Combat rating 10
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YOUNG COPPER DRAGON: The Comedian and the Crumbling Cliff
How to Use Personality of the Copper Dragon While the copper dragon is officially classified as good, I fail to see it in the flavor text description. Based on that description, I’d classify the dragon as neutral. This is not a dragon that will help vanquish evil, unless it is in its most direct self-interest… Continue reading
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YOUNG BRONZE DRAGON: How to Use Allies Without Overshadowing Players
How to Avoid an Overpowered Ally I already gave several reasons for why the dragon isn’t accompanying them on their quest, or fighting it for them. (Having an NPC accompany the players is generally a mistake. Even more so if it’s more powerful than the players, an thereby stealing the spotlight. [The young bronze dragon… Continue reading
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YOUNG GREEN DRAGON: How to Run Parley and Combat
With the green dragon, we have a unique type of dragon, in that it will try to avoid fighting when it can. Continue reading
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YOUNG BLACK DRAGON: The Swamp Dragon
(Yes, I am going to write a separate article for every single dragon in the Monster Manual. Fun dragon encounters can be done, and more than once for all the dragons at once. The trick is seeing how each dragon’s different, and using it. For the young black, that’s cowardice and swamp waters.) For the… Continue reading
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TYRANNASAURES REX: A Dumb Beast, and an Epic Boss
The tyrannosaurus rex is an exciting boss to face, given its rep. In fact, it’s one of those rare monsters that will be exciting encounter just on the strength of their name, or reputation. With other monsters, there are various ways to make them exciting, but they won’t measure up to the reputation that the… Continue reading
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CHAIN DEVIL: How to Maximise Animated Chains
My combat encounters are going to revolve around various ways to use the animate chains ability, but before we get into that, I want to discuss his unnerving face reaction. Continue reading
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HERZOU: Trapping PCs in a Tight Spot
The hezrou actually does have an optimal fighting method, thanks to its poison effect. It wants to be as close to as many of its enemies as possible, so as to maximize the poison condition it causes. Continue reading
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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
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.