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Returning 35 results for 'defense instant are better'.
Half-Elf
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Species
Basic Rules (2014)
Flint squinted into the setting sun. He thought he saw the figure of a man striding up the path. Standing, Flint drew back into the shadow of a tall pine to see better. The man’s walk was
ground. The dwarf clasped his old friend close for a brief instant, then, remembering his dignity, squirmed and freed himself from the half-elf’s embrace.
— Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Eladrin
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Species
Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes
You spend excessively on creature comforts.
Winter
d4
Winter Personality Trait
1
The worst case is the most likely to occur.
2
You preserve what you have. Better to
’t stay still.
d4
Spring Flaw
1
You overdrink.
2
Toil is for drudges. Yours should be a life of leisure.
3
A pretty face infatuates you in an instant, but your
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Hold Back The Dead
great cities of the Sword Coast have combined forces to restore this fortress,” she explains. “We expected it would give us better visibility into trouble on the frontier. But it seems that the Red
within the hour, probably in multiple waves. We need brave souls like you on the wall.
“But which wall? Each city has reinforced a part of this fortress, and you’ll be stationed in a defense zone on
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things
Preparing to Use the Deck The power and unpredictability of a Deck of Many Things gives it the potential to wildly alter the course of campaigns. In an instant, characters could inherit a keep
, shifting the campaign’s focus to its defense and maintenance; a character could become separated from the rest of the party, trapped in an undetectable and unreachable prison; or characters could instantly
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
Half-Elf Flint squinted into the setting sun. He thought he saw the figure of a man striding up the path. Standing, Flint drew back into the shadow of a tall pine to see better. The man’s walk was
a brief instant, then, remembering his dignity, squirmed and freed himself from the half-elf’s embrace.
— Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, Dragons of Autumn Twilight
Walking in two worlds but
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
Half-Elf Flint squinted into the setting sun. He thought he saw the figure of a man striding up the path. Standing, Flint drew back into the shadow of a tall pine to see better. The man’s walk was
a brief instant, then, remembering his dignity, squirmed and freed himself from the half-elf’s embrace.
— Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman,
Dragons of Autumn Twilight
Walking in two worlds but
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
this matter, simpler is better!
-Fizban
Use the Bronze Dragon Personality Traits and Bronze Dragon Ideals tables to inspire your portrayal of distinctive bronze dragon characters, and use the Bronze
respect all beings who risk their lives in defense of something greater than themselves.
2 My payment is a matter of principle. Requiring even a small fee for my service allows those I help to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
a clan’s riches from beneath its noses. For their part, the dwarves keep safety and defense uppermost in their priorities, realizing that there is little to be gained from trying to mount a large
and needs that take much of their time and attention, At the same time, the never-ending state of war is never out of mind — every dwarf knows that a chance encounter with a duergar could be fatal, and every duergar would like nothing better than to have such an opportunity.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
when he must, and he hasn’t let his adventuring skills wither. His wife, Asper, passed away several years ago, and his rambling mansion has seen better days. Mirt spends his days embroiled in
humanoid (human), chaotic good
Armor Class 16 (bracers of defense)
Hit Points 153 (18d8 + 72)
Speed 30 ft.
STR
18(+4)
DEX
18(+4)
CON
18(+4)
INT
15(+2)
WIS
12(+1
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
Orlumbor If you’re looking to purchase or repair a ship, there is no better place to do it along the Sword Coast than in Orlumbor. The finest shipwrights in the world live here, and their joining
Orlumbor to supply ships for its defense, making the island a wealthy and well-protected place in return. When Lord Neverember sank Waterdeep’s navy in his fight against pirates, he arranged to hire
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
elementals Wondrous item No Bracers of defense Wondrous item Yes Brazier of commanding fire elementals Wondrous item No Cape of the mountebank Wondrous item No Censer of controlling air elementals Wondrous
item No Cloak of displacement Wondrous item Yes Cloak of the bat Wondrous item Yes Cube of force Wondrous item Yes Daern’s instant fortress Wondrous item No Dagger of venom Weapon No Dimensional
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
orphans while doing nothing to remedy the circumstances that made them orphans. It can turn defense of one’s community into xenophobia. It can come to treat the wealthy as moral exemplars and the poor as
(commoner) believes she can care for the city’s children better than their parents and works to have the other adults arrested.
2 A priest begins imposing restrictive lifestyle rules on a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
is the most likely to occur. 2 You preserve what you have. Better to be hungry today and have food for tomorrow. 3 Life is full of dangers, but you are ready for them. 4 A penny spent is a penny lost
You overdrink. 2 Toil is for drudges. Yours should be a life of leisure. 3 A pretty face infatuates you in an instant, but your fancy passes with equal speed. 4 Anything worth doing is worth doing again
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
kind of slave or minion creature living with or near them as a defense against attackers, even if it’s just a common animal. Hags particularly delight in using mortals bound to their service as
creatures are either naturally wicked or warped by the hag to better serve her. In either case, a hag is confident that her servants will obey her orders without question. The Brutes table gives examples of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
each: feather fall, jump, see invisibility, shield
Psychic Defense. While the githzerai is wearing no armor and wielding no shield, its AC includes its Wisdom modifier.
Actions
Multiattack. The
that her warmongering would soon make her a tyrant no better than the mind flayers.
Githzerai Zerth Skilled githzerai monks that best exemplify the teachings and principles of Zerthimon are
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
traveler trudges toward you. Suddenly, there’s a shriek overhead, and a vulture-headed griffon dives toward the traveler.
The thri-kreen is 100 feet ahead of the characters and has little defense
.
Characters who can communicate with the anteaters find them to be lazy, well-fed beasts. If asked about the tall termite mound, the anteaters explain that they live in that mound but the eating’s better
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
. If the encounter takes place at the Helm and the characters don’t make a strong case against him, five commoners (tavern regulars) come to his defense. They aren’t cult servants, just bystanders
to dilute the poison among several flagons. (The dilution also makes the poison unlikely to be lethal; Justran is better at making ale than he is at making poison.) A brief investigation reveals that
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
small communities aren’t exclusively populated by halflings or gnomes, since such groups seem to prosper better when members of both races are in residence. Halfling families often focus on
favoring sheep, and gnomes goats, as well as artisans of all sorts. Each community has a sheriff who maintains peace and leads defense — a role most often fulfilled by a halfling, I’ve found, though
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
return with the spoils of war. The githyanki sky ships attack from above in the dead of night, gaining an instant advantage since communities on the surface rarely offer strong defenses against
of an organized defense. Because the githyanki strike to plunder rather than conquer, raiders linger over their target for no more than a few hours. By daybreak the attackers are gone, purposely
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice Compendium
of defense stack? Yes. In general, bonuses stack, unless they’re from the same spell (see “Combining Magical Effects” in the Player’s Handbook). You also can’t benefit from more than one ring of
dwarven thrower. If a rogue with the Assassinate feature uses a vorpal sword, isn’t the surprise attack an instant kill? No. A vorpal sword requires you to roll a 20 on the attack roll to decapitate
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries
heard about from Pond Mother and perhaps also from the yuan-ti captives. The old village was abandoned when the grippli realized they would fare better being closer to the water. They relocated to where
the lid of the sarcophagus glows brightly for an instant. Then the sarcophagus comes open partway, and the bound prisoners howl in agony. Even after the evil yuan-ti notice the characters, their
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
damage. If no character is in a place where something could fall on them, choose a character and let them notice the box about to fall on a student on the first floor. The character has an instant to
infirmary, Professor DeSantos doesn’t find anything wrong with the student and encourages them to lie down in the sickroom (area K7 on map 5.2) until they feel better.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
, peaceful realm, where many races live together for common knowledge, celebration, and defense. The city is peopled primarily by the “goodly” races (humans, dwarves, gnomes, elves, halflings, and half-elves
lost language, to learn the proper intonation of a complex song, or to better understand the cryptic writings of a long-dead sage, there is no better place to seek aid than Silverymoon. It is an easy
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice & Errata
spell Animate Dead harnesses magical energy to turn a corpse or a pile of bones into an Undead creature. That necromantic magic is present for an instant and is then gone. The resulting creature now
various game features distinguish between the armor you don and a Shield you wield. Take a look at the Monk’s Unarmored Defense feature and compare it to the Barbarian’s version. In the Monk’s version
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm King's Thunder
giant 12–13 Mounted Uthgardt 14–17 Strong winds 18–19 1 young green dragon 20 1 young silver dragon Aarakocra These intelligent avians fly close to the airship to get a better look. They have had
. Otherwise, the aarakocra fight only in self-defense. If at least five aarakocra are present, they try to perform an aerial dance to summon an air elemental for assistance. Characters can negotiate a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
modify existing classes to better serve your game’s needs. Changing Proficiencies Changing a class’s proficiencies is a safe and simple way to modify a class to better reflect your world. Swapping
faith, making them proficient with the quarterstaff and nothing else. You could give them a benefit to make up for the loss of proficiencies—something like the monk’s Unarmored Defense class feature, but
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
—Rare 1d100 Item 01 Bag of Beans 02–03 Bead of Force 04 Bowl of Commanding Water Elementals 05–06 Bracers of Defense 07 Brazier of Commanding Fire Elementals 08–09 Cape of the Mountebank 10 Censer
of Controlling Air Elementals 11–12 Chime of Opening 13–14 Cloak of Displacement 15–16 Cloak of the Bat 17 Cube of Force 18 Cube of Summoning 19 Daern’s Instant Fortress 20–21 Enspelled Staff (level 2
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
illithid remains fearful of gith attacks, and likely sets about creating a sort of colony of its own, the better to remain undetected. It gathers minions, establishes a lair, and makes defense of its
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
haven for enclave members and their friends. In her disembodied state, Jeryth can’t be harmed. If the need arises, Jeryth can cast any spell on the druid spell list. She uses her spells in defense of
sackcloth hood, another has a rotting pumpkin head, and the third is covered with a threadbare blanket. Characters who camp in a field for the better part of a day or night have a 10 percent chance
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
Wyllowwood. Wherever she is, Wyllow hears the roar and comes to the dragon’s defense. The dragon, Valdemar, refers to itself as Tearulai and won’t willingly part with the sword stuck in its skull. Nor
. It craves gemstones and seeks out better ones with which to adorn itself. Most of all, it longs to return to the forests around Myth Drannor, where it was created. If its wielder’s goals run counter
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
consumed with self-pity. She’s in no mood to fight or have a conversation, so she mumbles and curses to herself, attacking only in self-defense. Both hags’ stat blocks appear in appendix B. The
as an octopus!
Granny Nightshade
Any character who can rightfully claim this reward is better off not doing so, for it comes in the form of a potion that, if drunk, gives the imbiber a Strength
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
what brought the characters here so it can better understand the value of the site and the magical relics it has discovered. If the characters reveal what they seek, Ylch realizes the value of the
call, three flameskulls—the remains of the hateful crew of the Girscamen—come to the aboleth’s defense via the passage to area T2. As the flameskulls enter the area, a familiar haint, Violette, appears
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Light of Xaryxis
words, Gargenhale tells any belligerent or opportunistic characters that his crew has already died once—and they won’t hesitate to do so again in defense of their ship. In conversation, Gargenhale is
character who can tolerate undead allies better than he can. When the two parties come to an agreement, Gargenhale bows deeply and invites the characters aboard his ship to celebrate their alliance with a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh
from which he and his gang mount a defense. If an alarm has not been raised, two bandits and a scout are here, stealing drinks from the store of brandy. If the smugglers have been alerted, Sanbalet (see
in the house’s ruined walls and shattered windows.
What He Wants. The smuggler wants to expand his operation and eventually inhabit a more secure location to better pursue his magical studies. He’d
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
their victims happen to be in league with devils, so much the better. A casual observer might suppose that two forces of evil bent on exterminating each other would be an advantageous situation for
devils extended a tenacious defense out to the planes beyond Avernus, they could keep the demons away from Hell’s doorstep, but such a strategy would place a great strain on supplies, reinforcements, and






