Waterdeep: Catching Up

I haven't posted about my Waterdeep/Undermountain game in a bit. 

The characters just hit 9th level at the end of last session (I use Milestones).

Once they left Undermountain they've been focused on personal goals and accomplishments.

The Cleric became a Templar of her Faith, in lieu of becoming Bishop. Due to an infernal deal she made her burn scars healed and her Charisma improved. Her Church took that as some great enlightenment and after a very well done improvisational speech in character, she had the clout to choose to be a Templar, the same rank as Bishop, but without all the paper work.

Our Wizard is also a Paladin of Bane. In my Waterdeep, lycanthropic slavers known as the Red Door have nearly beaten the Zhentarim. A Zhent agent has convinced the Wizard to bring the Church of Bane into the fight with the Red Door. Things are going to get bloody fast, I think.

Our Bard could literally drive the plotlines of a whole campaign by herself. She has currently hired out the Zhent agent to steal a violin from a Duchess so she can get the Bard's College off of her back. She also has a Patron/Romantic Interest who is missing her. Additionally, she has made a deal with Drow to get a baby chimera when it hatches and has an automaton they rescued making armor for it. Oh, and she has been one of two survivors (the other being the Cleric) who had called a truce with the leader of the Red Door. 

Our Fighter set up an agreement with Drow to send them 5 of his captives (from his nearby Lands) each month to open up lines of communication. His sister isn't very happy about it.

Our Monk is a just your average Pandaran trying to avenge his gnome buddy. He's pretty sure they'd leave him to die if given the chance.

Our Ranger is a quiet dude who gets things done. They've recently met a sect called the Aeon Priesthood who seem to dabble in time travel. He seems curious about them.

We'll be down some players next session. I'd imagine the gang war plot line will be primary, but we'll see.

Since they've hit 9th level, I'm beginning to lay the ground work for the climax of the campaign. We'll see how it goes.

Changing Course

Tonight the group finished fighting the mezzoloth and some gargoyles and raided its lair. Two of the gargoyles working for it were spared and they found out they were simply working for the mezzoloth, doing renovations to the area. The gargoyles clan was from the level below and a food shortage forced some of the hearty, childless gargoyles to leave the area and fend for themselves. The gargoyles agreed to escort them down a level to their clan and help them find the person they are looking for.

But, I'm going to be taking a break from the Undermountain game for a bit and we are going to try Savage Worlds for at least a few weeks.

I don't have any problem with DnD 5E, but I've been running it for 6 years and I think I just need a break.

I was pleased how understanding and supportive the group was and its really energized me.

Now, I just need to determine what setting to start with. I'm open to Deadlands, Flash Gordon, Space: 1889, Rippers, Last Parsec, Necessary Evil, Savage Rifts, and Lankhmar.

If you have a particular one-shot or short adventure you like, regardless of genre, please share it with me. I only have a week to work this all out.

Undermountain: Revenants and Mezzoloths

This week's session of Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage found our cast of characters helping the revenant Helleth, a priest who was murdered by his own adventuring party, tracking them down for vengeance. Helleth was a priest of Waukeen and our deep gnome wizard quickly befriend him and rescued him from the pit he was in on level 1.

Our human cleric was a bit uncertain about the revenant's presence, but her knowledge of such creatures combined with what was assumed Waukeen's mission, let her tolerate his presence.

The group confronted Xanathar guild ettins and bugears as they headed for level 2, but some quick thinking form the tiefling bard allowed her to charm them, not only avoiding a full fight, but getting them to follow them.

As they ventured into level 2, they came into the domain of Yek the Tall and the goblins he rules with an iron fist. Using the Xanthar guild cover and kissing major ass, they were allowed passage through his domain, access to the goblin bazarr and found the first of Helleth's companions who met his end on Helleth's mace. He then desecrated the body searching for a map of level 3, which he promised to the group as payment.

After some shopping and major haggling with a goblin named Bulwark, the group was able to identify a trail for more of Helleth's killers.

They had a hard fight with gibbering mouthers and encountered the Priestess of Shar who had the idea for killing Helleth. She was even wearing his holy symbol. Worried that she would simply turn Helleth, our wizard assumed his form and headed into her lair. She was sitting in a room with a table filled with food and drink, sitting in one of several overstuffed chairs listening to Pentevores 7th Sympthony through a magic device. At first glance she warned "Helleth" away, threatening him with turning and her invisible servants. A fight started, as our wizard was looking for blood and she and her servants were dispatched. Helleth, finding his holy symbol thanked them and crumbled to dust.

After some more exploring they encountered a red brick altar and found somewhere safe to rest. With some creative ideas, they determined that the altar was used to summon a yugoloth.

They also encountered strange murals of wizards turning into nothics and gibbering mouthers and a portrait of Halaster, himself.

Not far from there four nothics rushed them screaming "Intruders! There are intruders, Master". After joining in battle with the nothics, the yugoloth, a mezzoloth, teleported in. Unfortunately, the group had already killed 3 of the nothics and soon the mezzolith decided to retreat.

And that's where that session ended.

More soon.

Curating Undermountain

I'm currently running Dungeon of the Mad Mage for DnD 5E. Its a good module and a great version of Undermountain. However, I find myself allowing my group to focus on the parts they want and ignore much of the rest. I appreciate 23 levels of dungeon and all of the material, but I'd rather pursue particular quests and storylines than have my group knock down every door and fight every monster.

This isn't a criticism of mega-dungeons, just where we are right now. I won't lie that it wasn't an easy decision moving away from whole swaths of the map for the group to pursue a mask, but everyone had fun and thats what I'm really going for as a DM.

Has anyone else made similar decisions or am I merely a heathen?

Waterdeep: Settling In

As Episode Two of the Prelude begins, our Druid, Fighter, and Paladin chased a slaver named Erskine into the sewers to find a curly-haired sculptor for the Lord's Alliance. They had captured the slaver's leader, a woman named Melody who forgot to mention there were traps down there. Threats and a bit of violence got her to tell them how to disarm them, but not before the characters down below heard a knocking sound.

As they find Erskine, he is talking to four very tough looking operatives: a sullen man, a dangerous woman, an angry barbarian, and a watchful tabaxi. The sullen man, the apparent leader, is yelling at Erskine because that isn't the right target and Erskine keeps mentioning a hat.

The tabaxi cautions the characters to stay back and (amazingly) a negotiation takes place. The four toughs, dissapointed that the sculptor isn't the right target only want to leave but promise Erskine there will be recompence for his mistake.

While this going on, the Bard is above them "interrogating" Melody by stabbing her. Melody offers her up to 80 gold to let her and Moby, her henchman go. But no deal is reached.

Soon, all the players are back upstairs and not only do they have the sculptor they are looking for, but four other victims, as well.

It's a this point that Melody reveals herself as a spiderwere and Moby reveals himself as a werebear.

The fight is short, Melody falls, Erskine is knocked out, and Moby simply flees without attacking.

Soon, Alliance "cleaners" Crockett and Abernathy arrive and sort things out.  The Paladin arranges for the sculptor to be handed over to their handler, a female halfling named Chestnut Boykin. The exchange occurs at the Yawning Portal and our Bard pitches woo Chestnut's way and there seems to be interest there.

They find out the sculptor is a man named Floon and he has friends in high places who have promised an extra reward for them.

The players turn over all the information they have including the name of Councilwoman Aria Frond.

Meanwhile, the next day our Bard, after a date with Chestnut, gets some forgery work, a project that needs fast turnaround, papers for a false identity, Saturnine Bacchanal.

A few days later, Chestnut wants another meeting at the Portal.
It's there that the meet Volo, Rennar Neverember, and Floon. They learn that Rennar and Floon were out carousing and a bit drunken, Floon took Rennar's hat. It was then they were jumped and Floon was abducted. Volo is a good friend to both and is very glad to have the Alliance at his back. As a special reward, Volo donates a piece of property he had acquired to ascertain if it is haunted and Rennar takes care of all of their taxes on it.

After a nice dinner, the author, the noble, and the sculptor depart and Chestnut asks if they are up for another assignment. When they agree they are, she tells them that Councilwoman Frond is trying to leave the city with some forged paperwork and she has a tip on where she will be. However, she cautions them that the Alliance is certain the Zhentarim is involved and since they are war with the Xanathars, it could be a very dicey situation.

And that is where we ended for the evening.

Waterdeep: Not A Human in the Bunch

Last week, I began the prelude to Waterdeep: Dragon Heist for DnD 5E. It's a prelude because one of our players is out for three weeks, but I really wanted to get the game going.

The Characters are 1st level and are made up of a Loxodon, Minotaur, Triton, and Tiefling.

I decided that Waterdeep would be very cosmopolitian, so it wouldn't be a big deal (for instance, instead of being from Ravnica, Loxodons are from Chult and make their home in Ivorytown in the City of Splendors).

The characters have all been recruited by the Lord's Alliance and meet up, not knowing each other, to follow a scrawny rat-faced human and rescue a human, male sculptor.

Great roleplaying and hi-jinks ensue, of course. An urban druid who seemed dead set on not letting the slavers of the Red Door, who rat-face works for be disturbed was stabbed through the heart, his corpse left in the alley by their HQ, moments before the players raided the place.

Though heavy-handed their plan worked out, but a human got away, escaping through a hatch in the floor that leads into the sewers and presumably the man they are hunting for.

I have bright hopes for this game. I don't know how long the Factions will be at the front, but I'm hoping to get some intrigue going as one player has ties to another Faction besides the Alliance.