Dragon Encounters

October 19, 2023

DARKMANTLE: Traps and Obstacles in the Dark

The darkmantle’s basic tactics are to use its false appearance until prey gets within reach, then use a turn to activate its darkness, and only then to latch onto the target. Continue reading

animal, guardian (CR 0-4)

battlemap, Combat rating 1, Combat rating 2, Combat rating 3, difficulty 3, difficulty 5, theater of mind, traps
October 12, 2023

CYCLOPS: Using Poor Depth Perception to Make him Deadlier

The first thing I would like to note is that the one eye is a weakness. The original cyclops in The Odyssey was given one eye as a weakness for Ulysses to exploit, and its only significant function in the story is Ulysses taking advantage of it. ( Continue reading

attacker (CR 5-7), minion

Combat rating 11, Combat rating 12, Combat rating 8, Combat rating 9, difficulty 7, difficulty 8
September 28, 2023

CRAWLING CLAW: Using These CR 0’s as Flavor and as Foes

The crawling claw’s most obvious use is to showcase the fact that a specific NPC is a necromancer. With that said, unlike in a television show, where the hand can be doing different things in the background and Continue reading

guardian (CR 0-4), minion

battlemap, difficulty 2, difficulty 3, difficulty 4, social encounter, theater of mind, traps
September 21, 2023

COUATL: The Hidden Advisor

The coutal is good aligned monster that is clearly designed to be a quest giver. It only exists because in order to fulfill a mission given by a long-forgotten deity, it stays in hiding when it doesn’t have a pressing need to act… How else can it possibly be used? Continue reading

ally (CR 0-4), independent

Combat rating 5, Combat rating 6, Combat rating 7, Combat rating 8, difficulty 4, difficulty 5, puzzle
September 14, 2023

COCKATRICE: Laying Traps With Cockatrices

When using a cockatrice, the enemies have to have a way to use it without it attacking them. (Of course, you can say that they successfully tamed it, but the monster manual doesn’t mention that this is possible, and these ideas are more interesting.) Continue reading

attacker (CR 0-4)

Combat rating 1, Combat rating 2, difficulty 3, difficulty varies, traps
September 14, 2023

Announcement

Dragon Encounters has made Feedspot’s top 70 D&D blogs. Thank you for your help in making it possible. You can see our spot on their list here. [Now for my next major life goal. Making it into Feedspot’s top 69 D&D blogs.] Continue reading

Uncategorized
September 13, 2023

CLOAKER: Masters of the Tactical Ambush

Scenario: Cloakers depend of taking their prey by surprise. They are also fairly intelligent. One way of taking their prey by surprise is to creep along behind them, as suggested here. Another way that they might fight is by taking advantage of the fact that they look like cloaks. Continue reading

ally (CR 8-10), attacker (CR 8-10), guardian (CR 8-10), independent

Combat rating 10, Combat rating 11, Combat rating 14, Combat rating 16, difficulty 10, difficulty 6, difficulty 9, puzzle
August 31, 2023

CHUUL: Crazy Collecters, and a Ruined House

A brief look at the chuul’s picture tells us that this monster isn’t going to have trouble navigating difficult terrain. Between the extra legs for balance, and the pincer like grips that it clearly has at the end of each leg, it’s not going to slip, let alone fall, very often. Continue reading

animal, attacker (CR 0-4), guardian (CR 0-4)

Combat rating 5, Combat rating 6, Combat rating 7, Combat rating 8, difficulty 6, difficulty 7
August 24, 2023

CHIMERA: A Fight to the Death

First appearance: The chimera’s attack style is very straightforward. It will dive from the sky, roaring and breathing fire, choosing an angle that will allow everyone to see it. I would choose a forest clearing, personally, or to have it come from arou Continue reading

animal, attacker (CR 5-7)

Combat rating 11, Combat rating 12, Combat rating 8, Combat rating 9, difficulty 7
August 17, 2023

CENTAUR: Tactics of Horse Archers

The Monster Manual doesn’t talk much about what centaurs are like. In almost every book I can think of, though, their personalities range from proud to arrogant jerks. They are certain of themselves and they look down on other creatures. Continue reading

guardian (CR 0-4), minion

battlemap, Combat rating 3, Combat rating 4, Combat rating 5, difficulty 4, social encounter

About Me

I’ve been a DM since I was about 10 years old. (Not of D&D, admittedly, but still.) After growing bored of fights that were all the same, dungeons heavily populated by one monster type, and a general shortage of ideas, I figured I’d embark on my own trip through the Monster Manual, one monster at a time. Feel free to join the quest.

Dragon Encounters

DARKMANTLE: Traps and Obstacles in the Dark

CYCLOPS: Using Poor Depth Perception to Make him Deadlier

COUATL: The Hidden Advisor

COCKATRICE: Laying Traps With Cockatrices

Announcement

CLOAKER: Masters of the Tactical Ambush

CHUUL: Crazy Collecters, and a Ruined House

CHIMERA: A Fight to the Death

About Me

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