building before distant combat regard

Building Combat Encounters

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

Chapter 13: Building Combat Encounters When creating a combat encounter, let your imagination run wild and build something your players will enjoy. Once you have the details figured out, use

this section to adjust the difficulty of the encounter. Combat Encounter Difficulty There are four categories of encounter difficulty. Easy. An easy encounter doesn’t tax the characters’ resources

Bamboo

Equipment

Combat Utility Whimsy 3 3 3 Used in everything from building material to drinking vessels and musical instruments, bamboo is perhaps the most versatile material on the

Dorrin Plate

Equipment

Combat Utility Whimsy 7 8 4 Dorrin plate is a naturally occurring stone that can be broken off in large sheets and used as roof tiles, crockery, or building material. Potion

Faerie Pest

Monsters Monstrous Compendium Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures

toddler, except for the black-feathered wings sprouting from the faerie’s shoulders. When engaged in combat, faerie pests wield thought-manipulating magic alongside sharp blades coated in

moss than most mortals. While ouphes are related to Eldraine’s faeries, the faeries treat them like distant (and somewhat embarrassing) cousins. Ouphes can be represented with the stat blocks for Pixie;pixies or Sprite;sprites. Mischievous Stealth. The faerie takes the Hide action.

Half-Orc Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

shared elements among these folk. Orcs regard battle scars as tokens of pride and ornamental scars as things of beauty. Other scars, though, mark an orc or half-orc as a former prisoner or a disgraced

-orcs hear the whispers of Gruumsh in their dreams, calling them to unleash the rage that simmers within them. Others feel Gruumsh’s exultation when they join in melee combat — and either

Tortle Legacy

Species The Tortle Package

regard these settlements as places worth defending with their lives, and they will abandon a settlement when it no longer serves their needs. Most tortles like to see how other creatures live and

watch a frog croaking on a lily pad, or to stand in a crowded human marketplace. Tortles like to learn new skills. They craft their own tools and weapons, and they are good at building structures and

Find Familiar Legacy

Spells Basic Rules (2014)

familiar acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands. In combat, it rolls its own initiative and acts on its own turn. A familiar can't attack, but it can take other actions as normal

familiar has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses. You can't have more than one familiar at a time. If you cast this spell while you already have a familiar, you

Cleric Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

her holy symbol as light pours from it to drive back the zombies crowding in on her companions. Clerics are intermediaries between the mortal world and the distant planes of the gods. As varied as the

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

Alustriel Silverhand

Monsters Vecna: Eve of Ruin

are to spread kindness, reward virtue, and promote a culture of compassion throughout the multiverse. She is good at building alliances and quick to intervene when she senses a threat to the forces of

Weave favors those who act with mercy and compassion, seeks to deliver lives of security for all, and bolsters people’s efforts when they seek to right wrongs and combat evil. Nowhere are

Eladrin Legacy

Species Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes

inspiration for characteristics of your own. Autumn d4 Autumn Personality Trait 1 If someone is in need, you never withhold aid. 2 You share what you have, with little regard for

Everything dies eventually. Why bother building anything that is supposedly meant to last? 2 Nothing matters to you, and you allow others to guide your actions. 3 Your needs come first. In

Halaster Blackcloak

Monsters Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

, however, Halaster is alert and attentive to the activities and preparations of all beings near him. He never willingly enters combat without first casting mage armor and mind blank on himself.As the

effect is triggered, as though Halaster had cast minor illusion in an area. Common illusions include the echo of rattling chains, the distant sound of explosive spells being cast, a dusty cloak or a rusty

Knight of the Order

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

again in ruins, Dove Falconhand decided to reform the group with the primary goal of building alliances and friendship between the civilized races of the world and goodly people in order to combat evil

Young Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

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 Dragon Adventures The Topaz Dragon

to ask for help getting home. 6 A topaz dragon is building a tableau of desiccated creatures and has grown obsessed with catching one treasure hunter who escaped the dragon’s clutches

Ranger Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

the creature while he readies his bow. Far from the bustle of cities and towns, past the hedges that shelter the most distant farms from the terrors of the wild, amid the dense-packed trees of

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

Topaz Dragon Wyrmling

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

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 Dragon

, but the dragon is too proud to ask for help getting home. 6 A topaz dragon is building a tableau of desiccated creatures and has grown obsessed with catching one treasure hunter who escaped the

Barbarian Legacy

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

character, think about where your character comes from and his or her place in the world. Talk with your DM about an appropriate origin for your barbarian. Did you come from a distant land, making you a

Golgari Agent

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

the moss-covered building where I took part in my first reclamation mission. 5 I found something in the sewer that must never come to light. 6 I am forever grateful to the reclaimer who

Encounter Building

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Encounter Building This section introduces new guidelines on building combat encounters for an adventure. They are an alternative to the rules in “Creating Encounters” in chapter 3 of the Dungeon

encounter-building system assumes that, as DM, you want to have a clear understanding of the threat posed by a group of monsters. It will be useful to you if you want to emphasize combat in your

Soldier - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

regard you with suspicion, and you generally get a chilly reception while in uniform. BALDUR’S GATE FEATURE: LOYALTY TEST You’ve had enough dealings with crooked soldiers that you can spot

I’m full of inspiring and cautionary tales from my military experience relevant to almost every combat situation. 5 I can stare down a hell hound without flinching. 6 I enjoy being

Warlock Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

stars overhead, a wild-eyed tiefling chants the mystic ritual that will open a doorway to a distant world. Warlocks are seekers of the knowledge that lies hidden in the fabric of the multiverse. Through

(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

Start Small

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

Start Small When you first start building your campaign, start small. The characters need to know only about the city, town, or village where they start the game, and perhaps the nearby dungeon. You

might decide that the barony is at war with a nearby duchy, or that a distant forest is crawling with ettercaps and giant spiders, and you should note these things. But at the start of the game, the local area is enough to get the campaign off the ground. Follow these steps to create that local area:

Ancient Deep Dragon Legacy

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

far-off lands. Many seek out new insights and tricks that they can use against other denizens of the Underdark, preferring social manipulation and crafty dealmaking to exerting themselves in combat

, they use local settlements—and any competent visitors—as pawns in their struggle. 4 An ancient deep dragon has put the folk of a city to work building the dragon a metropolis to rule

Adventurers at Heart

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation Supplement

safety of greater numbers. Tortles don’t regard these settlements as places worth defending with their lives, and they will abandon a settlement when it no longer serves their needs. Most tortles like to

building structures and fortifications. They marvel at the works of other civilized creatures, humans in particular, and can lose themselves for years in a city, studying its architectural wonders and

Dhakaan

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

Dhakaan The Empire of Dhakaan, ruled by hobgoblin kings for thousands of years in Khorvaire’s distant past, united several rival nations to create the continent’s first significant empire. Its reign

esteemed by modern-day hobgoblins from Darguun who seek to revive the empire. Explorers in these ruins often must contend with goblinoid rivals who regard Dhakaani antiquities as rightfully Darguun’s

Random Buildings

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

Random Buildings Pulse-pounding chases and harrowing escapes within the confines of a town or city can sometimes force characters to dash into buildings. When you need to flesh out a building quickly

, roll on the Building Type table. Then roll on the table corresponding to that building to add further detail. If a roll makes no sense considering where the characters are (such as a lavish mansion

Companion Encounter Balance

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Flee, Mortals! Rule Primer

Companion Encounter Balance Unless a caregiver has the beastheart class (found in Beastheart and Monstrous Companions), the GM should consider a companion as akin to a powerful combat-focused magic

item when building encounters. A companion gives a party a significant power boost, not just by dishing out more damage and providing more hit points for enemies to target, but also by creating

Retainer Encounter Balance

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Flee, Mortals! Rule Primer

Retainer Encounter Balance When building encounters, the GM should consider a retainer as akin to a powerful combat-focused magic item. A retainer gives a party a significant power boost; they not

Arriving at the Temple

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries

Silverymoon. Both trails converge on the south side of the bathhouse building and the double doors leading into area T1. If the characters put off entering the bathhouse building to first wander the grounds

anyone tries to forcibly enter the abandoned shrine or the tower. If the characters are intent on starting this part of the adventure with combat, you might lead off with a challenging fight against the

Noncombat Challenges

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

agreement with a clan of surly dwarves, or successfully navigate the Chasm of Doom, you might decide that they deserve an XP reward. As a starting point, use the rules for building combat encounters in

Noncombat Challenges You decide whether to award experience to characters for overcoming challenges outside combat. If the adventurers complete a tense negotiation with a baron, forge a trade

Goblin Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

goblin tribe has to nobility is the caste of lashers — families of goblins trained in the ways of battle, and also possessed of key skills such as strategy, trap-building, beast taming, mining

and know the most about the territory farthest from the tribe’s lair. These individuals hunt game in peaceful times, and in combat they serve as scouts, foot soldiers, and cavalry. Gatherers

Astral Plane

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

sky, anchored in ends so distant she couldn’t perceive them, their middle parts revolving angrily like pieces of string rolled between a child’s fingertips. She glanced down, wondering what supported

great silvery sea, the same above and below, with swirling wisps of white and gray streaking among motes of light like distant stars. Most of the Astral Sea is a vast, empty expanse. Visitors occasionally

Starting the Adventure

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel

that parts to reveal distant cliffs. A port emerges from the mist, nestled among mangroves. Elaborate mud-brick buildings in chalky pastel colors line the shore. A grand mud-brick castle bristling with

House, a well-appointed, two-story, mud-brick building painted pale blue. The characters have a full day to rest and explore Djaynai before they meet with the official who arranged their journey at

Recent Events

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

booty through the clerics, who shipped the goods to distant temples where they could be sold without being recognized as stolen merchandise. The Abbey Isle clerics often cheated the pirates on these

suffering considerable losses against the undead, they proved to be in such a vengeful mood that they set fire to the abbey. With the structure aflame, they didn’t bother looting the building or searching

Joint DMs

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

enjoy or the DMs trading focus from session to session. One DM might run combat description and keep a battle moving while the other focuses on miniatures and music. The two DMs can play two different

NPCs in a social interaction encounter. Between sessions, they can collaborate or divide up world-building, encounter creation, and other tasks. CoupleofKooks

Combat Encounters

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything

2, five 13th-level characters for tier 3, and five 18th-level characters for tier 4. Use that assumption when creating combat encounters, whether you use the encounter-building rules in the Dungeon

Combat Encounters Design your adventure for one of the four tiers, as set forth in chapter 1 of the Player’s Handbook: tier 1 includes levels 1–4, tier 2 is levels 5–10, tier 3 is levels 11–16, and

D&D Beyond

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