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Returning 35 results for 'defends improvised are back'.
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Monsters
Out of the Abyss
choose to be pushed 5 feet back or to the side of the cube. A creature that chooses not to be pushed suffers the consequences of a failed saving throw.
On a failed save, the cube enters the creature's
the Underdark has granted Glabbagool sentience and awareness. The ooze is genuinely curious about other creatures and wants to learn more about the world. It defends itself if attacked, but doesn't
Orc
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
fraught with tests of strength, fierce competition and nothing in the way of maternal or paternal love. From the time a child can wield a stick or a crude knife, it asserts itself and defends itself
raid just as another group returns, laden with severed heads, sacks of loot, and armfuls of food. Warriors also serve as scouts, bringing back detailed reports about the surrounding area so that the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
saving throw or slip from the chain or post and fall. Any character within reach of a falling creature can, with a successful DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check, grab the falling creature and swing it back
, characters who take to the air can easily get clear of Elturel. However, flying creatures might attract the attention of winged devils and demons in the area, at your discretion. Improvised Equipment
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm Lord’s Wrath
A Decision At some point, the characters must decide which vessel and captain they prefer. The town covers the cost of passage there and back for the characters, and both captains ask the same fare
are. If for any reason the characters attack Kristoffen because they learn of his affiliation with the Cult of Talos, he defends himself. Kristoffen (use half-red dragon veteran statistics but
Kobold
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
improvised traps they use to protect their warrens.
KURTULMAK: GOD OF KOBOLDS
The god of kobolds was a vassal of Tiamat. When the gnome god Garl Glittergold stole a treasure from Tiamat’s hoard, she
some other convenient way (or, in a cannibalistic tribe, eaten). Kobolds believe that if they die in service to their tribe, Kurtulmak immediately sends each of them back to life as the next egg laid in
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd
. If the characters confront the dusk elf, he defends himself but won’t cause them any permanent harm. Strahd’s chamberlain would sooner die than allow himself to be captured. Rahadin doesn’t divulge
his reason for visiting the temple, or even who is he or what role he serves. Left to his own devices, he rides back to Castle Ravenloft.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh
can’t willingly move out of line of sight of them and defends them to the death. If forcibly moved away from the lights, the creature tries to find its way back to them. The creature can’t take a short
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
halfling pluck and dark devotion make the wicked Nettlebees unlikely to back down easily. In fact, Wiggan tries to bribe the characters into defending Bertram and him “against these savages.” He also uses
only temporary. Wiggan’s Gambit. If the party defends the Nettlebees and Wiggan survives, the characters are still in danger. Wounded foes make tempting targets, especially if the party knows of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Hoard of the Dragon Queen
success. Now they’ve deployed an improvised battering ram. It’s only a matter of time, possibly minutes, before the temple’s main doors crumple under the assault, leaving the people inside helpless
minutes (two minutes per side). Group C consists of four cultists and four kobolds clustered tightly around the temple’s back door. Their meager fire produces little flame, instead creating prodigious
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat
cyclops defends itself if attacked, and killing them changes nothing. The characters still need to propel a stone farther than the cyclops did to get back to the sundial. When the characters beat the
challenge, the stone that the cyclops threw splits in half, revealing a topaz gemstone inside. If the topaz is carried out of this area, either path leads the characters back to the sundial. If the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
cyclops defends itself if attacked, and killing them changes nothing. The characters still need to propel a stone farther than the cyclops did to get back to the sundial. When the characters beat the
challenge, the stone that the cyclops threw splits in half, revealing a topaz gemstone inside. If the topaz is carried out of this area, either path leads the characters back to the sundial. If the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
1 gp each to watch Noska’s back. The characters can turn them against Noska by offering a larger bribe (at least 5 gp each). If the characters turn the hooligans against Noska or reduce the dwarf to
15 or higher can spot the gazer shortly after the party enters the City of the Dead. The gazer defends itself if attacked. Next Encounter Armed with directions to the Garloth mausoleum, the characters can head for the City of the Dead. The spring chain continues with encounter 4, “Mausoleum.”
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
, read or paraphrase the following: Thunderous footsteps shake the ground as you approach a horned, red-furred demon over twenty feet tall. Two winged shapes flank its towering form. On its back is a
palanquin to defeat the demons within while the characters slay the goristro. The goristro defends itself. If the vrocks see that the goristro is losing, they join the fight. The three erinyes easily dispatch
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Infernal Machine Rebuild
fight. The unicorn Banrion defends her home and its inhabitants with her life. If the characters threaten or attack her here, she fights to the finish, refusing to teleport away. But if the characters
manipulate the fallen clock tower back to its standing position. This seals off her plateau defensively, denying it to the hags in case she falls. (If she survives, the unicorn remains able to teleport
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
success. Now they’ve deployed an improvised battering ram. It’s only a matter of time, possibly minutes, before the temple’s main doors crumple under the assault, leaving the people inside helpless
minutes (two minutes per side). Group C consists of four cultists and four kobolds clustered tightly around the temple’s back door. Their meager fire produces little flame, instead creating prodigious
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated
forbidden from carrying weapons doesn’t slow you down. Whether you channel your enemies’ impending destruction through mundane equipment, thoughtful gifts, or a packed lunch, you and your improvised
weapons are always ready for action. Disguised Weapons d6 Object (Improvised Weapon)
1 The roasted drumstick of a huge bird (greatclub; longsword if a shard of bone is broken off)
2 A
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice Compendium
The Role of Rules Why even have a column like Sage Advice when a DM can just make a ruling? Rules are a big part of what makes D&D a game, rather than simply improvised storytelling. The game’s rules
but not with another. When I write about the RAI interpretation of a rule, I’ll be pulling back the curtain and letting you know what the D&D team meant when we wrote a certain rule. RAF. Regardless of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice & Errata
The Role of Rules Why even have Sage Advice when a DM can just make a ruling? Rules are a big part of what makes D&D a game, rather than simply improvised storytelling. The game’s rules are meant to
with another. When we write about the RAI interpretation of a rule, we pull back the curtain and let you know what the D&D team meant when writing that rule. RAF Regardless of what’s on the page or what
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
students cluster around an empty pool, laughing and waving improvised skates made from wooden planks with wheels affixed to the bottom. The empty pool is made of smooth stone and set about thirty feet into
the ground. The tavern’s back door is propped open.
One of the characters’ peers approaches holding a wand and two skates, thrusting both forward with a grin. They say: “We were hoping you’d turn up
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
, and steam billows out of it.
Nagas. Unless they have been drawn elsewhere, two spirit nagas named Excrutha and Serakath lounge on the floor near the back of the cave (see “The Ssethian Scourges
battle here attracts the thralls from areas 11b and 15f, assuming they’re still around. While Agorra is under the effect of the rod of rulership, she believes the nagas to be her allies and defends them
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
the gnome Tatina Rookledust is under attack by ten goblins and—standing well back from the chaos—their hobgoblin leader. The goblinoids wear dark armor with a spiral symbol—the same colors and symbol
turn. The inventor Tatina Rookledust defends her home from Dragon Army goblins The goblins flee after half their number are defeated. The hobgoblin tries to make the goblins hold their ground but
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
Dexterity check made using thieves’ tools opens each lock. If released from captivity, the goblinoids arm themselves with improvised weapons and flee to area 17a by way of the south tunnel. The
assumes its true waxy form, stares back with its one glaring red eye, and screams in Abyssal, “I know who you are!” The mirror then falls and shatters on the floor. 20e. Treasure Downstream River of Fish
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
, builds improvised weapons in the hope of gaining some new advantage in combat. An inventor captures bugs, scoops up exotic dungeon slimes, and claims the best stolen goods as ingredients in its
for only one or two attacks before they break, but might be surprisingly effective in the meantime. Most inventors are skilled enough that their improvised weapons don’t backfire on them, but other
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Turn of Fortune’s Wheel
turns his head and addresses them: “Are you here to worship me?”
If one or more characters say yes, the giant invites them to sit with him. If no characters say yes, he goes back to staring. Characters
) whenever they rest or cast a spell within the next 7 days. The croaking vanishes after this time, the giant having forgotten the characters. Slaying the Giant. The giant defends himself if attacked, and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Sigil and the Outlands
back the alien armies of Gzemnid, a gaseous beholder god. CoupleOfKooks “Glory? Ha! What do any of us know of glory? We’re still alive! You seek a reward that can be attained only in death
to accommodate a frost giant longship, the watery gate reverses its tide twice each day, allowing boats to voyage to the chaotic plane and back again. Though the swirling portal allows Glorium to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Heroes of the Borderlands
. It takes about 1 minute for it to complete a lap. The cube occasionally meanders down the eastern tunnel toward cave D and back again, but it never crosses the spear barricades (see the “Spear
hobgoblin warrior, sword in hand, stands before it.
The surviving hobgoblins lodge in this once-full barrack. A lone Hobgoblin Warrior fiercely defends what few valuables remain. He starts combat
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things
characters; perhaps the characters saved the ally’s life or helped the ally in a significant way. This is an especially good way to bring back an ally the characters liked but left behind in their
ally might be a bit of a surprise for the characters—someone they dismiss as unrelated to the Deck of Many Things until the scholar draws a weapon and ably defends themself in battle. The studious ally
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
fraught with tests of strength, fierce competition and nothing in the way of maternal or paternal love. From the time a child can wield a stick or a crude knife, it asserts itself and defends itself while
on a raid just as another group returns, laden with severed heads, sacks of loot, and armfuls of food. Warriors also serve as scouts, bringing back detailed reports about the surrounding area so that
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
relationships within a monster group. Monster Relationships 1d6 Relationship 1 Two monsters have a bitter rivalry; each wants the other to suffer. 2 One monster, bullied by the others, hangs back and flees
to locations that allow them to monitor entrances to the lair. If possible, these creatures might equip themselves with an alarm such as a horn or improvised gong (an empty kettle, perhaps). At the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
; vulnerability to fire and radiant damage; and immunity to acid, necrotic, and psychic damage. Pangil ng Buwan defends the spirit blisters and prioritizes attacking any creature that damages the blisters
there and are about to attack. Unless the characters have previously convinced Paolo to hold back, the dragon hunters immediately attack. Rather than rolling for the dragon hunters’ attacks, assume any of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Sigil and the Outlands
, a garrison of devils defends Ribcage’s gate. In times of invasion or other wide-scale conflicts, the duchess can beseech Avernus to deploy infernal armies and weapons of war through the portal
Adventure Hook 1 One of the character’s loved ones pledges their soul in an infernal contract. To win it back, the party must argue their case before a pit fiend judge in the Court of Cinders. 2
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Sigil and the Outlands
focused meditation. A powerful sage named Almera (githzerai futurist; see Morte’s Planar Parade) defends, sustains, and reshapes the embassy with her psionic prowess. Though it sees its share of
Planar Parade), recruits the characters to defend the embassy from an approaching githyanki warship. 3 A merciless githyanki knight arrives in Xaos on the back of a young red dragon. He asks the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Sigil and the Outlands
common nuisance, as pox-ridden corpses regularly return to confront their oppressors. CoupleOfKooks “The knife of betrayal is best twisted twice–once in the back and again in the grave. Trust no one
platform extends directly over the Pit, and walls of thick briars surround its swirling edge. A garrison of armored demons, the Hounds, defends the gate and its keep. Once human vassals who lived
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
move out of sight of the fresco and defends it to the death. If forcibly moved away from the fresco, the creature tries to find its way back. The creature can’t rest while under this effect. After 24
runes. The doors have neither handles nor hinges. The writing on them reads, “THE THREE KEYS. BRING THEM FORTH.” The doors part, sliding back into the walls, when the three correct keys are brought
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon Delves
defends the modrons. Civil but unhelpful, Qaara wants to find out why the alarm was triggered, then return to the Astral Plane. She has no interest in the characters’ quest or the dragon’s claim to the
which the gas returns. Console Mishaps 1d12
Mishap
1 The console powers down. It can’t be turned back on, and none of its functions can be activated henceforth. 2–3 Creatures within 5 feet of the






