Combat rating 7
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EARTH ELEMENTAL: Four Unique Ways to Use the Wall Walker
How to Use: The Enemy Inside the Walls The earth elemental’s primary abilities are earth glide and siege monster. As these don’t work very well defensively, the earth elemental is going to have to be used as an attacker/invader. (Technically, it would also make a fantastic sentry. Undetectable until it attacks, and then hitting… Continue reading
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AIR ELEMENTAL: Four Ways to Disrupt the Party with Whirlwind
How to Use: Whirlwind Looking at the air elemental’s stat block, its most potent attack is probably supposed to be whirlwind attack, judging by the fact that it’s on a recharge. However, the whirlwind attack doesn’t seem worth it unless the air elemental can capture at least two PCs in its affect, preferably more, and… Continue reading
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GOLD DRAGON WYRMLING: A Garden of Beautiful Traps
D&D’s gold dragons live in splendor, with gardens of stunning color. But don’t mistake beauty for weakness—they know evil all too well. How to Use – A Gold Wyrmling and its Outdoor Defenses Combat Encounter (difficulty 4) Gold dragons live in splendor, with the outer part of their lair scenic gardens, with gently flowing… Continue reading
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RED DRAGON WYRMLING: Protect the Treasure, and the House
The wyrmling has a single attack, the ability to fly, and a lot of movement. While with every other red dragon, I suggested that it would wade into their midst and start bashing, Continue reading
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BLUE DRAGON WYRMLING: Ideal Terrain to Make the Dragon Deadly
I’ve already written that I feel that using wyrmlings is a mistake, that they are too weak and rob dragons of the majesty they should have. See black dragon wyrmling for further details. Continue reading
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DOPPELGANGER: How to use an Impersonator in DnD
How to Use – Social Encounter When building an encounter using a doppelganger, you will be better served by building a short encounter rather than an entire storyline. Build a long storyline, and you might end up with a doppelganger who gets exposed when you’ve barely started. Or, you might reach the part where your… Continue reading
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DISPLACER BEAST: Making Full Use of the Displacment Ability
Displacer beasts are about misdirection. We’re goint to learn how to combine this feature with allies, terrain features, and traps (where they can’t see where’s safe to step, even as the displacer walks around casually). How to Use: Wild Displacer Beasts Combat Encounter 1: Basic Pack Tactics (difficulty 5) The basic combat encounter for the… Continue reading
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TRICERATOPS: Charge of the Triceratops
Have the players enter a clearing, ringed about by dead thorns, possibly as high as their waists, possibly higher than their heads. Continue reading
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ANKYLOSAURUS: Using an Adversary That Just Wants to be Left Alone
The ankylosaurus is that rare D&D monster that will not set out to attack the PCs. Continue reading
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BEARDED DEVIL: Basic Tactics, and Strategic Positions
The bearded devil is the first monster I have encountered since starting this blog that does not require any special setting to make using it interesting. 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.