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Returning 35 results for 'both bad during clever rules'.
Species
Mythic Odysseys of Theros
adversaries—incredibly clever and well-prepared to play a long game but ultimately doomed to lose their games.
4
I’m certain every bad thing that happens can ultimately be blamed on the
Criminal / Spy
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Backgrounds
Basic Rules (2014)
than most people to the world of murder, theft, and violence that pervades the underbelly of civilization, and you have survived up to this point by flouting the rules and regulations of society
.
4
I have a “tell” that reveals when I’m lying.
5
I turn tail and run when things look bad.
6
An innocent person is in prison for a crime that I committed. I’m okay with that.
Backgrounds
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
underbelly of civilization, and you have survived up to this point by flouting the rules and regulations of society.
Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Stealth
Tool Proficiencies: One
tail and run when things look bad.
6
An innocent person is in prison for a crime that I committed. I’m okay with that.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
. We’ve visited Waterdeep before, but not like this. Clever heroes will respect the city’s rules. Those who get on the city’s bad side are in for a rough time, as the City of Splendors is home to some of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
Rules House rules include optional rules, such as those presented in chapter 9 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, and rules you create. If you plan to use any house rules, session zero is a good time to
discuss those rules with the players and solicit their input. House rules are best presented as experiments, and time will tell if they’re good for your game. If you introduce a house rule in session
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
between relying on their bonuses and abilities and paying attention to the game and immersing themselves in its world. Remember that dice don’t run your game — you do. Dice are like rules. They’re
bad die roll foiling the character’s plans. By the same token, a bad plan or unfortunate circumstances can transform the easiest task into an impossibility, or at least impose disadvantage.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
Table Rules Ideally, players come to the gaming table with the same goal: to have a fun time together. This section gives recommendations for table rules you can establish to help meet that goal
. Here are some fundamentals: Foster respect. Don’t bring personal conflicts to the table or let disagreements escalate into bad feelings. Don’t touch others’ dice if they’re sensitive about it. Avoid
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
some free time to exercise your creativity as you invent compelling plots, create new NPCs, craft encounters, and think of clever ways to foreshadow story events yet to come. Part 2 of these rules is
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Borderlands Quest: Goblin Trouble
Introducing the Game Once the players have familiarized themselves with their characters, you’re ready to introduce the game. Now that you’re familiar with your characters and the basics of the rules
, we’re going to play a short adventure to introduce you to Dungeons & Dragons. As the Dungeon Master, I tell you what’s going on in the world around you, and I use the rules and dice rolls to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
Rules of Conduct Although Zybilna is indisposed, three of the rules she put into place when she created her Feywild domain continue to hold weight: the rule of hospitality, the rule of ownership, and
the rule of reciprocity. These three rules are common knowledge in Prismeer, and both natives and visitors would do well to abide by them: Rule of Hospitality. When a friend, an enemy, or a stranger
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
determine the outcome. A Charisma check can’t deceive or persuade most devils into a bad deal because the fiends are too clever and experienced in deal-making to be fooled. If devils do get involved in a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver
“Cover” in the Basic Rules). DISGUISED CHARACTERS
Rather than storm Cragmaw Castle with weapons in hand, clever characters might try to talk their way inside. For example, they might don the scarlet
cloaks of the Redbrands and claim to be emissaries sent by Iarno “Glasstaff” Albrek, the Redbrand leader, to meet with King Grol. A good DM rewards this kind of clever thinking by giving the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
Avernus 12 the Voluminous 3 the Insightful 13 the Stoic 4 Collector of Debts 14 the Shatterer 5 the Summoner 15 the Keeper 6 Speaker of Profit 16 the Faithful 7 Chainer of Demons 17 the Clever
resistance. 6 Every problem can be solved with the use of force. Devil Ideals d6 Ideal 1 Loyalty. I keep my vows to my superior and respect those who do the same. 2 Law. I might not like the rules
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon of Icespire Peak
, full of dust and bad memories. It’s quiet most of the time, except when the sorrowful wails of the banshee fill the place. The following features are common throughout.
Arrow Slits. When using an arrow
slit for protection, a creature gains three-quarters cover (see the Basic Rules) against outside threats. A Medium character can’t squeeze through an arrow slit, but a Small character can with a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
threat. Use this book to help you and your players communicate about a game’s rules, plots, and other content, assuring it includes only the elements you all enjoy. Focus on Fun. Suspenseful stories don’t
attention for both of us. We’ve found no trace of Vhorishkova since arriving, but I feel her watching. It’s like she’s everywhere.
It’s bad here, Uncle. Not snake-headed hogs bad. Like, full Delmunster
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
be at least partially blinded by dark emotions, a state that might make them easy to manipulate by the followers of clever deities. The servants of the god of slaughter aren’t all mindless brutes
. Mogis’s Villains d8 Villain
1 A petty tyrant (gladiator) rules his populace through threats and intimidation. His favorite pastime is forcing unwilling subjects to fight in gladiatorial blood
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
paraphrase the following: “Not bad. You are clever—I acknowledge that much. But I wonder how you would fare against the master of this chamber. I hereby challenge you to a dragonchess match: winner takes
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh
realize what the party is up to, they immediately suspect the characters are out to make them look bad. In that case, they become surly and tight-lipped. All the militia guards have been assured by
superiors and fellow guards, and she doesn’t need any more trouble in that area. If she’s reassured that the characters aren’t trying to make the militia look bad, Jute gives a frank account of her
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
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
and specific circumstances. A clever upstart that wants to annihilate its superior could manipulate events to bring about one such circumstance, then look on as the commander succumbs while it cites the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
Narration in Combat Although it’s important that the players understand what’s going on in terms of the rules, the game can get dull if everyone uses only “gamespeak”: “That’s an 18 to hit,” “You hit
; now roll damage,” “11 points,” and “OK, now we’re to Initiative count 13.” Instead, use the rules and your knowledge of the scene to help your narration. If 18 is barely a hit, but the 11 points of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
something, think of it in terms of what a very high or low score in those two abilities might mean.
A character with a high Wisdom but low Intelligence is aware of the surroundings but is bad at
.
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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
these riches by exploiting my tenants’ misery, buying up condemned property and renting it out for an exorbitant fee. Granny Nightshade is helping me to make amends. I told her I wanted to put my bad
hospitality (see “Rules of Conduct” in chapter 2), Nib offers to craft a gift for each character. Taking up a pair of knitting needles, he swiftly knits his gold yarn into an object that retains a golden
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver
. If the characters are wearing scarlet cloaks taken from elsewhere, the bugbears assume that they serve Iarno. Clever characters might even persuade the bugbears to help deal with “traitors” or
in the Basic Rules). Droop knows the general layout of the Redbrand hideout, as well as the location of its secret doors and traps. He doesn’t think to offer up the information, but if prompted, he
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
that is craftily executed and might offer all manner of clever assistance to mortals he deems worthy. What did you do to garner his attention? What set you apart in his eyes from petty schemers, grifters
he hadn’t.
Devotion to Phenax Following Phenax means devoting yourself to a life of trickery and guile. To a champion of Phenax, a life without risk is no life at all. Some rules are meant to be
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
-wielding skills. These wands can create minor effects such as little puffs of smoke or crackles of energy, but clever spellcasters can use the wands while skating to perform minor jumps and acrobatic
characters wish to earn Relationship Points with, treat this as a Relationship encounter, as described in the rules found in the “Relationships” section in chapter 3. Have players note the results of this encounter on their tracking sheets.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
Nearly impossible 30 The numbers associated with these categories of difficulty are meant to be easy to keep in your head, so that you don’t have to refer to these rules every time you decide on a
say a door requires a successful DC 15 Strength check to be battered down. A fighter with a Strength of 20 might helplessly flail against the door because of bad die rolls. Meanwhile, the rogue with a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Astral Adventurer’s Guide
is humid and smells bad. Any creature that breathes foul air becomes poisoned until it breathes fresh air again. The air aboard a ship with a normal crew complement degrades from fresh to foul on day
121, and the foul air turns deadly 120 days later. Deadly air is unbreathable. Any creature that tries to breathe deadly air begins to suffocate (see the rules on suffocation in the Player’s Handbook
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
whole creature and still be hungry. If you’re bad, she’ll come in the night and carry you away. She’ll make a lantern of your skull and torment you until the end of time. And she’s the least
frightening member of the Daughters of Sora Kell!
When I could set aside my sheer terror, I was learning a great deal about this strange nation. The Daughters invested power in warlords, each of whom rules a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
. Poison, magic, or anything else that would directly interfere with beast or rider is strictly forbidden—though over the years we’ve certainly seen imaginative attempts to stretch the rules!
Dura
race is fair.
The beasts of Middle Dura are versatile. The Eagle represents Broken Arch and Stormhold in Middle Dura, and its supporters wear brown and gold. The clever Owl flies for Rattlestone and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
treats visitors as honored guests in accordance with the rule of hospitality (see “Rules of Conduct” earlier in the chapter), but he expects a measure of kindness in return. If a fight breaks out
lap—Bavlorna’s Big Book of Bad Blood—in which the hag’s displeasure with her enemies is spelled out in detail. He procured the book from a darkling merchant (see area B10), who stole it from Bavlorna
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
to complain humorously about the characters’ terrible choices and bad planning. You can occasionally use this NPC to suggest legitimate courses of action or share insights. Dutiful Assistant. A dutiful
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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
The meddling of the gods in mortal affairs makes me angry and bitter. I wish they would just leave us all alone!
3 I view the gods as worthy adversaries—incredibly clever and well-prepared to
play a long game but ultimately doomed to lose their games.
4 I’m certain every bad thing that happens can ultimately be blamed on the gods, but I roll my eyes at each new twist of fate and try to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook
, either in physical form or on DnDBeyond.com: Player’s Handbook. This book is your essential reference for the game’s rules, and it guides you through making an adventurer of your own. Dungeon Master’s
useful: DM Screen. Many DMs like to use a screen to shield their notes and dice rolls from players. It’s bad manners to peek over the screen! Miniatures and Battle Grid. Some DMs use a battle grid and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
rules cover what happens on a natural 20 (it’s a Critical Hit) or a natural 1 (it always misses). Resist the temptation to add additional negative consequences to a natural 1 on an attack roll: the
automatic failure is bad enough. And characters typically make so many attack rolls that they’re bound to roll dozens of natural 1s over time. What might seem like an interesting consequence, like breaking the weapon used for the attack, will quickly get tiresome.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
with Clever Twists It might seem stereotypical to build an adventure around dragons, orcs, and wizards in towers, but these are staples of fantasy storytelling. It might also seem trite to begin an
describing the present situation, what the bad guys are up to, and how the adventurers become involved in the story. Heroes Who Matter An adventure should allow the adventurers’ actions and decisions to