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Returning 35 results for 'before both defenses complex reason'.
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Monsters
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
-numbing howling to corner prey before they tear it apart. Their howls flood the minds of their victims, making complex thought impossible. Listeners can do little more than stare in horror and stumble
around the battlefield in a search for safety. Fiends especially prize howlers for this reason, because for a few crucial moments in a battle, their howls can neutralize an enemy.Cold, Fire, Lightning; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
.
3
I secretly look forward to adventurers trying to infiltrate my lair. How else could I try out new defenses?
4
Give me a storied helmet or scimitar over a pile of gold any day.
5
No
creature can outsmart my defenses—if they do, they obviously cheated.
6
Any creature that can hold their own against me must teach me how—whether they want to or not.
7
I
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
adventurers trying to infiltrate my lair. How else could I try out new defenses?
4
Give me a storied helmet or scimitar over a pile of gold any day.
5
No creature can outsmart my defenses—if
who will undoubtedly terrorize the area if they win.
8
A sapphire dragon’s lair is so well protected that its inner defenses have never been tested. The dragon spreads rumors of the
Kobold
Legacy
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
, the kobolds are usually put to work enlarging their masters’ living area and protecting vital areas of the lair with traps and other defenses.
Some human communities hire kobolds to dig their
undetected and don’t give their targets reason to harm them. For example, a group of city kobolds might sneak into a cobbler’s house at night to loot it of knives, leather bits, nails, and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
Tyar-Besil’s main entrance, a well-fortified gate complex with barracks, guardrooms, armories, and stables. Enemies that managed to fight their way down the Ancient Stair from the surface above were
stopped in their tracks by the daunting defenses of the gate quarter. More than one reckless attack by orcs, trolls, or giants was driven back from the gate. In time, those savage foes found other ways
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
hanging from their necks, and their hands glow with divine magic. On the opposite side of camp, a human woman pores over a spellbook.
The archaeologists are investigating the ancient complex in
which a piece of the Rod of Seven Parts waits. The characters can chat with the archaeologists to learn about the complex and ask to borrow magic items to aid their quest. Laysa’s Goals At camp, Laysa is
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Radiant Citadel
Citadel Defenses The Radiant Citadel’s location within the Deep Ethereal makes it difficult to assault. It keeps no standing army, but its council for defense has contingency plans it frequently
deflects all attacks. Nothing can pass or teleport through it. If the diamond sphere cannot be erected for any reason, the Radiant Citadel is not helpless. Due to its many mysteries and its magical
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss
Basidia’s Aid As the characters approach the center of Araumycos’s great cavern complex, Basidia meets them with a small detachment of loyal myconids. The myconid sovereign explains that it can
Araumycos. Basidia’s rapport spores help facilitate the process, but Araumycos’s sleeping mind isn’t in full control of the defenses of its body, and might interpret the characters’ presence as an
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
Citadel Defenses The Radiant Citadel’s location within the Deep Ethereal makes it difficult to assault. It keeps no standing army, but its council for defense has contingency plans it frequently
deflects all attacks. Nothing can pass or teleport through it. If the diamond sphere cannot be erected for any reason, the Radiant Citadel is not helpless. Due to its many mysteries and its magical
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
particular affinity for their own kind, which is the biggest reason why they seldom cooperate with one another unless they are forced to submit to a demon lord or other leader. Going even farther, every
lays claim to such an item can command the demon to do as they wish.
For this reason, demon lords hide their amulets away and trust no one, not even their followers, with knowledge of the location
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal->a3
40. Dragon Breath When the party reaches the bottom of the stairs, read: A staircase leads upward into the gloom. It seems as though you have found the entrance to another layer within the complex
head of the steps. The statue has the statistics, defenses, and traits of a stone golem, but it has no action options. As soon as it stops after emerging, it opens its mouth and breathes a gust of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
into thin air for no reason, then return in a fury if the characters try to call her back. If the party manages to converse with Ilda, they might learn that yuan-ti dwell in the innermost parts of the
complex. Ilda knows nothing about the cultists, who have not entered this area. If the characters gain her confidence, Ilda can also offer the following information: Diderius’s passion was powerful
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things
the original palace on the site of Cair Ophidian decide the new complex is an outrageous insult. With a retinue of extraplanar servants, they drive Euryale out. This conflict could be resolved
diplomatically, but the marids are deceptive and proud, concealing the reason they left their estate and refusing to negotiate with Asteria or Euryale, who turn to the characters for help. Guest in Need
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat
handle at any moment. She might vanish into thin air for no reason, then return in a fury if the characters try to call her back. If the party manages to converse with Ilda, they might learn that yuan-ti
dwell in the innermost parts of the complex. Ilda knows nothing about the cultists, who have not entered this area. If the characters gain her confidence, Ilda can also offer the following information
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
of their defenses. For the same reason, only the Stoneshaft elders know and plan all the details of those defenses, so any single dwarf doesn’t know everything and can’t reveal it. Stoneshafts like
gathering supplies and reinforcing Thornhold’s defenses. Stoneshaft dwarves can taste the wealth, bustling energy, and constant excitement of nearby Waterdeep, and want to share in it. They don’t want to be
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
. Even if would-be thieves could get around the defenses, they would have figure out how to navigate the complex classification system that marks the precise location of each bit of paperwork stored
motivated by his desire to keep his current appearance. Second, Asmodeus decreed that any deal Baalzebul strikes shall end in disaster for the other party. For this reason, other devils avoid forming
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
Running the Siege You have a few options on how to run the battle. Consider the following: You can treat each defender and orc as an individual, and run the combat as a long, complex encounter. If
easily defeat twice their number of commoners, but with the defenses available to the ranchers, the odds improve considerably. The ranchers don’t have to defeat the orcs outright. They just have to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
of art makes any stronghold a prime target for thieves and raiders. For that reason, the entrance to a stronghold doesn’t broadcast its presence by being a stellar example of dwarven stonework. The
outer precincts of a clan’s home are plain and functional, decorated minimally or not at all, to give visitors and those passing nearby no reason to suspect what lies in the deeper chambers. From what
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monsters of the Multiverse
, numbers, and their mind-numbing howling to corner prey before they tear it apart. Their howls flood the minds of their victims, making complex thought impossible. Listeners can do little more than stare
in horror and stumble around the battlefield in a search for safety. Fiends especially prize howlers for this reason, because for a few crucial moments in a battle, their howls can neutralize an
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
, Primus, overlord of the modrons, created a gigantic, geometrically complex stone imbued with the power of law. He then cast it adrift in Limbo, believing that the stone would bring order to the chaos
Spawning Stone for this reason. The slaadi wiped out every last modron enclave in Limbo. As creatures of utter chaos, slaadi loathe modrons and attack them on sight. Nonetheless, Primus stands by his
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
floods the minds of its victims, making complex thought impossible. They can do little more than stare in horror and stumble around the battlefield in a search for safety. Any task more demanding
than that is beyond their capability. Fiends especially prize howlers for this reason, because for a few crucial moments in a battle, their howls can neutralize an enemy’s ability to use spells and other
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
communication — and sometimes for no reason other than artistic considerations. A simple illusion can often express a complex idea, such as when the memory of a location is triggered by the illusory sound of a
community — designing longer-lasting or larger-scale illusions that help the community stay hidden from the world. Gnomes use illusions for practically any reason — as a game, for defense, or for
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Infernal Machine Rebuild
characters on their toes. In addition to those potential encounters, two unusual monsters also patrol the temple complex, and can be encountered at any time, wandering through any corridors or rooms—a
opposite to the thessalhydra’s zone, and for good reason. The human heart that sits within the construct is magically connected to the thessalhydra, tapping into the power of the Infernal Machine components
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal->a2
reinforce the defenses in the complex (see area 5 and area 14). Captured orcs can describe in some detail the general arrangement of the Mountain Door. They don’t know anything about the rest of the
Mountain Door, the orc army burrowed into the hillside to circumvent the dwarven defenses. The tunnel is still passable, but its entrance is choked with brush and debris. If the characters enter this area
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
almost as patient and stoic as the followers of the earth cult. They understand the value of outlasting formidable foes and slowly eroding their defenses. However, they are far more flexible and
at fighting in water, so they look for opportunities to surprise their enemies by using bodies of water to slip around or through defenses. Because the cultists see water as the wellspring of all life
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated
with a successful DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. Living the Good Life Also at rank 2, Head Office trusts that as long as your needs are met, you have no reason to skim any profits. You
long as it would fit into the confines of your satchel’s portable hole. Why Be a Hoardsperson? d8 Reason
1 You once tried to dive into a huge pool of gold coins. It hurt.
2 You’ve been
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
criminal territory as possible. The Xanathar’s bond is its lair, an elaborate cavern complex created by its predecessors, carved out between the twisting sewers of Waterdeep. It almost never leaves its home
constantly wary of betrayal. The only allies it considers relatively safe are individuals that it (or its predecessor) has worked with for years, and most of these are creatures it has no reason to fear
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
both. Temples and Shrines The core religious institutions of Faerûn are temples and shrines. Whether a small, out-of-the-way building, or a complex made up of multiple structures and tracts of land
marriages and funerals. Temples are places where worshipers go either to spend personal or family time in a space consecrated to a deity or to seek the aid of the priests for some reason. Small
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated
require combating a rival organization’s disinformation attempts one day, then besting a castle’s defenses the next. The day after that, some poor sap named Bob might need to be disposed of. And no matter
. Obviators are cautious because they know precisely how dangerous any moment can be — and they are dangerous for the same reason. An obviator is like a lethal walking library. And if you were to face
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
to set precedents that they find advantageous. The court’s function and its decisions are wholly dependent on the intricate laws of the Nine Hells, an impossibly complex code marred by a multitude of
who are desperate to attain positions of power and status entreat her, as do those who — for whatever reason — need to be loved, feared, or respected. Fierna takes a direct interest in the soul trade
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated
of Maza are those who question the nature of Alger’s death — including a few malcontents who whisper that perhaps the young smith had a compelling reason to kill her master. Whether these rumors hold
five years ago. The six-bedroom complex is tidy and clean, the table fare is good, and the company is pleasant. Development. The Stonehills are unwitting soldiers in the war for power in Phandalin
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation
might weaken some of Omu’s defenses. If the characters have no way to reach the earthmote when they first encounter it — or at least, no way for everyone to reach it — eventually they spot an elf
useful. If a fight breaks out (and there’s little reason one should unless the characters start it), Valindra lets her undead servants deal with the adventurers, then slips through her teleportation
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
and damage values as shown below. Purpose Before diving into the details of your trap, think about its reason for being. Why would someone build such a trap? What is its purpose? Consider the trap’s
creator (in the adventure), the creator’s purpose, and the location the trap protects. Traps have context in the world — they aren’t created for no reason — and that context drives the trap’s nature
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh
characters give the aboleths a reason to be paranoid (which is easy to do, given their natural inclinations), these creatures attack. L3. Landgrave’s Pit The light that fills the pit originates in the
flicker of intricate magical sigils that cover its top edge and the upper twenty feet of its walls. Those sigils are woven into a complex tapestry of magical light, undulating and writhing like an
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal->a2
heard by the orc in area 4 and then attempt to flee to area 3. See the “Mountain Door Defenses” sidebar. If the archers are alerted to the party’s presence, they open fire on intruders on the ledge and in
area 2. See area 4 for more information. MOUNTAIN DOOR DEFENSES
The orcs are well prepared for a frontal assault on the Mountain Door. They follow the sequence of activity described below to the






