MonsterEnvy posted:

Ok we got the cover for the adventure after Dragon Heist.



From levels 6 to 20.

Edit for Comparison the Dragon Heist cover. (It being levels 1 to 5.)



It appears the Thanos looking dude is Manshoon. (Or to be even more exact a clone.) It appears the other villains the DM can have the party face off against in Dragon Heist from the cover are Xanathar the Beholder, Jarlaxle the head of a Drow Mercenary company, and the Cassalanters some influential Waterdeep nobles.

Drowning Rabbit posted:

Am I completely missing the joke here? Did they ever say that Dragon Heist is legitimately 1-5? Have they ever done an adventure that narrow for 5e outside of the starter Mines of Phandelver? I thought this would go to at least 10.

E: Derp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbVRQIOuI8s

MonsterEnvy posted:

Also the product page has a big 1 to 5 on it http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/dragonheist

Splicer posted:

Oh I see you pulled 2 out of wis. Missed that, thought you were using standard array.

Are you planning to take a +1 cha feat at any stage? If not, might be more useful to start off with 18 cha (14 +2 +2). Then you can pump your wis to 12 (optimal option) or pump your str to 13 (not a real power move, but you seem to be interested in being a bit buffer than the average bear). On the other hand, there are some nice +cha tiefling racials in Xanathars (though if you start with 18 you can take two of them!)

Glagha posted:

As a D&D player how do I convince my friends that loving kobolds and thinking they're cute lil fuckos and the absolute best is objectively correct so they stop making fun of me. My kobold love is not perverse kobolust.

Josef bugman posted:

If it is any comfort I agree that Kobolds are cool. I would like to see a game entirely set around kobolds attaining dragonhood though.

Glagha posted:

As a D&D player how do I convince my friends that loving kobolds and thinking they're cute lil fuckos and the absolute best is objectively correct so they stop making fun of me. My kobold love is not perverse kobolust.

space kobold posted:

Just finished the 25th session of a game that's just that, entitled the Brave and the 'Bold.

Josef bugman posted:

Noice.

Also, as a quick question (and I know DnD is rather infamous for neglecting this) but can I cast hypnotic pattern out of combat to effectively have a "polite chat" with people?

Josef bugman posted:

If it is any comfort I agree that Kobolds are cool. I would like to see a game entirely set around kobolds attaining dragonhood though.

quote:

Twenty-three levels of Undermountain are detailed herein, along with the subterranean refuge of Skullport

MonsterEnvy posted:

Sion posted:

holy gently caress I hate everything about this

Sion posted:

holy gently caress I hate everything about this

Firstborn posted:

It was a campaign that revolved around a singular megadungeon. It worked only because that first level might be all your explore in an entire campaign. If I remember right, only like the third level was ever mapped, and they only put encounters within a few hundred feet of each of the access points. It's not a bad adventure at all, it's actually pretty awesome.



And to whoever made the joke about heisting dragons, I'm not sure if you are serious, but I'll take the bait. A "dragon" is also D&D language for a gold coin.

Firstborn posted:

It was a campaign that revolved around a singular megadungeon. It worked only because that first level might be all your explore in an entire campaign. If I remember right, only like the third level was ever mapped, and they only put encounters within a few hundred feet of each of the access points. It's not a bad adventure at all, it's actually pretty awesome.

quote:

Undermountain was a dungeon which began as a mine and dwelling of dwarves belonging to the Melairkyn clan. In the centuries after the dwarves were driven out, it became the home of drow, duergar, powerful wizards, criminal groups, and convicted felons.

quote:

area. The ancient dungeon itself started as a mine and dwelling of dwarves belonging to the Melairkyn clan that formed an alliance with the elves of Illefarn. In the centuries after the dwarves were driven out, it became the home of drow, duergar, powerful wizards, criminal groups, and convicted felons.

The most famous of those to control the halls of Undermountain was Halaster Blackcloak, the Mad Mage. He and his apprentices explored the ruins and laid claim to many areas. Over the next thousand years they populated these areas with various monsters, magical experiments, numerous portals and traps. Around 1306 DR the City of Waterdeep started exiling convicted felons to the depths of Undermountain.

Various criminal groups used portions of the ruins[as of when?] as their headquarters as do followers of evil gods. Halaster's death in 1375 DR and the earthquake that accompanied it altered terrain and also upset the balance of power among the various groups. It was around ten years later when the Spellplague occurred and once again drastic change came to Undermountain. Many of the numerous portals in the ruins were destroyed, cutting off entire levels. Other portals were warped and seemingly granted access to previously unknown levels. Also it was feared that pockets of Spellplague may still exist in Undermountain.

quote:

While Halaster quested on other planes and sequestered himself in his tunnels, his tower fell into ruin. When Halaster was yet active in the outside world, his home was considered cursed, so settlers in the area largely left the crumbling tower alone. In time, the city now known as Waterdeep came to huddle against the mountain and reach down to the harbor. As the city sprawled outward, it reached and encompassed the ruins of Halaster's home. Undermountain was known to these early settlers, and they often punished criminals by sending them into its depths. This continued for many years until an adventurer named Durnan delved into the depths beneath the tower and returned, laden with riches, to tell the tale. Durnan demolished the last remnants of Halaster's above-ground abode and built an inn over the well he had used to descend into the depths. He called his inn the Yawning Portal, and Durnan works there to this day, serving patrons and inviting the brave or the foolish to try their hands at the halls of Undermountain.

quote:

Entrances and exits

The halls of Undermountain were linked to the surface world in many ways, both physical and magical. Halaster used his network of portals to bring in monsters from all across Faerûn to restock his dungeon. He also used portals to draw adventurers into the deeper regions, rarely explored, and to give the occasional lucky adventurer an unexpected escape. Some of the notable physical links are described below.[citation needed]

Blue Mermaid Passage: This connected a dry well in the cellar of the Blue Mermaid tavern to Skullport.

Castle Corkscrew: This passage corkscrewed down from the cellars of Castle Waterdeep to Skullport, bypassing the first two levels.

Falling Stair: This connected the dungeons of Castle Waterdeep and the Citadel of the Bloody Hand with Undermountain's first level.

Knight n'Shadow: Built over the ruins of the Sea Knight Tavern which collapsed in 1425 DR, the cellar of this tavern connected to Downshadow.

Long Dark Stair: This linked the oubliette of the Blushing Nymph festhall with Undermountain's first level.

South Seacaves: This linked the Sea of Swords on the western flank of Mount Waterdeep with the River Sargauth by means of a set of hoists.

The Yawning Portal Inn: Built atop the ruins of Halaster's Hold, The Yawning Portal Inn contained the primary entrance into Undermountain: a large well that dropped down into Undermountain's Dungeon Level. Secondary entrances were found in the inn as well, including a link to the inn's less well known "wee" well and a passage leading out of the Yawning Portal's cellar.

quote:

Major Levels

The Dungeon Level:

The Dungeon Level was long used by the Lords of Waterdeep as a dumping ground for undesirables, hence its most common name. It was also known as the Temple Level, for the many temples of dark gods that were constructed here over the years, and the Tomb Level, for the many lords and kings that were interred here as well. As explorers of Undermountain often visited this level, its features were common tavern-talk of Waterdeep. Notable features of the Dungeon Level included the Bone Throne, the Cavern of Eyes, the Falling Stair, the Grim Statue, the Hall of Sleeping Kings, the Hall of Three Lords, the House of Pain, the Lanceboard Room, the Sundered Throne, the Temple of Gulkulath, and the Temple of the All-Seeing One.

The Storeroom Level:

On this level, Halaster and his apprentices excavated the rough stone caverns and mining tunnels left by the dwarves to house their acquisitions and magical experiments. Notable features of the Storeroom Level included the Doomgate, the Hemwatch and Lord Hund Hillgauntlet's Tomb

The Sargauth Level:

Known for the River Sargauth, which winds through this massive level, Undermountain's third level consisted of two major sections. The southern third of the level consisted of the remnants of the Sargauth Enclave, which was later split by a massive cave-in leading to Skullport and the Promenade of the Dark Maiden. The northern two-thirds of this level were constructed by Halaster and his apprentices, and served much the same role as Undermountain's second level. The most notable features of this level were the Lair of the Eye and the rubble-filled Pit of Ghaunadaur, a mile-deep shaft that led from the Prime Material Plane into the Cauldron of Slime through an intermittently existent planar breach

The Farms Level:

The fourth level of Undermountain contained farms no surface dweller would recognize. Halaster's mightiest magic brought the River of the Depths, also known as the River Sargauth, to this level, where it linked huge caverns in broad, sweeping curves, and was navigable by barges. In these caverns, slaves and servants of the drow, aboleth, and other races of the Realms Below, produced slimes and algae for food. Halaster controlled his own farms here, too, and their produce was teleported to "feed-bin" rooms throughout the dungeon (rooms known to resident monsters as "watering-holes"). Undermountain's privies were also rinsed by magically pumped or redirected water into miniature portals that brought their contents to the farms. The dung-heaps produced by this process were inhabited by advanced otyughs and gulguthydras, among other foul scavengers. All of these farms were quite valuable, as there were few large sources of good food underground; thus, all are heavily guarded. The drow and Halaster both used fearsome monsters as guardians, including death tyrants, advanced nagas with sorcerer abilities, dragon turtle sorcerers, and even wilder creatures. A large, eerily dark lake at one end of the level supported a kuo-toa "fish factory" of the blind white fish of the depths, an important industry, which was heavily guarded to prevent food-raids from other creatures of the Underdark with the aid of an advanced kuo-toa leviathan. An island in the middle of the lake was home to an advanced otyugh, piled deep in dung, offal, carrion, and other refuse that found its way down long, twisting garbage-shafts from Skullport

The Maze Level:

This level contained five major features of note - the drow outpost of Kyorlamshin, the Lair of the Umber Hulks, the Maze of Madness, an old dwarf hold built by Clan Melairkyn and expanded by the duergar, and the winding channels of the River Graymurk. Kyorlamshin was linked by a series of portals to the city of Karsoluthiyl, which lay deep beneath the ocean floor west of Baldur's Gate. The drow of House Tanor'Thal dominated both settlements and the slave trade that linked them. The Maze of Madness was the creation of Halaster, stocked with ravenous minotaurs and magic traps to confuse and trip up the unwary.

The Seadeeps:

This level once housed two major mining operations of Clan Melairkyn. Nigh-endless mining tunnels stretched westward, following two depleted veins of mithral beneath the ocean floor. Only numerous dwarf-built locks and pumps prevented the ocean waters from seeping down and wholly flooding the level. The Seadeeps had numerous connections to the Swordsea Depths, as the Underdark beneath the Sea of Swords is known. At the present time, the Swordsea Depths were host to a long-running three-sided battle between an alliance of svirfneblin and tomb tappers, drow troops from Karsoluthiyl, and certain aboleth and their evil servant creatures. The Savants of the Dark Tide were refugees from this conflict.

The Caverns of Ooze:

Largely avoided by the dwarves of Clan Melairkyn in their day, the Caverns of Ooze were long home to all manner of slimy creatures serving That Which Lurks. Countless slimes, oozes, jellies, and other amorphous creatures frequented these natural caverns. For centuries, a colony of ghaunadans attempted to transform this level into a massive temple of Ghaunadaur, but Halaster continued to frustrate such efforts. Many suspected that the inhabitants of this region emanated from the bottom side of the planar breach that lay at the bottom of the Pit of Ghaunadaur and made their way down through a warren of narrow tubes, but such a connection was never proven.

The Terminus Level:

The Terminus Level was a mix of dwarf-built chambers, depleted mithral mines, and vast natural caverns. Many of the one-way portals used by Halaster to restock Undermountain with dangerous monsters opened into the sprawling caverns of Undermountain's eighth layer. Additionally, Halaster's failed or free experiments also wandered this level. The Terminus Level connected with the heart of Undermountain through the Shaft.

The Mad Wizard's Level:

Built by Clan Melairkyn as a trading outpost, Undermountain's ninth level was linked to the Underdark by a large number of sinkholes, each ringed by fortifications allowing a small number of defenders to hold off almost any invader. This level was one of the first to fall to the drow, who then quickly made their way up The Shaft into the heart of Undermountain. Said to hold the treasure of Halaster the Mad, this level was spoken about in Waterdhavian taverns late at night by those who dared to dream of plumbing the depths of Undermountain. Of course, Halaster himself spread many of these rumors, in hopes of inducing more adventurers to die foolish deaths in his trap-filled Underhalls. In reality, Undermountain's ultimate level was one big gauntlet of nasty traps and horrifying monsters. The waiting treasure was also the subject of much speculation. Some whispered that vaults full of hundreds of mighty magic items and countless gems lay hidden in the depths of Halaster's Lair, while others claimed that Halaster's greatest and cruelest joke was that the legendary hoard was no more than a pittance.



Sub-Levels

The Waterdeep Sewers: Typical of many large cities, Waterdeep had its share of sewer passages beneath its streets. What was not typical of these sewer tunnels however, were the links to the famed Halls of Undermountain which ensured a constant supply of creatures to inhabit them and an even more constant supply of adventurers to combat them. Many adventurers also used the sewers as an access point, bypassing the more notable entrances to the dungeon complex below.

The Citadel of the Bloody Hand: Dug into the heart of Mount Waterdeep, the Citadel of the Bloody Hand has until recently been occupied by the Guard. After Halaster's Higharvestide, the Citadel of the Bloody Hand became the preserve for the living spells that escaped Halaster.

Wyllowood: An apprentice of Halaster created the Wyllowwood over a century ago for his beloved, an elf druid named Wyllow. Set in a cavernous region carved by a tributary of the River Sargauth, this level was dominated by the Wyllowood, a thriving forest nourished by sunlight filtered through a massive portal in the "sky" above. Other notable features included a temple of the Destroyer and a long-abandoned lakeside village built by the dwarves of Clan Melairkyn.

Maddgoth's Level: Maddgoth's level was a small sub-level famed for the presence of Maddgoth's castle. Built by Halaster, this miniature, floating castle was enveloped in a reduction field that reduced all creatures within it to one-twelfth their normal size.

The Lost Level: Entombed in solid rock, the Lost Level was almost inaccessible, and its primary egress was said to be a portal guarded by the "Ring of Death," a waiting ring of death kiss beholderkin, death tyrant beholderkin, and the beholder lord Nagus. The Lost Level was divided into three sections - a temple of Dumathoin and crypt for Clan Melairkyn's rulers, a drow prison now dominated by Huntmistress Dhusarra, and a massive cavern carved by a branch of the River Sargauth and now split by an earthquake-caused tremor.

The Slitherswamp: Located deep beneath the city of Waterdeep, the Slitherswamp was a largely unexplored sub-level between the Farms Level and the Maze Level.

Muiral's Graveyard: Muiral's Graveyard was a sub-level built by the drow soon after their initial invasion that included living quarters and a warrior academy. Muiral transformed these chambers into a trap-filled gauntlet haunted by giant spiders, undead, and driders. Although the monstrous mage abandoned this area, his deadly creations remained.

The Troglodyte Warrens: This region of caves was accessible only by a two-way random portal. It was home to two warring tribes of troglodytes - the Urggroth-Kyan clan and the Szygmog-Thurgin clan.

Trobriand's Graveyard: The dwarves originally mined this sub-level for mithral, leaving it, by chance or for mysterious reasons, in the crude image of a scorpion. Before Halaster's Higharvestide, the Realm of the Metal Masters was home to Trobriand's rejected constructs, built before he had perfected his scaldars. By Halaster's Higharvestide, Trobriand's cast-offs had organized themselves into a self-governing community for mutual defense, and they took advantage of the chaos to escape through a portal to their master's secret sanctum and claim it for themselves. In the wake of their departure, this level was largely abandoned, but it didn't remain that way for long. After being driven from Skullport by the Eye, Misker the Pirate Tyrant fled to this level and made it his own. Now a portal linked the beholder's lair to the Ilzimmer Villa, and House Ilzimmer began storing its ill-gotten gains there.

The Obstacle Course: The Obstacle Course was a sub-level composed of a long chain of trap-filled rooms. Carved from the earth by the will of Tyr, this sub-level was intended as a potentially lethal test for conceited, cocky braggarts who did not respect the dangers of adventuring.

Arcturiadoom: This level was long the private domain of Arcturis, one of Halaster's most ambitious apprentices. After her death during Halaster's Higharvestide, contingency magics whisked her corpse to her sanctuary, leaving the illusion of a body in their wake. Thanks to careful preparations, Arcturia was reborn as a vile form of undead. She now[as of when?] worked to restock the monsters guarding this level, which was known to a handful of daring explorers as Arcturiadoom.

The Crystal Labyrinth: The drow constructed this chamber as a training ground for their young in 148 DR. Halaster discovered it in 326 DR and made it his own, with transparent crystal walls, floors and ceilings, and a coral-floored cavern filled with seawater directly below. At the heart of the labyrinth lay Halaster's Aqitocrun, a treasure chamber in which he stored prized possessions.

Vanrakdoom: This sub-level was claimed by Lord Vanrak Moonstar for the followers of the Night Maiden in 1130 DR. A sprawling shadow-cloaked temple of Shar and an army of creatures from the Plane of Shadow that defended the abbey dominate Vanrakdoom.

The Runestone Level: Not much was known about this small sub-level located between The Caverns of Ooze and The Terminus Level. It remained largely unexplored though rumors stated it was linked to The Shaft by multiple small, twisting passages.

Shadowdusk Hold: This sub-level was among the deepest known sub-levels of Undermountain. It may or may not have been connected to Halaster's Lair which lay just seaward of this sub-level.

quote:

At dawn on Higharvestide of the Year of the Gauntlet, 1369 DR, two members of the Twisted Rune managed to kidnap Halaster Blackcloak from inside Undermountain. The lich Priamon "Frostrune" Rakesk and the alhoon Ralayan the Ocultacle used a ring of multiple wishes to bind and summon the Mad Mage to Stardock where they intended to probe the great archmages mind for his intricate knowledge of portals and magical gates. Before being captured Halaster sends out a sending to all practitioners of the Art within 400 miles, a clue that could lead would-be rescuers to where he is held

...

Because Halaster is the eye of the storm that is Undermountain, his kidnapping allowed the madness of the dungeon to escape. Gates began randomly transporting creatures from Undermountain to places throughout the Realms, causing havoc and destruction everywhere. Among the many victims: fire salamanders destroyed parts of Luskan, a gorgimera and manticores attacked Shadowdale, a legion of gargoyles laid siege to Suzail, and a juggernaut flattened the pirates' port of Skaug. But by far the greatest amount of mayhem spilled out into the city of Waterdeep

Sion posted:

holy gently caress I hate everything about this

Nehru the Damaja posted:

Tome of Foes mentions that servants of Mammon often keep a book on them called The Accounting and Valuation of All Things, which has among other things, pricing information for mortal souls.

Supposing it was written in Infernal and you gave some sort of limitation with the book like decaying/fading away so the players aren't just bothering you with it forever, what fun/interesting thing might you put in there? Like the obvious choice is an abnormally high or low value for a particular individual's soul, information that someone has already sold theirs, etc., but I'm curious if anyone has any specific or different ideas.

Toshimo posted:

https://twitter.com/vauIttecs/status/1002676661484023809?s=20

MonsterEnvy posted:

Paladin posted:

The character flips over to a page in common containing weird, highly personal and "bargain made with devils in a fairy tale" in there-- things like the first breeze of summer, the laughter of an old man-- but then have every page after become increasingly tailored to the player reading it-- "your family's disappointment", "mortal faith, shattered", "the sister you never knew you had", "one (1) beloved songbird, drowned"-- more and more bizarre and unsettling. The last thing offers something incredible/horrific, just as the book crumbles away to singed hair and rotting pieces of meat.

Sion posted:

holy gently caress I hate everything about this

Toshimo posted:

For AL play, how should I generally expect the Shield spell to be handled:
(A) I know before casting if the +5AC would matter
(B) Casting blind and maybe wasting it

DalaranJ posted:

Hey, we've got this completely uninspiring gridmap that goes on forever. What color should we make it?

It's D&D as a cover shooter.

kingcom posted:

Yep this is definitely a strong reminder why I never could get into RPGs until university.

I really hope this adventure path gives me a way to bypass the dungeon crawl, I genuinely have no interest in running one and im not sure how much work it would be to just write up a paragraph saying whats important in the dungeon to find so I can put it elsewhere. Its pretty much the reason I don't think I'll ever run the wotc stuff.

MonsterEnvy posted:

The original version of the map was not much better


That map actually has nothing to do with with WotC other then having been reprinted by them for a short adventure back in 4e. It was a originally a 2e map from before WotC got the licence.


From the sound of it the maps in the new adventure are going to be new. (And smaller, but have room for expansion.) And also from the sound of it have lots of variation. (Communities exist in undermountain along with a entire town, there is a lot that can be done with this dungeon.)

MonsterEnvy posted:

From the sound of it the maps in the new adventure are going to be new. (And smaller, but have room for expansion.) And also from the sound of it have lots of variation. (Communities exist in undermountain along with a entire town, there is a lot that can be done with this dungeon.)

kingcom posted:

Okay but like I said, I have no interest in doing a dungeon crawl and since so many of the wotc adventures have a big ol' dungeon crawl in them, I have no reason to really run through them.

At no point did I say that map had anything to do with wotc.

MonsterEnvy posted:

But it feels a bit odd to be involved with Dungeons and Dragons and not like the the Dungeon part.

MonsterEnvy posted:

Oh ok that is fair enough. Big Dungeon crawls are not for everyone. But it feels a bit odd to be involved with Dungeons and Dragons and not like the the Dungeon part.

MonsterEnvy posted:

xiw Could you show me an example or two of Dyson's maps. I am unfamiliar.