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Returning 35 results for 'before build defusing combat rival'.
Monsters
Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn
traveled across Calimshan, infiltrating rival genie courts and eliminating remnants of the Twisted Rune. Some accounts even tell of her fighting alongside Sultana Songal during the Night of Fleeing
a cunning mind. Biha Babir is politically savvy and prefers to outsmart her opponents rather than battle them, though she doesn’t shy from combat if necessary.
Biha Babir covets opulence, but
Monsters
Acquisitions Incorporated
actions, and lair actions) that the new form has but that she lacks.Now the owner and driving force behind Dran Enterprises — perhaps Acquisitions Incorporated's most notable rival in the adventuring-for
search of a weapon to aid his captured sister.
Whether in combat or social encounters, Portentia shifts frequently between different forms and mindsets, only some of which are fully humanoid. She fights
Monsters
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
Cunning Action. On each of her turns in combat, Nine-Fingers can use a bonus action to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.
Dagger Thrower. Nine-Fingers adds double her proficiency bonus to the
build. Her forgettable looks have proven her greatest asset as a thief, as her victims have trouble recognizing her even when they meet her again face-to-face. Keene’s leadership over the years
Entertainer
Legacy
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Backgrounds
Player’s Handbook (2014)
liking to you.
Variant Entertainer: Gladiator
A gladiator is as much an entertainer as any minstrel or circus performer, trained to make the arts of combat into a spectacle the crowd can
enjoy. This kind of flashy combat is your entertainer routine, though you might also have some skills as a tumbler or actor. Using your By Popular Demand feature, you can find a place to perform in
Fighter
Legacy
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Classes
Basic Rules (2014)
Fighter
As you build your fighter, think about two related elements of your character’s background: Where did you get your combat training, and what set you apart from the mundane warriors
mastery with weapons and armor, and a thorough knowledge of the skills of combat. And they are well acquainted with death, both meting it out and staring it defiantly in the face.
Well-Rounded
Gladiator
Legacy
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Backgrounds
Player’s Handbook (2014)
A gladiator is as much an entertainer as any minstrel or circus performer, trained to make the arts of combat into a spectacle the crowd can enjoy. This kind of flashy combat is your entertainer
;
FEATURE: BY POPULAR DEMAND
You can always find a place to perform in any place that features combat for entertainment — perhaps a gladiatorial arena or secret pit fighting club. At such
Barbarian
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Classes
Basic Rules (2014)
by walls and crowds. They thrive in the wilds of their homelands: the tundra, jungle, or grasslands where their tribes live and hunt.
Barbarians come alive in the chaos of combat. They can enter a
fraught with peril: rival tribes, deadly weather, and terrifying monsters. Barbarians charge headlong into that danger so that their people don’t have to.
Their courage in the face of danger makes
Monsters
The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
made him the envy of many rival spellcasters.
Ringlerun has a good heart, but he’s easily distracted by intellectual pursuits. He would rather spend time in quiet contemplation or reading than in
when people who are clearly less intelligent want to tell me what to do.”
Combat Notes
Ringlerun can fend off melee attackers with wild swings of his staff, but he prefers to fly out of reach and
Species
Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica
animals into humans, elves, and vedalken. The goal of the Guardian Project is to build a Simic army of soldiers perfectly adapted to a variety of combat situations. These hyper-evolved specimens are
Monsters
Curse of Strahd
Ambusher. During the first round of combat, Pidlwick II has advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn't had a turn yet.Club. Melee Weapon Attack: +2;{"diceNotation":"1d20+2","rollType
return the courtesy, the duchess commissioned the legendary toymaker Fritz von Weerg to build a clockwork effigy of Pidlwick as a gift for Strahd's family. Although the duchess's heart was in the right
Changeling
Legacy
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Species
Eberron: Rising from the Last War
specific purpose and then might never be used again. However, many changelings develop identities that have more depth. They build an identity over time, crafting a persona with a history and beliefs. This
focused identity helps a changeling pinpoint a particular skill or emotion. A changeling adventurer might have personas for many situations, including negotiation, investigation, and combat.
Personas
Monsters
Eberron: Rising from the Last War
their lives to build a prison of celestial light: a silver flame that bound the overlords in Khyber once more. These bonds have held for countless generations, but the overlords still yearn to break free
in combat, Rak Tulkhesh roars in rage as new weapons are spawned from his body, called forth by the Rage of War to slaughter all who dare stand before him.
Khyber Shards. Rak Tulkhesh's soul is
Ranger
Legacy
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Classes
Basic Rules (2014)
hiding themselves in brush and rubble. Rangers focus their combat training on techniques that are particularly useful against their specific favored foes. Thanks to their familiarity with the wilds
, rangers acquire the ability to cast spells that harness nature’s power, much as a druid does. Their spells, like their combat abilities, emphasize speed, stealth, and the hunt. A ranger’s
Rogue
Legacy
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Classes
Basic Rules (2014)
variety of skills as they do to perfecting their combat abilities, giving them a broad expertise that few other characters can match. Many rogues focus on stealth and deception, while others refine the
skills that help them in a dungeon environment, such as climbing, finding and disarming traps, and opening locks. When it comes to combat, rogues prioritize cunning over brute strength. A rogue
Backgrounds
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
entertainer as any minstrel or circus performer, trained to make the arts of combat into a spectacle the crowd can enjoy. This kind of flashy combat is your entertainer routine, though you might also have some
skills as a tumbler or actor. Using your By Popular Demand feature, you can find a place to perform in any place that features combat for entertainment — perhaps a gladiatorial arena or secret
Yuan-ti Pureblood
Legacy
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
keen intellect and magic to discover the secrets of making steel. Its military shattered rival tribes and developed advanced tactics for fighting in forests and open plains.
The civilization grew into a
others can be exploited through bribes, favors, or threats.
As creatures devoid of emotion, yuan-ti exhibit behavior and use tactics that exemplify that outlook (or lack of one). Whether in combat
Orc
Legacy
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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
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
meaningful connections with others.
Roll twice on the Golgari Contacts table (for an ally and a rival) and once on the Non-Golgari Contacts table.
Golgari Contacts
d8
Contact
1
One
Species
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
, 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
of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The “Quick Build” section for your character’s class offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You
Backgrounds
Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica
it was sabotage that destroyed my first laboratory and killed many of my friends, and I seek revenge against whoever did it.
4
I have the schematics for an invention that I hope to build one day
even the lowliest attendant to make friends (and enemies) in laboratories across Ravnica.
Roll twice on the Izzet Contacts table (for an ally and a rival) and once on the Non-Izzet Contacts table
Cleric
Legacy
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Classes
Basic Rules (2014)
their combat training to let them wade into melee with the power of the gods on their side.
Divine Agents
Not every acolyte or officiant at a temple or shrine is a cleric. Some priests are called to
a troublemaker? What are your ultimate goals? Does your deity have a special task in mind for you? Or are you striving to prove yourself worthy of a great quest?
QUICK BUILD
You can make a cleric
Monk
Legacy
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Classes
Basic Rules (2014)
. Whatever their discipline, monks are united in their ability to magically harness the energy that flows in their bodies. Whether channeled as a striking display of combat prowess or a subtler focus of
lawful in alignment. QUICK BUILD You can make a monk quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Dexterity your highest ability score, followed by Wisdom. Second, choose the hermit background
Bard
Legacy
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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
, making a bargain for a musical gift in addition to your life and freedom, but at what cost? QUICK BUILD You can make a bard quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your
Warlock
Legacy
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Classes
Basic Rules (2014)
(such as the ability to see in darkness or to read any language) to access to powerful spells. Unlike bookish wizards, warlocks supplement their magic with some facility at hand-to-hand combat. They
their patrons in dreams or waking visions, or deal only with intermediaries. QUICK BUILD You can make a warlock quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
variety of situations. The chapter also includes a selection of ready-to-use puzzles, which you can drop into any campaign. The tools herein build on the material in the Dungeon Master’s Guide and
the Monster Manual. You may use some, all, or none of these tools, and feel free to customize how they work. Your group’s enjoyment is paramount, so make these rules your own, aiming to match your group’s tastes. Tasha prepares to win another game of wizardly chess against her rival Mordenkainen.
Paladin
Legacy
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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
yourself before gods and mortals. Your oath and alignment might be in harmony, or your oath might represent standards of behavior that you have not yet attained.
QUICK BUILD
You can make a paladin
Backgrounds
Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica
people’s nightmares.
6
Combat is meant to be quick, clean, and one-sided.
7
I like to stick to the shadows.
8
I never show my anger. I just plot my revenge.
Ideals
Contacts table, giving you an ally who serves as your contact in Dimir. Then roll twice on the table for your secondary guild. The first roll gives you an ally there, and the second roll gives you a rival
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
Creating a Rival In essence, a rival is a somewhat specialized NPC. You can use chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to build a new NPC for this purpose, or pick one from your current cast of
created for themselves. Example Rivals d20 Rival 1 Tax collector who is convinced the characters are dodging fees 2 Politician who is concerned that the characters are causing more trouble than they
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
beauty of the 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
sun and have no desire to get wet, beyond enjoying a bit of sea spray in the air. But they love being able to see the water, so they build their lairs on the heights of seaside cliffs or near perfect
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
; of course the clan of duergar moving into its territory is because a rival is trying to oust it, of course the gang of adventurers in its lair were sent to kill it by a cowardly rival, and so on
superiority, especially in combat, it is dismissive of its opponents’ efforts and insulting of their abilities and failures. An exceptional challenger can earn a measure of respect — enough that the beholder
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Turn of Fortune’s Wheel
enough to Sytri or Tol that the other hero can hear them. A character who points out the floundering ship to the other hero and succeeds on a DC 16 Charisma (Persuasion) check convinces their rival
want to sneak by the creature, they must succeed on a DC 10 group Dexterity (Stealth) check, or the monster notices them and attacks. If the characters engage the creature in combat, they’re delayed in
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation
combat, and he values his bodyguards too much to risk their lives in a pointless battle. Unless the characters provoke a fight, he tries to find out more about them and learn any secrets they might
temple, Yahru knows the following: Ras Nsi commands the yuan-ti of Omu, but his command is tenuous. The high priest, Fenthaza, is Ras Nsi’s chief rival. Ras Nsi is slowly being eaten away by a magical
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Forge of the Artificer
do in combat, while others prefer to stick with the familiar options their characters bring to any fight. As DM, learn your players’ preferences and try to build encounters that allow players to do
Characters in Airship Combat When an airship engages in combat, characters have two options for how to participate in the battle: They can use their own spells, weapons, and other features to join in
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Combat Encounter Difficulty Use the following guidelines to create a combat encounter of a desired level of difficulty. Step 1: Choose a Difficulty Three categories describe the range of encounter
Every creature has an XP value in its stat block. When you add a creature to your combat encounter, deduct its XP from your XP budget to determine how many XP you have left to spend. Spend as much of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
encounter with a dragon needs to involve combat, let alone an all-out fight to the death. Maybe the characters are trying to help a kobold Keeper of Dragons retrieve a wyrmling kidnapped by a gang of
on the ground. Chapters 4 and 5 feature information and maps to help you build encounters in and around a dragon’s lair. Is the dragon alone or accompanied by minions? With their legendary actions






