Combat rating 24
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ANCIENT GREEN DRAGON: Master of the Subtle Trap
By the time the dragon is ancient, it will set extremally subtle traps. (The adult might use these also, but the ancient will use them for sure.) These are traps where the trap itself is so well hidden that there Continue reading
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ADULT BLUE DRAGON: Defenses Inside and Outside the Lair
How to Use – Combat encounters (difficulty 18) The blue dragon has quite a number of tactics he might employ against his enemies. Among them are: Glass boulders: Glass is made by sand melting under extreme amounts of heat. Being struck by lightning will do it. Whether the dragon knows how to shape the sand… 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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ADULT BLACK DRAGON: 3 Ways to use the Swamp as a Deadly Trap
Combat encounter (difficulty 16) As per the rules, the adult dragon has the ability to make the water surge out and pull them into the water, knocking them prone. I’ve already mentioned in my post on the young black dragon that it seems unlikely that someone knocked prone inside a swamp should be able to… Continue reading
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MARALITH: Pinning Down the PCs With Attacks of Opptunity
According to the Monster Manual, the maralith is placed the general of the demonic hordes. It’s meant to be used together with a large number of other demons. Continue reading
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BALOR: Using a Volcanic Eruption in DnD
The monster manual has quite a large number of demons. One thing I noticed, however, is that there doesn’t seem to be much connection between the different demons. Continue reading
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DEMILICH: A Glass Cannon Foe, and How to Use Him
The demilich is one of the more unique monsters in the Monster Manual. Before we can try to build scenarios for him, we need to first understand how he functions, and how he should and should not be used. Continue reading
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SOLAR: Tactics for Outdoor and Indoor Fighting
The solar has two different styles of fighting, indoors and outdoors. I’ll detail them both. If your players are fighting a solar, you might want to use both, as it will save the fight from becoming boring. besides, any boss fight can use a second phase. Continue reading
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PLANATAR: Cross-Examining the Players’ Motives
The planetar seems built to be an ally. Unfortunately, it’s too powerful to actually join with any party, even one that is level 20. This is instruction for how to go about it if you want your players to fight alongside an overly powerful ally. 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.