Combat rating 23
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ANCIENT BRASS DRAGON: The Hidden King and His Deadly Domain
How to Use By the time a brass dragon is ancient, it’s established its reputation enough to be a king, or at least to be on the highest tier of society that it cares for. In some genres of fantasy, it has become accepted that the ideal king is someone who is friendly with even… Continue reading
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ADULT BRASS DRAGON & Uses for a Powerful Non-combatant
Reasons it Won’t Join the Quest I begin my article with reasons why the dragon doesn’t just do the quest instead of the players, this being one of the most common problems with good-alignment monsters. How to Use – Neutral friendly The brass dragon is a non-combatant when possible. There are numerous other ways to… Continue reading
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SHADOW DRAGON: Unleashing terror From Amidst the Darkness
In the last post, I mentioned that shadow dragons keep their presence hidden, and enjoy spreading a dark unknown fear instead of announcing their strength the way every other dragon does. Before going into the details of how it does that, I felt the need to discuss how to use horror in D&D. Now is… Continue reading
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ADULT WHITE DRAGON: Defenses of the Frozen Lair
How to use The dragon’s lair (exploring the various obstacles of the dragon’s lair, and how to use them.) I’m going to split the lair into three parts. Reaching the lair, reaching the dragon, and fighting the dragon. Reaching the Lair The entrance to the dragon’s lair will be high up on a mountain. The… Continue reading
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ADULT RED DRAGON: Battle of the Burning City
Perhaps the most interesting place to put a red dragon is in the middle a city that it’s attacking. Fighting in the city forces the PCs to split their attention between the dragon, the fires, and any people that might need help. Let’s look at them individually. Continue reading
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ADULT GREEN DRAGON: Threats, Trickery, Minions, and Magic,
Before I discuss the adult greens dragon’s tactics, I want to discuss the spell Hero’s Feast, and how to deal with it. Continue reading
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ANCIENT BLACK DRAGON: Fighting is the Ruins
The Monster Manual tells us that black dragons make their lairs on the ruins of empires. Here’s how this can turn the ancient black dragon’s lair into a nightmare for any aspiring adventurers. Combat encounter 1 (difficulty 23) Arrange the dragon’s lair as a series of islands or platforms above the swamp water, high enough… Continue reading
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PIT FIEND: Master of the Hells
Stage 1: When the pit fiend sees the PCs, I would have a number of other monsters be around. The pit fiend gestures to the other monsters to attack, and then climbs up to a high spot, where it can watch the fight like a Ceaser at a Roman circus. Continue reading
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ICE DEVIL: Making Proper Use of the Ice Wall
The best use for the ice devil is to have him cast his ice wall, and then defend it. 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.