(D&D 5 E) Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

228 Pages·2018·79.09 MB·English

by  Wizards RPG Team

WATERDEEP
DRAGON
HEIST~
CREDITS FOREWORD
lead Designer: Christopher Perkins A simple question began rattling around in my head
Designers: James J. Haeck, James lntrocaso, Adam Lee, over two years ago as I was bidding fareweJJ to Barovia,
Matt Sernett
dragging myself out of the depths of Maelstrom, and
Rules Development: Jeremy Crawford, Ben Petrisor, Kate Welch
Story Consultants: Matthew Mercer, Charles Sanders planning a yearlong expedition to Chult. Where do we
go next? After mulling over several options. we decided
Managing Editor: Jeremy Crawford it would be refreshing to return to civilization.
lead Editor: Christopher Perkins Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is a treasure hunt with an
Editors: Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray, Kim Mohan
urban backdrop. We've visited Watcrdeep before, but
Art Director: Kate Irwin not like this. Clever heroes will respect the city's rules.
Additional Art Direction: Shauna Narciso, Richard Whitters Those who get on the city's bad side are in for a rough
Graphic Designer: Emi Tanji time, as the City of Splendors is home to some of the
Cover Illustrator: Tyler Jacobson most powerful figures in the Forgotten Realms.
Interior Illustrators: Mark Behm, Eric Belisle, Zoltan Boros, Clint
Cearley, Sidharth Chaturvedi, Daarken, Eric Deschamps, Olga Charlie Sanders. a lifelong D&D player. brought his
Drebas, leesha Hannigan, Ralph Horsley, Tyler Jacobson, Sam experience writing for television to the project by help
Keiser, Julian Kok, Alayna Lemmer, Christopher Moeller, Scott ing flesh out the story bible months before work on the
Murphy, Jim Pavelec, Claudio Pozas, Vincent Proce, Ned Rogers, adventure was scheduled to begin. Matthew Mercer,
Craig J Spearing, Jason Thompson, Cory Trego-Erdner, Richard
Whitters. Mark Winters, Shawn Wood, Bayard Wu, Kieran Yanner whom you might know from the livestreamed show
Interior Cartographer: Dyson logos Critical Role, lent us his boundless imagination and
Poster Map: Jason Engle helped flesh out the villains and their motives. A D&D
adventure is only as good as its villains, and Waterdeep:
Producers: Daniel Tovar, Matt Warren, Stan! Dragon Heist has multiple baddies to choose from.
Product Engineer: Cynda Callaway
Imaging Technicians: Carmen Cheung. Kevin Yee Before I pull back the curtain and lead you into the
Art Administration: David Gershman heart of Waterdeep, I wish to thank Ed Greenwood for
Prepress Specialist: Jefferson Dunlap making the City of Splendors what it is: the kind of mag
ical place you wish in your heart was real.
Other D&D Team Members: Bart Carroll, Pelham Greene, Ari
Levitch, Chris Lindsay, Jeremy Martin, Shelly Mazzanoble, Mike
Chris Perkins
Mearls, Hilary Ross, Liz Schuh, Nathan Stewart, Greg Tito, Trish
December 2017
Yochum
Gratitude to Elliott Zastrow for his extensive research.
Special thanks to the hundreds of playtesters whose feedback made
this adventure more fun at every turn.
ON THE COVER
In Waterdeep, a gold coin is called a dragon, and someone has
hidden half a million dragons in the City of Splendors. Tyler
Jacobson illustrates the villains hunting for the treasure. May the
gods protect any adventurer who stands in their way!
Olscloim•t: The Lords ofWot<rdeep eonno• be h•ld responsibl• for th• flogging, ban·
iskment, ir1carceraelort. or execution ofa dventurers who violaie the Code legal, nor arc
th• Lords responsible for 1he 0<1ions ofb eholder erime lordi, unserupulous nobles, draw
swoshbueklers. and e•il clones. Also, don'1 be alorm1d by 1he colouol notues scouered
thro11ghoui 1he city. They·,, q"1te safe and hoven·s gone btrJerk in rears.
CE:
620C4658000001 EN
ISBN: 978-0-7869-6625·7
First Printing: September 2018
987654321
OUNCEONS & ORACONS, 0&0, W1urds of the Coast, Forgouen Realms. the dragon ampersand, Playtr's Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Moster's Cu1de. 111 other Wizards of
the Coas1 product namts. and their rtsptctive logos art trademarks ofWtzards of the Cout 1n the USA and other counlriU All characters and their d1st1nct1vt likenesses are property
of Wizards of the Cont, This maitertal ts prot«:ted under the copyright laws o( the United States of Amenca. Any reproduct•on or unauthorrz.td use of the mattnal or artwork contained
herein •S prohibited without the upress wntteo permission ofWlzards of the Coast.
Printed in the USA C2018 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Bor 707, Renton, WA 98057·0707. USA Manvfactured by Hubro SA, Rue Em1le-Boecha131, 2800 Oellmont, CH.
Represented by Hubro Eyrqpc 4 The Square Stockley Park lhbrtdec Middlesex UBJl JET Uk
CONTENTS
Pronunciation Guide ................................ 4 Cb. 3: FirebaU. ........................................... 43 Ch. 6: Hell ofa Summer ....................... 115
What's Happening Here? ......................... 43 Cu It of Asmodeus .................................... 115
Introduction. ................................................ 5
The Crime Scene ....................................... 44 Facing the Cassalanters ........................ 117
Story Overview ............................................. 5
After the Blast ........................................... .44 Cassalanter Villa ..................................... 117
Choose Your Villain ..................................... 6
im's Secret ............................................... 46 Temple of Asmodeus. .............................. 125
Seasons .......................................................... 7
What Renaer Knows ................................. 49 Special Events .......................................... 130
Running the Adventure ............................... 7
Gralhund Villa ............................................ 50
Adventure Structure ................................. 10 Ch. 7: Maestro's Fall .............................. 131
Life in Waterdcep ...................................... 10 Aftermath .................................................... 55 Facingjarlaxle ......................................... 131
Loose Ends ................................................. 56
Adventure Flowchart ................................ 11 Sea Maidens Faire .................................. 132
Level Advancement ................................... 56
Villain Lairs ................................................ 11 Scarlet Marpenoth .................................. 141
Adventure Background ............................ 11 Ch. 4: Dragon Season ............................. 57 Special Events .......................................... 145
Character Creation .................................... 12 Setting the Stage ....................................... 57
Cb. 8: Winter Wizardry ........................ 147
Character Advancement .......................... 14 Encounter Chains ...................................... 58
Facing Manshoon .................................... 147
Factions in Waterdeep .............................. 14 Encounter Chains by Season ................. 59
Kolat Towers ............................................. 148
The Yawning Portal.. ................................. 20 Encounter 1: Alley ..................................... 61
Extradimensional Sanctum .................. 157
Encounter 2: Mistshore ............................ 65
Ch. 1: A Friend In Need .......................... 21 Special Events .......................................... 161
Encounter 3: Street Chase ...................... 68
Where to Start. ........................................... 21
Ch. 9: Volo's Waterdeep
Encounter 4: Mausoleum ......................... 69
Zhentarim I lideout.. .................................. 24
Encounter 5: Rooftop Chase ................... 72 Enchiridion .......................................... 163
The Watch Arrives ..................................... 27
Entering Waterdeep ................................ 164
Tracking Floon ........................................... 27 Encounter 6: Theater. ............................... 73
A Long History (in Brief) ....................... 164
Encounter 7: Old Tower ........................... 76
Xanathar Guild Hideout .......................... 28
Encounter 8: Courthouse ........................ 80 Surviving in the City ............................... 167
Completing Volo's Quest .......................... 30
The Wards of Waterdeep ....................... 174
Encounter 9: Cellar Complex ................. 83
Level Advancement ................................... 30 The City's Splendors. .............................. 180
Encounter 10: Converted Windmill ...... 86
Ch. 2: Troll skull Alley ............................. 31 Parting Words .......................................... 188
Vault Keys .................................................... 90
Joining Factions ......................................... 34 Vault of Dragons ........................................ 94 App. A: Magic Items .............................. 189
Open for Business? ................................... 41
Adventure Conclusion .............................. 98
App. B: Monsters and NPCs ............... 193
Level Advancement ................................... 42
Ch. S: Spring Madness ........................... 99
App. C: Haodouts ................................... 221
Facing Xanathar ........................................ 99
Yawning Portal Friendly Faces ............ 221
Foiling Xanathar's Operation ............... 100
The Code Legal ........................................ 222
Xanathar's Lair ........................................ 100
Trollskull Manor and Tavern ................ 223
Special Events .......................................... 114
Key to the Yawning Portal.. ................... 224
PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
This guide shows how to pronounce many of the non-English names that appear in this adventure.
Name Pronunciation Name Pronunciation
Agorn Fuoco AY-gorn foo-OH-koh Marro Qaz'arrt MAW-row kah-ZART
Ahghairon ah-GAIR-awn Mattrim Mereg MAT-trim MAIR-egg
Ahmaergo ah-MAIR-go Melannor Fellbranch MEL-ah-nor
Alcedor Kolat awl-SEE-door KOH-lat Meloon Wardragon may-LOON
Alturiak (month) awl-TUR-ee-ak Mi rt MERT or MEERT
Amath Sercent AH-math SER-sent Mirtul (month) MER-tul
Ammalia Cassalanter ah-MAW-lee-ah KAS-ah-lan-ter Nar'I Xibrindas NAR-ul zeh-BRIN-das
Arn Xalrondar ARN zal-RON-dar Nihiloor NYE-heh-lure
Aurinax OR-ah-nax Obaya Uday oh-BYE-yahoo-DAY
Avareen Windrivver ah-vah-REEN Orond Gralhund oh-ROND GRAWL-hoond
Bregan D'aerthe BRAY-gan DAIRTH Raelyn Auvryndar RAY-lin ah-VRIN-dar
Corylus Thann KOR-eh-luss Remallia Haventree reh-MAW-lee-ah
Davil Starsong DAH-vil Renaer Neverember reh-NAIR
Duhlark Kolat doo-LARK KOH-lat Rishaal ree-SHAWL
Eleasis (month) eh-LEE-sis Rongquan Mystere RONG-kwan m1s-TAIR
Eleint (month) eh-LAI NT Saeth Cromley SAYTH KROM-lee
Esvele Rosznar EZ-veh-lay RAWJ-nar Savra Belabranta SAV-rah bel-ah-BRAN-tah
Fala Lefaliir FAH-lah LEF-ah-leer Seffia Naelryke SEF-yah NAIL-rike
Fel'rekt Lafeen FEL-rekt lah-FEEN Sidra Romeir SID-rah roh-MEER
Fenerus Stormcastle FEN-er-us Skarn Zarphoul SKARN ZAR-fool
Flamerule (month) FLAME-rool Skeemo Weirdbottle SKEE-moh
Floon Blagmaar FLOON SLAG-mar Soluun Xibrindas soh-LOON zeh-BRIN-das
Hlam huh-LAWM Talisolvanar Fellbranch tal-iss-AWL-van-ar
Holvan Ebberek HOLE-van EBB-er-ek Tarsakh (month) TAR-sack
Hrabbaz hrah-BAWZ Tashlyn Yafeera TASH-lin yah-FEER-ah
Hyustus Staget HEW-stus STAG-it Tissina Khyret teh-SEE-nah KYE-ret
lokaste Daliano i-oh-KAW-stay daw-lee-AH-noh Tylan llueph TYE-Ian ill-00-eff
lstnd Horn ISS-trid Umbero Zastro um-BAIR-oh ZASS-troh
Jalester Silvermane JAH-less-ter Urlaster Ghann ur-LASS-ter GAN
Jarlaxle Baenre jar-LAX-ull BANE-ray Urstul Floxin UR-stool FLOX-in
)elenn Urmbrusk juh-LEN URM-brusk Vaelle Lurval vay-ELLE lur-VAWL
)eryth Phaulkon JAIR-ith FAWL-kon Vajra Safahr VOJ-rah sah-FAR
Jezrynne Hornraven JEZ-rin Velgos Ephezzrin VEL-gohs eh-FEZ-rin
Kaevja Cynavern CAVE-yah SIN-ah-vern Vevette Blackwater veh-VET
Kala in kah-LAIN Vhaspar Holmdreg VASS-par HOLM-dreg
Karabal L'enz KAWR-ah-bawl LENZ Vrctoro Cassalanter vik-TOR-oh KAS-ah-lan-ter
Khafeyta Murzan kah-FAY-tah mur-ZAWN Volkarr Kibbens VOAL-kar KIB-enz
Korgstrod Uxgulm KORG-strawd UX-gulm Volothamp Geddarm VOH-loh-thamp geh-DARM
Krebbyg Masq'il'yr KREH-big MASK-il-eer Westra Moltimmur WES-trah MOLT-im-ur
Kythorn (month) KY-thorn Xanathar ZAN-ah-thar
Laeral Silverhand LAIR-awl Yagra Stonefist YAG-raw
Lalba Rosse LAY-bah ROSS-uh Yalah Gralhund YAW-law GRAWL-hoond
Llorath Pham LOR-ath FARN Yaliek lltizmar yah-LEEK ill-TIZ-mar
Losser Mirklav LOSS-er MER-klav Zaibon Kyszalt ZYE-bawn kij-ALT
Manshoon man-SHOON Ziraj the Hunter zeer-AWJ
Margo Verida MAR-go veh-REE-dah Zorbog Jyarkoth ZOR-bog jee-AR-koth
INTRODUCTION
ELCOME TO WATERDEEP, THE CROWN OF USING THE POSTER MAP
the North, where a wondrous tale of urban The map in the back of this book has the city ofWaterdeep
adventure is about to unfold. Our story on both sides. One side can be shown to players. The
begins with the gathering of adventurers other side is for the OM and includes tags marking import·
at the Yawning Portal Inn and Tavern. ant locations in the adventure.
Volothamp Geddarm, the famous explorer
and raconteur, has a quest for them-one The Stone of Golorr is actually an aboleth transformed
that entangles the characters in a bitter conflict between by magic. In this inanimate state, the aboleth can read
two nefarious organizations. lf the adventurers com the mind of any creature that attunes to the stone, as
plete his quest, Volo rewards them handsomely. Yet a well as modify that creature's memory. A creature at
much greater prize lies hidden somewhere in the City of tuned to the stone can also extract information from the
Splendors, waiting to be claimed. aboleth, including lore about Neverember's vault.
Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is a DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Built long ago by dwarves, the vault is warded against
adventure designed for characters starting at 1st level. all forms of magical detection and intrusion. Its current
By the end of the story, the characters will be at least protector is an adult gold dragon named Aurinax, who
5th level. If you're planning to run through the adven is also the current wielder and guardian of the dragon
ture as a player, stop reading now! staff ofA hghairon, which bas the power to prevent other
If you're looking for higher-level adventure content set dragons from entering the city. Tn exchange for the staff,
in Waterdeep, a companion product titled Waterdeep: Aurinax promised to guard the gold until such time as
Dungeon oft he Mad Mage explores the vast dungeon Neverember or his appointed vassals removed it.
under Waterdeep known as Undermountain and is de
signed for characters of levels all the way up to 20th. WAR IN THE STREETS
Beneath the city streets lurks a criminal underworld,
STORY O VERVIEW
its leader a beholder called Xanathar. Hoping to gain a
Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is a treasure hunt set against political foothold in Waterdeep, agents of the Zhentarim
an urban backdrop. The adventure's plot can be summa (also known as the Black Network) recently tried to ally
rized as follows: their organization with the Xanathar Guild. The archi
tect of this attempt was a clone of the wizard Manshoon,
• Half a million gold coins are hidden somewhere in
a founder of the Black Network long thought dead.
Waterdeep. Many individuals know about the cache
While the two sides were negotiating in Xanathar's
and are looking for it. Adventurers can join the hunt
lair, the Stone ofGolorr suddenly disappeared from
and prevent the cache from falling into evil hands.
where Xanathar had hidden it. The paranoid beholder
• The city is threatened by escalating tension between
accused the Black Network of stealing it and slew the
two power groups that is on the verge of flaring into
Zhentarim envoys who were present. When the Zhents
violence. The Zhentarim, a shadowy network of mer
retaliated by attacking Xanathar Guild outposts, Xana
cenaries, and Xanathar, the beholder crime lord of
thar took their actions as confirmation of the Black
Waterdeep, are at odds, and when they clash, the char
Network's vile intentions. Now the bad blood between
acters are pulled into the conflict.
the Zhentarim and Xanathar has begun to spill into the
streets, threatening peace throughout the city.
CACHE OF DRAGONS
Who actually stole the Stone ofGolorr? The answer:
In Waterdeep, a gold coin is called a dragon. Before he a rock gnome named Dalakhar. After Lord Neverember
was ousted from his position as the Open Lord ofWater used magic to discern the gemstone's location, he sent
deep, Dagult Neverember embezzled half a million forth a succession of spies to infiltrate Xanathar's lair
dragons and hid them in a secret vault. As a security and obtain it. Dalakhar succeeded where many others
precaution, he arranged for all knowledge of the vault's before him had failed, but his success turns out to be
location and defenses to be magically erased from his short-lived.
mind and the minds of his subordinates. The wizard
who performed the procedure trapped this knowledge VOLO 's QUEST
within an artifact called the Stone ofGolorr. The wizard
The Yawning Portal serves as the default starting point
disappeared shortly thereafter, and Dagult hid the stone
for this story. One of the first people the adventurers
in the Palace ofWaterdeep.
meet there is Volothamp Geddarm. He has just returned
Dagult was off rebuilding the city of Neverwinter when
from a tour promoting his latest book, Volo'.s Guide to
the other Lords ofWaterdeep voted him out of office. He
Monsters, and he has a quest for the characters.
immediately made plans to retrieve the Stone ofGolorr
One ofVolo's friends, a handsome simpleton named
and smuggle his cache of dragons out ofWaterdeep. His
Floon Blagmaar, has disappeared, seemingly kid
spies plucked the stone from the palace but were killed
napped. The search for Floon leads to the revelation
while trying co leave the city. The stone was stolen and
that he was caught up in a case of mistaken identity, and
passed from one hand to another like a common jewel
the characters are actually looking for two victims. The
until it wound up in the clutches ofXanathar.
intended target was Lord Neverember's estranged son,
INTRODUCTION
AHCHAIRON1S DRACONWARD hoard, and the adventurers' ultimate goal is to keep the
Waterdeep is blanketed by an undispellable magical effect treasure out of their clutches.
called Ahghoiron's drogonword. The effect originates from You can swap out one villain for another at any time.
somewhere under Ahghairon's Tower in the Castle Ward For example, if you decide halfway through the ad
and is permanent. Dragons and all other creatures of the venture that because of how the story has progressed
dragon type are physically unable to enter the city (or its Jarlaxle Baenre would make a better antagonist than
sewers) as long as the dragonward persists. The effect Xanathar, you can make that change on the fly and run
doesn't extend to the harbor or into Undermountain.
subsequent encounters accordingly.
A creature of the dragon type that is touched by the
Each villain is fully described in appendix Band sum
dragonstoff ofA hghoiron (see appendix A) can ignore Ah
marized below.
ghairon's drogonward and move through the city freely. The
effect lasts until the creature is touched again by the staff,
XANATHAR
or until the passage of a period of time specified by one
who is attuned to the staff. Xanathar is a paranoid, megalomaniacal beholder crime
The dragonstaffis currently in the possession of an adult lord whose goal is to wipe out anyone it perceives as a
gold dragon named Aurinax (see appendix B), who guards
Zhentarim operative or sympathizer, retrieve the Stone
a hidden vault under the city.
ofGolorr, and secure the cache of dragons. Its base is a
dungeon under Skullport, a subterranean settlement be
Renaer Neverember. Agents of the Zhentarim waylaid neath Waterdeep. This lair is described in chapter 5.
him because they want to know everything that Renaer Xanathar has a healthy fear ofLaeral Silverhand and
knows about the cache of dragons. (Unfortunately for is inclined to spare those in her employ, to avoid provok
them, Rcnaer is ignorant of lhe cache and its where ing a conflict with Waterdeep's Open Lord. Adventurers
abouts.) If the characters rescue him, Renaer proves to who incur the wrath of the beholder can use its fear of
be a worthy ally to adventurers hoping to make a name Laeral to escape certain death.
for themselves in Waterdeep. If you choose Xanathar as the villain, the adventure
As a reward for rescuing Floon, Volo gives adventur takes place in the spring.
ers the deed to a building in the North Ward that looks
out onto a wide cul-de-sac hemmed in by old residences THE CASSALANTERS
and shops. The property used to be a tavern with a res
Victoro and Ammalia Cassalanter are Waterdavian no
idence on the upper Doors. The tavern has been closed
bles and secret devil worshipers. The Cassalanters plan
for years, and the residence is haunted by a poltergeist
to use the cache of dragons to buy back the souls of their
that the characters can lay to rest.
children, which they traded to Asmodeus for power.
Their estate, Cassalanter Villa, has a temple of Asmo
FIREBALL!
deus hidden underneath it, as described in chapter 6.
As time goes on, the characters attract the attention of The Cassalanters try to misdirect and discredit the
local factions hoping to recruit them while they settle characters rather than murder them. Victoro and Am
into the city. Eventually, these relatively peaceful times malia rely on their noble status to protect them, and the
are shattered when a fireball detonates near their new last thing they want is the City Watch on their doorstep.
residence. The characters are swept up in the aftermath If you choose the Cassalanters as the villains, the ad
of this horrific event and can try to get to the bottom of venture takes place in U1e summer.
it. Who cast the fireball spell and why? Who was the
intended target? They can investigate the incident on be ~RLAXLE BAENRE
half of a guild or a faction, or they can become involved
Jarlaxle Baenre is a drow swashbuckler and the secret
for reasons of their own.
lord of Luskan, the City of Sails.jarlaxle plans to use
One casualty of the fireball is in fact its intended tar
the cache of dragons to buy his way into the Lords'
get: Lord Neverember's spy, Dalakhar. Whoever killed
Alliance, a confederation of cities and towns that band
the gnome now has the Stone ofGolorr, the key to find
together against common threats.Jarlaxle also wants
ing the lost cache of dragons. One way or another, de
the dragonstaff ofA hghairon for leverage in his nego
pending on the alliances- and the enemies-they have
tiations. In the magical guise of a human sea captain
made in the city. the characters become embroiled in
named Zardoz Zord,Jarlaxle runs a traveling carnival
the chase for the stone and the hoard it protects.
called the Sea Maidens Faire and lairs aboard a ship in
Waterdeep's harbor that has a submarine (the Scarlet
CHOOSE Y OUR VILLAIN
Marpenoth) underneath it, as described in chapter 7.
When you run this adventure, you choose its main vil jarlaxle delights in thwarting his enemies, enjoys the
lain at the outset. Your choice determines the season of complications that arise when adventurers try to meddle
the year in which the story takes place, as well as the an in his affairs, and loves to see the looks on their faces
tagonists in several of the encounters in chapter 4. The when he finally gets the better of them. He doesn't suffer
villain you choose opposes the player characters, while fools who threaten him, however. If forced into a violent
the villains you don't choose become part of the back confrontation, he swiftly and brutally kills someone to
drop and could help the characters or hinder them. make an example of them and then walks off.
As another unusual feature of this adventure, the If you choose Jarlaxle as the villain, the adventure
villains aren't meant to be killed, nor are they out to kill takes place in the autumn.
the player characters. The villains are after a treasure
INTRODUCTION
MANSHOON FAERONIAN CALENDAR
The FaerOnian calendar has twelve months that roughly
A clone of the wizard Manshoon, one of the founders of
correspond to the months of the Gregorian calendar. Each
the Zhentarim, is hiding in Waterdeep. He wants to rule month has thirty days divided into three ten-day weeks
the city, by claiming the cache of dragons and by using (each week is called a tenday). Scattered throughout the
that wealth to bribe the Masked Lords into making him year are five holidays that aren't considered part of any
the new Open Lord. He also wants to regain control of month. Once every four years, the holiday of Shield meet is
the Black Network. Manshoon lurks in Kolat Towers, a added to the calendar as a leap day immediately following
pair of wizards' towers in the Trades Ward. This resi Midsummer night. Collectively, these days create a cycle
similar to what we have on Earth: three 365-day years fol
dence is described in chapter 8.
lowed by a leap year.
Manshoon creates copies of himself using the simula
Months. The FaerOnian months are Hammer, Alturiak,
crum spell and takes great pains to conceal his identity,
Ches, Tarsakh, Mirtul, Kythorn, Flamerule, Eleasis, Eleint,
since his success hinges on not attracting the attention
Marpenoth, Uktar, and Nightal.
of others who would seek to thwart him before his plans Annual Holidays. The annual holidays are Midwinter
come to fruition. Manshoon avoids unnecessary con (between Hammer and Alturiak), Greengrass (between
frontations with adventurers; only those who enter his Tarsakh and Mirtul), Midsummer (between Flamerule and
extradimensional sanctum are likely to incur his wrath. Eleasis), Highharvestide (between Eleint and Marpenoth),
Ify ou choose Manshoon as the villain, the adventure and the Feast of the Moon (between Uktar and Nightal).
takes place in the winter.
RUNNING THE ADVENTURE
SEASONS
To run this adventure, you need the D&D fifth edition
The adventure unfolds in a particular season depending
core rulebooks: Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's
on the villain you choose at the outset. If you switch to a
Guide, and Monster Manual. The Sword Coast Adven
new villain midway through the adventure, don't change
turer's Guide is helpful, but not necessary.
the season to match unless the characters take enough
downtime for seasons to change naturally.
Text that appears in a box like this is meant to be read
-SP-R-IN-G- ------------ ----- aloud or paraphrased for the players when their charac
In Waterdeep, early spring tends to be cold and damp. ters first arrive at a location or under a specific circum·
Misty rain falls for days on end. It's common for fog to stance, as described in the text.
settle at night and last through the day. As the weather
improves, the city attracts more visitors, and the streets
become increasingly crowded as summer approaches. The Monster Manual contains stat blocks for most of
the creatures found in this adventure. AJI the necessary
SUMMER stat blocks are included there or in appendix B. When a
creature's name appears in bold type, that's a visual cue
Summers in Waterdeep are quite comfortable, and it's a
for you to look up the creature's stat block in the Mon
great time for citizens and visitors to congregate outside.
ster Manual, unless the adventure's text instead refers
The markets are busier than at any other time of year.
you to the monster appendix in this book.
Sometimes, though, warm air pushes up from the south
Spells and equipment mentioned in the adventure are
and settles in the valleys north and east of the city. This
described in the Player's Handbook. Magic items are
air gets trapped, creating a hot spell that might last days
described in the Dungeon Master's Guide, unless the
or weeks. Activity in the city slows to a crawl, since Wa
adventure's text directs you to an item's description in
terdavians are unaccustomed to such beat.
appendix A.
AUTUMN
ABBREVIATIONS
Throughout autumn, wagonloads of food arrive in Wa
The following abbreviations appear in this book:
terdeep from outlying farms. Without this bounty, city
folk would starve during the winter. Cold, howling sea hp= hit points LG = lawful good
winds remind Waterdavians that winter is near. AC = Armor Class CG = chaotic good
DC - Difficulty Class NG =neutral good
WINTER
XP =experience points LN = lawful neutral
Waterdavian winters are harsh. As snow piles up around pp - platinum piece(s) N - neutral
the city and ice fills the harbor, trade grinds to a bait and gp =gold piece(s) CN =chaotic neutral
the city seals its gates. Citizens willing to brave the cold
ep = electrum piece(s) LE ~ lawful evil
still gather in local taverns and festhalls, but few venture
sp =silver piece(s) CE= chaotic evil
outside the city walls.
cp =copper piece(s) NE= neutral evil
NP C= non player character DM =Dungeon Master
INTRODUCTION