difficulty 10

September 12, 2024

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

attacker (CR 11-16), independent

Combat rating 16, Combat rating 18, Combat rating 21, Combat rating 23, difficulty 10, difficulty 12, difficulty 14, difficulty 8
May 28, 2024

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

guardian (CR 8-10), independent

Combat rating 10, Combat rating 11, Combat rating 14, Combat rating 16, difficulty 10, dragons, social encounter
April 18, 2024

YOUNG BLUE DRAGON: Master of Tactical Fighting

How to Use – Combat Encounter (difficulty 10) The blue dragon is a strategist. It will take note of any weaknesses in its opponents, and fight accordingly. This means that against a group of melee PCs, if will strafe them with its breath, and forgo attacking on the rounds that it can’t if that will… Continue reading

attacker (CR 8-10), independent

Combat rating 11, Combat rating 13, Combat rating 16, Combat rating 18, difficulty 10, dragons
January 1, 2024

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

guardian (CR 8-10), minion

Combat rating 10, Combat rating 11, Combat rating 14, Combat rating 16, devils, difficulty 10, difficulty 11, difficulty 9
December 28, 2023

BONE DEVIL & Taking Care of a Group of Commoners

How to Use – Combat encounter 1 (difficulty 10) Suggested terrain: A dessert wilderness, with tall peaks of rock jutting up on both sides of the path. Or you can just use mountain walls on one or both sides. The bone devil’s preferred strategy will be to lie flat on top of the columns, and… Continue reading

guardian (CR 8-10), minion

Combat rating 11, Combat rating 13, Combat rating 16, Combat rating 18, devils, difficulty 10
November 23, 2023

GORISTRO: How to Use Mazes and Forced Movement

The intended tactics for the goristro are, I think, that he makes a head charge one turn, the next turn he multiattacks, hopefully tripping at least one PC prone. Continue reading

attacker (CR 17+), minion

battlemap, Combat rating 20, Combat rating 21, Combat rating 23, Combat rating 25, demons, difficulty 10, difficulty 16, difficulty 18, difficulty 20
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
June 15, 2023

BEHIR: Forcing the Players Into Making a Deadly Pursuit

The behir’s strategy is simple. It will ambush the PCs, constrict one of them the first turn, drag them to a safe[er] area if possible, and swallow during the second turn. After that, it will flee through a tunnel. Continue reading

animal, attacker (CR 11-16)

Combat rating 14, Combat rating 16, Combat rating 19, Combat rating 20, difficulty 10
May 4, 2023

ABOLETH: Strategies for the Masters of Enslaving

Story. The players have heard of the aboleth’s presence, and they wish to meet with it. Perhaps they want information from it, perhaps they want to defeat it, or maybe it heard of them and wishes to meet [and own] them. Spin it as you wish Continue reading

boss battle (8-10), leader

Combat rating 12, Combat rating 14, Combat rating 17, Combat rating 20, difficulty 10, difficulty 11, difficulty 12, puzzle

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

difficulty 10

SHADOW DRAGON: Unleashing terror From Amidst the Darkness

YOUNG BLUE DRAGON: Master of Tactical Fighting

CHAIN DEVIL: How to Maximise Animated Chains

BONE DEVIL & Taking Care of a Group of Commoners

GORISTRO: How to Use Mazes and Forced Movement

CLOAKER: Masters of the Tactical Ambush

BEHIR: Forcing the Players Into Making a Deadly Pursuit

ABOLETH: Strategies for the Masters of Enslaving

About Me

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