before both decides combat rarely

Blackrazor

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide

creature’s Hit Point maximum. Haste. Blackrazor can cast Haste on you, after which it can’t cast this spell again until the next dawn. Blackrazor decides when to cast the spell, which takes

effect at the start of your turn. The spell lasts for 1 minute (no Concentration required) or until Blackrazor decides to end it, which it can do at the end of any of your turns. Sentience

Spinosaurus

Equipment

Before it can be ridden in combat, a spinosaurus dinosaur must practice bearing the weight of its trainer and passengers. They rarely master more than a handful of tricks, but they are extremely

Crimson Octopus Ink

Equipment

Combat Utility Whimsy 19 18 19 Artisans and scribes who use ink from the rare crimson octopus profess it makes the highest quality ink and dye on the island. But potion

in the Shallows and the Lionfish King feverishly guards one of them. To make matters even more difficult for would-be poachers or ink harvesters, crimson octopuses are intelligent, wary masters of camouflage who rarely come out during the day.

Living Doll

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

False Appearance. If the doll is motionless at the start of combat, it has advantage on its initiative roll. Moreover, if a creature hasn’t observed the doll move or act, that creature must

or paranoia. Because it fears its own destruction, the doll rarely causes direct harm to others. When forced to defend itself, it debilitates opponents with its maniacal cackle and assaults the minds

Red Ruin

Monsters Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

Draconic Devotion. While Red Ruin can see a Dragon that isn’t hostile to her, she has advantage on attack rolls. Mounted Combat Master. When Red Ruin is mounted and a creature targets her

refer to her merely as “commander” or “Red Ruin”—a sobriquet earned after razing numerous targets from the air. She rarely removes her distinctive dragonnel-shaped helmet

Animated Coffin

Monsters Adventure Atlas: The Mortuary

False Appearance. If the animated coffin is motionless at the start of combat, it has advantage on its initiative roll. Moreover, if a creature hasn’t observed the coffin move or act, that

during the day, while a necromancer might enlist animated coffins to conscript corpses from faraway settlements into an Undead army. Animated coffins are rarely empty. The Animated Coffin Contents

Initiative Legacy

Rules

Initiative determines the order of turns during combat. When combat starts, every participant rolls Initiative; they make a Dexterity check that determines their place in the Initiative order. The DM

rolls for monsters.Surprise. If a combatant is surprised by combat starting, that combatant has Disadvantage on their Initiative roll. For example, if an ambusher starts combat while hidden from a

Ube

Equipment

Combat Utility Whimsy 2 6 5 Ube has long been eaten as a staple by Obojimans and there is rarely a festival feast that doesn’t feature ube cooked in a variety of ways

Duergar Stone Guard

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

neighbors. To this end, duergar warriors fulfill a variety of combat roles, often marrying their fury in battle with their psionic abilities or training dangerous Underdark creatures as mounts. Denigrated by

some as joyless, duergar are in fact deeply passionate in all that they do—even if that passion rarely manifests as mirth. They bring an emotional intensity to their lives, whether they&rsquo

Venom Troll

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

tissue, and poison leaks from the pores to coat the troll’s fangs and claws. These creatures are especially dangerous in close combat because poison drips off their flesh and sprays out from every

case for dire troll;dire trolls. Vaprak the Destroyer Although trolls are rarely devout and seldom ponder spiritual questions, some fear and venerate the entity known as Vaprak the Destroyer

Duergar Soulblade

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Underdark, duergar must constantly be on guard against the raids and plots of their neighbors. To this end, duergar warriors fulfill a variety of combat roles, often marrying their fury in battle with

their psionic abilities or training dangerous Underdark creatures as mounts. Denigrated by some as joyless, duergar are in fact deeply passionate in all that they do—even if that passion rarely

Duergar Xarrorn

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

guard against the raids and plots of their neighbors. To this end, duergar warriors fulfill a variety of combat roles, often marrying their fury in battle with their psionic abilities or training

dangerous Underdark creatures as mounts. Denigrated by some as joyless, duergar are in fact deeply passionate in all that they do—even if that passion rarely manifests as mirth. They bring an

Blackrazor Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

constructs or undead. You also can’t be charmed or frightened. Blackrazor can cast the haste spell on you once per day. It decides when to cast the spell and maintains concentration on it so that

together in combat, even though it violently disagrees with Whelm and finds Wave tedious. Blackrazor’s hunger for souls must be regularly fed. If the sword goes three days or more without consuming a soul, a conflict between it and its wielder occurs at the next sunset.

Duergar Kavalrachni

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

many who dwell in the Underdark, duergar must constantly be on guard against the raids and plots of their neighbors. To this end, duergar warriors fulfill a variety of combat roles, often marrying

if that passion rarely manifests as mirth. They bring an emotional intensity to their lives, whether they’re exploring neighboring tunnels, defending their homes, engaging with their families

Duergar Despot

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

many who dwell in the Underdark, duergar must constantly be on guard against the raids and plots of their neighbors. To this end, duergar warriors fulfill a variety of combat roles, often marrying their

that passion rarely manifests as mirth. They bring an emotional intensity to their lives, whether they’re exploring neighboring tunnels, defending their homes, engaging with their families, or

Marine

Backgrounds Ghosts of Saltmarsh

who rarely lose composure on the battlefield. Marines who leave the service tend to work as mercenaries, but their combat experience also makes them excellent adventurers. Though they are self-reliant

, marines tend to operate best in groups, valuing camaraderie and the companionship of like-minded individuals. D8 PERSONALITY TRAIT 1 I speak rarely but mean every word I say

Changeling

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

changelings today—even in those changelings who have never set foot in the fey realm. Each changeling decides how to use their shape-shifting ability, channeling either the peril or the joy of the

, investigation, and combat. Personas can be shared by multiple changelings; a community might be home to three healer changelings, with whoever is on duty adopting the persona of Andrea, the gentle

Duergar Mind Master

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

this end, duergar warriors fulfill a variety of combat roles, often marrying their fury in battle with their psionic abilities or training dangerous Underdark creatures as mounts. Denigrated by some

as joyless, duergar are in fact deeply passionate in all that they do—even if that passion rarely manifests as mirth. They bring an emotional intensity to their lives, whether they’re

Duergar Warlord

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

dwell in the Underdark, duergar must constantly be on guard against the raids and plots of their neighbors. To this end, duergar warriors fulfill a variety of combat roles, often marrying their fury in

passion rarely manifests as mirth. They bring an emotional intensity to their lives, whether they’re exploring neighboring tunnels, defending their homes, engaging with their families, or crafting

Factol Skall

Monsters Adventure Atlas: The Mortuary

, rasping to himself. Skall appears as little more than a floating, disembodied head and two hands, his tattered cloak fluttering behind them. Notorious among the factols of Sigil but rarely seen in the

eternal nature has eroded any memory of mortal life. As a result of his decay, Skall’s power has waned considerably, but challenging him in combat is as much a death sentence as ever. Factol Skall

Topaz Dragon Wyrmling

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

ocean. (Good) 6 Code of Combat. I despise most other dragons, but I meet them face to face without resorting to the base trickery I use on lesser creatures. (Lawful) Topaz Dragon

dragons rarely tolerate any company but their own, and they are usually indifferent at best even toward their own kind. Moreover, their unpredictability means that even if a creature proves itself

Young Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

Combat. I despise most other dragons, but I meet them face to face without resorting to the base trickery I use on lesser creatures. (Lawful) Topaz Dragon Adventures The Topaz Dragon

intelligent creatures in the dragon’s territory, and desperate locals seek to find out what’s behind the dragon’s wrath. Connected Creatures Topaz dragons rarely tolerate any

Golgari Agent

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

coins Feature: Undercity Paths You know hidden, underground pathways that you can use to bypass crowds, obstacles, and observation as you move through the city. When you aren’t in combat, you

and companions you lead can travel between any two locations in the city twice as fast as your speed would normally allow. The paths of the undercity are haunted by dangers that rarely brave the

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

scythe. Only a skilled and determined hero can hope to survive single combat with an orc. Savage and fearless, orc tribes are ever in search of elves, dwarves, and humans to destroy. Motivated by their

while learning to fight, to survive in the wild, and to fear the gods. The children that can’t endure the rigors of a life of combat are culled from the main body of the tribe, taken into the

Changing Gods

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros

Changing Gods If events in your character’s adventuring career warrant doing so, you can abandon the service of one god and turn to a different one. Once you abandon a god’s service, you can rarely

go back without performing some act of contrition. Your DM decides whether your new god will accept you as a champion and what you might have to do to prove your commitment. When you change gods, you

Ignoring the Dice

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

Ignoring the Dice One approach is to use dice as rarely as possible. Some DMs use them only during combat, and determine success or failure as they like in other situations. With this approach, the

DM decides whether an action or a plan succeeds or fails based on how well the players make their case, how thorough or creative they are, or other factors. For example, the players might describe how

Bard Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

versatility. Many bards prefer to stick to the sidelines in combat, using their magic to inspire their allies and hinder their foes from a distance. But bards are capable of defending themselves in melee if

set bards apart from their fellows. Only rarely do bards settle in one place for long, and their natural desire to travel—to find new tales to tell, new skills to learn, and new discoveries

The Order of Combat

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)

DM determines whether anyone involved in the combat encounter is surprised. 2. Establish positions. The DM decides where all the characters and monsters are located. Given the adventurers' marching

The Order of Combat A typical combat encounter is a clash between two sides, a flurry of weapon swings, feints, parries, footwork, and spellcasting. The game organizes the chaos of combat into a

Paladin Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

skills of combat, mastering a variety of weapons and armor. Even so, their martial skills are secondary to the magical power they wield: power to heal the sick and injured, to smite the wicked and the

, paladins are rarely of any evil alignment. Most of them walk the paths of charity and justice. Consider how your alignment colors the way you pursue your holy quest and the manner in which you conduct

Initiative

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)

Initiative Initiative determines the order of turns during combat. When combat starts, every participant makes a Dexterity check to determine their place in the initiative order. The DM makes one

with the lowest. This is the order (called the initiative order) in which they act during each round. The initiative order remains the same from round to round. If a tie occurs, the DM decides the order

The Order of Combat

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)

DM determines whether anyone involved in the combat encounter is surprised. Establish positions. The DM decides where all the characters and monsters are located. Given the adventurers’ marching

The Order of Combat A typical combat encounter is a clash between two sides, a flurry of weapon swings, feints, parries, footwork, and spellcasting. The game organizes the chaos of combat into a

Initiative

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)

Initiative Initiative determines the order of turns during combat. When combat starts, every participant makes a Dexterity check to determine their place in the initiative order. The DM makes one

with the lowest. This is the order (called the initiative order) in which they act during each round. The initiative order remains the same from round to round. If a tie occurs, the DM decides the order

Ship-to-Ship Combat

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Astral Adventurer’s Guide

Ship-to-Ship Combat The following rules are designed to make ship-to-ship combat simple yet exciting. Starting Distance At the start of an engagement, the DM decides how far a ship is from its

mangonels being the most common. Such weapons are slow to load and fire. Player characters are almost always better off using their own weapons and spells in ship-to-ship combat, reserving shipboard

Goblin Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

and know the most about the territory farthest from the tribe’s lair. These individuals hunt game in peaceful times, and in combat they serve as scouts, foot soldiers, and cavalry. Gatherers

the symbols used are rarely the same between different tribes and often make little sense to other creatures. Some possible status symbols are given in the Status Symbols table. A caste or a boss

Skirmisher

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

of battle. You use your mobility and versatility in combat to soften your adversaries and disrupt their formations. An enemy’s plan rarely survives contact with you.

D&D Beyond

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