Welcome to Waterdeep, the Crown of the North, where a wondrous tale of urban adventure is about to unfold. Our story begins with the gathering of adventurers at the Yawning Portal Inn and Tavern. volothamp “volo” geddarm, the famous explorer and raconteur, has a quest for them-one that entangles the characters in a bitter conflict between two nefarious organizations. If the adventurers complete his quest, Volo rewards them handsomely. Yet a much greater prize lies hidden somewhere in the City of Splendors, waiting to be claimed. Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure designed for characters starting at 1st level. By the end of the story, the characters will be at least 5th level. If you’re planning to run through the adventure as a player, stop reading now!
If you’re looking for higher-level adventure content set in Waterdeep, a companion product titled Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage explores the vast dungeon under Waterdeep known as Undermountain and is designed for characters of levels all the way up to 20th.
Story Overview
Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is a treasure hunt set against an urban backdrop. The adventure’s plot can be summarized as follows:
- Half a million gold coins are hidden somewhere in Waterdeep. Many individuals know about the cache and are looking for it. Adventurers can join the hunt and prevent the cache from falling into evil hands.
- The city is threatened by escalating tension between two power groups that is on the verge of flaring into violence. The Zhentarim, a shadowy network of mercenaries, and Xanathar, the beholder crime lord of Waterdeep, are at odds, and when they clash, the characters are pulled into the conflict.
Cache of Dragons
In Waterdeep, a gold coin is called a dragon. Before he was ousted from his position as the Open Lord of Waterdeep, Dagult Neverember embezzled half a million dragons and hid them in a secret vault. As a security precaution, he arranged for all knowledge of the vault’s location and defenses to be magically erased from his mind and the minds of his subordinates. The wizard who performed the procedure trapped this knowledge within an artifact called the
Dagult was off rebuilding the city of Neverwinter when the other Lords of Waterdeep voted him out of office. He immediately made plans to retrieve the
The
Built long ago by dwarves, the vault is warded against all forms of magical detection and intrusion. Its current protector is an adult gold dragon named Aurinax, who is also the current wielder and guardian of the
Using the Poster Map
The map in the back of this book has the city of Waterdeep on both sides. One side can be shown to players. The other side is for the DM and includes tags marking important locations in the adventure.
DM Map Links
Player Map Links
War in the Streets
Beneath the city streets lurks a criminal underworld, its leader a beholder called Xanathar. Hoping to gain a political foothold in Waterdeep, agents of the Zhentarim (also known as the Black Network) recently tried to ally their organization with the Xanathar Guild. The architect of this attempt was a clone of the wizard Manshoon, a founder of the Black Network long thought dead.
While the two sides were negotiating in Xanathar’s lair, the
Who actually stole the
Volo’s Quest
The Yawning Portal serves as the default starting point for this story. One of the first people the adventurers meet there is Volothamp Geddarm. He has just returned from a tour promoting his latest book, Volo’s Guide to Monsters, and he has a quest for the characters.
One of Volo’s friends, a handsome simpleton named Floon Blagmaar, has disappeared, seemingly kidnapped. The search for Floon leads to the revelation that he was caught up in a case of mistaken identity, and the characters are actually looking for two victims. The intended target was Lord Neverember’s estranged son, Renaer Neverember. Agents of the Zhentarim waylaid him because they want to know everything that Renaer knows about the cache of dragons. (Unfortunately for them, Renaer is ignorant of the cache and its whereabouts). If the characters rescue him, Renaer proves to be a worthy ally to adventurers hoping to make a name for themselves in Waterdeep.
As a reward for rescuing Floon, Volo gives adventurers the deed to a building in the North Ward that looks out onto a wide cul-de-sac hemmed in by old residences and shops. The property used to be a tavern with a residence on the upper floors. The tavern has been closed for years, and the residence is haunted by a poltergeist that the characters can lay to rest.
Ahghairon’s Dragonward
Waterdeep is blanketed by an undispellable magical effect called Ahghairon’s dragonward. The effect originates from somewhere under Ahghairon’s Tower in the Castle Ward and is permanent. Dragons and all other creatures of the dragon type are physically unable to enter the city (or its sewers) as long as the dragonward persists. The effect doesn’t extend to the harbor or into Undermountain.
A creature of the dragon type that is touched by the
The dragonstaff is currently in the possession of an adult gold dragon named Aurinax (see appendix B), who guards a hidden vault under the city.
Fireball!
As time goes on, the characters attract the attention of local factions hoping to recruit them while they settle into the city. Eventually, these relatively peaceful times are shattered when a fireball detonates near their new residence. The characters are swept up in the aftermath of this horrific event and can try to get to the bottom of it. Who cast the
One casualty of the fireball is in fact its intended target: Lord Neverember’s spy, Dalakhar. Whoever killed the gnome now has the
Choose Your Villain
When you run this adventure, you choose its main villain at the outset. Your choice determines the season of the year in which the story takes place, as well as the antagonists in several of the encounters in chapter 4. The villain you choose opposes the player characters, while the villains you don’t choose become part of the backdrop and could help the characters or hinder them.
As another unusual feature of this adventure, the villains aren’t meant to be killed, nor are they out to kill the player characters. The villains are after a treasure hoard, and the adventurers' ultimate goal is to keep the treasure out of their clutches.
You can swap out one villain for another at any time. For example, if you decide halfway through the adventure that because of how the story has progressed Jarlaxle Baenre would make a better antagonist than Xanathar, you can make that change on the fly and run subsequent encounters accordingly.
Each villain is fully described in appendix B and summarized below.
Xanathar
Xanathar is a paranoid, megalomaniacal beholder crime lord whose goal is to wipe out anyone it perceives as a Zhentarim operative or sympathizer, retrieve the
Xanathar has a healthy fear of Laeral Silverhand and is inclined to spare those in her employ, to avoid provoking a conflict with Waterdeep’s Open Lord. Adventurers who incur the wrath of the beholder can use its fear of Laeral to escape certain death.
If you choose Xanathar as the villain, the adventure takes place in the spring.
The Cassalanters
Victoro and Ammalia Cassalanter are Waterdavian nobles and secret devil worshipers. The Cassalanters plan to use the cache of dragons to buy back the souls of their children, which they traded to Asmodeus for power. Their estate, Cassalanter Villa, has a temple of Asmodeus hidden underneath it, as described in chapter 6.
The Cassalanters try to misdirect and discredit the characters rather than murder them. Victoro and Ammalia rely on their noble status to protect them, and the last thing they want is the City Watch on their doorstep.
If you choose the Cassalanters as the villains, the adventure takes place in the summer.
Jarlaxle Baenre
Jarlaxle Baenre is a drow swashbuckler and the secret lord of Luskan, the City of Sails. Jarlaxle plans to use the cache of dragons to buy his way into the Lords' Alliance, a confederation of cities and towns that band together against common threats. Jarlaxle also wants the
Jarlaxle delights in thwarting his enemies, enjoys the complications that arise when adventurers try to meddle in his affairs, and loves to see the looks on their faces when he finally gets the better of them. He doesn’t suffer fools who threaten him, however. If forced into a violent confrontation, he swiftly and brutally kills someone to make an example of them and then walks off.
If you choose Jarlaxle as the villain, the adventure takes place in the autumn.
Manshoon
A clone of the wizard Manshoon, one of the founders of the Zhentarim, is hiding in Waterdeep. He wants to rule the city, by claiming the cache of dragons and by using that wealth to bribe the Masked Lords into making him the new Open Lord. He also wants to regain control of the Black Network. Manshoon lurks in Kolat Towers, a pair of wizards' towers in the Trades Ward. This residence is described in chapter 8.
Manshoon creates copies of himself using the
If you choose Manshoon as the villain, the adventure takes place in the winter.
Seasons
The adventure unfolds in a particular season depending on the villain you choose at the outset. If you switch to a new villain midway through the adventure, don’t change the season to match unless the characters take enough downtime for seasons to change naturally.
Spring
In Waterdeep, early spring tends to be cold and damp. Misty rain falls for days on end. It’s common for fog to 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.
Summer
Summers in Waterdeep are quite comfortable, and it’s a great time for citizens and visitors to congregate outside. The markets are busier than at any other time of year. Sometimes, though, warm air pushes up from the south and settles in the valleys north and east of the city. This air gets trapped, creating a hot spell that might last days or weeks. Activity in the city slows to a crawl, since Waterdavians are unaccustomed to such heat.
Autumn
Throughout autumn, wagonloads of food arrive in Waterdeep from outlying farms. Without this bounty, city folk would starve during the winter. Cold, howling sea winds remind Waterdavians that winter is near.
Winter
Waterdavian winters are harsh. As snow piles up around the city and ice fills the harbor, trade grinds to a halt and the city seals its gates. Citizens willing to brave the cold still gather in local taverns and festhalls, but few venture outside the city walls.
Faerûnian Calendar
The Faerûnian calendar has twelve months that roughly correspond to the months of the Gregorian calendar. Each month has thirty days divided into three ten-day weeks (each week is called a tenday). Scattered throughout the year are five holidays that aren’t considered part of any month. Once every four years, the holiday of Shieldmeet is added to the calendar as a leap day immediately following Midsummer night. Collectively, these days create a cycle similar to what we have on Earth: three 365-day years followed by a leap year.
Months: The Faerûnian months are Hammer, Alturiak, Ches, Tarsakh, Mirtul, Kythorn, Flamerule, Eleasis, Eleint, Marpenoth, Uktar, and Nightal.
Annual Holidays: The annual holidays are Midwinter (between Hammer and Alturiak), Greengrass (between Tarsakh and Mirtul), Midsummer (between Flamerule and Eleasis), Highharvestide (between Eleint and Marpenoth), and the Feast of the Moon (between Uktar and Nightal).
Running the Adventure
To run this adventure, you need the D&D fifth edition core rulebooks: Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual. The Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide is helpful, but not necessary.
Text that appears in a box like this is meant to be read aloud or paraphrased for the players when their characters first arrive at a location or under a specific circumstance, as described in the text.
The Monster Manual contains stat blocks for most of the creatures found in this adventure. All the necessary stat blocks are included there or in appendix B. When a creature’s name appears in bold type, that’s a visual cue for you to look up the creature’s stat block in the Monster Manual, unless the adventure’s text instead refers you to the monster appendix in this book.
Spells and equipment mentioned in the adventure are described in the Player’s Handbook. Magic items are described in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, unless the adventure’s text directs you to an item’s description in appendix A.
Abbreviations
The following abbreviations appear in this book:
| - | - | | hp = hit points | LG = lawful good | | AC = Armor Class | CG = chaotic good | | DC = Difficulty Class | NG = neutral good | | XP = experience points | LN = lawful neutral | | pp = platinum piece(s) | N = neutral | | gp = gold piece(s) | CN = chaotic neutral | | ep = electrum piece(s) | LE = lawful evil | | sp = silver piece(s) | CE = chaotic evil | | cp = copper piece(s) | NE = neutral evil | | NPC = nonplayer character | DM = Dungeon Master |
Make Waterdeep Your Own
Much has been written about Waterdeep over the years. This book presents much of that information, but you aren’t bound by it. Feel free to embellish and change what you will. Your version of Waterdeep is the only version that matters for your campaign.
Adventure Structure
Waterdeep: Dragon Heist consists of an introductory adventure designed to familiarize player characters with the city of Waterdeep and provide them with a base of operations (chapters 1 and 2), followed by a citywide treasure hunt (chapters 3 and 4) and descriptions of the villains' lairs (chapters 5 through 8).
In chapter 1, the characters arrive at the Yawning Portal, where Volo gives them a quest. It’s a straightforward rescue mission with a twist involving a case of mistaken identity. If the adventurers complete the quest, Volo rewards them with a valuable piece of property.
In chapter 2, the characters explore their new home in Trollskull Alley and attract the attention of factions interested in recruiting them for special missions.
Chapter 3 begins days or weeks later, allowing characters time to adjust to city life and pursue their own interests. An explosion tears through Trollskull Alley, prompting an investigation that hurls the characters into conflict with some secondary villains, culminating in a bloody confrontation at a noble estate.
In chapter 4, the characters race to find the gold. The encounters in this chapter and the order in which they occur change depending on the villain you’ve chosen. The chapter concludes with the discovery of Lord Neverember’s treasure vault and a showdown with its gold dragon guardian. The characters' ultimate goal is to prevent the gold from falling into the hands of the bad guys. If all goes well, some of the gold will find its way into the characters' pockets. Characters will have a hard time claiming it all for themselves, however.
Chapters 5 through 8 describe the lairs of the story’s villains and can be used at any time, in any order, or not at all. The characters might have reason to visit one or more of these lairs in the course of the adventure. Thwarting the villains doesn’t require the characters to invade their lairs or defeat them in combat, so it’s possible to complete the adventure without these chapters coming into play.
Be prepared to make adjustments on the fly if the characters find themselves in a villain’s lair prior to completing chapter 4, as the challenges within each lair are difficult for characters of lower than 5th level to overcome. You can gently steer characters in a different direction, drop hints that urge them to use extreme caution, or make deadly encounters easier. It also bears remembering that the villains are meant to be thwarted, not killed, and they are rarely spoiling for a fight. Adventurers who get in over their heads can be knocked
Volo’s Waterdeep Enchiridion
The special chapter of this book titled “Volo’s Waterdeep Enchiridion” is a tour of the City of Splendors. If you’re unfamiliar with Waterdeep, review this section before running the adventure. You can also share this section with players whose characters would know general information about the city.
Life in Waterdeep
City-based adventures can be challenging to run, especially if your player characters are inclined to wander. Keeping the characters in Waterdeep, where the action is, requires that they feel at home. To that end, here are some points to keep in mind:
- Almost anything can be bought or sold in Waterdeep. There’s no need for adventurers to shop elsewhere.
- Waterdavians generally hold adventurers in high regard, given that many of the city’s most esteemed citizens are former adventurers and that the city has been saved countless times by adventurers over the years.
- Adventurers who are invested in the city are less likely to want to leave it. As your players flesh out their characters' backgrounds, encourage them to establish roots in Waterdeep. The adventure further invests the characters by awarding them property in the city and giving them opportunities to join local factions and guilds.
Breaking the Law
Waterdeep is a city of firm laws and swift justice. Adventurers hell-bent on slaughter and plunder won’t fare well in the City of Splendors. The punishments for assault, arson, theft, and murder are severe, regardless of the reason for the crime.
If the characters express interest in knowing more about crimes and punishments in Waterdeep, give them the Code Legal handout in appendix C.
Characters who overtly engage in criminal behavior are quickly cornered and arrested by members of the City Watch. Those charged with committing a crime are brought before a magister to be judged. Advocates might intercede on behalf of the characters if they have allied themselves with influential NPCs and factions. For example, characters who become agents of the Lords' Alliance are more likely to be excused for crimes if Laeral Silverhand, the Open Lord of Waterdeep, has cause to let them off the hook.
Given how strictly laws are enforced in Waterdeep, it’s possible that the adventure could end with one or more of the characters being exiled, sentenced to several years of hard labor, imprisoned, or put to death. If that’s how their adventure ends, so be it. Hopefully, your next group will fare better.
Arresting Characters
When the authorities show up to arrest one or more player characters for breaking the law, you can handle the arrest in one of two ways.
The first approach is to roleplay the encounter with the arresting officers of the City Watch. The benefit of this approach is that characters can choose to go quietly or resist. The drawback is that the encounter might devolve into a fight-or-flight situation, leading to one or more characters becoming fugitives. If the party includes one or more characters who aren’t lawful, such an outcome is likely. To mitigate this drawback, you might allow fugitive characters to forge alliances with NPCs who can help clear their names.
If the threat of arrest becomes tedious, you can switch to the second approach, which is to merely inform the players that one or more characters have been arrested. You can describe the arrest, the subsequent detention, and the events leading up to the trial. The drawback to this approach is that player characters have no control over the situation. (This sense of helplessness has the virtue of being realistic, if not fun.) To mitigate this drawback, you might allow characters to make ability checks to influence the outcome; for example, a successful Charisma (Persuasion) check might enable a character to bribe an official or sow enough doubt in the mind of a magistrate to have the case thrown out.
Naming NPCs
Important NPCs in the adventure are given names, but many of the secondary NPCs aren’t named. Xanathar’s Guide to Everything contains an appendix of tables you can use to randomly generate names for human and non-human NPCs if you have trouble coming up with names on your own.
Character Creation
If your players are creating 1st-level characters for this adventure, consider setting aside the first game session for character creation. That way, the players can flesh out their adventuring party together and come up with reasons why their characters are friends.
Bringing the Party Together
The Yawning Portal is a popular adventurers' hangout. Unless you have a better idea, assume that the characters are familiar with the establishment and have met there before. If any of the characters are new to the city, they can be drawn to the Yawning Portal by its reputation or summoned there by Volo.
To make the Yawning Portal feel like a familiar, welcoming place, give the players a copy of the Yawning Portal Familiar Faces handout in appendix C and allow each player to select one NPC as a friendly acquaintance. Additional information about these NPCs can be found at the end of this introduction.
Buying Equipment at 1st Level
All the equipment in chapter 5 of the Player’s Handbook is available for purchase in Waterdeep at normal prices.
Character Backgrounds
Players looking for background options beyond those described in the Player’s Handbook can find several appropriate ones in the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide: City Watch, cloistered scholar, courtier, faction agent, far traveler, inheritor, mercenary veteran, urban bounty hunter, and Waterdhavian noble. If you have access to this book, consider making its background options available to your players' characters.
Waterdavian Noble Families
Waterdeep contains well over a hundred noble families. The following noble houses are fine choices for any character with the noble background from the Player’s Handbook or the Waterdavian noble background from the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide.
House Amcathra
The Amcathras are a Tethyrian family that specializes in horse breeding and training, cattle ranching, wine-making, and weaponsmithing. The family motto is “We trample our troubles.” The family has a large villa in the North Ward, on the east side of the High Road between Hassantyr’s Street and Tarnath Street.
House Margaster
The Margasters are an Illuskan family whose business interests lie in land-based shipping and bulk goods trading. The house also has a quiet history of wizardry. The family motto is “Nothing is beyond our grasp.” The Margaster family estate is situated between Stabbed Sailor Alley and Shattercrock Alley in the North Ward.
House Phylund
The Phylunds are a Tashlutar family that captures and sells monsters. Monsters that can’t be trained as pets or guard beasts are sold to arenas or harvested for their meat, bones, and skins. The Phylunds sponsor adventuring parties and monster-hunting expeditions, and their motto is “What you fear, we master.” House Phylund has an estate on Copper Street, west of the High Road between Julthoon Street and Trader’s Way in the North Ward.
House Rosznar
Once banished from Waterdeep for smuggling, slavery, and other crimes, this Tethyrian house has returned and is trying to overcome its dark past and disgraceful reputation by focusing on legitimate business ventures such as wine-making and gem trading. The family motto is “We fly high and stoop swift.” Rosznar Villa is situated on Thunderstaff Way between Copper Street and Shield Street in the Sea Ward, west of the High Road.
Lady Esvele Rosznar (see “The Black Viper” in appendix B) is a member of this house, though she keeps her masked identity and thieving escapades a secret.
Guild Membership
Any characters with the guild artisan background are assumed to have free membership in one Waterdeep guild of their choice. Arcane spellcasters living in the city are required by law to register with the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors, so that they can be called on to defend the city with their magic in times of need.
Waterdeep’s most prominent guilds appear on the Guilds of Waterdeep list. By law, there are no active thieves' guilds in Waterdeep, and the Xanathar Guild isn’t an actual guild but a faction (see “Factions in Waterdeep,").
To join a guild, one must possess a background, a proficiency, or a status that the guild values. For example, a character with the sailor background is welcome to join the Master Mariners' Guild. One can practice a profession and not be a guild member, but such autonomy carries a cost. The guilds do everything they can to entice new members to join and pay for membership, and they go out of their way to hinder independent business owners, up to and including driving them out of business. A baker who refuses to join the Bakers' Guild might find her flour supply cut off, while a wizard who refuses to join the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors might be denied access to sages, libraries, and other useful resources.
Guilds charge members monthly or yearly dues that vary. For simplicity, you can have a guild charge 1 gp per month or 10 gp for a year’s dues paid in advance. A guild can expel a member for any number of reasons, not the least of which is failing to pay dues.
Guilds of Waterdeep
Bakers' Guild
Carpenters', Roofers', and Plaisterers' Guild
Cellarers' and Plumbers' Guild
Coopers' Guild
Council of Farmer-Grocers
Council of Musicians, Instrument-makers, and Choristers
Dungsweepers' Guild
Fellowship of Bowyers and Fletchers
Fellowship of Carters and Coachmen
Fellowship of Innkeepers
Fellowship of Salters, Packers, and Joiners
Fishmongers' Fellowship
Guild of Apothecaries and Physicians
Guild of Butchers
Guild of Chandlers and Lamplighters
Guild of Fine Carvers
Guild of Glassblowers, Glaziers, and Spectacle-makers
Guild of Stonecutters, Masons, Potters, and Tile-makers
Guild of Trusted Pewterers and Casters
Guild of Watermen
Jesters' Guild
Jewelers' Guild
Launderers' Guild
League of Basket-makers and Wickerworkers
League of Skinners and Tanners
Loyal Order of Street Laborers
Master Mariners' Guild
Most Careful Order of Skilled Smiths and Metalforgers
Most Diligent League of Sail-makers and Cordwainers
Most Excellent Order of Weavers and Dyers
Order of Cobblers and Corvisers
Order of Master Shipwrights
Order of Master Tailors, Glovers, and Mercers
Saddlers' and Harness-makers' Guild
Scriveners', Scribes', and Clerks' Guild
Solemn Order of Recognized Furriers and Woolmen
Splendid Order of Armorers, Locksmiths, and Finesmiths
Stablemasters' and Farriers' Guild
Stationers' Guild
Surveyors', Map-, and Chart-makers' Guild
Vintners', Distillers', and Brewers' Guild
Wagon-makers' and Coach Builders' Guild
Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors
Wheelwrights' Guild
Faction Membership
A character with the faction agent background (described in the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide) must choose a faction to belong to (see “Factions in Waterdeep” below). Characters without this background can join factions once they reach the end of chapter 1 of this adventure.
Tracking Renown
This adventure includes side quests available only to characters who join the factions described in this adventure. You can use the optional renown rules in chapter 1 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to track a character’s rank and ascent within a given faction. The Dungeon Master’s Guide gives names for various ranks within the Harpers, the Emerald Enclave, the Lords' Alliance, the Order of the Gauntlet, and the Zhentarim. Rank names for members of Bregan D’aerthe, Force Grey, and the Xanathar Guild are given below, with the renown needed to attain each rank.
Bregan D’aerthe Ranks: Orbb (private, 1), Kyorlinorbb (corporal, 3), Khal’abbil (sergeant, 10), Mallasargtlin (lieutenant, 25), Ilareth (captain, 50)
Force Grey Ranks: Gray Hand Initiate (1), Junior Gray Hand (3), Senior Gray Hand (10), Force Grey Initiate (25), Defender of Waterdeep (50)
Xanathar Guild Ranks: Eyestalker (1), Agent of the Eye (3), Eye Ray (10), Guild Boss (25), Hand of the Eye (50)
Character Advancement
You can track experience points or simply allow characters to level up when they reach certain points in the adventure. Ideally, the characters should fall within the desired level range as they experience each chapter, as shown in the Suggested Character Levels table.
Suggested Character Levels
| Chapter | Suggested Level |
|---|---|
| 1. A Friend in Need | 1st-2nd |
| 2. Trollskull Alley | 2nd |
| 3. Fireball | 3rd |
| 4. Dragon Season | 3rd-4th |
| 5. Spring Madness | 5th or higher |
| 6. Hell of a Summer | 5th or higher |
| 7. Maestro’s Fall | 5th or higher |
| 8. Winter Wizardry | 5th or higher |
If you decide to track experience points, you can slow the rate of advancement by banking XP until you’re ready for the party to level up. Conversely, you can hasten level advancement by awarding ad hoc XP for completing goals, roleplaying well, and surviving or avoiding deadly traps. Any such award should be no more than what the characters would earn for defeating a monster with a challenge rating equal to their level. For example, a fair ad hoc award for a party of 2nd-level adventurers would be 450 XP, which is what the characters would earn for defeating a challenge rating 2 monster.
If you dispense with XP tracking and allow characters to gain levels as the adventure progresses, use the Suggested Character Levels table as your guide.
Factions in Waterdeep
Various factions have roots in Waterdeep, and any character with the faction agent background (described in the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide) can choose to belong to one of the factions described below, provided the character meets the faction’s prerequisites.
If you’re using the optional renown rules described in chapter 1 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, allow a player whose character has the faction agent background to roll a
Characters of other backgrounds will have opportunities to join a faction later in the adventure. Any such character must meet a faction’s prerequisites to be eligible to join it, and the character’s starting renown is 0.
Characters who have renown greater than 0 in a faction can gain its support in times of need by reaching out to an influential NPC member of that faction. As a character’s renown improves, so does the quality of the support. A faction might also help non-members who further its interests. The descriptions of the factions that follow include suggestions for how support from a faction can manifest.
You decide the extent to which a faction will assist the adventurers, based on each faction’s perception of how important or valuable the adventurers are. For example, if the characters earn Laeral Silverhand’s trust and her support of them becomes public knowledge, members of Bregan D’aerthe might aid the characters so that Jarlaxle Baenre can curry favor with the Open Lord of Waterdeep.
Bregan D’aerthe
A character must be a drow, preferably a male, to join this faction.
Bregan D’aerthe is a company of mercenaries originally made up of the much-derided and dishonorable castaways of destroyed drow houses. The group’s leader, Jarlaxle Baenre, is always looking for new members to fill the ranks, and loyalty is what matters to him most.
Almost all Bregan D’aerthe members are male because female drow rarely condescend to take orders from a male. A female drow can earn a place in the faction by decrying the drow matriarchy and convincing Jarlaxle that she would be an asset to the brotherhood. Jarlaxle employs non-drow operatives as well, none of whom know they’re working for him; such individuals aren’t considered members of the faction.
Bregan D’aerthe is using one of Jarlaxle’s legitimate business enterprises-the Sea Maidens Faire-as a front in Waterdeep. The Sea Maidens Faire consists of three carnival ships (the Eyecatcher, the Heartbreaker, and the Hellraiser) crewed by disguised drow and a host of non-drow performers (musicians, acrobats, actors, and the like). The ships' cargo consists mostly of wagons and floats that can be hastily assembled and paraded through the city. The drow use these parades to draw attention away from their illicit activities.
In the magical guise of a flamboyant Illuskan captain named Zardoz Zord, Jarlaxle oversees things from the Eyecatcher, his flagship, and the Scarlet Marpenoth, a submarine mounted underneath it. He relies on three Drow Gunslinger—Fel’rekt Lafeen, Krebbyg Masq’il’yr, and Soluun Xibrindas—to do most of his dirty work in the city. For more information on Jarlaxle and his lieutenants, see appendix B.
Bregan D’aerthe is skilled at infiltrating criminal organizations. Xanathar’s drow advisor, Nar’l Xibrindas (see appendix B), is actually a Bregan D’aerthe spy. Bregan D’aerthe support comes in these ways:
- The adventurers receive small, unmarked black pouches of coins from an anonymous source.
- The adventurers receive an invitation to dine with Zardoz Zord aboard his flagship, during which Jarlaxle takes their measure and offers assistance if they impress him.
- Bregan D’aerthe members buy off or quietly dispose of individuals who threaten the adventurers (usually without asking).
Emerald Enclave
A character must demonstrate an interest in protecting nature or the natural order to join the Emerald Enclave. Druids and rangers are especially welcome.
Waterdeep harbors a few members of the faction, which seeks to foster harmony between nature and civilization. Members living in Waterdeep help guard the city against unnatural threats, including aberrations and undead. They also watch over the City of the Dead (Waterdeep’s public cemetery) and the city’s parks.
Members of the Emerald Enclave can be found in Phaulkonmere, a noble villa in the Southern Ward, and at the Snobeedle Orchard and Meadery in Undercliff. The walls of Phaulkonmere enclose fabulous gardens, and the buildings are covered with moss and ivy. The place is owned by descendants of two wealthy families-the Tarms (longtime Waterdavians) and the Phaulkons (who are of Cormyrean descent). They spend most of the year traveling abroad and entrust the estate to a half-elf groundskeeper named Melannor Fellbranch. He is joined by Jeryth Phaulkon, a noblewoman turned demigod who serves Mielikki, divine lady of the forest.
The Snobeedle Orchard and Meadery is run by the Snobeedle family of halflings, among them an old druid named Blossom Snobeedle. Blossom’s youngest son, Dasher, disappeared in Waterdeep about six months ago. He was infected with lycanthropy and is now a member of a wererat gang called the Shard Shunners.
Emerald Enclave support comes in these ways:
- Enclave members share information they’ve gathered from magical conversations with animals in the city.
- Melannor Fellbranch (see “Emerald Enclave”) provides free food and care for the adventurers' animals at Phaulkonmere.
- One adventurer receives a supernatural charm (see “Supernatural Gifts” in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide) bestowed by Jeryth Phaulkon (see “Emerald Enclave”).
Force Grey
To join Force Grey, one must first become a member of the Gray Hands. An individual who has served in the City Watch or the City Guard is eligible to join, as are characters who are willing to swear oaths to defend Waterdeep, its citizens, and its laws with their lives. Adventurers who show promise might be invited to join the Gray Hands, a faction overseen by the Blackstaff, Vajra Safahr. Members of the Gray Hands complete assignments dictated by Vajra.
Force Grey is an elite cadre of specialized adventurers, drawn from the ranks of the Gray Hands, whose fighting prowess is matched only by their loyalty to the city. Force Grey attracts the best of the best. Characters don’t begin their adventuring careers as members of Force Grey, but they can work up to that status.
Whenever Waterdeep has a problem that can’t be handled by diplomats or the city’s other armed forces, the Open Lord has the option to mobilize Force Grey. Such action is usually taken as a last resort, since some past members of the group have exhibited a tendency to indulge in wanton violence, causing as much damage as they ostensibly prevent.
Although the Open Lord sets mission goals and parameters whenever the unit is activated, the Force Grey team needed to complete any given assignment is made up of individuals handpicked by the Blackstaff.
If members of Force Grey (and, in some cases, the Gray Hands) are arrested for a crime, the Open Lord or the Blackstaff will usually intervene on their behalf and facilitate their release.
Force Grey support comes in these ways:
- Adventurers who are arrested are released under the loose supervision of Vajra Safahr (see appendix B).
- The adventurers receive a helpful uncommon or rare magic item that they’re allowed to use for a time (until it mysteriously disappears).
- Meloon Wardragon (see appendix B) or some other respected member of Force Grey helps the adventurers out of a tough situation.
Harpers
Any smart, non-evil character can join the Harpers of Waterdeep. Bards and wizards are especially welcome.
Harpers are altruists who work behind the scenes to keep power out of the hands of evil tyrants. In the current situation, it doesn’t take long for them to suspect that the Zhentarim is wholly or partially responsible for the escalation of violence in Waterdeep. Harper spies might use the adventurers as instruments to get at the truth. Various nobles and guildmasters in the city are Harper sympathizers.
The Harpers have several secret gathering places in Waterdeep, among them Ulbrinter Villa, an estate located on Delzorin Street between Vhezoar Street and Brondar’s Way, in the North Ward (just south of Trollskull Alley). The elf lady of the house, Remallia Haventree (“Remi” to her friends), the widow of Lord Arthagast Ulbrinter, is a high-ranking member of the faction. Other key members include Renaer Neverember, the estranged son of Lord Dagult Neverember, and Mirt, an advisor to Open Lord Laeral Silverhand. See appendix B for more information on these NPCs.
Harpers prefer to conduct their business in bustling inns and taverns such as the Yawning Portal, or in quiet locations such as the City of the Dead.
Harper support comes in these ways:
- The Harpers make common and uncommon potions and scrolls available to the adventurers at a reduced or deferred cost depending on the circumstances.
- Remallia Haventree (see appendix B) feeds useful bits of information to the adventurers and might also offer them temporary shelter.
- If the adventurers are accosted and overwhelmed, one or more Harpers come to their rescue. A Harper rescue team usually consists of a bard (see appendix B) or a mage, plus
1d4 + 3 spy or veteran.
Lords' Alliance
To become a member of the Lords' Alliance faction in Waterdeep, a character must be a Waterdavian citizen. Those with criminal records can also join, provided they demonstrate their allegiance to the city.
The Lords' Alliance is a confederation of cities and towns up and down the Sword Coast and throughout the North, including (among others) Baldur’s Gate, Mirabar, Mithral Hall, Neverwinter, and Silverymoon. Members of the alliance must come to one another’s aid in times of need, and the organization uses field operatives (diplomats, spies, and assassins) to safeguard its interests.
Waterdeep is one of the most influential and invested members of the Lords' Alliance. Waterdeep’s Open Lord, Laeral Silverhand, uses spies to keep tabs on adventurers in the city, rewarding those who place Waterdeep’s interests above their own. Laeral employs adventurers as agents of the Lords' Alliance, among them Jalester Silvermane. See appendix B for more information on these NPCs.
Laeral spends most of her time in the Palace of Waterdeep. Within walking distance of the palace are well-maintained government residences set aside for the use of representatives of other Lords' Alliance cities and towns.
Lords' Alliance support comes in these ways:
- City Watch officials are notified that the characters are on “official business” for the Lords' Alliance and instructed to provide support whenever they can.
- Mirt (see appendix B), a Masked Lord who serves as Laeral Silverhand’s advisor, invites the adventurers to dinner at his dilapidated mansion as a pretense for sharing rumors and imparting pearls of wisdom.
- The characters are granted a brief audience with Laeral Silverhand (see appendix B).
Order of the Gauntlet
Any non-evil character can join the Order of the Gauntlet in Waterdeep. Clerics, monks, and paladins are especially welcome, particularly if they worship Helm, Torm, or Tyr.
The order’s mission is to seek out and destroy evil before it gains a foothold. The surge of violence in Waterdeep spurs members of the order to find adventurers who can help return peace to the city.
An individual can be a member of the faction and also a member of the clergy or a knight pledged to a specific god or temple. Members of the order act alone or in small groups. Some are Waterdavian natives; others hail from distant settlements and have come to the city on temple business.
Order of the Gauntlet support comes in these ways:
- If the adventurers require healing or other magic, a member of the order can facilitate meetings with local priests who worship non-evil deities.
- If the adventurers get in trouble with the law, a member of the order puts in a good word for them and tends to their affairs while they’re incarcerated.
- Hlam (see appendix B) might show up and help the characters in an impending battle.
Xanathar Guild
Anyone can join the Xanathar Guild, which, despite its name, doesn’t have official guild status in Waterdeep. Before membership is granted, however, an applicant must pass a test that always involves the perpetration of a serious crime. Possibilities include murdering a guild member who has failed Xanathar in some fashion, kidnapping a Waterdavian citizen, collecting a ransom, robbing a hire-coach, or looting a warehouse.
Among low-ranking guild members, rampant speculation goes on about the true nature of Xanathar. Few have any inkling that their boss is a beholder, and fewer still have seen or spoken to the eye tyrant.
Given that the faction is fundamentally evil, advancement is based on one’s wiles or one’s ability to dispose of rivals. Competition within the organization is fierce and often deadly. Evil characters can thrive in this environment, but the risks are seldom worth the reward.
Xanathar Guild support comes in these ways:
- Any member given an assignment might receive a monstrous bodyguard or assistant (such as a bugbear, a kenku, or a wererat), who has secret instructions to kill the guild member if they fail to complete the assignment as ordered.
- The guild grants access to secret tunnels and safe houses (hidden cellars) underneath Waterdeep.
- Xanathar might send a gazer (see appendix B) to help (and spy on) an up-and-coming guild member.
Zhentarim
The Black Network has an open recruitment policy. Anyone can join. Tenacity and loyalty are highly valued (but not essential) traits in new members.
The Zhentarim is a shadow organization that trades mercenaries and goods (including weapons) for profit. It has long sought to gain political influence in Waterdeep, but the strength of the city’s Masked Lords, nobility, and professional guilds makes that difficult.
The Zhentarim in Waterdeep is a fractured organization. Those who support Manshoon want to destroy Xanathar and seize political and economic control of the city. Those who oppose Manshoon want to expose and destroy him before they are themselves apprehended or driven out of the city by the local authorities.
Adventurers can’t join Manshoon’s cause, but they can join and receive aid from the Zhents who are opposed to him. The leaders of this branch of the Black Network are retired adventurers who have become business entrepreneurs. Their adventuring party was called the Doom Raiders because their specialty was plundering lich lairs (which are called “dooms”). They are desperately trying to gain a legitimate economic foothold in Waterdeep, which requires making alliances with local guilds and nobles. Manshoon’s war against the Xanathar Guild has thrown their plans into upheaval.
The Doom Raiders (described in appendix B) consider themselves the true Zhentarim of Waterdeep. The group’s leaders are Davil Starsong (Master of Opportunities and Negotiations), Istrid Horn (Master of Trade and Coin), Skeemo Weirdbottle (Master of Magic), Tashlyn Yafeera (Master of Arms and Mercenaries), and Ziraj the Hunter (Master of Assassination).
Zhentarim support comes in these ways:
- Davil can arrange meetings with influential nobles and members of city guilds.
- Adventurers can procure discounted potions and poisons from Skeemo’s shop, Weirdbottle’s Concoctions, which is located in the Trades Ward.
- Tashlyn offers affordable mercenaries, either thug costing 2 sp per day each or veteran costing 2 gp per day each.
- Istrid offers loans of up to 2,500 gp with an interest rate of 10 percent per tenday.
- Adventurers can hire Ziraj the Hunter to assassinate someone, in return for some undisclosed favor to be called in later.
The Yawning Portal
The Yawning Portal is a famous inn and tavern located in the Castle Ward of Waterdeep. Adventurers can meet all sorts of colorful characters here.
The place is a stone building with a slate roof and several chimneys. Most of the ground floor is taken up by the tavern’s common room, which contains a 40-foot-diameter open well (actually the outer shell of a sunken stone tower) that descends 140 feet to the first level of Undermountain, the sprawling dungeon under Waterdeep. A rope-and-pulley mechanism is used to lower adventurers into the well and hoist them out. More information about this entrance to Undermountain can be found in Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage.
The upper floors of the Yawning Portal contain comfortable, nicely appointed rooms for guests.
Durnan, the proprietor, charges standard prices for food, drink, and lodging (see chapter 5 of the Player’s Handbook for costs).
Familiar Faces
Give the Yawning Portal Familiar Faces handout in appendix C to the players, and allow each of them to select one NPC as a friendly acquaintance-someone the player’s character knows and trusts. More than one player can select the same NPC. The information below should be withheld from the players until their characters learn it.
Durnan
N male Illuskan human innkeeper
The proprietor of the Yawning Portal is a retired adventurer and a man of few words. Durnan (see appendix B) bluntly warns adventurers of lower than 5th level that entering Undermountain “isn’t a good idea.” He keeps a magic greatsword hidden behind the bar just in case something monstrous crawls up out of the entry well.
“Bonnie”
N doppelganger disguised as Tethyrian human barmaid
This doppelganger posing as a friendly barmaid is the leader of a gang of five doppelgangers that arrived in Waterdeep over a year ago. To help the gang make ends meet, she works for Durnan as a barmaid. Mattrim Mereg (see below) knows her secret.
Mattrim “Threestrings” Mereg
LG male Illuskan human bard
This socially awkward bard (see appendix B) performs at the Yawning Portal and is a better musician than he pretends to be. He’s called “Threestrings” because he plays a lute that has only three strings remaining. His secret is that he’s a Harper spy, and he’s far more eloquent and composed than he lets on. He lives at the inn, where he spends his afternoons and evenings spying on Zhentarim agents and gathering information on other potential troublemakers. He recently befriended Bonnie and wants to help her doppelganger gang settle into the city.
Jalester Silvermane
LG male Chondathan human fighter
Jalester Silvermane (see appendix B) is an agent of the Lords' Alliance who reports directly to Laeral Silverhand. The Open Lord of Waterdeep has asked him to spy on adventurers who might, through their actions, aid or imperil the city and its citizens. Since the Yawning Portal attracts adventurers of all sorts, Jalester spends a lot of time here, usually seated by himself in a quiet corner. Durnan knows that Jalester works for Laeral and leaves the young man alone.
Jalester is often distracted by thoughts of Faerrel Dunblade, his boyfriend, who was killed in a street fight last year. When not engaged in alliance business, Jalester is lonely and looking for love.
Meloon Wardragon
NE male Chondathan human adventurer under the control of an intellect devourer
Meloon Wardragon (see appendix B) comes across as a cheery, optimistic, warm-hearted man eager to fight alongside those he considers his friends. The Yawning Portal staff and many of the regular guests know that Meloon is a skilled fighter with ties to Force Grey.
An intellect devourer in league with Xanathar ate Meloon’s brain several months ago. Now under the monster’s control, Meloon actively discourages adventurers from exploring Undermountain and urges them to focus on conflicts in the city instead. He also hunts down and kills Zhentarim operatives for his secret beholder master. He has his eye on Davil Starsong (see appendix B) but won’t kill the elf in plain view of witnesses.
Obaya Uday
NG female Chultan human priest of Waukeen
Obaya, a priest, has traveled from Chult to sponsor expeditions into Undermountain, with the goal of bringing its magical treasures back to her employer, the merchant prince Wakanga O’tamu of Port Nyanzaru. She discourages low-level adventurers from exploring Undermountain but is happy to help them with her magic until they gain enough experience to be useful to her.
If you plan to run Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage after this adventure, Obaya can take on a more prominent role as an advisor and a source of quests.
Yagra Stonefist
N female half-orc thug-for-hire
Yagra is a Black Network mercenary who gets paid to protect a Zhent negotiator named Davil Starsong (see appendix B for more information on him). Yagra finds the job boring and likes to pass the time by challenging adventurers to arm wrestle. (Resolve such contests using contested Strength checks.) If the characters express their opposition to the Xanathar Guild, Yagra might urge them to speak to Davil about joining forces with the Zhentarim to destroy the beholder crime lord.
Yagra is a half-orc thug. When reduced to 0 hit points, she drops to 1 hit point instead (but can’t do this again until she finishes a long rest). She has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. She speaks Common and Orc.