Even if you don’t own Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, I hope you’ll find some points of interest in my design notes and other discussion. Much more to my liking than the other Adventure books for 5e D&D. I came to post the same thing that Alex asked for right above me, if there is any way that you could edit this post to have a table of contents to all the different pages of the Heist remix (especially because some of them are not in order if I just try to scroll through your old posts for expediency sake) I would absolutely love and appreciate that. However, out of the box, it’s not perfect. Lady Cassalanter introduces her husband and they tell the PCs a modified version of their plight: The twins were cursed at their birth by Asmodean cultists to lose their souls on their ninth birthday. You may be tempted to have the Cassalanters betray the PCs by having them be among the 99, but I actually recommend the opposite: If the PCs have delivered as promised, the Cassalanters are more than pleased with their work and are looking forward to a long and prosperous friendship with them. i figured the gralhunds might be concerned about damaging their own or allys property. He’ll be sending one of his local agents to contact them. Part 6F: Faction Reports (Xanathar/Zhentarim) Consider reading the Alexandrian Rework. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 116. Addendum: Fancy Props Be sure to check out the follow-up adventure, Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage, which picks up where Dragon Heist leaves off. Like Xanathar, the PCs might reject that offer. (spoilers […]. Curse of Strahd was my previous favourite, but the tone here is the other end of the spectrum. My party fell apart in distrust and dead and resurrected corrupted beings which ended up with players not trusting each other and the game grinding to inevitable failure. Here you just want to take a step back, identify the thing the PCs need to be pointed at, and then figure out how to deflect their current vector (“Let’s go question Lord Dagult!”) towards the thing they need. @DougieStar: Page 23, in the “What Happened That Night?” section. Note that everything the Cassalanters tell the PCs is true… from a certain point of view. So he might think of them as useful cat’s paws. i also had it follow the gnome at street level and instead of a necklace of fireballs i gave it an orb of cloudkill. But is draining. Heather: Basically, yes. Part 1C: Player Character Factions It would seem Renaer’s knowledge in the Box Text was what he learned from the Zhentarim during the brief interrogation. Follow their lead. These essays were not designed for use at the table, and became even less useful as such as time went by. I’m now actually excited to run this material. Thus will begin a Grand Game. (Mine did, only to later form an alliance with the Gralhunds for the similar reason that the Gralhunds already held the Stone.). It’s an interesting one and I can’t think of anything in the Remix that would preclude using it! If they could get their hands on Neverember’s ill-gotten gains, though… Will the PCs please help them? A Pathfinder module designed for a couple to play together. Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is an adventure module for the 5th edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. But it probably goes without saying that in order to actually use this remix, you’ll need to own a copy of the book. They have time. I just received my copy today and plans are to start playing later this week, the pages are jam packed with descriptions, original artwork and maps. Adventure flow diagram… see chapter 7 for run-time organization. Because he’s actually harvesting data from them. But in your campaign, the PCs are already hooked. I don’t know if you are familiar with it, but I am having a difficult time translating the various factions: Zhentarim are probably House Dimir, the Cassalanter a noble family indebted to the Orzhov (or maybe the Rakdos?! — came to light, however, many intuited the truth behind Neverember’s Enigma and its pursuit became even more frenzied. The actual adventure is a bit unscripted at times and will take a good DM to pull all the content together well. What would Lord Dagult’s response be? The opening scenario thus introduces the PCs to both the Zhentarim and Xanathar. Whatever the case, the intense rivalries of the Grand Game give birth to all forms of subterfuge, covert activities, deception, and intrigue. Do you recommend this given the changes you made in the Alexandrian remix? His agents eventually concluded that Neverember’s son, Renaer, might have another of the Eyes. And then, of course, ka-boom. (The heists will be described in Part 4.). Over the course of four main chapters (all of which are very strong, although chapter 2 has some caveats I'll get to in a bit), the adventure sets up a treasure hunt in the city. The Cassalanters were actually interested in Neverember’s Enigma even before they knew that 500,000 dragons were on the line: Lord Neverember was not the first person to hide secrets within the Stone of Golorr, and through their demonic researches the Cassalanters have identified a number of other lucrative and powerful lines of inquiry they would like to pursue (see Part 6 of the remix). If the PCs haven’t discovered the Cassalanters’ true motives, it will be far more effective for them to be horrified by their implication in the mass murder. ISBN 978-0-7869-6625-7. Unable to add item to List. You don’t need to actually hold the gold if you’re the one who controls its location. You just need someone really rich who wants to hide their money in the vault. Waterdeep: Dragon Heist has a unique gimmick: the DM gets to choose which of four villains – the Xanathar, Manshoon, the Cassalanters, and Jarlaxle – they want to pit against their players. After slogging through that I thought we’d be able to make some headway… WRONG. They should obviously explain that it is the key to the vault, but how much else would they be willing to share? First, let’s look at what went “wrong”… although I don’t actually think it’s wrong. They discovered that Neverember had hidden one of the Eyes in the crypt of Lady Alethea Brandath, Renaer’s mother. Part 2: Gralhund Villa Jarlaxle Baenre – Dack Fayden, **greatest thief in the multiverse***. The city setting is very evocative, with lots of hooks for great stories. It's done! ), but the Xanathar’s Guild? The Cassalanters have discovered a ritual which can save them, but it requires them to sacrifice “one shy of a million gold coins”. What he didn’t know was that the Stone of Golorr had been blinded by Lord Neverember, who removed its three Eyes. But you’re fixing it! Just bring me the damn Stone!”) If the PCs agree, then he’ll tell them to head back to Waterdeep. Guide to Tomb of Annihilation. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. i had reaner point the party towards the maidens fair and they got the detector from him. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Patrons of the Alexandrian can download a collected pdf here. The gang war, in turn, became the point at which everyone who knows what’s really going on in Waterdeep (or likes to think they do) became aware that a Grand Game was in progress. Xanathar’s agents do a perfunctory sweep of the warehouse and then take off, leaving the kenku behind to kill any Zhents who show up. Really looking forward to the rest. They know Xanathar HAD the stone, but since it was stolen, wouldn’t the Zhentarim be interested in trying to find out more about the vault from Renaer? Part 6D: Faction Reports (Gralhund/Jarlaxle) Material that’s worth bringing to your gaming table. That way I can print it and study it on the go. Questioning him “about the whereabouts of the Stone of Golorr”, as the adventure suggests, makes no sense.”, I only have the roll20 version of this document, so it’s possible that I’m missing something. They don’t technically need all the money, and are willing to cut the PCs in on 10% of it or agree to return the surplus funds to the city. In this chapter, Dungeon Masters can explore Waterdeep, its culture, its history, its guilds—even local slang to add that extra layer of authenticity and immersion for their players. It is the first part of the Waterdeep storyline and followed by a second adventure, Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage. They’re invited to feast in the Banquet Hall (Area C15) where all the non-sacrificial guests are celebrating. Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. The Zhentarim, for their part, wanted both vengeance AND their Eye back (and the Stone of Golorr itself for good measure). Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is an urban heist adventure designed to take characters from first level to fifth. I dunno. When I first picked up WD:DH I’d already looked at some reviews and I knew the module was a bit wonky. I’m looking into running Dragon Heist and I was recommended this supplement- it looks to be very helpful! See what happens. Running the Campaign: The Manshoon Heists I’ve started a game already, the players have just acquired their tavern, and are on their way to meet Hlam for the Gray Hands faction mission. The last campaign I lead was the two part HofDQ/RoT. If they speak with Jarlaxle about the nimblewright they’re seeking, he’ll first want to know why they’re looking for it. Hey Alexander, I’m really enjoying your take on DH and I’m excited to read what comes next, but I have a question. Purchasing this bundle unlocks the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist book in digital format in the game compendium with all the artwork and maps, cross-linking, and tooltips. I had always skipped posts in this series, since I was never interested in running this campaign. (Ironically, they were literally standing on top of the Vault itself and didn’t know it.). Glad that I found this remix, too, cause the module as printed is too railroad-y for my tastes. I was wondering if there was a pdf file that includes all the chapters you wrote, since I prefer reading from paper and can print it all out that way. @AC: First, you are not alone in struggling with remote gaming. After giving it my own read through I knew I wanted to somehow use all the villains provided and fortunately I found the Alexandrian remix. So my one mention, is that you find it strange that they are asking Renaer about the Stone. which it used once it was next to the gnome. At that point I shut down the game session as I had no idea how the get the damn thing back on track and I’m on the verge of just giving up on it entirely. Started incorporating your remix and our group is having a great time with it! Hi Justin, I just found out about your website last night as I was trying to find some way for the players to find out the motivations of the Cassalanters which the book simply does not address in a good way. Patrons of the Alexandrian can download a collected edition of the Remix. This will include an attempt to clean up the broken continuity in the published campaign and also an effort to make the campaign’s scenario structure more robust (by applying the Three Clue Rule, for example). Which then sets up him wanting to then get the stone not to Renaer but the adventurers to helped him. In terms of the Dragon Heist campaign, we will focus on five factions participating in the Grand Game: For each of these factions, we will want to know: The concept of the “Grand Game” was created to give a convenient label to the proceedings. This adventure is very much a mixed bag in terms of quality. And, of course, with all three eyes the Stone is fully restored and can be used to locate the Vault. Hey! That helps I’ve been laying out my own sketch of the story to help me understand just how things fit. EDIT: In the course of writing and developing the Alexandrian Remix, the scope of the project expanded. As noted, I’m generally not going to try to untangle this minutia in specific detail. Hi, I’m a long time reader of your fantastic stuff! I don’t as the fact the stone is now stolen is what has caused the increase of tensions and gang warfare between the Xanathar and Zhentarium. He might even warn them about the Cassalanters (“you’ve been tricked by devil worshipers”) before offering them a bunch of gold to act as HIS agents. Many thanks for all that you’ve put into this — it really does make this a much more compelling adventure. One thing I’d love, is just a table of contents for all of the chapters. The main villains are all too powerful to face, the adventure culmination is limp and also requires help. However, in the book as-written, wouldn’t it still make sense for the Zhentarim to question Renaer? As I understand it, at the beginning of the book Dalakhar has stolen the Stone of Galorr the Zhents and the Xanathar’s each think the other side stole it. “The intended target was Lord Neverember’s estranged son, Renaer Neverember. It is a really refreshing change of pace to your average adventure, even going as far as to have an entire chapter dedicated to opening a new tavern in the centre of Waterdeep. I simply wasn’t interested in running this mess, and so I set it aside. A 222 page publication of which only 98 pages you must play. If they find the locket and see the (now empty) secret compartment inside it, Renaer can also tell them that he had no idea that the compartment existed or what was stored inside it. Heck, he might even offer them ALL the gold. Twenty-three levels of Undermountain are detailed herein, along with … So Dalakhar is non-essential. I would have waited to have the Cassalanters approach them until AFTER the Dalakhar explosion. Xanathar was convinced that the Zhentarim had the other Eyes. First, I want to make it a HEIST. Part 7: How the Remix Works, Addendum: First Impressions Again, my sincere thanks for your efforts. More troubling, I found the story to not only be muddled, but also not terribly compelling. ↑ Christopher Perkins, James Haeck, James Introcaso, Adam Lee, Matthew Sernett (September 2018). And he was perfectly happy with that. Rule Supplement 1: Mounted Combat You’ve got a group of players who are clearly heavily invested in what’s happening AND self-motivated enough to create their own plans and aggressively push for the outcomes they want. Part 6: Golorr Artifacts but already wondering if their might be a new mind map or adventure flow diagram available with your remix? They stole the Eye from the Protector’s Enclave and brought it to Manshoon, who through a combination of divinations and other espionage efforts eventually connected it to the Stone of Golorr which Xanathar had stolen. That’s fine, though, because we’ve already gotten maximum bang for our buck from the player-initiated heist, right? Addendum: The Twin Parades One side note – Trying to game with everyone locked down and remote has been a huge challenge for me. Streams Of Silver (Drizzt "4: Paths of Darkness") (Forgotten Realms: The Legend of ... Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Library Edition: Series I & II Collection. (That’s Dalakhar. “They took him to a warehouse in the Dock Ward, so they could question Renaer — the son of Lord Dagult Neverember — about the whereabouts of the Stone of Golorr…”. Things got badly bogged down trying to refurbish Trollskull Manor, this due to my attempting to introduce the party to all the faces around the neighborhood so that they’d actually be invested in the place AND so that for the investigation yet to come they’d have some folks to actually talk to that wouldn’t just be random Joe/Jane shop-owner whose been (surpise!) Really do like what you’ve done, as it brings heists into Dragon Heist, which was a bit disappointing. The full dynamic in the first chapter, therefore, is this: Renaer will be able to tell the PCs that he was questioned by the Zhents about the half million dragons his father stole from the city; then they ripped off a locket that was very precious to him. But I just realized its structure is similar to that of a campaign I designed, which flunked. If you can’t redirect to the Dalakhar assassination in some way, you’ll have to do a little extra lifting to direct the PCs to the Stone itself (in addition to the Eyes). Will Galore refuse to cooperate or give them vault info until his sight is restored? Instead, I’ll be looking to perform a broader reorganization of Dragon Heist’s back story that will hopefully rearrange its diverse parts into a coherent whole, and then trust the DM to resolve the local continuity appropriately using these broad reference documents as their touchstone. Would love to see it completed! When the Cassalanters learned about the embezzled gold, however, their priorities quickly shifted: They saw an opportunity to save their children from the pact they had made with Asmodeus. has been added to your Cart. Since they’re already in the Grand Game, review the “Simple Checklist” in Part 7: 1. Now the Zhentarim want to discover why the Stone of Golorr is so valuable, so they kidnap Renaer and unintentionally Floon. Your suggestions about the Cassalanters in particular are fantastic, and had my evil DM smirk coming out. I like the idea of replacing the keys though I am not sure the best way to go about it just yet but it makes more sense that the keys be fairly irreplaceable rather than silly. ISBN 978-0-7869-6625-7. Games: Dungeons & Dragons - Mind Flayer, Funko Pop! As noted in your original review, my hopes on that front were dashed pretty quickly. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 14, 2019. Volothamp Geddarm, the famous explorer, has a quest for them—one that entangles them in a bitter conflict between two nefarious organizations. Without its Eyes, the Stone is essentially an inert object. […] NPC gives them the information they need” (this is all covered quite thoroughly over on The Alexandrian, and while I don’t necessarily agree with some of the directions it takes, I will likely […], […] believe, they could make Dragon Heist what was intended from the beginning. Since writing that review, I’ve had several people ask — based in part, perhaps, on my previous experience remixing the Keep on the Shadowfell and Eternal Lies — if I would “fix” Dragon Heist for them. In remixing Dragon Heist, I have three primary goals. (Teysa is currently AWOL, so I’d make someone up). I actually hadn’t heard that approach. The core rulebook series consists of three books: the Player’s Handbook, the Monster Manual, and the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Full of stuff for your Tomb campaign! It clears up a lot of plot issues and helps flesh out villains, lairs, and makes the campaign truly feel more epic – https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/41217/roleplaying-games/dragon-heist-remix-part-1-the-villains […]. It provides four different villains that can oppose your adventuring party, and each villain receives a custom written version of events for your players to work through. Addendum: Timelines & Starting the Campaign its an amazing introduction to Waterdeep for any new D&D campaign set in the Forgotten Realms. Okay, first thing you can do: Go with it. With so many options, there’s enough content for Dungeon Masters to keep it fresh while running the adventure multiple times for multiple groups. Instead, adventurers will rely on their ingenuity and political savvy, taking on missions from investigation to reconnaissance, subterfuge to sabotage. Or maybe it’s a total dead end and all the PCs have done is add another faction to the Grand Game as Dagult floods Waterdeep with his agents. (We might think of this as a “recording”, but Jarlaxle refers to it as a record of witness.). Following up on whatever the PCs tell him, his agents will discover the hunt for the Stone of Golorr (or he’ll simply review the record of witness for the appropriate nimblewright and discover the Gralhunds’ schemes). Cheers, and keep up the great work! But Xanathar agents were tracking the Zhentarim, possibly discovered due to the Ol Xoblob shop where the ambush happened by. Oh man, this fixes a lot of the problems I have with the book as written. If this is your first time visiting the remix, I recommend reading through this series to understand how and why it works. Thanks Tigon, Thanks! 3. Unlike Hoard of the Dragon Queen, for which I received similar requests, Dragon Heist has a lot of really great material in it. The Cassalanters’ own agents were in Trollskull Alley that day because they, too, were tracking the Stone, so they know that Dalakhar was trying to bring the Stone to the PCs. What will he sacrifice to get it? But these folks also saved his son. Has resources, but does not have much time. Their choice of villain determines the season of the year in which the story take place as well as the antagonists in several of the encounters. Really love this remix! What about the rest of the Zhentarim?”). CHAPTER 1 – A FRIEND IN NEED: After he lost his Eye to Xanathar, Manshoon needed to get back in the game. I find the loss of true interaction you get from being face to face with players in the room has killed much of my ability to improvise and is a serious impediment to building up any sort of momentum on game nights. And then, of course, Lady Cassalanter turns to gaze wistfully at her children frolicking with the butterflies. I’m not there with you, but while this may feel hopelessly messed up and out of control to you, I’m guessing the same is not true for your players. Adventure: Complex of Zombies City Supplement 3: Anyoc A Guide to Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. As Dragon Heist begins, Jarlaxle is unaware of the Stone of Golorr or the Grand Game which is being played. Hi, yesterday I posted a reply asking if the your remix of Dragon Heist was available in pdf format. (And thus they themselves have become more important.). (On no less than three occasions the Grand Game has revolved around the appointment of the Open Lord.) Did the PCs just piss off one of the Factions? A PLEA FOR HELP: After the explosion, during the time that they’re investigating the nimblewrights, the PCs are contacted by the Cassalanters, who request an audience. They want to go put the screws on Lord Dagult. not sure where you cover the fireball scene, but, i took your ideas about the nimblewrights being used as spies a step further and make the gralhund’s nimblewright front and center. There was a problem loading your book clubs. Included in the book is 'Volo’s Waterdeep Enchiridion'—a guided tour of Waterdeep, one of D&D’s most beloved settings. water deep Dragon heist includes exciting new player characters & monsters like the human Warlock of the fiend & the devilish pit fiend. Alternatively, the PCs might decide not to talk to him and instead sneak in and steal his records of sale (or access the records of witness in the crystal ball for themselves). Good adventure with some problems - and probably no heist. Pretty excited about it, there’s so much interesting material here. Zhentarim agents snatch Renaer Neverember and his friend Floon Blagmaar. Why? Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Something went wrong. Part 4B: Bregan D’Aerthe – Sea Maidens Faire They’ve responded by creating their own way of pursuing that hook and aggressively going for it. In Jarlaxle’s stateroom onboard the Scarlet Marpenoth (Area U4, see p. 143) there is a specialized crystal ball that allows him to look out through the eyes of any nimblewright and even review what they’ve seen. I don’t feel that it detracted from the campaign though, as many of the elements you suggest can be added without taking anything away later in the campaign. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. Second, I want to eliminate the original “pick a villain” gimmick and instead restructure the campaign to feature ALL OF THE VILLAINS. Many players may agree to do it to save the children but I am doubtful mine, and many others, will. Then the two tendays ago he vanishes (he steals the stone from Xanathar) and then fails to leave the city (he can steal from Xanathar but can’t get out of the city). When Xanathar had the Stone of Golorr stolen from the Palace of Waterdeep, he only knew that he was stealing an object of great importance to Lord Neverember (i.e., Neverember’s Enigma). Part 3C: Response Teams Then the Zhentarim came to him with one of the Eyes and said, “We have two different parts of this puzzle. That’s FANTASTIC. Running the Campaign: Creating the Characters Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 16, 2019. After the PCs identify that a nimblewright is responsible for the fireball in Trollskull Alley, they’ll be able to trace the local nimblewrights back to “Captain Zord”. Dungeons & Dragons Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (Adventure Book, D&D Roleplaying Game), Tomb of Annihilation (Dungeons & Dragons), Dungeons & Dragons Ghosts of Saltmarsh Hardcover Book (D&D Adventure), Tales From the Yawning Portal (Dungeons & Dragons), Dungeons & Dragons Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus Hardcover Book (D&D Adventure), Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Screen Wilderness Kit (D&D Accessories), Xanathar's Guide to Everything (Dungeons & Dragons). What’s happened here is that you’ve given the players a clear plot hook (“help the Cassalanters save their kids!”) before you’ve given them a clear way of pursuing that scenario hook. This comes up with a wonderful timing because I just accepted to run this adventure in the new setting, Ravnica (also starting from Tier 2). (“Does Manshoon know? There are continuity errors and contradictions in the story. Dragon Heist: The Final Session. This shopping feature will continue to load items when the Enter key is pressed. Is that wrong? And they clearly start that interrogation. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Built by the technomancers of Luskan, he’s brought several dozen of these constructs with him and is selling them at surprisingly compelling prices. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. Part 3 of the Litany of Arrows adventure path! If the PCs perform a heist on the nimblewright proprietor instead of speaking with Jarlaxle, it’s very possible that Jarlaxle won’t become aware of the Grand Game and his agents will not become involved in later stages of the scenario. Dungeons & Dragons Core Rulebooks Gift Set (Special Foil Covers Edition with Slipca... Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual (Core Rulebook, D&D Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana: A Visual History, Dungeons & Dragons: Days of Endless Adventure (DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Baldur's Gate). Fifth edition D&D draws from every prior edition to create a universally compelling play experience, and exemplifies the true spirit of a game that holds captive the hearts and minds of millions of players worldwide. Pick up a pdf of A Guide to Storm King's Thunder on the DMs Guild No one book could ever capture every corner of Waterdeep, but there are a lot of new details and updated people and places. Questioning him “about the whereabouts of the Stone of Golorr”, as the adventure suggests, makes no sense. Outstanding work here, Justin. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. If so, would be able to give me a link to the post? I bought Dragon Heist when it came out, planning to run it for a second group of (seasoned) players in addition to my regular home game. Completely fits the bio to a T. Xanathar – Who lives underground, specializes in assassination, and hates everyone? Are the PCs looking for a lead to one of the Eyes? Please try your request again later. The Obzedat know that the vault exists, and the location, but the key went missing when the Gruul took over, and they are NOT going to spend money on a rush job, they’re waiting for the Boros to wrap the 4th district conflict – if that takes a century, so what? The Eye was hidden inside it. Light the candles, set the mood, and let the mayhem begin. HEY! Xanathar agents took out the Zhentarim and took Floon while Renaer was able to escape notice.