being before decide clever reasons - Search

Combat Encounters

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules

empty crates, ledges, and balconies) reward clever positioning and encourage characters to jump, climb, fly, or teleport. Defensive Positions. Enemies in hard-to-reach locations or defensive positions

classes and origins. A diverse force is more powerful. Reasons to Move. Use features that encourage characters and their enemies to move around, such as chandeliers, kegs of gunpowder or oil, and rolling stone traps.

Muralist Mutiny

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Infernal Machine Rebuild

Muralist Mutiny As written, the sculptors in the Tomb of Horrors are eager to escape but the muralists are loyal to Moghadam. However, you might decide that the muralists have their own reasons to

Black Swords

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

lap if the characters decide to visit the Caer. Here are a couple reasons why the characters might go there: Looking for a good night’s rest in Caer-Dineval, the characters are directed to the castle

Crew

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh

Crew Unless you decide otherwise, each ship encountered on the sea has its full crew and enough food and water to sustain that crew and any passengers for the duration of the ship’s journey. You can

Salty Beard 2 Ol’ Eye 3 Silver Copper 4 Golden Fish 5 Black Whale 6 Blue Dog 7 Silky Cur 8 Heartless Fingers 9 Drizzly Patches 10 Thirsty Hook 11 Rum Salt 12 Gloomy Rat 13 Handsome Charm 14 Wee Beast 15 Clever Devil 16 Ugly Liar 17 Pretty Angel 18 Lost Blood 19 Mad Maps 20 Poor Mast

Dealing with Wealth

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things

ensuring your characters develop strong personal reasons to continue to adventure, even if they begin their adventuring careers in the pursuit of wealth. Perhaps they want revenge on a despicable

Characters who come into a lot of wealth might try to buy magic items that make them more powerful. Remember, you decide what magic items, if any, can be bought and sold in a settlement. You don’t have

Absent Players

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

in-game explanation. Monsters don’t attack the character, who returns the favor. On returning, the player resumes playing as if the absence never happened. Narrative Contrivance. Decide the character

is elsewhere while the rest of the party continues the adventure. Come up with in-game reasons for the character to temporarily leave the party and rejoin later, such as following up on a rumor or

Advantage/Disadvantage

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook

DM can also decide that circumstances grant Advantage or impose Disadvantage. Roll Two D20s When a roll has either Advantage or Disadvantage, roll a second d20 when you make the roll. Use the higher

Heroic Inspiration. Your DM can give you Heroic Inspiration for a variety of reasons. Typically, DMs award it when you do something particularly heroic, in character, or entertaining. It’s a reward

The Deck as Narrative

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things

story for themself without being allowed to know that story ahead of time. With this narrative approach to the Deck of Many Things, you decide how to weave the events triggered by cards into your

, don’t put off card effects for too long. It’s okay for players to wonder for a session or two exactly when and how the effects will manifest, and you can use that time to devise clever and memorable

Adventure Hooks

compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

present giants as patrons, rivals, or adversaries, or suggest reasons why characters might venture to locations constructed or occupied by giants. The adventure hooks are spread throughout these three

chapters because they’re intended to complement the information presented in each chapter. For example, if you get excited as you’re reading about the giant pantheon and decide you want to build an

Advantage/Disadvantage

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules

circumstances. You usually acquire Advantage or Disadvantage through the use of special abilities and actions. The DM can also decide that circumstances grant Advantage or impose Disadvantage. Roll Two D20s

Inspiration and you already have it, you can give it to a player character in your group who lacks it. Gaining Heroic Inspiration. Your DM can give you Heroic Inspiration for a variety of reasons

Ability Checks

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

different way to get past the guard or try the check again against another guard at a different gate. But you might decide that the initial failure makes those checks more difficult to pull off

. In contrast, a character with high Intelligence and low Wisdom is probably oblivious but clever. The character might not spot the clean section of wall but, if asked about it, could immediately

Keeping Combat Moving

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

changing a battle’s terrain to introduce a new element and give combatants reasons to move around. Perhaps a powerful attack or an explosive spell topples a column, shatters a wall, or breaks up the

of infernal flame, and a devil erupts from the ashes. You can also alter a monster’s stat block in subtle ways in the middle of combat; for example, you might decide that a monster flies into a frenzy

Monster Behavior

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

adventurers is Friendly, Indifferent, or Hostile. In an encounter you’ve created, you can decide that starting attitude, or you can randomly determine it using the Initial Attitude table. Initial

“Nonplayer Characters” section of chapter 3 to flesh out the details of that individual’s personality and aims. For a group of nameless monsters, you can decide on a personality based on the monsters

Master Manipulators

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters

deliver a mysterious letter at a crossroads at noon on a certain day could be the key to ruining the mortal’s life. The hag’s reasons might not become apparent for years or even decades, or won’t be

always secretive about her motivations, the reasons for the payments she requires, or how these things benefit her. A hag that spends a long time in close proximity to a human settlement often

Resolving Interactions

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

hostile. Whether the adventurers can shift a creature’s attitude is up to you. You decide whether the adventurers have successfully couched their statements in terms that matter to the creature

of an entirely different set of social interactions. 3. Charisma Check When the adventurers get to the point of their request, demand, or suggestion — or if you decide the conversation has run its

Hoard Quirks

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

the case of a haunted hoard, you can use the Unfinished Business table to help you decide what that might be. Unfinished Business d6 Unfinished Business 1 Entrust the haunted item to the

another dragon’s hoard, whereupon the previous owner’s curse is nullified. Clever adventurers might work out a bargain with a friendlier dragon involving a trade of cursed treasure in exchange for a similar (but probably smaller) amount of treasure freely given.

NPCs as Party Members

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

life debt to the characters or shares their goals might fight to the death for them. You can simply decide on an NPC’s loyalty, or you can track a Loyalty Score using the following rules. Loyalty

Loyalty Score by 2d4 if the NPC is abused, misled, or endangered by other party members for purely selfish reasons. A Loyalty Score can never drop below 0. Meaning of Loyalty. An NPC with a Loyalty Score

Alterations to Magic

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

level to another. Astral projection, teleport, plane shift, word of recall, and similar spells cast for these reasons simply fail, as do effects that banish a creature to another plane of existence

his dungeon. Other times, he appears before them in the form of a spectral eye or some other magical force. Why does he tolerate adventurers in his home? What’s his aim? That’s for you to decide. This

Recurring Villains

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War

Recurring Villains The most effective villains are the ones that return, over and over, to plague their heroic nemeses. When the heroes foil the schemes of an evil mastermind, the clever villain

and evil. Even adventure villains are more often driven by human motives than by cosmic concepts of good and evil. People sometimes do evil things for good reasons. Exercise some caution when

Roleplaying a Hag

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters

, uncomfortable, and risky; at any point the hag might lose her temper and decide to pull out someone’s fingernails with her iron teeth. Hags look upon younger creatures from the perspective of a

, or bend the truth a little to suit my needs. 5 I am greatly weakened on the nights of the full moon. 6 I can’t resist a clever riddle.

Campaign Setting

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

running list of ideas as you decide on other aspects of your setting. What Factions and Organizations Are Prominent? Nations, temples, guilds, orders, secret societies, and colleges shape the social

reasons unknown, an ancient dungeon built for a forgotten purpose, and so on. Dream up as many mysteries as you wish—you never know which ones will seize your players’ imaginations and become central

Combat Encounters

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

challenging: Changes in Elevation. Terrain features that provide a change of elevation (such as stacks of empty crates, ledges, and balconies) reward clever positioning and encourage characters to jump, climb

can combine their abilities—just like characters with different classes and origins. A diverse force is more powerful. Reasons to Move. Use features that encourage characters and their enemies to

The Peg and Hook

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated

, first decide whether their previous investigation has alerted Dran Enterprises. If they allowed Rakeem to eavesdrop and report their conversations, alerted Eriss the broker of their antagonistic

Enterprises’ true headquarters is an expensive and well-appointed flagship called The Maverick. The ship sails constantly, rarely putting into port for security reasons. But the organization has a much

Nautiloid Down

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

. They also can’t trust the moronic squidlings to accomplish such a delicate task. For these reasons, the gnome ceremorphs need help. They have built a device that can detect the presence of psi

perfected yet, such that nontelepathic creatures have been known to pick up the signal as well. You get to decide whether a nontelepathic creature can sense the signal or not. The psionic transmitter

Phandalin Quests

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon of Icespire Peak

fighting the monster is always an option, characters might decide to negotiate with the manticore instead. Be flexible, particularly when dealing with intelligent monsters. If every encounter becomes a

fight to the death, your players might get bored and miss out on some fun roleplaying opportunities. Whenever possible, reward players for being clever. For example, characters who disturb the ankhegs

Sovereign

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

nation’s previous regents manifests to avert disasters. Sovereign Proxies You serve a sovereign out of national pride, out of tradition, or for your own practical reasons. The needs of a leader potentially

jeopardizes a population’s way of life is likely to inspire rebellions. In such cases, a sovereign’s agents must decide where their loyalties lie. The Sovereign Quests table presents a few of the sorts of

Observatory Locations

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragons of Stormwreck Isle

battle with eight stirges. When the characters enter the area, six of the stirges turn their attention to this new, juicier prey. The kobolds try to deal with the remaining two stirges, and then decide

ways to cross the gap. See the sidebar called “Clever Solutions” for advice to help you determine whether these solutions work. The rhythm of the waves below echoes throughout this cramped tower. Part

Dimensional Caverns

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated

filled with humanoid dating advice. At any point at which the characters offer to cease hostilities, or if they are clever enough to negotiate with Raah from the outset, proceed as follows. Dating Advice

sincere in their attempts to engage the deep crow, you can decide that successful roleplaying and a reasonable number of successful ability checks let them gain Raah’s trust. On a badly failed check or

Life as a Halfling

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

its community behind for a number of reasons. A clan that is forced to relocate (perhaps because of invading creatures or a natural disaster) might decide to seek refuge or opportunity in a city or

Mr. Dory's Warehouse

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh

councillors, Thornwell, has her own reasons for wanting Mr. Dory humiliated, bankrupted, or — better yet — killed. She has been keeping an eye on her enemy as a result (see the “Adventure Hooks

cunning and clever. If combat breaks out here, he remains hidden in the water while the skum do the fighting. He makes a Dexterity (Stealth) check in an attempt to hide. As long as he remains unnoticed

Roleplaying a Giant

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters

the humanoids that live beneath them. Such tribute is only proper from their perspective, for two reasons. First, their presence in an area benefits everyone by driving away many evils, especially

, the cleverest of Annam’s offspring. But Memnor isn’t only clever, he’s sly and deceitful. Tales of his exploits emphasize his charisma, his smooth manner, and his ability to manipulate and mislead

Wedding Itinerary

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated

damage a creature. (You can decide whether to allow Tannus to fight to protect himself or others, but should encourage the player running him to think about creative nonattack ways to influence the fight

(Sleight of Hand) check contested by Gorat’s Wisdom (Perception) check. Gorat has disadvantage on the check from the distraction of the festivities — or, if controlled by a character, he could decide to

Guild Membership

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica

and respected member of the guild. Other members of the guild have a friendly attitude toward you by default. (Individual members of the guild might have reasons to dislike you despite your renown

your new guild, although your DM might decide that it takes you a while to gain the full benefit. For example, a character who leaves another guild to join the Gruul Clans doesn’t immediately know the

Adventure Models

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

miners out, then send their own azer servants to plunder the mineral-rich mines. The miners seek help to reclaim their mines. 5 A clever cloud giant plays several other powerful creatures against each

nearby. 8 As characters explore a steading belonging to one kind of giant (you can roll a d6 on this table to decide why the characters are there), they discover an honored guest of a more powerful giant

Locations V - Z

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm King's Thunder

sometimes called the Ghostwood for two reasons. First, its proximity to the Ice Mountains leaves it constantly shrouded in cold mists. Second, undead are known to haunt the Vordrorn Forest, particularly

ominous shadow causing widespread panic. Lady Laeral Silverhand dispatches heralds to calm the people and assure them that no harm will befall the city. If the adventurers decide to investigate, they must

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