build battle diffusing concerns refuges

Jarund Elkhardt

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

in battle. The strain of his long years of rule is etched on his weather-worn face. Jarund's late son, Jarund Twice-Born, was killed almost a decade ago while trying to bring down a cave bear, leaving

Jarund without an heir. He has failed to produce another child with his wife, Wynneth, and his mistress, Froya, so the future of his royal line remains uncertain. Auril's unyielding winter concerns

Returned Kakomantis

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

’t build meaningful relationships or establish new lives. Instead, most experience fleeting emotions and follow hollow routines, their existences reduced to shadow plays without weight or substance

. Returned Masks. Adventurers who defeat Returned foes might marvel at their fortune in claiming such rich spoils after a battle. The mask of a Returned is worth approximately 100 gp, based on its

Returned Drifter

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

long-term memories, they generally can’t build meaningful relationships or establish new lives. Instead, most experience fleeting emotions and follow hollow routines, their existences reduced to

shadow plays without weight or substance. Returned Masks. Adventurers who defeat Returned foes might marvel at their fortune in claiming such rich spoils after a battle. The mask of a Returned is worth

Returned Sentry

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

’t build meaningful relationships or establish new lives. Instead, most experience fleeting emotions and follow hollow routines, their existences reduced to shadow plays without weight or substance

. Returned Masks. Adventurers who defeat Returned foes might marvel at their fortune in claiming such rich spoils after a battle. The mask of a Returned is worth approximately 100 gp, based on its

Marine

Backgrounds Ghosts of Saltmarsh

You were trained for battle on sandy beaches and rocky shores. You have launched midnight raids from swift ships whose names evoke terror in the hearts of your adversaries. The water is your second

home, the rain your shelter, and the crashing waves your battle cry. Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Survival Tool Proficiencies: Vehicles (water, land) Equipment: A dagger that

City Watch / Investigator

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

suit your identity as a member of the city watch. Your bond is likely associated with your fellow watch members or the watch organization itself and almost certainly concerns your community. Your

1 The monstrous enemy we faced in battle still leaves me quivering with fear. 2 I have little respect for anyone who is not a proven warrior. 3 I made a terrible mistake in battle that

Monk Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

, knocking their blows aside and sending them reeling, until at last she stands alone. Taking a deep breath, a human covered in tattoos settles into a battle stance. As the first charging orcs reach him, he

landscapes of the worlds of D&D, tiny refuges from the flow of ordinary life, where time seems to stand still. The monks who live there seek personal perfection through contemplation and rigorous

Returned Palamnite

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

they cover with distinctive golden masks. Returned reenter the world blank and undead. No longer possessing the ability to form long-term memories, they generally can’t build meaningful

who defeat Returned foes might marvel at their fortune in claiming such rich spoils after a battle. The mask of a Returned is worth approximately 100 gp, based on its composition and craftsmanship

Pidlwick II

Monsters Curse of Strahd

":"Dart","rollDamageType":"piercing"} piercing damage.After her husband died in battle, Duchess Dorfniya Dilisnya set her sights on becoming Count Strahd von Zarovich's bride, but she failed to win his

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

Rak Tulkhesh

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

impulses that drives many mortals to battle. Fear, greed, hatred — these are seeds that the Rage of War sows in the hopes of producing a bloody harvest. Rak Tulkhesh typically takes the form of a vaguely

Hobgoblin Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

to keep the knowledge fresh for new generations. When hobgoblins aren’t waging war, they farm, they build, and they practice both martial and arcane arts. These trappings of civil society do

Maglubiyet, the greater god allows them to retain a measure of their influence over the hobgoblins because their philosophies are in line with his own. Hobgoblins don’t build temples to their gods, lest

Minotaur

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

carve their horns to sharpen their edges, etch symbols of power into them, or sheathe them in bronze to prevent them from shattering during battle. Thick hair extends down minotaurs’ necks and

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 can follow

Young Moonstone Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

possibilities. (Neutral) 3 Whimsy. Why waste time on boring, ordinary concerns when the world is filled with fantastic and ludicrous wonders? (Chaotic) 4 Beauty. There is beauty to be found

1 A young moonstone dragon on the cusp of adulthood refuses to settle down and build a lair. To protect the local populace from the dragon’s chaotic activities, a minor deity sends a deva

Campaign Allies

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Hoard of the Dragon Queen

characters more than they help. This section describes each faction’s goals and driving concerns, its leading delegate or delegates to the council, and what resources it can contribute to the final battle against the Cult of the Dragon.

Campaign Allies Several powerful organizations battle the Cult of the Dragon even as the party does. The characters are key players in the drama, but everyone in Faerûn has a stake in the outcome of

Campaign Allies

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons

characters more than they help. This section describes each faction’s goals and driving concerns, its leading delegate or delegates to the council, and what resources it can contribute to the final battle against the Cult of the Dragon.

Campaign Allies Several powerful organizations battle the Cult of the Dragon even as the party does. The characters are key players in the drama, but everyone in Faerûn has a stake in the outcome of

Campaign Allies

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat

characters more than they help. This section describes each faction’s goals and driving concerns, its leading delegate or delegates to the council, and what resources it can contribute to the final battle against the Cult of the Dragon.

Campaign Allies Several powerful organizations battle the Cult of the Dragon even as the party does. The characters are key players in the drama, but everyone in Faerûn has a stake in the outcome of

Cleric Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

Arms and eyes upraised toward the sun and a prayer on his lips, an elf begins to glow with an inner light that spills out to heal his battle-worn companions. Chanting a song of glory, a dwarf swings

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

Barbarian Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

fierce animal spirits. Others draw from a roiling reservoir of anger at a world full of pain. For every barbarian, rage is a power that fuels not just a battle frenzy but also uncanny reflexes

violated, or a coup that removed you from a position of authority. QUICK BUILD You can make a barbarian quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest ability score in Strength

Uthgardt Tribe Member

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

and ruin. But for the last few generations, some bands among the tribes were tempted to settle, make peace, trade, and even to build towns. Perhaps this is why Uthgar chose to raise up the totems

constructs of civilization. (Neutral) 6 Glory. I must earn glory in battle, for myself and my clan. (Any) d6 Bond 1 My family, clan, or tribe is the most important thing

Paladin Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

your quests? Perhaps you stumbled into a sacred grove or a hidden elven enclave and found yourself called to protect all such refuges of goodness and beauty. Or you might have known from your

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

Battle Master Builds

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

combined with a fighting style and feats, allows you to create a broad range of fighters, each with its own flavor and play style. Below are recommendations for how you might build a Battle Master to

Battle Master Builds Shock Trooper A Martial Archetype option in the Player’s Handbook, the Battle Master showcases just how versatile a fighter can be. The suite of maneuvers you choose, when

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

sewer tunnels, paying them with food and tools the kobolds wouldn’t have access to on their own. If they are treated well and left alone to do the job, the kobolds work industriously and build a

, they might build a warren and make a permanent home there, while continuing to expand the town’s sewers as the community grows. These so-called “city kobolds” live underground but

Gruul Clans

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

gradual expansion of the city, however, has driven the Gruul into smaller and smaller refuges. ITCHING FOR A FIGHT Gruul goblins live in colonies scattered at the edges of Gruul territory and civilized

neighborhoods. They fight fiercely when threatened, punctuating their attacks with hisses and growls. When battle fury takes hold of a Gruul raiding group, it typically starts with the goblins, and after the battle, the surviving goblins are still frothing at the mouth and looking for someone to hit.

Dragon Campaigns

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

battle between Humanoid clans and the ancient dragonlords and their broods, the dragons triumphed and claimed dominion over the clans, which now bear the dragons’ names. If you want to build a campaign that puts dragons in a similarly prominent role, consider any of the following options.

dragonriders in opposing armies—battle in the temple of the Dragon Queen Krynn. The home of the Dragonlance setting is the battleground for an unending conflict between Bahamut and Tiamat. Tiamat commands

Encounter Pace and Tension

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

that structure in an adventure where the players control their characters’ actions, but you can use the encounters you plan to build tension toward a climax. Each encounter in an adventure is an

limited resources. Variety also contributes to a sense of escalating tension. Build variety into your encounters in three ways: Vary Encounter Type. Use a mix of social interaction, exploration, and

Characters in Airship Combat

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

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

the battle as they would in any other environment, or they can take up a crew station and wield the ship’s armaments and other capabilities. Some players enjoy the challenge of having new things to

Conflict without End

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

conflict is a great war of attrition — the combatants don’t often gain or lose territory as the result of battle. But on a personal scale, combat is brutal, with no quarter given or expected. The duergar

activity or to recover stolen treasures if they can do so without attracting too much attention. This eternal enmity between duergar and dwarves doesn’t consume either side; both have other concerns

Creating a Paladin

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

refuges of goodness and beauty. Or you might have known from your earliest memories that the paladin’s life was your calling, almost as if you had been sent into the world with that purpose stamped on

have not yet attained. Quick Build You can make a paladin quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Charisma. Second, choose the noble

Chapter 9: Discord and Diplomacy

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Light of Xaryxis

Chapter 9: Discord and Diplomacy To build a coalition against the Xaryxian Empire, the characters came to terms with a mercane named Vocath and fought monsters for his amusement. At the end of the

final battle, Prince Xeleth of the Xaryxian Empire appeared on a dragon, determined to take Princess Xedalli into his clutches! The session opens with Princess Xedalli trying to keep her hopes alive

The Attack

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm Lord’s Wrath

. Three-sided battles can sometimes take longer because of the number of combatants participating. Use your discretion as the DM to have the excitement of the battle build up rather than fizzle out

appropriate. (See “Running a Three-sided Battle” sidebar for advice.) RUNNING A THREE-SIDED BATTLE Combat is a highlight of the game for a large number of players: they love the challenge, the

Campaign Events

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

Campaign Events If you don’t want to build a world that focuses on the presence or absence of giants, you can instead build a campaign around world-shaking events that are instigated by giants. Storm

battle. 6 One of the giants’ organizations described in chapter 2 is founded or comes to this world for the first time. 7 A group of giants sailing in enormous boats makes landfall in an area inhabited

Battle Balloon

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

Battle Balloon Through the winter clouds that surround the castle on this desolate hill, you see a shape emerge. Something so gigantic, you can’t believe it can actually fly. Airships are relatively

battle balloon a much-coveted upgrade for any franchise. Origins and Operations. Professional secrecy and aggressive marketing make it unclear where the airship originated. Some say battle balloons were

Darklords

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

Darklords are deadly or possess foul gifts from the Dark Powers, many pose little threat in battle. Their menace is the result of capabilities beyond physical prowess. Darklords Are Active. Darklords might

agendas, obsessions, and egotism distract them from focusing on the strangeness of the world and petty concerns such as eerie fog. Darklords Are Immortal. Darklords are casually immortal, many having no

Champions of Rock Throwing

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

Champions of Rock Throwing Giants have a well-deserved reputation as living siege engines — all of them can hurl boulders with accuracy across great distances. Rock throwing — for battle, hunting

boulders. Frost giants build targets out of snow and ice and compete to see who can knock down the most with a single toss. A popular one-on-one game begins with the challenger throwing a stone as

Hobgoblin

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)

warlord is a ruthless tyrant more interested in strategy, victory, glory, reputation, and dominion than leading troops into battle. As loyal and disciplined as hobgoblins are in their own legion

cooperate on the battlefield. Strategic Thinkers. Hobgoblins have a strong grasp of tactics and discipline, and can carry out sophisticated battle plans under the direction of a strategically minded leader

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