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Returning 35 results for 'monsters some with only about from for let'.
Halfling
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Species
Basic Rules (2014)
marauding monsters and clashing armies; a blazing fire and a generous meal; fine drink and fine conversation. Though some halflings live out their days in remote agricultural communities, others form
;s going on behind their smiling faces—surely more than they ever let on.”
Humans. “Humans are a lot like us, really. At least some of them are. Step out of the castles and keeps
Backgrounds
Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica
advancing civilization, nature needs some help from biomancers and terraformers. If, along the way, you happen to create super-soldiers and mutant monsters that can bolster the combine’s defenses
protection and durability
2
Fin Clade, focused on movement
3
Gyre Clade, focused on cyclical patterns and metamagic
4
Guardian Project, focused on creating guard monsters and super
Backgrounds
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
operate up and down the Sword Coast and throughout the North. Most are small-scale operations that employ a dozen to a hundred folk who offer security services, hunt monsters and brigands, or go to war in
)
4
Might. In life as in war, the stronger force wins. (Evil)
5
Live and Let Live. Ideals aren’t worth killing over or going to war for. (Neutral)
6
Nation. My city, nation, or
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Stranger Things
everyone’s having fun, let it take as long as necessary. It’s all about the fun. Describe each scene. Tell them what their characters see or hear or feel at the start, then just let them go. They say what
the characters do, and I tell them what happens. But don’t take control of their characters. I control everything else — the monsters, the nonplayer characters (NPCs, like Sir Tristan), even the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
encounters. It’s fine to throw tough encounters at them and sometimes to let them face monsters they can’t beat. But it’s not fair if the players have no way to know they can’t win the fight or have
the Monsters’ Favor. Rolling dice in front of the players when a situation is especially deadly is one way to communicate that you’re not cheating in the monsters’ favor or singling out a single
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
talk in haughty drawls. Let a pirate NPC say, “Arrrr, maties!” in your best Long John Silver voice. Let intelligent monsters unfamiliar with Common stumble along with awkward grammar. Let drunkards
Roleplaying For some DMs, roleplaying comes naturally. If it doesn’t come naturally for you, don’t worry. The main thing is for you to have fun portraying your NPCs and monsters and to amuse your
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
Flight, or Fight, or … ? Each of the results on these tables represents a certain kind of challenge or potential challenge. If you let the dice have their way and the result is a large number of
monsters, the generated encounter might be too difficult or dangerous for the characters in their present circumstances. They might want to flee to avoid contact, or not to approach any closer after
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
Chapter 1: Monster Lore Volo has encountered many monsters in his day, few as odious or as ornery as the ones described herein. This chapter takes several iconic D&D monsters and provides additional
that, as you explore each monster section, you’ll come up with new ways to challenge and entertain your players, as well as find new things that you can borrow for your own D&D campaign. Let each entry
Orc
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
battle skills.
3
I always appear like I am about to kill everyone around me.
4
I love a good brawl.
5
I drink the blood of monsters to consume their power.
6
I chant orcish war
have a calm temperament and let insults roll off my back.
2
I don’t fear the gods and have no patience for superstitions.
3
I am slow to anger, but when I do become enraged I fight
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver
characters. You’re there to run the monsters, referee the rules, and keep the story moving.
It’s a shared story. It’s the group’s story, so let the players contribute to the outcome through the actions of
D&D world, as well as the one who reads (and sometimes also writes) the adventure and describes what happens in response to the characters’ actions. The DM plays monsters. The DM plays the monsters
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Stranger Things
doesn’t touch our world). Describe how lonely, dark, and desolate it is, with a cold wind blowing all the time. Let the characters explore a little. Describe sections where the Upside Down touches our
, lurking just out of sight in the darkness. They find tracks made by the thessalhydra, but also tracks made by other monsters. But the tracks are impossible to follow. The tracks come and go. Sometimes they
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual
tails bristling with detachable spikes. These monsters launch their tail spikes at their prey, skewering those on the ground or knocking flying creatures from the air. Despite their ravenous tendencies
Let a group navigate its territory unharmed. 5 Let someone pretend to slay it in battle. 6 Scare or threaten someone. 7 Serve a creature as a steed until the sun sets. 8 Try to locate something from its
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
. You can let your imagination run wild. This chapter contains optional rules that you can use to customize your campaign, as well as guidelines on creating your own material, such as monsters and
Chapter 9: Dungeon Master’s Workshop As the Dungeon Master, you aren’t limited by the rules in the Player’s Handbook, the guidelines in these rules, or the selection of monsters in the Monster Manual
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Respect for the DM As the DM, you have the right to expect your players to respect you and the effort you put into making a fun game for everyone. The players need to let you direct the campaign
discussions at the table. Some groups don’t mind putting the game on hold while they discuss different interpretations of a rule. Others prefer to let the DM make a call and continue playing. If you
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice Compendium
Caster feat is an example of a feature that does let you bypass a 1-action casting time to cast a spell in place of making an opportunity attack. A few monsters can make opportunity attacks with melee
used. By extension, the Extra Attack feature (given by several classes, including the fighter and paladin) doesn’t let you cast extra attack spells. That feature specifically relies on the Attack
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
for player characters and monsters to use. Those spells are followed by suggestions on customizing the look of your spells. The chapter then offers a selection of new magic items, including artifacts
them, so make sure to let your DM know which options you’d most like to use in play. In her lab, Tasha confers with the demon lord Graz’zt through a magic mirror
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
over, you will need more than a descriptive overview to bring a long and harrowing journey to life; you’ll need to know the party’s marching order and have encounters at the ready. Let your players
one might come at them from above or behind. If an encounter features stealthy monsters, a character tending to the party’s pack animals might get the first indication that monsters are near when a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
Creating a Combat Encounter 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
2,400 4,900 7,300 10,900 20th 2,800 5,700 8,500 12,700 CHALLENGE RATING
When putting together an encounter or adventure, especially at lower levels, exercise caution when using monsters whose
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
badly!” As the characters fight monsters, you can reveal information to help the players make good choices, as described in the sections that follow. Awarding Heroic Inspiration
As discussed in the
attack. On the other hand, if the characters aren’t damaging the creature much, let the players know the creature doesn’t look hurt. That might encourage the players to change their plan. Abilities
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
your players’ imaginations by describing a horror indirectly in stages. Chapter 5 features advice or making familiar monsters more frightful. Also consider the following elements when describing
? When it becomes desperate, how does it react? Let Players Fill Gaps Invite players to turn their imaginations against themselves. Leave details intentionally blank, describing just enough to reveal
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
everyone around me. 4 I love a good brawl. 5 I drink the blood of monsters to consume their power. 6 I chant orcish war dirges during combat. Orc Ideals d6 Ideal 1 Strength. Showing superior
calm temperament and let insults roll off my back. 2 I don’t fear the gods and have no patience for superstitions. 3 I am slow to anger, but when I do become enraged I fight until my enemies are dead
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
spends one of her four 1st-level slots and has three remaining. Finishing a long rest restores any expended spell slots. Some characters and monsters have special abilities that let them cast spells
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
Targets in Areas of Effect table. To use the table, imagine which combatants are near one another, and let the table guide you in determining the number of those combatants that are caught in an area of
(100-foot line) at some ogres and hobgoblins, and you could use the table to say four of the monsters are targeted (100 ÷ 30 = 3.33, rounded up to 4). This approach aims at simplicity instead of spatial precision. If you prefer more tactical nuance, consider using miniatures.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
: the withered shrubs are actually monsters. It’s important to establish which characters are closest to the hidden monsters.
2 Jared: The cave entrance is ten feet wide, with the stream running
, and the DM is waiting for the right time to reveal the hidden monsters.
Jared: OK, who’s second?
Phillip: Gareth will go second.
Maeve (as Mirabella): I’ll be third in line.
Amy (as Auro
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
possibilities: Ambush. Monsters set up an ambush along a route they expect travelers to follow. Attack from Above. Flying monsters swoop down to attack the characters. Distant Sighting. The
characters and monsters spot each other from a distance in open terrain. Found by Chance. The characters happen upon monsters that are camping, eating, hunting, basking in the sun, walking along the same trail
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries
Desert Encounters If the players are restless or spoiling for a fight, use the following encounters. Pesh and Shamir avoid combat and try their best to stay out of harm’s way. Wandering Monsters The
from the sands. Two rakshasas masquerading as Bedine nomads named Imura and Sikkat offer to guide the party to a magic oasis. The rakshasas attack the characters as soon as they let down their guard
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
monsters and kidnap travelers and isolated miners to work as slaves in their mines, but they’re careful to eliminate witnesses. So far no one suspects that “those reclusive monks” are behind the troubles. In
characters might sense that the monks are exchanging furtive glances with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Insight) skill check. Recruits or Members? The Sacred Stone monks might be persuaded to let the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
trying to deal with panicked students. You can’t just let some monster ruin the first day of classes. Time to step up!
In the western part of area B8, the characters see a half dozen old trunks strewn
this incoming class! And what a bizarre occurrence. I can’t remember any of those old costume trunks ever bearing a hint of magic—let alone that manner of transmutation. I will be having a word with the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual
take over bands of weaker monsters, or they might pose as helpful spirits and trick influential individuals into pursuing nefarious ends. I can tell you what I know, but wouldn’t you rather I tell you
what’ll let you do what you know you’re going to do anyway?
—Skeever, imp servant of Firan Zal’honan
Imp Tiny Fiend (Devil), Lawful Evil
AC 13 Initiative +3 (13)
HP 21 (6d4 + 6)
Speed 20 ft
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation
Character Advancement Characters begin the adventure at 1st level and gain XP by defeating monsters. After each game session, add up all the XP earned and distribute it evenly among the party members
. Again, let the Suggested Character Levels table guide you. For example, if the characters are 4th level and about to stumble into Omu (chapter 3), you might want to steer them in a different direction
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
neighbors. Eight veterans of the City Watch arrive 10 minutes later to investigate the intrusion. Let Me Paint You a Picture Kalain, a famous Waterdavian painter, was commissioned to paint a portrait of
the subject of faithful commitment, he treated her poorly, for his true love was Neverwinter. Kalain became enraged after Dagult’s rejection and turned to painting monsters that, in her mind
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Ez d’Avenir Born Ezmerelda Radanavich but preferring the name Ez, this young wanderer first encountered monsters among her manipulative family, who posed as Vistani to prey upon travelers. Eventually
reconnect with Erasmus, now a ghost. She and the spirit renewed their friendship and ultimately discovered paths beyond Rudolph van Richten’s obsession. Rather than let her relationship with the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm Lord’s Wrath
top of the cliffs to the surf below. Still, some players, as soon as you tell them they cannot do something, want to do just that. If they insist, let them.
The trek from Leilon to the Thunder Cliffs
should trigger many encounters with undead creatures from the army of Ularan Mortus, random ogre and giant attacks, and confrontations with other hostile beasts, humanoids, and monsters.
The top of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
monster, a villain with lackeys, an assortment of monsters, or an evil organization. Whatever their nature, the antagonists should have goals that the heroes can uncover and thwart. Familiar Tropes
the past in the course of the adventure. In general, let the world’s history be evident in the present situation. Instead of dealing with what happened in the past, an adventure should focus on
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon of Icespire Peak
Quests” and “Follow-Up Quests” below). Let the players choose which quest to complete first, second, third, and so on. If the players don’t like a particular quest, they are under no obligation to complete
fighting the monster is always an option, characters might decide to negotiate with the manticore instead. Be flexible, particularly when dealing with intelligent monsters. If every encounter becomes a






