to let the DM make a call and continue playing. If you
or make a rules mistake that’s easily corrected, players who argue the rules too often can disrupt the flow of the game. If a player wants to pause play to find a specific rule or reference, you can
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice Compendium
attack to make, either an attack in its stat block or a generic attack, like an unarmed strike. Multiattack doesn’t qualify, not only because it’s more than one attack, but also because the rule on
. A monster like a dragon exists because of that magic-enhanced nature. The second type of magic is what the rules are concerned about. When a rule refers to something being magical, it’s referring to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
affecting the dragon’s challenge rating (as noted under “Customizing Dragons” earlier in this chapter). Likewise, if you use the Monster Manual variant rule to make dragons innate spellcasters, you could
dragons are careful to avoid being seen in their true forms. They show great caution in dealing with adventurers or anyone else who might have the magical ability to expose their nature. And dragons
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1
mirthful sybarite with an unfettered love of food, drink, and romance. When dealing with the forlarren, the only constant is the malleable, chaotic, and temperamental nature they all share. When its
helpless creature pleading for aid even as it looks for the opportunity to betray and overpower. Or it might seek to dominate the weak, set itself up as a petty lord, and rule over all those who fall
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
challenge rating. Languages. Most dragons prefer to speak Draconic but learn Common for dealing with allies and minions. But given their high Intelligence and long life span, dragons can easily learn
proficiencies, particularly if the dragon spends time in Humanoid form. Spells. The Monster Manual’s variant rule about making dragons innate spellcasters is an easy way to add variety to dragons
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation
receives an equal share of XP. However, the guide doesn’t gain levels as player characters do.
You can use the optional loyalty rule in chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to track the loyalty of a
where chwingas (see appendix D) dwell, and he has experience dealing with the elemental spirits. If the characters hire Qawasha, he recommends that they also purchase a charter of exploration before
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
doesn’t affect everyone in the community. Individuals might hold to their own opinions, particularly if they have personal experience in dealing with the subject of the rumors. Training to Gain Levels As
a variant rule, you can require characters to spend downtime training or studying before they gain the benefits of a new level. If you choose this option, once a character has earned enough
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
battle, Meadowleaf calls off the attack. The dryad is too bitter and angry to apologize for any errors in judgment on her part. Reminding her of the rule of hospitality (see “Rules of Conduct” in
polymorph the redcaps again unless they leave immediately. The pixies are unaccustomed to dealing with redcaps and don’t know what else to do. If the characters approach the tree and do not appear
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
dealing damage to the target or enveloping its head. Magic Mirror. A detect magic spell reveals an aura of conjuration magic around the freestanding mirror, which acts as a portal. Touching the reflective
desperation compels you to enter my home, little darlings?”
See “Dealing with Bavlorna” below for advice on how to run an encounter with the hag, keeping in mind the rules of hospitality, ownership, and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated
year was her turn to host, and she’s regretted every minute of it so far. It’s a lot of pressure dealing with these high-powered undead. Negotiating with the Liches. Lottie (surprised that the
last orrery component. You can ask for Charisma (Persuasion) checks to carry the conversation, or let good roleplaying rule. If the characters haven’t encountered the illusory Lottie in area 5, the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated
to the idea. Sharna is a formidable combatant compared to most folk in Phandalin. She also keeps four bodyguards (thugs) on hand to guard the exchange, travel to the mines, rough up “uncooperative
with him — and dealing with his ability to make their lives easier or harder — whether they want to or not.
Another possibility is that one of the characters could run for office as a last-minute
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
districts of the plane represent different aspects of law: precisely maintained fields, legalistic tribunals, and hordes of modrons compiling archives of every rule or regulation ever created. Some
fiendish satraps rule city-islands of obsidian that drift atop seas of magma, their minions producing metalcraft of surpassing beauty and quality. Fernia Manifest Zone Features d4 Feature 1 Spells
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
innate right to rule, and this belief is the cornerstone of every chromatic dragon’s personality and worldview. Trying to humble a chromatic dragon is like trying to convince the wind to stop blowing. To
she shares control of the faith of dragonkind. She also holds a special enmity for Asmodeus, who long ago stripped her of the rule of Avernus and who continues to curb the Dragon Queen’s power. Black
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
remake the world and rule over all. The Black Earth priests form a cabal of leaders whose fanaticism and magical power serve as the backbone of the cult. Individuals of unusual power hold higher rank
Rod. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage. The stonemelder can also expend a spell slot to deal extra damage, dealing 2d8 bludgeoning damage for a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd
to as “the old crow”). Although Urwin could easily visit the winery himself, he considers dealing with his father to be a worthy test of the characters’ competence, and he makes good on his promise if
’ Loft Dim light spilling in through a pair of dirt-encrusted windows reveals piles of hay with pitchforks sticking out of them. Ravens rule this roost—you can see hundreds of them. Characters who search