Lairs and Lair Actions in 5e Dungeons & Dragons - Web DM

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ธ.ค. 2024

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  • @WebDM
    @WebDM  6 ปีที่แล้ว +26

    Thanks for watching! Want more Web DM in your life? Check out our Patreon for our podcast, bonus vids, and more! Patreon.com/webdm
    Or our Twitch channel for live streamed ttrpgs every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday! Twitch.tv/webdm
    Or our live play archive on TH-cam: TH-cam.com/webdmplays

    • @danasko6447
      @danasko6447 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Thanks for yet another amazing upload! If you ever run low on topics, would be a tremendous help to know some tips about co-dming or dming for a game of 12 players, especially, when they split in half and want to ambush each other, haha. Listening to your videos as an audiobook while at work, love it!

    • @WebDM
      @WebDM  6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thanks for the suggestion!

    • @LainK1978
      @LainK1978 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      You made reference of the party learning backstory and information from the Lair as they are trying to escape and flee after losing. What are some suggestions on how to set up encounters so that if things are going bad that the players can try to run away and try again later? Such as how to hint that it is possible without blatantly saying do you want to try and retreat? I ask because a lot of the time the big bad fights seem to be played out as do or die scenarios which have several good endings but only one bad ending. Ideas for setting up bad endings other than TPK would be great.

    • @vancanaan7788
      @vancanaan7788 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      i dont mean to be so off topic but does someone know of a trick to log back into an instagram account..?
      I stupidly lost the account password. I would love any tricks you can offer me

    • @krewcrosby3289
      @krewcrosby3289 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @Van Canaan Instablaster ;)

  • @brecoldyls
    @brecoldyls 6 ปีที่แล้ว +51

    Jim Davis: I’m actually looking for 4th edition stuff.
    Pruitt: It’s like I don’t even know him anymore...
    😂

  • @VechsDavion
    @VechsDavion 6 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    "I caught the skeleton of a fish, and then it bit me." is an amazing tagline for a campaign. It perfectly sums up what the campaign is about in a clever and unexpected way, I love it.

  • @turnt_barbarian
    @turnt_barbarian 6 ปีที่แล้ว +77

    My campaign's Lich sacrificed a city, Full Metal Alchemist style. He's now sitting pretty in the palace at the heart of the dead city.
    I like the aesthetic and lore I have behind it, but prepping that for encounters will be a massive undertaking

    • @Wolfphototech
      @Wolfphototech 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Ahh ..
      Basically polled a Vecna

  • @williammcgregor7150
    @williammcgregor7150 6 ปีที่แล้ว +136

    Honestly, this is my favorite channel. The quality is too high.

    • @bowenmadden6122
      @bowenmadden6122 ปีที่แล้ว

      They're empowered by the table's lair actions.

  • @Diditallforthexp
    @Diditallforthexp 6 ปีที่แล้ว +150

    Imagine the Jim and Pruitt lair actions capable in that garage. Honey biscuits, miniature swarms and the armor of quality facial hair. Dragons and Beholders are cool, but that's real power folks.

    • @OfDaSouth
      @OfDaSouth 6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      don't forget cheesy, contrived intros, those are extra deadly

    • @merlinmeurer5339
      @merlinmeurer5339 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Now i imagine a beholder with a huge thick beard.

    • @SpidermanandhisAmazingFriends
      @SpidermanandhisAmazingFriends 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@merlinmeurer5339
      I'm stealing this

  • @Bluecho4
    @Bluecho4 6 ปีที่แล้ว +51

    An idea I had for a lair was for a high level Rogue Mastermind. A big room that is riddled with rectangular columns spaced at regular intervals, in a grid pattern. So wherever you are in the room, you can only see in the four cardinal directions. Your maneuverability is decreased because you're forced down these narrow lanes, and the columns make it so you have limited sight lines.
    Unless you're a high level Rogue, who has the benefit of blindsight.
    So the whole battle just involves this Mastermind using the environment to her advantage. She knows where the party is at all times. She can pull off really effective hit and fade tactics. Constantly getting sneak attacks, because she can slip into and out of hiding. The guys with bows or spells are useless, because they can't get line of sight. All the while, the Mastermind is working with a crack team of melee minions - champions and veterans and such, with big heavy shields that basically turn them into walls. They keep the party in place, while she runs around columns, using bonus actions to give them advantage. As a boss encounter, she's got legendary actions, like the ability to run and disengage in between player turns, or the ability to throw poison smoke bombs or flashbangs.
    For lair actions, I'm imagining that the room itself is riddled with traps and mechanisms that she can set off at a moment's notice. Steel ball bearings rain from the ceiling and cover the floor, turning the ground into difficult terrain. (And she's got a ring of free movement, so it doesn't affect her). Trap doors that become active, that party members can fall through. (Also good for making her escape, if things get too hairy). Vents that open up in the columns and spray fire, damaging anyone in a 15 wide line. Maybe even something as simple as portcullises dropping down, potentially trapping people or at least limiting their movement.

    • @Bluecho4
      @Bluecho4 6 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      There are plenty of other ideas I can think of, off the top of my head:
      1) Battle on the deck of an airship, Final Fantasy X style. Lair actions involve commanding the pilot to do some fancy flying. Tipping the ship so PCs fall over, heading into a cloud bank to disrupt visibility, aiming the onboard cannons to fire on the party.
      2) A Mind Flayer's lab, whose walls are riddled with holes that cranium rats can travel through and peek out of. They hide on the fringes, using their telepathy - and the ability to Detect Thoughts - to keep a constant eye on what the PCs plan to do. The lair action involves the cranium rats spying on one PC's thoughts at a time, then relaying that info to the mind flayer. For that turn, the Mind Flayer has advantage against to hit that PC and to deal with their saving throws, and _imposes_ disadvantage on the PC to hit the mind flayer.
      3) A fight against a wall-crawling boss - like a massive spider (or a _drider_ ?) - that takes place entirely mid-climb up a long vertical shaft. A battlefield with no place to stand, where PCs must rely on climbing ability and/or rope. "Useless" spells like Spider Climb just increased in the value they would have had, had the casters in the party prepared or learned them. Boss uses lair actions to send debris or other heavy objects falling down from above to hit the PCs, possibly dropped by the boss's allies above. Same with trails of oil or other slippery stuff pouring down from above, that disrupt footing.

    • @TardisPilot2004
      @TardisPilot2004 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Bluecho4 these are all good ideas. I’m going to use at least one of them.
      I came up with the idea of a demon or devil having portals to lower planes that the party have to travel through and, depending on the plane it leads to, have different lairs and lair actions. I hadn’t really fleshed it out much, but it’s just a concept. Feel free to steal this. It would also work with celestials, just swap the lower planes to upper planes, or you could use dragons or fey and have the portals lead to any plane you want. It’s very open ended, so it’s widely applicable.
      Edit: Another idea is to have demiplanes that different portals lead to. Little dimensional pockets of death.

    • @DeusMachina_EXE
      @DeusMachina_EXE 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      While it's a cool idea. It falls apart as blindsight does not see people who are behind full cover. It explicity states that. Blindsight isn't X-ray. It just allows them to see without eyes. Think heightened senses.

  • @thesecutor
    @thesecutor 6 ปีที่แล้ว +89

    Onions have lairs, Ogres have lairs

    • @Rannek19
      @Rannek19 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      This deserves so many likes. This is the comment we needed in these trying times. Thank you.

    • @kmmmm150
      @kmmmm150 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Incredible comment

    • @adreabrooks11
      @adreabrooks11 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      You beat me to the pun... ^^;

    • @jordanw2009
      @jordanw2009 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I’m a terrifying ogre! Doesn’t that bother you!

    • @adreabrooks11
      @adreabrooks11 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@jordanw2009 Nope.

  • @DMGamer_PC
    @DMGamer_PC 6 ปีที่แล้ว +88

    Okay, so can we all just agree that WebDM has the best intros on all of TH-cam?

    • @WebDM
      @WebDM  6 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      We agree!

    • @joshschroeder4582
      @joshschroeder4582 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Tekking101 is the only guy that comes close

  • @CharonTheDerp
    @CharonTheDerp 6 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    The articles Jim mentions can be found on the Wizards archive by searching Wyrms of the North. It includes a territory map of the Sword Coast showing the areas dragons lay claim to. It covers big obvious dragons like Klauth as well as Voaraghamanthar (the twin black dragons mentioned in the vid). The twin is actually Waervaerendor and the pair hide out in the Mere of Dead Men (Halfway between Waterdeep and Neverwinter). It also covers the good dragons such as Nymmurh. There is tons of lore in the articles of both evil and good dragons, their lairs, their interactions within 'human' society, their motivations, the power they have at their disposal, etc... A must read if you're planning on including dragons in a campaign.

  • @rsl5067
    @rsl5067 6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    "OR YOU'LL DO WHAT!? RELEASE THE DOGS? OR THE BEES? OR THE DOGS WITH BEES IN THEIR MOUTH AND WHEN THEY BARK THEY SHOOT BEES AT YOU!? WELL GO AHEAD, DO YOUR WORST!"

  • @OsciideeOTDC
    @OsciideeOTDC 6 ปีที่แล้ว +58

    Someone has to make a top 10 WebDM intros and this one definitely has to be at least in the top 3!

    • @NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself
      @NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I'm giving this a 👍 but we all know the lair/liar pun is cheesy as the 9 hells.

  • @robertbogan225
    @robertbogan225 6 ปีที่แล้ว +86

    Bowser making the area shaped into a star on Mario 64 by stomping was a liar action. Also great game.

  • @caramonmajere447
    @caramonmajere447 6 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    I think the Overlord anime is a perfect example of a powerful necromancer, powerful servants, and a legendary lair.
    Also, the giant goat-things in season 3 are insane. He killed/sacrificed like 15,000 enemy soldiers to summon 5 giant, legendary multi-headed goat monsters. They were basically unkillable and unforgettable, lol.

    • @carnage2332
      @carnage2332 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      He killed 70,000 with the initial casting, the summoned Dark Young then killed an additional 110,000. Each one was effectively a high level raid boss in his prior game, making them near unkillable even by incredibly high level people. He cast that spell intentionally because if there were any person present from his prior game they would have done everything in their power to stop him from finishing that spell since it had such a long casting time.

  • @Dyndrilliac
    @Dyndrilliac 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I had a Necromancer once whose lair was a hospital, and he was the chief of surgery. Once the party discovered his shenanigans, not only did they have to deal with the Necromancer and his minions, they also had to deal with the people who worked with him as doctors and the townsfolk around the hospital because he was beloved for saving so many lives.

  • @Draeckon
    @Draeckon 6 ปีที่แล้ว +28

    After reading Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, I had an idea where a young/adult dragon turns up in a setting and starts wreaking havoc. It's way smarter than its age would suggest and has dangerous amounts of magic and magical items, as well as the know-how to gather powerful slaves... Because it spent a few centuries or more serving its required tour in the Astral Plane as a mount for a Githyanki, as demanded by Tiamat. It hated it at first, now not only are they far more powerful for it, but they're set to outlive any potential dragon rivals that could be feasibly strong enough to kill it through their legit age.
    Basically, a Young (or Adult?) dragon with a variable number of levels in Wizard or Sorcerer and possibly Fighter, kitted out with magic items and a slew of slaves inordinately powerful compared to its biological age.

    • @krispalermo8133
      @krispalermo8133 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Ran a game years ago where a young adult green dragon became the Guardian of the Bridge and clawed out & level wagon trail road, just to flex it's muscles. The result was five merchants that make use of the improved roads for quicker travel through the hills instead of having to around them. The highway woodmen that bandit the area and hide in those hills, and the three nobles that tax the trade and hunt or employ those given bandits. And now the dragon is catch all in the middle of it all.
      When my game shop starts a new mini campaign, all players pull multiple index cards to see which type of character arch type they will be playing. Meaning the players can end up as the noble or even the dragon for " role " playing.

  • @headintheclouds926
    @headintheclouds926 6 ปีที่แล้ว +44

    Jim is hardcore channeling Gob Bluth in this episode’s intro

  • @SaintGabriel11
    @SaintGabriel11 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The Lich/big bad having the other mages take the concentration of the spell sounds like a really cool idea. Totally gonna keep that in the bag-o-tricks.

  • @mikegould6590
    @mikegould6590 6 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Lair actions and environmental effects are the perfect way to run a haunted house adventure.
    I’m working on something involving mimics as the basis for a structure along this line...

  • @SirLucien
    @SirLucien 6 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    Using terrain to foreshadow is something I'm taking away from this video, and something I could do a lot more in my own game, love learning something new, great job.

  • @FulcanMal
    @FulcanMal 6 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I love Pruitt's expression at "The Kingdom of Whateverdonia".

  • @stevefranchini4980
    @stevefranchini4980 6 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    YES, webdm just makes my day a better day every time

  • @Everetses
    @Everetses 6 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    “Let’s make him a duke. A kick ass duke. Or leader formally known as king!”

  • @delongjohnsilver7235
    @delongjohnsilver7235 6 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    When I heard necromancer physician, my mind went right to The Void. Pretty good movie and has a lot of inspiration for both a dungeon environment as well as a CoC adventure

    • @benpressly200
      @benpressly200 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      I love that movie! So underrated

  • @GregoryBarrett
    @GregoryBarrett 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thanks for another great video! This one really got me thinking of unique ways to interpret villains and now I’m drawing up an underdark necromancer who has access to a city’s cemetery above, so the minions aren’t rising out of the ground, they’re falling from the ceiling!

  • @evandill
    @evandill 6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Idea: A necromancer lair that is accesed through a deep corpse pit full of bodies that part for the necromancer but rip their foes asunder. The town nearby has no idea the lair is even there, they just throw the bodies into a pit and don't go near it 'cause of the smell or the grossness of it.

  • @dungeonmaster3198
    @dungeonmaster3198 6 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Nice Tenacious D reference, Pru. Really snuck that kick ass duke in there.

  • @Gennys
    @Gennys 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Really great that you have a sponsor for this video btw. Proud of the channel and what it's become. I really like these longer/more content videos far better than little snippets.

  • @williamozier918
    @williamozier918 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Here' a rando idea for a random regional effect encounter that help foreshadow: As the characters trek across the open plains of the hex map they see up ahead not a flock of carrion birds circling something, but rather a thick cloud of carrion birds. Whatever it is its something big to have drawn that many. A the character approach and try to travel by they get attacked by 'Vulture Men' (use any Birdman race). These bird men are jut protecting their flock and they massive carcas. The Bird men are using weapons and items they have taken off others who have been scavenging from the giants corpse. If the character make it past they see that the carcass is a dead giant. If they investigate they can determine that the giant was killed by an . This also sets up that later in town they encounter people using stuff obviously stolen from the giant carcass, and the Vulture Men are in town as NPCs.

  • @Axiomin
    @Axiomin 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    As an Edinburgh local, I loved the shout out to the city's undercity!

  • @Sojournin82
    @Sojournin82 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    I have been listening to you two for a minute now and Pruits Hicks vs. Leary comment was absolute gold! Keep it up guys! Love your channel! if you ever need a fifth...

  • @NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself
    @NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Dang, I haven't watched this channel in a couple months, and the quality has gotten a lot better in the last 2 vids.
    👍

  • @yeismeload
    @yeismeload 6 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    That moment when the camera zooms in at the start and you momentarily believe the two burly DMs are pants-less.
    POGGERS

  • @ArBee123
    @ArBee123 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I like the idea of a martial based lair action being war drums pounding; buffing the bad guys (bonus action attack, +2 to hit etc) and debuffing the party (fear effect, forced concentration check)

  • @lucaswight9272
    @lucaswight9272 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    You guys deserve so many more sponsors, I hope that keeps up!

  • @TheNerdySimulation
    @TheNerdySimulation 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    I've actually been wanting this sort of topic to be covered more extensively as I'm a big fan of "Boss Encounters" and I think Lairs are a great way to feed into that, though I have only actually used stuff similar to the mechanics of 5e in completely different games. I'm hoping with my current campaign I can come up with a cool BBEG that will allow me to utilize those mechanics more, but this video has definitely got my creation juices a flowin. Thanks once again, guys! :D

  • @BYOBando
    @BYOBando 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Three words: pet cemetery necromancer. Army of skeletal and zombie pets attacking their former masters.

  • @pandorawolf8239
    @pandorawolf8239 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Im so glad you guys talked about death frost doom, its such an amazing adventure to actually spook your party with.

  • @pacoes1974
    @pacoes1974 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I used magic items to create these effects in fourth edition. For example I had an ideal that created an area effect the undead continued to rise in the area. A giant spider had took over a manner house. As it killed people they would then rise as undead protecting the ideal. The spider treated the undead as its web.

  • @BYOBando
    @BYOBando 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    So for a fun twist on Lair Actions, I had my party's secret resistance hideout get raided/ambushed (because they RP walked into that situation). So they defended it against a few waves of enemies but I decided to give them friendly lair actions. So the Resistance Leader was running around fighting but also on Lair Action initiative count 20 doing a special lair action.
    Worked and meshed well for story purposes because naturally the party only got the beneficial lair actions if the Resistance Leader was alive to do them so they had to kind of naturally protect said leader.

  • @TwoGoblinsInATrenchCoat
    @TwoGoblinsInATrenchCoat 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks for this. I've always been very interested in lairs, lair actions, and the like, and it's helpful to have a well-made and comprehensive discussion to draw from.

  • @opsecmedic
    @opsecmedic 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I keep coming back to this one because I get different inspiration each time I need it. Big monster fight coming up.

  • @duffmanzee
    @duffmanzee 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I caught that Tenacious D refrence Pruitt. I'm so glad im not the only one who thinks of city hall when I hear duke.

  • @johnhast1979
    @johnhast1979 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    So the Bat Cave could be an example of Dangerous an counter in a Lair can be .

  • @rogerfarley3300
    @rogerfarley3300 6 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    I have been helping a new DM learn the ropes. He is running Princes and we jokingly made the comment about the Necromancers Cave, which is a fairly boring scenario... and he re-worked it as the "Necroromancers Cave"... a Necromancer pimp that runs a brothel of undead.... and business was good... lol

    • @RANDOMASIANGUY1
      @RANDOMASIANGUY1 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Wait so like... Do people go there to do it with undead?
      I dunno it just seems like a very niche audience.

  • @MrSteveyboywonder
    @MrSteveyboywonder 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    So I made a lair for Baphomet from MTOF and what I did was make it underground like 20ft in a Maze, then when he reversed gravity the roots of the maze above grabbed at the PCs if they tried to cross them so they have to fight upside-down in a Maze while Baphomet ran over the roots freely.

  • @killfear
    @killfear 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    6:12 - "Your rules don't apply to me. Mechanically, I'm playing a VERY different game than you."
    Care for a conversation about what those differences are and why they're fun?

  • @randallgpreston
    @randallgpreston 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    I had my character grapple a beholder the turn it came into the area where the fight started. Keeping it on the ground helped the group so much.

  • @jgr7487
    @jgr7487 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    4:44
    I made this the ability "Following Lair" that makes the court that follows the BBEG a sort of lair, giving it Lair Actions & stuff

    • @jgr7487
      @jgr7487 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      @Eddie Feves what else could it mean???

    • @jft4820
      @jft4820 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@jgr7487 Big Boob Eddies Grandma

  • @DougVehovec
    @DougVehovec 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I can't fathom what anyone's boggle with Demolition Man would be.

  • @SkullDixon
    @SkullDixon 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Waterdeep has dragons living in it. Their mostly hiding out as humanoids. Its mostly only certain types of dragons though. Off the top of my head though i can't recall which ones. Maybe the Song Dragons.

  • @carverredacted
    @carverredacted 6 ปีที่แล้ว +45

    I have mild dyslexia. Pruitt's opening confused me even more than the title. Whoops.

  • @josefx1389
    @josefx1389 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    “Denis Leary is down there stealing Bill Hicks’s bit.” Brilliant!

  • @drysocks4412
    @drysocks4412 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Always nice to have another video from Web DM!

  • @AnnanMoth
    @AnnanMoth 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Loving Jim's impression of George Oscar Bluth there!

  • @MichaelKloepfer68
    @MichaelKloepfer68 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    I really love you guys. Currently I am not in a position to really support you well but I plan to if I can get more fully employed. Thanks for all the free content

  • @joelthune17
    @joelthune17 6 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    Web DM making that sponsorship bread

  • @turnt_barbarian
    @turnt_barbarian 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    13:50 that Tenacious D reference!

  • @lokuzt
    @lokuzt 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Super inspiring stuff guys! I have a sudden and mighty need to go and re-read the monster manuals

  • @drive_6665
    @drive_6665 ปีที่แล้ว

    The two lairs that my players hated the most: the Vast Oblivion from OotA and Cyrog's lair, an undead elder brain that worked for Orcus.
    The beholder just did what he's good at (using flight, ranged attacks and the antimagic cone), but the elder brain was a mess: bunch of minions that could paralyze and that had a psychic link with the elder brain, using the PCs to form more links, spamming legendary action psychic pulse using the PCs and the minions to deal a bunch of psychic damage in area, locking in place the dangerous PC with wall of force so my minions live a bit more, etc. The PCs were basically dead before they even got to the elder brain

  • @CrazyConnor2
    @CrazyConnor2 6 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    Man Deck of Many sponsoring EVERYONE nowadays XD

  • @forloveofthepage2361
    @forloveofthepage2361 6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    I like to allow liar actions to possibly be disabled if the group takes efforts to undermine the monster. It makes it fun to make a low level monster hunting group that researches their prey and spends an adventure figuring out how they could possibly infiltrate that perfect lair.
    Great video guys. This is a super cool feature of 5th Ed.

  • @williamaitken7533
    @williamaitken7533 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    First of all, great episode as usual, y'all! I really appreciated the comments about how fighting a creature in its own lair is supposed to be EXTREMELY difficult. It makes sense! If a creature has a long time to prepare defenses that compliment its fighting style, of course it will make things difficult!
    I do have a question: how are you supposed to deal with the direction of the beholder anti-magic eye-beam? As in, in combat, how do you fairly have the cone move around? This question applies for medusas and Umber Hulks as well. I was thinking that it gets to shift its gaze to one spot on its turn, then as a legendary action rotate to face a new direction. I don't recall this being discussed in the Monster Manual as for what you're officially supposed to do.

  • @andrewchirgwin3235
    @andrewchirgwin3235 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    My favourite spell component of all for bad guys: handwavium. Oooooh yeah.

  • @Vontaln9541
    @Vontaln9541 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    One fun way to use lair actions I've used is when the players are in a pit fight or Coliseum. The crowd acts on the lair action, doing stuff like cheering to give the opponent advantage, throwing things to alert monsters of any hiding PCs, etc.

  • @Toto-95
    @Toto-95 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Web DM intros are my reason to live !

  • @bman1824
    @bman1824 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The beholder in the vast oblivium didn't do so well against our party. It rolled low on initiative, the ranger critted his lightning arrow, and we tore through it. One round, one dead beholder

  • @danasko6447
    @danasko6447 6 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    Thanks for the upload, guys! I was slowly running out of your videos which I Iisten as audio books at work. I have a question for a future video or just here: how would you DM for two parties, who have a huge chance of encountering each other in social or even combat encounter, but usually play at different sessions? Turn them into npcs and if things go south, stop on a cliffhanger? Co-DM (worth another topic)? How would you choose to run a long-term campaign of 12 people with them being in two separate parties, especially if they want to make surprise attacks on each other?

    • @braxtonrasmussen2110
      @braxtonrasmussen2110 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      If something like them meeting does happen you could do a special session on a Saturday/Sunday night where every one gets together, or if they aren't outright enemies you could just be frank with your players and tell them when they meet the other party "hey these guys are other player characters and it would really cause a bunch of problems if you guys attack them please be civil."
      Or you could have them meet and attack and you just split the games like 2 different time lines where in group 1 they attacked group 2 and just go with the what happens and when you go to group 2 for their session have group 2 meet group 1 and go with what happens

    • @caramonmajere447
      @caramonmajere447 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      1.) You may try to have the absentee players use Discord to communicate their basic strategies or flat-out play via text. Like the old rpg games. Kinda slow, but plausible.
      2.) If you know the players tendencies, you could run their characters accordingly. As long as they're kool with it, of course, but do whatever you want to keep the absentee characters from dying or losing magical items. Maybe the absentee group has an ancient map that the other guys do manage to steal, but everyone that's absent lives through it.
      3.) Dont tell the absentee PCs, run the encounter without them, and if they aren't happy about it; reset the game world to before the bullshit happened. Like it was all a nightmare induced by the antagonist to keep the 2 parties from cooperating against him. Later on, both groups are present for an all out assault against the big bad, or they enter his lair from different positions.
      In any case, good luck with your 12 person game. It sounds like it could be an epic adventure.

    • @danasko6447
      @danasko6447 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@braxtonrasmussen2110 actually I would exactly WANT the fight to be possible between them! It would be an absolutely fantastic experience if players would ambush an NPC party on the same quest thinking those are their rivals or even enemies, only to eventually find out that this a party that is as ready and prepared for combat. That's exactly why I would not want them to know that the other party is PCs - so they don't metagame an alliance just because they know those are human players
      About different timelines, this could be a decision, but I would call this a plan B. I'm more curious how to manage the game when there are two player parties, one wishing to ambush or befriend the second party, without the second party being at the table. Or just being in the other room!

    • @danasko6447
      @danasko6447 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@caramonmajere447 I had very similar solutions with 2) and 3)! Obviously, no lethalities or any major loses, I would much more prefer to make the other party appear as rivals, antagonists, not straight enemies. You know, some rumble between them might occur, but nothing too bloody, unless the both parties are present. But other than that, I would like this to be dragged as long as possible, without the players being aware of another player party, narrating the story to other party as if those were NPCs.
      My goal of this whole thing is so that, well, there's a sudden plot twist, less murderhobo and more partaking in the world (respecting the npcs, trying to understand motives) and, of course, who doesn't want to see a PvP!

    • @caramonmajere447
      @caramonmajere447 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@danasko6447
      It sounds like you have a pretty good handle on the PC's group interactions. With that many people, your lair will have to be quite powerful. Especially so, if the players are 3rd or 4th tier when the time comes.
      Regarding player interactions, there's a chance that one or more could swap sides. Here's a condensed tale of a player that, without the others knowing IRL, conspired throughout the campaign and betrayed them all in the end. I wish I had played in that campaign, even if i was betrayed. It would've been a blast.
      th-cam.com/video/30Yi22JD2Jo/w-d-xo.html

  • @brootalbap
    @brootalbap 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    And everyone didn't even notice JRR Martin strolling around in the background at the end!

  • @RyanW1019
    @RyanW1019 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Where are those giant figures on the shelf behind Pruitt from? Those are 10x bigger than any D&D mini and they would make a good titan/primordial/etc.

  • @eosopho3875
    @eosopho3875 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    I like the idea of a necromancer making its lair near a tar pit. It could use a lair action to raise the skeleton of something that long ago got caught in the tar.

  • @chazzitz-wh4ly
    @chazzitz-wh4ly ปีที่แล้ว

    Currently have my level one players assisting a one-armed, vengeful hag to slay her sister hag on the other side of the forest to reclaim her missing arm. Lairs would be an awesome way to depict the struggle between the two and see how the power struggle effects the forest around them.

  • @thorinpeterson6282
    @thorinpeterson6282 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    "He could be a kick ass duke, but"
    Still makes me laugh a year later

  • @kodytiffany5686
    @kodytiffany5686 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Watch Goblin Slayer (1st episode is exceptionally brutal; you have been warned), is one of the best examples of Goblin Lair design... caves/castles/ancient catacombs/abandoned villages; in short, goblins have numbers and cunning so if they need to they could fortify a location. If they have watched carefully as people use boats or carrages they can learn... What I am getting to is THEY LEARN. What have they learned and what was there before the goblins took over; are they being lead by a goblin that has survived multiple adventurerer raids or have they been involved in any wars; How smart is the leader.

  • @rebelarmygaming6570
    @rebelarmygaming6570 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    I used a dragon called a salamander in the underdark, it was like a behir but with more dragony abilities and lore. It made giant tunnels and earthquakes under a dwarf city.

  • @banditjonesy3509
    @banditjonesy3509 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great episode! Love the D reference!! He could be a kick as Duke.

  • @caramonmajere447
    @caramonmajere447 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thank you for mentioning Dennis Leary's joke theft. He ripped off Bill Hicks for that role in Demolition Man, and he ripped off Louis CK's "I'm an Asshole" too.

  • @LordSephleon
    @LordSephleon 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    [SPOILERS FOR MY CURSE OF STRAHD PLAYERS, NOT THAT ANY OF YOU ARE LIKELY TO READ THIS]
    ----------------------------------------
    I love Lair Actions as a concept for both tactical and roleplaying opportunities. I kinda wish I had thought of the idea as a general rule (instead of one-off things for very specific encounters, which I'm sure I or my friends have done at some point) way back when I started DMing back in the mid-90s because of the how much such actions offer. In my current Curse of Strahd game, I decided to get a little creative with Strahd's Lair Actions in Castle Ravenloft. He has the usual ones that can be applied anywhere (which includes one I added where Strahd simply regains a Superiority Die, since I gave Strahd 7th level Battle Master abilities - not the main Fighter stuff like Second Wind or Action Surge, but just the archetype's Battle Maneuvers), but he also has one lair each for each section of the castle that is unique to that area alone.
    For example: in the *Main Floor* section, a single Specter (with only 1 HP) appears within 30 ft of Strahd that acts immediately, then completely vanishes after its "turn" is completed. In the *Rooms of Weeping* section, the sounds of crying can be heard throughout the area; all creatures (except Strahd and his minions) must make a Charisma save DC 17 or begin weeping uncontrollably, which causes them to be Incapacitated until the next Lair Action occurs. In the *Spires of Ravenloft*, powerful gusts of wind blast through the area, blowing out torches, causing ranged weapon attacks to suffer Disadvantage, and turning everything into Difficult Terrain for every creature except Strahd (even his minions are affected). In the *Dungeons and Catacombs*, shadows flicker and slither at the edge of peripheral vision for all living creatures. Such creatures must make Intelligence saves DC 17 or Strahd and his allies gain Advantage on attacks against them until the next Lair Action; a successful save renders a creature immune for one minute. I also did one for each of the other sections (a one-round wall of shadow for the Court, and screams that cause disadvantage to attacks and ability checks, but successful saves also immunize for one minute), but I figured this was enough to show the breadth of the concept. :)
    In all the unique Lair Action cases, once one has been used, I roll 1d4 at the beginning of the next Lair Action (adding a cumulative +1 for each additional round after), and the unique action can be used again when a total of 6 or more is rolled. None of them are crazy overpowered, but this way the PCs can have a little breathing room since all of them are essentially the very castle's own evil working against them to a degree.
    And yes, I gave Strahd Battle Master abilities specifically for _Commander's Strike_ and _Know Your Enemy_ since it makes sense considering his background as a commander of soldiers; he also got _Disarming Strike_, _Evasive Footwork_, _Menacing Strike_, and _Riposte_ to round him out. Obviously, he only uses them if he's collected enough to fight as a soldier. If the PCs do anything to get him angry, he'd devolve to what he truly is: a monster.

  • @andrewwestfall65
    @andrewwestfall65 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Reminds me of Superfly from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. It's a telephone tower that bonded to someone's soul. It can reflect all incoming attacks, strives to keep the person that it's bonded to alive and traps people in it if they try to leave. The actual person isn't much of a threat, but he understands how to angle the energy blasts and traps people inside before running away

  • @Pablo360able
    @Pablo360able 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Concept: A game where your players make a boss monster and minions, using rigorous mechanics to set up their dungeon, leading to a final fight where they have legendary actions and lair actions, to fight against a DM-controlled party of adventurers.

  • @youtubeseagull
    @youtubeseagull 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Pru is a total pro at reading ads!

  • @darrinstanfill6846
    @darrinstanfill6846 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    What dragon is it? I’m think the white,that builds a lair like a fn beaver. I love it. It gathers huge hoards of limbs ,branches etc and burrows through to make a habitat

  • @biohazard0119
    @biohazard0119 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Always here, Always watching

  • @owenvandevelde1439
    @owenvandevelde1439 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    I have a question. If a beholder looked in a mirror, would the anti magic cone reflect off of the mirror? This could be either back at it self or if the beholder set up a liar covered with mirrors so the whole are was anti magic. Just curious what you think. Great episode by the way.

  • @BlitzkriegBryce
    @BlitzkriegBryce 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Rambo: Last Blood is a great example of how dangerous a lair can be.

  • @CrazyConnor2
    @CrazyConnor2 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Love that Tenacious D reference Pruitt XD

  • @myndovamadda
    @myndovamadda 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Speaking of Dragons (in a dungeon), I have always assumed that they just dug their way down there, to be left alone and await some unknowable date when they would rise again and take action for any reason. Furthermore, It seemed that the implied structure of D&D was that creatures who worshiped similarly aligned deities to the embedded dragons, often found their way into the catacombs of its lair because Dragons are able to provide wealth and knowledge in exchange for the protection and service of lesser creatures. I realize that this has always been my own conjecture, but, did no one else seriously consider this?

  • @runeball50
    @runeball50 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    0:23 When you have all pecies of Exodus.

  • @ll1ll1ll1ll1ll1ll
    @ll1ll1ll1ll1ll1ll 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    More of this please

  • @aidanosullivan7731
    @aidanosullivan7731 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    @WebDM what is your take on the goblins of goblin slayer. How their lair scales to what you were talking about in this episode.

  • @gavinmcniel1601
    @gavinmcniel1601 6 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    But I don't want web dm to have a lair then adventurers will get rid of them.

    • @GuardianTactician
      @GuardianTactician 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Their lair is either so insanely difficult to overcome that no one wants to invade it, or its a lair with actions that make it a super chill place to hang out and game.
      Lair actions like dramatic lighting, drink refills and pretzel delivery.

  • @dungeonmaster3198
    @dungeonmaster3198 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    There are a lot of layers to this lair video.

  • @minecrafternextgeneration1031
    @minecrafternextgeneration1031 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    The aforementioned goblin duel occurred within Mordor, from The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

  • @ClaymanV
    @ClaymanV 6 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I literally thought this was Liars and Liar actions, discussing deception moves as well as possible in-party lying which can lead to good and bad moments in a game, until Pruitt dropped the punchline and now i feel like an idiot but also jipped cuz id like to see an episode discussing deception in D&D lol

  • @WallyDM
    @WallyDM 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Those thumbnails. They get me. Every time. How about an episode for the Top 10 Web DM thumbnails... voted on by the viewers???

  • @gregoryjoannides5105
    @gregoryjoannides5105 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    awesome stuff as usual guys! Any chance we can get some videos on Numenera?

  • @EidolonSpecus
    @EidolonSpecus 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    I have found realistic lava to be a more insteresting and fun environmental hazard than the standard fantasy hot-water. Medium-sized humanoids could actually walk on real lava, if they can somehow manage the searing heat. Lava has the same density as stone, very few things actually sink in it.

  • @wehtawnikrap
    @wehtawnikrap 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    I just finished a homebrew campaign where there is a sense of doom that is going to take over the world. We may hold it off a few times but evil always finds a way. When I was playing my monk, I had managed to get the all so hostile Gith fight against some cultists that were planning to summon an Atropal. By the end of it the Gith are all died & the Atropal gained a planar traveling ship. We were way too under-leveled back then so when we came back to strike down the Atropal we had noticed the ship was gone. Had no idea where it went. With my monk retired I was now playing a barbarian & lord behold on our final session for the campaign there is the ship... along with a flying black blob that kinda resembles a dragon but has some tendrils sticking out of it with the ship now having similar features. We had learned from the dm that creature came from the far planes (personally I don't know anything on the far planes) & the ship turned into a lair.Every turn as a lair action it could summon something called star something mage. Anyway it didn't matter as we turned it into an Awakened Tree.
    If anyone wants I can expand on the story of how I got the Gith to fight some cultists.

  • @Xaxares
    @Xaxares 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Aninteresting setting for dragon-lovers is the 2nd edition Council of Wyrms boxed set. All dragons all the time.

  • @ryanphgaara
    @ryanphgaara 6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    been waiting, awesome job