HOW TO DEFEND YOUR LAIR

The world is a dangerous place -- especially when you're up to no good. Whether you're a rampaging monster, a renowned hero, or the current possessor of the Golden MacGuffin, someone's going to come at you. Probably more than one someone. You need to be ready. You need a lair.

In this fourth installment of The Monsters Know What They're Doing series, Dungeon Master Keith Ammann pulls back the curtain on a vastly underrated, but vitally important part of any fifth edition D&D game: drawing the maps. Say goodbye to random encounters between PCs and baddies, and welcome to a game in which where the fight takes place is just as important the fight itself.

Using what you've learned about the monsters and combat tactics from the previous books, How to Defend You Lair will teach you how to add flavor, complexity, and narrative to your game with strongholds that will force your D&D team to think strategically. You'll look at both the strengths and weaknesses of all of the characters involved, creating spaces that are strong enough to be defended...but vulnerable enough to be infiltrated for a truly thrilling game.

Filled with 20+ combat settings that will push your players to think about how to solve problems without running at them head-on--before the battle even begins--How to Defend Your Lair is a must-read for any Dungeon Master.

Keith Ammann has been a Dungeons & Dragons player and DM for more than thirty years. He has been writing his fifth Edition D&Dfocused blog The Monsters Know What They're Doingnow also a book by the same name published by Saga in 2019 since 2016. He lives in Chicago.