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Returning 35 results for 'before both dealing combatants rules'.
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Monsters
Monstrous Compendium Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures
until the end of the high fae’s next turn.
Ridicule. When a creature misses the high fae with an attack roll, the high fae magically mocks the creature, dealing 5 (2d4);{"diceNotation":"2d4
untamed wilderness. High fae have no regard for mortal values of honor and law, but they nonetheless operate under inviolable rules of their own: gifts must always be repaid, promises must be honored
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Divine Contention
Running the Battle This quest is an epic battle involving hundreds of rival combatants. Use the following rules to resolve the conflict.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Initiative Initiative determines the order of turns during combat. The combat rules in “Playing the Game” explain how to roll Initiative. Sometimes a DM might have combatants use their Initiative
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook
Initiative Initiative determines the order of turns during combat. The combat rules in chapter 1 explain how to roll Initiative. Sometimes a DM might have combatants use their Initiative scores
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
single tournament has twelve combatants and consists of three fights with short rests in between. Failure to heed the following rules result in a combatant’s disqualification: All tournament
combatants must wait in area X7 until they’re called to area X6 to fight. During a fight event, no combatant can leave the arena or attack anyone who isn’t a combatant in that event. Tournament Structure Noska
Monsters
Curse of Strahd
","rollAction":"Unarmed Strike","rollDamageType":"necrotic"} necrotic damage. If the target is a creature, Strahd can grapple it (escape DC 18) instead of dealing the slashing damage.
Bite. Melee Weapon
the reach of melee combatants and spellcasters, or he flies away (using summoned wolf;wolves or swarm of bats;swarms of bats or swarm of rats;rats to guard his retreat).
Strahd observes the characters
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
challenge the monarch for the right to rule. The grounds are 20 feet in diameter. Combatants are shackled by one wrist or ankle to a 10-foot length of chain attached to the tree. Each chain has AC 19
, 11 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. Using an action, a creature can pull a chain free of the tree with a successful DC 17 Strength (Athletics) check. Combat Rules. A trial by
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
Special Weapons Weapons with special rules are described here. Lance. You have disadvantage when you use a lance to attack a target within 5 feet of you. Also, a lance requires two hands to wield
creature can use its action to make a DC 10 Strength check, freeing itself or another creature within its reach on a success. Dealing 5 slashing damage to the net (AC 10) also frees the creature without
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
are meant to help organize, and even inspire, the action of a D&D campaign. The rules are a tool, and we want our tools to be as effective as possible. No matter how good those tools might be, they
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
their foes, or it might join one side or the other. Each time one or more new combatants join the encounter, roll Initiative for them and weave them into the Initiative order. Change the Terrain Consider
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
help organize, and even inspire, the action of a D&D campaign. The rules are a tool, and we want our tools to be as effective as possible. No matter how good those tools might be, they need a group of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
“Know Your Players” in chapter 2), but it can cross a line into being exploitative, interfering with everyone else’s fun. Setting clear expectations is essential when dealing with this kind of rules
(with their input), arbitrate the rules, and settle arguments. And when you’re narrating the action of the game, the players should be paying attention. Player Die Rolling Players should roll their dice
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
everyone else’s fun. Setting clear expectations is essential when dealing with this kind of rules exploitation. Bear these principles in mind: Rules Aren’t Physics. The rules of the game are meant to
(with their input), arbitrate the rules, and settle arguments. And when you’re narrating the action of the game, the players should be paying attention. Player Die Rolling Players should roll their dice
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook
the rules glossary for more about Speed as well as about special speeds, such as a Climb Speed, Fly Speed, or Swim Speed. Difficult Terrain Combatants are often slowed down by Difficult Terrain. Low
, you can move a distance equal to your Speed or less. Or you can decide not to move. Your movement can include climbing, crawling, jumping, and swimming (each explained in the rules glossary). These
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
noted in the monster’s stat block. See the Rules Glossary for more about Speed as well as about special speeds, such as a Climb Speed, Fly Speed, or Swim Speed. Difficult Terrain Combatants are often
explained in the Rules Glossary). These different modes of movement can be combined with your regular movement, or they can constitute your entire move. However you’re moving with your Speed, you deduct
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
capabilities. Imps are used as spies and messengers rather than combatants, and they are the infernal agents most often encountered on the Material Plane. Lesser devils rarely command other devils, aside
all. Rules for Everything Devils are evil schemers by nature, but they must operate within the bounds of the Nine Hells’ intricate legal code. A devil’s attitude toward the law is in part driven by its
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook
adversaries are—how far away and in what direction. Roll Initiative. Everyone involved in the combat encounter rolls Initiative, determining the order of combatants’ turns. Take Turns. Each participant in the
their Initiative count, or Initiative for short. The DM ranks the combatants, from highest to lowest Initiative. This is the order in which they act during each round. The Initiative order remains the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
adversaries are—how far away and in what direction. Roll Initiative. Everyone involved in the combat encounter rolls Initiative, determining the order of combatants’ turns. Take Turns. Each participant in the
their Initiative count, or Initiative for short. The DM ranks the combatants, from highest to lowest Initiative. This is the order in which they act during each round. The Initiative order remains the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
that reason, there's a limit to the number of creatures that can surround another creature in combat. Assuming Medium combatants, eight creatures can fit in a 5-foot radius around another one
miniatures or other tokens, follow these rules.
Squares. Each square on the grid represents 5 feet.
Speed. Rather than moving foot by foot, move square by square on the grid. This means you use your speed
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm King's Thunder
creature must use an action to push or pull on the heavy door, opening it with a successful DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check. See area 6 for rules on dealing with giant doors that are frozen shut.
Frost
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
, unless the particular attack has rules that specify otherwise. Some attacks cause special effects in addition to or instead of damage.
If there’s ever any question whether something you’re doing
chapter.
If the d20 roll for an attack is a 1, the attack misses regardless of any modifiers or the target’s AC.
Unseen Attackers and Targets Combatants often try to escape their foes’ notice by
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice Compendium
, initiative is rolled as normal. Then, the first round of combat starts, and the unsurprised combatants act in initiative order. A surprised creature can’t move or take an action or a reaction until its
factor. You can still try to hide from your foes and gain the benefits conferred by being hidden, but you don’t deprive your foes of their turns when you do so. Surprise rules work for two opposing
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
effectively. Light. A light weapon is small and easy to handle, making it ideal for use when fighting with two weapons. See the rules for two-weapon fighting in chapter 9. Loading. Because of the time required
has unusual rules governing its use, explained in the weapon’s description (see "Special Weapons" later in this section). Thrown. If a weapon has the thrown property, you can throw the weapon to make a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Running Combat This section builds on the combat rules in Playing the Game and offers tips for keeping the game running smoothly when a fight breaks out. Rolling Initiative Combat starts when—and
and each group of identical monsters, placed in Initiative order in a stack you cycle through A hidden list allows you to track combatants who haven’t been revealed yet, and you can use the list as a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss
different combatants to maneuver. The giant moves in the characters’ direction and lashes out. Two duergar guards and two duergar xarrorn (see appendix C) respond to the giant’s roaring, racing in to join
arrivals to the city. If the characters knocked Rihuud unconscious instead of dealing a lethal blow, a grateful Dorhun asks them to visit Cairngorm Cavern before they leave the city, informing the Stone
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Flee, Mortals! Rule Primer
of goblin minions (each with 6 hit points). She hits a goblin minion with her longsword and uses Divine Smite, dealing 8 slashing damage and 11 radiant damage to the target for a total of 19 damage
rogue is hidden and takes aim at a group of zombie minions (each with 6 hit points) with his light crossbow (which has a short range of 80 feet). He hits a zombie minion with his crossbow, dealing
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Light of Xaryxis
the start of the encounter. Given the number of ships and combatants on both sides, it is impractical to track everyone’s movements and actions. Instead, narrow the focus of the conflict to the
the fray, arriving just as the characters finish dealing with Commander Vael’s flagship: Seven dragons with multicolored scales and gaseous wings slither through Wildspace with their mouths agape like
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
should also consider using miniatures. The Player’s Handbook offers simple rules for depicting combat using miniature figures on a grid. This section expands on that material. Tactical Maps You can draw
monster takes up an amount of space different from what’s on the table, that’s fine, but treat the monster as its official size for all other rules. For example, you might use a miniature that has a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
space also reflects the area it needs to fight effectively. For that reason, there’s a limit to the number of creatures that can surround another creature in combat. Assuming Medium combatants, eight
GRID
If you play out a combat using a square grid and miniatures or other tokens, follow these rules.
Squares. Each square on the grid represents 5 feet.
Speed. Rather than moving foot by foot
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh
cart filled with stolen art through the middle of a battlefield while singing sea shanties to confuse the combatants. 3 The Recruit. You enlisted in another nation’s navy for the purpose of smuggling
Wealth. Heaps of coins in a secure vault is all I dream of. (Any) 2 Smuggler’s Code. I uphold the unwritten rules of the smugglers, who do not cheat one another or directly harm innocents. (Lawful) 3
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss
different prices to buy or sell every time they are asked about the same items, and insist that the characters dealing with them are the ones changing their terms. A duergar merchant suddenly turns
somehow follow him here, use the chase rules in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, adapting the results for urban complications to a cave full of hateful derro. If Droki loses them, the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Giants of the Star Forge
Fireside Contests The Fireside contests are described below. They can be run in any order. The rules of the Fireside contests are as follows. Competitors. Any number of characters can partake in each
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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm King's Thunder
ballista (see the “Siege Equipment” section in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). Tying a rope to a harpoon, if desired, takes an action. In addition to dealing 16 (3d10) piercing damage on a hit
dozen bolts. For ballista rules, see the “Siege Equipment” section in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. 4. Propeller Hatch A wooden door behind the furnace (area 1) on the upper deck pushes open
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Light of Xaryxis
Boo’s Astral Menagerie for the astral elf and plasmoid stat blocks). The Dark Star Ship-to-Ship Battle See chapter 2 of the Astral Adventurer’s Guide for rules on ship-to-ship engagements. Captain
Star’s opportunity to fire on the Moondancer. It then takes another minute for the two ships to come within boarding distance. Dealing with the Dark Star Once the ships are close enough, the three astral
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
person would avoid the noble’s intrigues and the haunted house, but in film noir or horror, we’re not dealing with sensible people; we’re dealing with protagonists in a particular type of story. For
your campaign is one where you let the dice fall where they may. It’s a good option for gritty campaigns or ones where the DM focuses on playing an impartial role as a rules arbiter. Variant: Only






