How to Defend Your Lair

by Keith Ammann

Defend yourself and protect your assets in a lair that feels as real and alive as your monsters with advice from Keith Ammann, author of The Monsters Know What They’re Combat Tactics for Dungeon Masters .

The world is a dangerous place—especially when you’re up to no good. Whether you’re a rampaging monster, a calculating mastermind, or the current possessor of the Golden MacGuffin, someone’s going to come at you. Probably more than one someone. You can’t know when, but you can choose where. You need to be ready.

You need a lair.

In How to Defend Your Lair , gamemaster Keith Ammann pulls back the curtain on an underrated but crucial part of any tabletop roleplaying the theater of battle. Say goodbye to encounters in randomly generated dungeons and hello to a game in which where the fight takes place is just as important as who is doing the fighting.

This book teaches you how to use real-world principles of building security and area defense to create strongholds infused with flavor, informed by narrative, and complex enough to force your players to think strategically. You’ll look at the strengths and weaknesses of both defenders and potential attackers, creating spaces that are strong enough to keep out ordinary intruders...and to provide thrilling challenges to extraordinary ones.

Including more than a dozen fleshed-out sample strongholds, How to Defend Your Lair is a crucial resource for any RPG gamemaster who wants to push players to think about how to solve problems before running at them head-on.

Genres: Role Playing Games, Dungeons and Dragons, Nonfiction, Games

352 pages, Hardcover

Published November 29, 2022

About the author

Keith Ammann is the ENNIE-winning author of The Monsters Know What They’re Doing: Combat Tactics for Dungeon Masters, MOAR! Monsters Know What They’re Doing, How to Defend Your Lair, and most recently Making Enemies: Monster Design Inspiration for Tabletop Roleplaying Games, as well as the blog The Monsters Know What They’re Doing (themonstersknow.com). He’s been a role-playing gamer and game master for more than thirty years. He likes to play outwardly abrasive helpers, out-of-their-element helpers, and genuinely nice, helpful helpers. Mostly, though, he plays non-player characters. And monsters.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

A book that instructs how to create a vital, realistic dungeon in a role playing game. Might also be useful for a writer of a fantasy.

Makes me glad I was never a gm.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I won a free copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

Having read and loved both The Monsters Know What They're Doing and MOAR! Monsters Know What They're Doing by the same author, I'm a huge fan of Keith Ammann's work in general, and I was overjoyed to win a copy of this book.

As with the rest of his work, this book is designed as tabletop RPG supplement. It's written with 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons Rules in mind, but should be easy enough to adapt for any system. And the underlying concepts are universal, whether you're creating a game, a fantasy novel, or what have you.

The first few chapters cover the basics: what assets are worth protecting? How are their values determined? What resources are available for protecting them? Etc. The remainder of the book goes into detail on sixteen different scenarios which apply the principles from the early chapters in different ways for a variety of difficulty levels.

I haven't played a tabletop RPG in years, and have no plans to do in the foreseeable future. But I love reading Ammann's books nonetheless. He has a knack for explaining his concepts, and I love the way his mind works. His books are highly enjoyable, and I recommend them heartily.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't DM any games, but I Do write fantasy, and I specifically picked this up as a writing resource to improve designs for villain lairs. Highly recommend it to other fantasy writers who might need help on figuring out how many henchmen your villain can hire and how the terrain will impede your protagonists.

The "Sixteen Lairs" Chapter was a bit harder for me to get through. It's Ammann telling the readers exactly how different adversaries defend their lairs, so it was a lot of numbers and named characters thrown at you, but they were still useful examples.

[Mona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked most of the first ~120 pages. The thoughts about designing a lair are helpful and inspiring and I can imagine rereading these chapters for worldbuilding purposes.

Sometimes I just wished that the book was a little more system agnostic (Everything in this book refers heavily to DND5E). Especially in the chapter about how magic can be used in a lair I imagined to be a more open discussion about how mages could invent clever tricks and spells specifically for use in a lair. The actual content of the chapter consists of a list of (DND5E) spells the author deems worthy and useable for a lair with a prose description what it could be used for and how much it would cost. It's just a very lengthy passage about using official spells almost always the way they are intended.

Then there's stuff that just doesn't make much sense to me. There are parts (only few) where much attention is used to describe how stuff was done in the "real medieval times". Except that there are many wrong descriptions that are stated as factual. As someone who is just a bit more interested in history, that irked me.

Then we come to the most prominent and biggest part of the book: A description of not one, not two, but 16 lairs using this book's formula. For me it became very apparent that the formula used to assign different values to assets in a lair (a formula from the very beginning of the book) is just plain unneccessary in most cases. You simply don't need to assign numbers to every bauble in a dungeon to discern that the magic library is the most important asset to a group of intellectual cultists.

I can recommend the first 120 pages if you are willing to ignore some annoyances but beyond that, I would only recommend the 16 lairs if you are actually in the market for a ready-to-use lair. But then, you could just look one up elsewhere.

[Thom · Rating 2 out of 5]

As somebody who adored both Monsters Know What They’re Doing books, this is a massive disappointment. It’s a lot shorter and a lot less detailed than the other books, with the actual principles of dungeon design comprising less than half of it, with the rest being taken up by examples. Examples of dungeons which, might I add, aren’t actually very good - they’re interesting and well thought-out designs, sure, but I’ve played 2 of them in my campaign, and they weren’t fun for the DM or the players, focusing far too much on realism to the game’s detriment, and offering absolutely zero options for players who want to do something other than fight. And the most galling thing for me is the change in tone; where the earlier advice was phrased as just that, advice, in this it’s phrased authoritatively, and Ammann flat-out says at several points that you HAVE to do things according to the book. Don’t bother.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through a Goodreads Giveaway and decided to share it with my 14-year-old nephew who plays D&D. He gave it a solid 4 stars and says "I would recommend this book to people who have been playing D&D for a while and who want a change in play style."

[Max Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

a nice follow-up to the monsters know what they're doing. less of a catalog and more narrative in nature. I may like the Monsters set better, but this will appeal more to those looking for good plot hooks.

[Harrison Schweiloch · Rating 4 out of 5]

How To Defend Your Lair by Keith Ammann

I discovered Keith Ammann like most people, I assume - through his website. Reading his incredibly thoughtful and thought/provoking analysis of Fifth Edition Dungeons & Dragons monster tactics really opened me up to a new way of thinking about how to be a Dungeon Master. My DMing got much better and I really enjoyed reading what he had to say.

So when I saw his new book, How to Defend Your Lair, available on NetGalley, I requested an eARC.

Frustratingly, his new book is not really for me. As a Dungeon Master, I use mostly official D&D adventures (what they used to call modules when I was a kid). I’m not creating my own worlds and adventures- I prefer to have that done for me. I’ll change things up, of course, but I’m not usually making things up from scratch.

This book is much more designed for the DMs out there that are making up their entire adventures. And it mostly seems to do a good job, I guess? But a lot of it feels like filler to me, and dull filler at that. But I’m sure this book will be great for the right audience.

[Evan Doran · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note: I received a copy of How to Defend Your Lair through a Goodreads Giveaway. This did not influence the content of my review, but did influence me to write a review.

Additional note: I refer throughout to “GM’s,” shorthand for “gamemasters.” For people unfamiliar with the tabletop roleplaying hobby, this term refers to the person running a tabletop RPG, a task that involves acting as and controlling non-player characters, as well as determining the consequences of dice rolls. If the players are the equivalent of improv actors, the GM would be both the stage crew and all the walk-on roles.


Overview/What’s It About?

How to Defend Your Lair is a guide to stronghold design from the author of The Monsters Know What They’re Doing, a blog-turned-book (although I believe the blog still updates) suggesting in-depth tactics for Dungeons and Dragons monsters based on their abilities and lore. I think it’s important to open with this connection, as the seeds for both the positives and negatives of How to Defend Your Lair are visible in the parent text.

The first third of the book is dedicated to principles of medieval defense, descriptions of available resources in different terrains, an overview of defensive spells from Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition, some defensive strategies (both in-combat and out-of-combat), and interrogation strategies. After this section comes the next half of the book, which details sixteen lairs of potential foes with varying levels of strength. The book then ends with a handful of homebrewed magical items for security, and the statblocks of some monsters original to the lairs within.

Security 101

For a certain type of reader, this section will be extraordinarily useful. Keith Ammann has taken the time to do a fair amount of research, and his suggestions for designing a secure medieval fortress make sense, if they sometimes grow repetitive (the suggestion for villains to hire scouts to catch potential foes before they reach the gates crops up multiple times). His tips for roleplaying an interrogation are genuinely helpful for creating a flavorful scene (though your mileage may vary, depending on how quickly your players think on their feet). The discussion of defensive spells has some downright diabolical combinations.

The trouble comes in when approaching stronghold design from a narrative point-of-view. Yes, those interrogation tips give room for creating a scene fun for both players and GM’s (despite the subject matter), but the actual principles of defense are optimized a little too far in the balance of realism for my taste—and, given personal experience, for most players. Yes, putting all sorts of magical traps on everything in sight is a logical choice for spellcasting villains—but is that fun for players? If the only real countermeasure is to use the spells dispel magic and remove curse over and over again, it doesn’t sound particularly fun. Likewise, funneling players into one or two central points to fight dozens of low-level guards is a good idea for overwhelming them, but it is that sort of pitched battle the most fun approach?

Much of my disappointment with this section likely stems from incorrect assumptions on what it would provide, and a basic mismatch of my playstyle to Ammann’s playstyle. As someone who enjoys the narrative end of tabletop roleplaying games more than dungeon crawls, the nitty-gritty focus on creating realistic defensive structures and organizational hierarchies seems like a time-sink without much benefit. I was hoping for more quick-and-dirty tips on developing interesting tactical situations, traps structured as puzzles, and narratively cohesive dungeons that offer opportunities for roleplaying.

Lairs, Lairs, and More Lairs

In this section, Ammann delivers sixteen pre-written dungeons, listing the assets of the inhabitants, how much they value each asset, and their overall defensive strategy for invaders. They also feature some quick opening text setting the stage for each dungeon and providing snippets of a potential plot hook. Some of these can be easily played up into juicy conflicts (the wererat revolutionaries and the drow doctrinal dispute being two highlights), while others play it more straightforward with archetypal villainy (the two hag dungeons come to mind).

As with the previous section, my personal thoughts are that the emphasis is in the wrong place. Rather than running through what the practical defenses, what are interesting events going on or opportunities for players to solve things through non-combat means? As-is, most non-combat attempts to solve problems are along the lines of “the villain tries to buy you off.” Or, to stick with combat, what are some ways to keep objectives interesting or leverage unique terrain layouts? If playing a game like Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition with tactical combat, how can you use that framework to create memorable encounters? (To put it into video game terms, how can you make a combat environment more Divinity: Original Sin 2 or Fire Emblem and less Baldur’s Gate 1?) The combat tactics described in The Monsters Know What They’re Doing go a long way toward making battles more interesting in Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition—the realism-driven approach in this book, unfortunately, goes too far into optimizing the dungeons, with the consequence that the battles on offer are less interesting.

Conclusion

For a simulationist GM whose players prefer a slower, more methodical game, this book has a lot to offer, and definitely deserves another star or two. For GMs more interested in designing a dungeon more for the narrative, this book has a handful of gems, but is unlikely to prove useful to you on the whole.

[Doreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

12/4/2022 This is 5 stars for a certain type of DM, but for me personally it's a 3. Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.

12/6/2022 I love RPG books so much, I write my own. I also have a terrible weakness for buying more, especially if they'll facilitate my own campaigns, whether solo or otherwise. Since most of my groups tend to play D&D (and I do a fill-in campaign for one of them. Oh, and professionally DM every so often, too,) anything that can help me sharpen my DMing skills is a must read.

So I was really psyched to get a copy of Keith Ammann's How To Defend Your Lair. I'm not super familiar with online D&D personalities, but his credentials and endorsements are legit. I was a little taken aback by the combative tone of the introduction -- hi, I'm a reader who is interested in what you have to say, not a PC to be battled -- but that fortunately fades quickly, as Mr Ammann gets into the nitty gritty of what it means to design a big bad's lair, and why you would want to invest the time and energy into doing so.

At which point, I need to make a disclaimer: if you are a vibes GM*, like me, a lot of this stuff might not be pertinent to you. I continuously ratchet difficulty levels up and down for my players because I do not think TPKs are fun and I also want them to each get their shots in before downing the bad guys. I like for my players to feel involved in combats, and to experience the terror of thinking they're going to die (but not actually killing them.) As a GM, I feel that my job is to challenge the players but not frustrate them.

And as much as I've loved the hundreds of players I've run games for over the years, I can confidently state that most of them don't play D&D, or any other role-playing games, in order to think. They're there for the action, and they're there for the drama. The fun ones are also there for the lolz. My job as the DM is to facilitate all this, to make my players feel smart and capable and like big damn heroes. I have thrown away so many puzzles and lowered the success rates of so many secrets just to make sure my tables have a good time getting through carefully constructed adventures, whether my own or others' (I'm a big fan of running from pre-written modules.)

But if your players really do love a challenge, and if you as a DM want to design rich, well-thought-out settings for your big confrontations in D&D 5E, then this book is a must-read. Mr Ammann knows his stuff, as he discusses the basics of medieval architecture, defense and combat (arcane fantasy being the general setting of most D&D campaigns.) Honestly, this book also works as a great resource if you're working on worldbuilding for your fantasy novel.

Perhaps the most valuable part of this book for seasoned DMs, however, is the section detailing Sixteen Lairs. These are sixteen enemy bastions rigorously designed to confound any adventuring party, complete with beautifully detailed maps, lists of personnel and calculated CR/XP. Ordered by difficulty level, each lair is a great seed for an overarching campaign, and a mighty challenge for thoughtful parties of combatants. One thing I really appreciated is the diversity of settings, analogous to different real world backgrounds, cultures and fantasy traditions. And Lio Pressland's cover illustration is just the perfect blend of cute and vicious, tho it may bely the sophistication of the book's contents.

This was a valuable reading experience for me as a GM, player and general appreciator of all things role-playing, but I'm not sure how much of it I'll actually use. It's a great addition to the library of any serious DMs tho.

*Note for those less familiar with RPGs: in this review, I use DM as short-form for Dungeon Master when referring specifically to Dungeons & Dragons. I use GM for Game Master in reference to any RPG, including D&D.

How To Defend Your Lair by Keith Ammann was published November 29 2022 and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!

[Geordie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book of ideas and suggestions for Dungeon Masters/Game Masters (specifically for D&D 5th edition) to make monster lairs more logical and challenging.

While there's some good in here, and it's definitely a labor of love, I doubt I would use any of the suggestions. A lot of the ideas are ways to make villain lairs more deadly, with methods that the villains can escape and terrorize the players another day. I really don't know if many DMs are screaming for tips like this, isn't already pretty easy to bump up the challenge of villains? I'd rather have some tips on how to make a lair more interesting and novel. And unless a monster is supposed to be the recurring villain of the game, making it easy for it to escape would just be needlessly frustrating for the players.

To top it off, some of the ideas don't feel very well thought-out. The suggestion is made that wise villains will guard themselves against flying enemies, but some of the example lairs can be flown into without issue. Some of the traps are obvious, and can be triggered with a Mage hand spell, or in some cases just throwing a big rock at the trapped item. The mish-mash of too deadly and too simple sometimes makes the book feel like it was a rushed product that could have been better with a little more care.

Still, there are some fine ideas and some monsters and items that are well made and serve useful roles. For a DM whose players breeze through too many of their adventures without breaking a sweat, this book could really help to keep them on their toes. But if you are a DM who does NOT suffer from such a quandary, I don't think you'll get a whole lot of use from this book.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book as a free pre-release copy.
I was very impressed with how thorough Ammann was with his discussion of plans, tactics, and how to get inside a non-human head. He uses a lot of the conventions of AD&D 5ed, but he breaks it down for seat-of-the-pants DMs like me.
The basic premise- that no thinking creature will just sit there and wait to be raided by the PCs- is one that I've tried to use for years. I'm just glad that this book, and others like it, have come out to try and spread the concept to everyone.

[Maya Malice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good guide to planning lairs for sessions, and nice rules to follow to set up a truly threatening feeling boss fight. That said, this goes into more detail than a DM needs to think about a lot of the time.

Basically if you want to plan a castle, you only need to skim through. If you want to know how each defense of a castle worked back in the medieval era, read through and the book gives you that too.

[MJ Jaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strategic battle tactics? Now you’re just rubbing it in that those of us that tried to survive harrowing DnD campaigns in the mid-1980s could’ve survived our various death sentences to play another day instead of frustratingly moving on to Gamma World or Shadow Run! I’m going to send all four books in this series back to myself in 1985 and DOMINATE the RPG landscape once time travel has its own official Instagram account.

[Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but it was also my least favorite of Ammann's series.

The book starts with a descriptive formula for how creatures value their life and property. I understand why he does it, but it's very dry and not very interesting. Hard to argue that it should be excluded, but also difficult to not lose interest. A slow start.

The maps of the lairs are gorgeous, but also confusing. A more consistent map key would have made them much easier to understand.

[Frank R · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is hard for me to review. I love the sample lairs that make up the second half of the book, and intend to incorporate several into my D&D game. The chapter on defensive magic--analyzing the spells that might be useful in lair construction--also very useful.

The remaining chapters offered few new tactics to me, though I have been a DM for decades; a newer DM might find more of value.

[Armando · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the best DnD/Tabletop guides and supplements, this book takes you through the DETAILS of how to actually run a dungeon. it makes you think of how the monsters should think, the hierarchy of security, and the worldbuilding as well.

this author is very knowledgeable in DnD lore and monsters and it shows.

this has definitely been a huge help and has earned a spot on my shelf.

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A discussion of the basic elements of security.

Generally assumes a relatively low-magic world -- for instance, in an underwater setting, most of it talked of how and where to build it on the seabed, with only a mention of one floating through the waters. Does cover some standard D&D spells and magic items, in midst of zones and guards and how locks are to delay intruders, not stop them. Plus how to make it a proper challenge for the character level.

Also includes -- in fact, it's more than half -- descriptions of sample lairs, of varying danger levels.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

The core concepts of lair defense are very good and right at the beginning of the book. The sample "dungeons" are okay, but I would have preferred more of the first half in the second half or just a shorter book. Overall it is an interesting read but not a big game-changer.

[J Matasovsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far this is a great start to making my DM in endgame lairs a more interesting challenge!

[Brett and Fiona Slater · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Must read for any dungeon master.

[LevTheNerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great. Full of guidelines and advice, stat blocks, magic items, and even 16 example lairs. What more could we need?

[Makayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun but surprisingly thorough read!

[Graham Bakstere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sorta helpful.

[Edmond Gaudelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was excellent, and adapted the latest security techniques to defend a lair in Dungeons and Dragons.