building before driven combat relate

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

Monk

Classes Player’s Handbook

proficiency above, Explorer's Pack, and 11 GP; or (B) 50 GP Monks use rigorous combat training and mental discipline to align themselves with the multiverse and focus their internal reservoirs of

strength into their attacks, with or without the use of weapons. In a Monk’s hands, even the most basic weapons can become sophisticated implements of combat mastery. Many Monks find that a

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

Munchanka Root

Equipment

Combat Utility Whimsy 17 11 11 The root of the deadly munchanka plant must be handled and processed with skill and care, for it is said that those who have eaten the wrong parts of this plant have been driven mad. Munchanka root can be found in dry, arid regions.

Sahuagin Priestess Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

female sahuagin are deemed worthy of channeling the god's power, and priestesses hold tremendous sway in sahuagin communities. Sahuagin are driven into a frenzy by the smell of fresh blood. As

maritime trade and drawing other races into the bloody conflict. So intense is sahuagin hatred for the aquatic elves that the sea devils have adapted to combat their ancient foes. A sahuagin born near

Sahuagin Baron Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

driven into a frenzy by the smell of fresh blood. As worshipers of Sekolah, they also have a special kinship with sharks, which they train as attack animals. Even untrained sharks recognize sahuagin

devils have adapted to combat their ancient foes. A sahuagin born near enough to an aquatic elf community can enter the world as a malenti — a sahuagin that physically resembles an aquatic elf in

Tortle Legacy

Species The Tortle Package

Yondalla relate to tortles most of all. Tortles believe that night and day watch over them and other creatures. The moon is the eye of night that watches over them in darkness, and the sun is the

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

Jermlaine

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

creatures. They are acutely aware that their small size and weakness in combat makes them prey for countless Underdark creatures. This anger and resentment is channeled into vengeful scheming against

attempts to hunt them down and fashion cloaks and other material from their skin. Such experiments have yet to yield a functional magic item, and the jermlaine's hatred of outsiders is driven in part by

Slithering Tracker

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

False Appearance. If the slithering tracker is motionless at the start of combat, it has advantage on its initiative roll. Moreover, if a creature hasn’t observed the slithering tracker move or

driven by the desire for blood; after fulfilling its duty, the overwhelmed creature attacks indiscriminately until it is destroyed.Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical AttacksCold

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

Urchin Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

are not in combat, you (and companions you lead) can travel between any two locations in the city twice as fast as your speed would normally allow. Suggested Characteristics Urchins are

shaped by lives of desperate poverty, for good and for ill. They tend to be driven either by a commitment to the people with whom they shared life on the street or by a burning desire to find a better

Criminal - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

Guild took over your family business, ran it into the ground, and burned the building for insurance money. You were driven into crime yourself, but you’ll never work for the Guild. You take

; but what you learn you pass on to the Guild. 4 The inequality of Baldur’s Gate has driven you to take matters into your own hands. You steal from patriars and rich Lower City residents

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

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

Paladin Legacy

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

paladins take their work seriously. A delve into an ancient ruin or dusty crypt can be a quest driven by a higher purpose than the acquisition of treasure. Evil lurks in dungeons and primeval forests

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

Triton Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

and worse, so you know you can count on them in a fight. — Brego Stoneheart, sea captain Tritons guard the ocean depths, building small settlements beside deep trenches, portals to the

the depths revealed that krakens, sahuagin, and far worse foes had fled the Plane of Water for the Material Plane. The tritons, driven by a sense of duty and responsibility, would not allow their foes

Monk Legacy

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

seriously, approaching their adventures as personal tests of their physical and spiritual growth. As a rule, monks care little for material wealth and are driven by a desire to accomplish a greater

Urchin - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

can find passages through the urban sprawl that others would miss. When you are not in combat, you (and companions you lead) can travel between any two locations in the city twice as fast as your

of desperate poverty, for good and for ill. They tend to be driven either by a commitment to the people with whom they shared life on the street or by a burning desire to find a better life &mdash

Orc Legacy

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

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

Yuan-ti Pureblood Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

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

the gods or as food. Depend on Deceit Yuan-ti have no sense of honorable combat. They are naturally stealthy, and if they can sneak up on enemies, either in an ambush or to murder them in their sleep

Warlock Legacy

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

are comfortable in light armor and know how to use simple weapons. Delvers into Secrets Warlocks are driven by an insatiable need for knowledge and power, which compels them into their pacts and

Chapter 2: Dungeon Master's Tools

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

. The chapter opens with optional rules meant to help you run certain parts of the game more smoothly. The chapter then goes into greater depth on several topics — encounter building, random encounters

, traps, magic items, and downtime — which largely relate to how you create and stage your adventures. The material in this chapter is meant to make your life easier. Ignore anything you find here that

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

Charlatan

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

an upper ward noble. 2 You’ve crafted the identity of a prophet driven by holy visions. If you are a divine spellcaster, your actual faith may be entirely different from the one you profess

You’re a covert operative working for another nation, or for a powerful agency (a dragonmarked house, the City Watch, a criminal organization). Are you carrying out missions, or are you a sleeper agent building a deep cover?

Khyber

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

into alien weirdness: characters could venture into a demiplane resembling Wonderland, Oz, or a postapocalyptic wasteland. Khyber is a prison realm, and the dragonshards found there relate to binding

substantial profits. Aside from assisting in such profit-driven expeditions, Morgrave University doesn’t often sponsor independent missions into Khyber. Such missions rarely bring back physical objects of any

Tortured Earth

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse

the area’s radius is 1,000 feet. The saving throw DC is 15. As the tremor ends, a young purple worm with 184 hit points (challenge rating 13) burrows out of the ground. Driven into a frenzy by the quake, it attacks other living creatures nearby. It retreats rather than perishing in combat.

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

Location Overview

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

the planar beacon and are refurbishing the tower for use as a garrison building. These efforts are led by Gallio Elibro, a powerful wizard and ranking member of the Order of the Many-Starred Cloak

, which have driven away his military work crew. Gallio is unaware that Thalivar’s spirit haunts the tower and possesses him each night to carry on its research!

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

D&D Beyond

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