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Returning 35 results for 'designed instincts are battle'.
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designed instinct are battle
Monsters
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
domesticate steeders, particularly duergar. Typically the females serve as steeds in battle, while the males are used as draft animals.
Steeders attempt to tear apart perceived threats—and consider
begins shortly after the steeder hatches. As it grows, its rider works with it to direct its predatory instincts.
Rather than spinning webs, steeders excrete a viscous substance from their legs. This goo allows them to creep along walls and ceilings and to grapple prey.
Monsters
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
domesticate steeders, particularly duergar. Typically the females serve as steeds in battle, while the males are used as draft animals.
Steeders attempt to tear apart perceived threats—and consider even
begins shortly after the steeder hatches. As it grows, its rider works with it to direct its predatory instincts.
Rather than spinning webs, steeders excrete a viscous substance from their legs. This goo allows them to creep along walls and ceilings and to grapple prey.
Monsters
Monstrous Compendium Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures
strong instincts of self-preservation. When a snapping hydra feels a battle's odds tipping out of its favor, the hydra lets out a raspy screech and retracts into its shell. In the wilds of Eldraine
, it’s never long before a hungry or curious creature arrives to investigate, leaping into battle with the hydra’s foes while the hydra makes an opportune exit.
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
a murder but doesn’t want to be found or identified.
2
An emerald dragon seeks heroes to participate in a dramatic reenactment of a legendary battle involving dragon riders.
3
An
a constant battle against deep gnome miners, who scour the tunnels of the dragon’s lair in search of emeralds.
2
An adult silver dragon tries to befriend and draw out a reclusive adult
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
doesn’t want to be found or identified.
2
An emerald dragon seeks heroes to participate in a dramatic reenactment of a legendary battle involving dragon riders.
3
An emerald dragon
’s lair is a maze of twisting tunnels, interconnected caverns, or crumbling ruins designed to disorient intruders. Circuitous routes within the lair provide the dragon with numerous ways to evade
Backgrounds
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
important than the gear and fighting style of its members, and so most of these orders aren’t limited to fighting types, but are open to all sorts of folk who are willing to battle and die for the
order’s cause.
The “Knightly Orders of Faerûn” sidebar details several of the orders that are active at present and is designed to help inform your decision about which group
Kobold
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
, designed to collapse under the weight of any creature heavier than a kobold. On occasion, the route through a kobold lair runs along a ledge that borders a cavern or a crevasse, and the kobolds might
populated areas, practice cannibalism, believing it is foolish to waste good meat.
In any case, kobolds that eat humanoids don’t simply start consuming corpses or prisoners right after a battle
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice & Errata
Can a non-Battle Master attempt to disarm someone? The Disarming Attack maneuver is designed for the Battle Master Fighter, but any character can try to disarm a foe. Such an attempt would fall under improvising an action not detailed by the rules and would be up to your DM to adjudicate.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
opponent, your best candidate for that foe is one of the game’s legendary creatures, which are designed to fill this need. If the battle involves multiple monsters, decide roughly how many creatures you want to use before continuing with step 3.
Step 2: Choose Encounter Size Determine whether you want to create a battle that pits one creature against the characters, or if you want to use multiple monsters. If the fight is against a single
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat
Developments This battle will likely be a challenge to run. It is designed to create an emotional low spot in the adventure, during which overall defeat for the forces of good looks like a real
possibility. Character death — even if temporary — can crush some players’ spirits. For those players, don’t make this battle just a relentless slog toward death. Give the adventurers opportunities to save
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
Developments This battle will likely be a challenge to run. It is designed to create an emotional low spot in the adventure, during which overall defeat for the forces of good looks like a real
possibility. Character death—even if temporary—can crush some players’ spirits. For those players, don’t make this battle just a relentless slog toward death. Give the adventurers opportunities to save
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Unearthed Arcana
The Artificer December 17, 2024
In this new Unearthed Arcana document, we explore material designed for upcoming books, using rules from the 2024 Player’s Handbook. This playtest document presents
a revised Artificer, along with 4 revised subclasses: Alchemist, Armorer, Artillerist, and Battle Smith. It also presents a new spell and a number of new magic items.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
Level 14: Arcturiadoom Arcturiadoom is designed for four 13th-level characters, and adventurers who defeat the monsters on this level should gain enough XP to advance halfway to 14th level. The lich
her personal retreat (“doom” being an archaic term for a lord’s domain). Hidden on this level is Arcturia’s phylactery, and adventurers would be wise to find and destroy it before facing the lich in battle on level 23.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
Fight or Flight Few creatures fight to the death. Nearly all creatures have survival instincts that cause them to reevaluate their tactics in the face of their own destruction. Sapient creatures
confronted by obviously more numerous or powerful opponents usually try to avoid battle. But brave, desperate, or devoted creatures might never retreat from a battle. If you can’t decide whether a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh
adventures for characters who did not participate in the missions. The Final Enemy is designed for four to six characters of 7th level. If you want to use story-based character advancement (see
final battle where the characters have a chance to lead a final, decisive assault on the sahuagin fortress.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Advancement Tyranny of Dragons: The Rise of Tiamat was designed around the milestone system of advancement. At the start of the adventure, the characters should be 7th or 8th level. Instead of
Attack) Chapter 15: Xonthal’s Tower Chapter 16: Mission to Thay (level gain at DM’s option) Chapter 13: The Cult Strikes Back (Third Attack) Leveling up after seven milestones should bring the characters to 14th or 15th level in time for the final battle at the Well of Dragons.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat
Advancement Tyranny of Dragons: The Rise of Tiamat was designed around the milestone system of advancement. At the start of the adventure, the characters should be 7th or 8th level. Instead of
Attack) Chapter 15: Xonthal’s Tower Chapter 16: Mission to Thay (level gain at DM’s option) Chapter 13: The Cult Strikes Back (Third Attack) Leveling up after seven milestones should bring the characters to 14th or 15th level in time for the final battle at the Well of Dragons.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer Academy
Wildspace Battle As your ship steers clear of the asteroids, another ship appears. Its sleek frame is painted in a wild shade of pink and is designed to resemble an immense squid. Starlight reflects
battle. Hammerhead Ship The following statistics are for the characters’ training ship and appear in handout 1. The ship is equipped with one ballista and two mangonels, each on a rotating mount. The
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
Advancement Tyranny of Dragons: The Rise of Tiamat was designed around the milestone system of advancement. At the start of the adventure, the characters should be 7th or 8th level. Instead of
Chapter 16: Mission to Thay (level gain at DM’s option) Chapter 13: The Cult Strikes Back (Third Attack) Leveling up after seven milestones should bring the characters to 14th or 15th level in time for the final battle at the Well of Dragons.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
, or even pieces of candy if miniatures are unavailable. Many software tools designed to facilitate online D&D play provide a battle grid. Even without such tools, though, many online D&D games use
products, but many DMs (and players) find them to be exciting additions to the game. Battle Grid and Miniatures Some DMs use a battle grid and miniatures to run combat encounters, which helps players
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
than the gear and fighting style of its members, and so most of these orders aren’t limited to fighting types, but are open to all sorts of folk who are willing to battle and die for the order’s cause
. The “Knightly Orders of Faerûn” sidebar details several of the orders that are active at present and is designed to help inform your decision about which group you owe allegiance to. Skill
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
, or even pieces of candy if miniatures are unavailable.
Many software tools designed to facilitate online D&D play provide a battle grid. Even without such tools, though, many online D&D games use
products, but many DMs (and players) find them to be exciting additions to the game. Battle Grid and Miniatures Some DMs use a battle grid and miniatures to run combat encounters, which helps players
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monstrous Compendium Volume Four
and strong instincts of self-preservation. When a snapping hydra feels a battle’s odds tipping out of its favor, the hydra lets out a raspy screech and retracts into its shell. In the wilds of
Eldraine, it’s never long before a hungry or curious creature arrives to investigate, leaping into battle with the hydra’s foes while the hydra makes an opportune exit. Snapping Hydra Huge Monstrosity
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
hobgoblin warlords or bugbear chiefs. “Bree-Yark!”
— Goblin for “We surrender!” (or so they say)
Challenging Lairs. Goblins festoon their lairs with alarms designed to signal the arrival of intruders
. Maglubiyet the Mighty One, the Lord of Depths and Darkness, is the greater god of goblinoids. Envisioned by most goblins as an eleven-foot-tall battle-scarred goblin with black skin and fire erupting
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat
(fearing that an all-out battle would likely destroy the village too), they’re interested in talking of little else besides who could be inside. The most popular theories are that Xonthal has returned or has
by brilliantly crafted wishes cast by Xonthal. The tower is impervious to all scrying and divination, and invulnerable against all forms of attack and alteration. Approaching through the maze and overcoming the puzzles designed by Xonthal is the only way to get inside.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
(fearing that an all-out battle would likely destroy the village too), they’re interested in talking of little else besides who could be inside. The most popular theories are that Xonthal has returned or has
by brilliantly crafted wishes cast by Xonthal. The tower is impervious to all scrying and divination, and invulnerable against all forms of attack and alteration. Approaching through the maze and overcoming the puzzles designed by Xonthal is the only way to get inside.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
a villain and a group of minions in a battle to the finish. 2 The adventurers chase a villain while dodging obstacles designed to thwart them, leading to a final confrontation in the villain’s refuge
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
whiteboard on a wall or propped up nearby A battle mat you use for miniatures Folded index cards for each character and each group of identical monsters, placed like tents in Initiative order across the top of
your DM screen A virtual tabletop program you’re using or a group text chat Magnets, clothespins, or an accessory designed to represent the Initiative order spatially An open list makes everyone
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
build a battle that is potentially deadly, though still not likely to be an automatic defeat. A party of four characters facing an encounter designed for six characters would fall into this category
rating (CR) to use for a legendary creature opposing a party of four to six characters, creating a satisfying but difficult battle. For example, for a party of five 9th-level characters, a CR 12
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things
Hulgaz in your campaign. You can run the following encounters to introduce Hulgaz to the party. These encounters are designed to occur in the order presented over the course of several game sessions, as
the exchange is over. Time of Need During an especially harrowing fight, Hulgaz appears to the party. She teleports to the most hard-pressed character and casually offers to help in the battle. All she
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
males, and the female often devours the male after breeding. In captivity, males are used as draft animals, while females serve as steeds in battle. Lone Predators. Steeders consider other steeders as
beast’s predatory instincts. Deadly Hunters. Rather than spinning webs, steeders excrete a viscous substance from their legs. This goo allows them to creep along walls and ceilings and to grapple prey
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monsters of the Multiverse
Underdark folk domesticate steeders, particularly duergar (also in this book). Typically the females serve as steeds in battle, while the males are used as draft animals. Steeders attempt to tear apart
with it, a process that begins shortly after the steeder hatches. As it grows, its rider works with it to direct its predatory instincts. Rather than spinning webs, steeders excrete a viscous substance
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
mount often means securing an egg and raising the creature yourself, making a bargain with a powerful entity, or negotiating with the mount itself. Barding. Barding is armor designed to protect an
. Saddles. A military saddle braces the rider, helping you keep your seat on an active mount in battle. It gives you advantage on any check you make to remain mounted. An exotic saddle is required for
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things
Adjusting for Party Level Harrowhall is designed to be a challenge for four 8th-level characters who explore the keep in a single session. Decrease the challenge for characters lower than 8th level
a clay golem, a shield guardian, or another weaker Construct. Ghostly Allies. When the characters battle the behir, their ghostly allies harry and distract the creature, giving it disadvantage on
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
encountered in a blizzard, whereas perytons almost never are. Some the random encounters are designed to test the characters in battle, while others encourage roleplaying. All of them paint a picture of