Performance Check: Dragon Heist #6

Comments, Criticism, and Questions are highly appreciated. There's no D&D without a party.

Why?

As a rule, I am obligated to remind all prospective readers that this series will contain SPOILERS for any pre-written modules discussed within, in this case Dragon Heist. The subject of each post will be disclosed in the title as a forewarning to those who deign to gaze upon these texts.

Performance Check is intended to be a journal of my Dungeon Mastering endeavors. I decided to begin this as a project to preserve the stories of my players and serve as a lens to inspect my own performance: where I can improve, what changes I've made to a module for a better experience, or how I've opted to jumble around the preexisting resources given to us by the fine artificers at Wizards of the Coast.

"The road to Easy Street goes through the sewer."

- John Madden

Finally. they were getting somewhere. With the nimblewright reduced to a heaping pile of bronze and steel and a map and a name, our adventurers were ready to start on their hunt. Their prey was one Fenerus Stormcastle, former highwayman living out his ill-gotten and sour twilight years as one of Waterdeep's many candle-lighters. Under the direction of Lady Gralhund, the nimblewright had delivered the Stone of Golorr into the hands of Mr. Stormcastle to be delivered to a mysterious man. Unbeknownst to the party, a bloody battle had taken place before their arrival at Stormcastle's townhouse, leaving most of the windows shattered, the furniture upturned, and sprays of foreign blood as part of the house's new interior design.

Upon arriving in the alley dwelling of Mr. Stormcastle, the party encountered a trio of adventurous urchins who bowled Rackman over in a stolen apple cart. Despite the incident, the party entreated the kids' dreams of adventure and swashbuckling, and offered them a free meal and place to sleep at the Trollskull Manor, with the most enticing opportunity to meet an actual real life adventurer. 

With the urchins sent on their way, the party went about conducting their dirty sleuthing business. Gelman went about his investigative work, learning that The Xanathar's guild was one of the parties involved in the scuffle, as well as, possibly, the City Watch, and an unidentified third party. Hidden behind a false panel in the wall, Rackman found Stormcastle's old raiding gear, an enchanted Smoldering Armor and Dread Helm, used to intimidate victims of his banditry. As these two were conducting their respective investigations, those outside had a treat of their own.

A mysterious hooded figure appeared at the end of the alleyway. As it approached the party heard a beautiful voice, like a warm song during a biting winter. Beneath the hood was a gentle face with silver hair, sharp but soft features suggesting a tempered optimism coupled with a sharpened mind. As Gelman left the building, he immediately dropped to his knees and greeted the Open Lord as best he could. 

"Lady Silverhand."

The Open Lord herself had arrived to make a request of the adventurers: to find Stormcastle, possibly save him from the Xanathar's Guild, but most importantly, retrieve the Stone. Supposedly both were being held in a nearby Xanathar sewer hideout. Gelman readily accepted. The other 5 warily accepted. After the Open Lord departed the parted decided that, as this was their best lead, they would pursue it. But, they would not give the stone to Silverhand, given Craven's selfishness, and Rackman's distrust of government authority.

The party found the entrance to the sewers easily, a maintenance shed into the main sewer line. They went down into the horrible autumn-time sludge of muck that was the Southern Ward sewers. Then they discovered a number of secret doors, thanks to Gelman's high perception. Behind one was a rancid nest of Troglodytes, which the party set about dispatching silently - until Nuala, bless her soul, opened door number 2. 

She could have opened it quietly, and would have, if not for a wandering Gazer let out a deafening shriek, alerting every Xanathar's Guild member and every Troglodyte nearby. What ensued was a long, messy, and bloody close-quarters battle between a wild pack of Troglodytes. Luckily nobody was killed, but most were wounded and their resources were spent by the time the sewer den was rid of every Troglodyte and Xanathar's Guild thief. They rescued a Mr. Thorvin, the Xanathar's Guild Trap engineer and current mechanic on a mysterious flying Beholder contraption, and convinced him to turn tail against the Guild, in exchange for his safety. Among the bodies, Gimble found the Stone(?). A beautiful thing, a turquoise oval with lines of onyx, created with magic.

With their spoils, the party began to leave out the back. As they took their first steps back into the afternoon sun, everything went quiet. Another cloaked figure stood at the far end of the alley. "I will tell you this once. Give me the stone and you walk away with your lives."

The party tried to parley. Perhaps a discussion? A trade? Maybe barter for some more time to think?

"No. No discussions. The Stone or your lives."

Craven tried a spell. The man swiped it out of the air, like one would brush aside a cobweb. Rackman tried a diversion - throw a fake. The man was unfazed. As Nuala tried to reason with the man, knowing that she and her friends were spent and exhausted, but everyone had other ideas. The remaining 3 fled into the sewers, Nuala behind them, delayed, as she hefted a pack of powder she picked off the Drow she slew at the encroaching enemy. Unbeknownst to her, the powder pack was incendiary and immediately exploded upon the face of the enemy, a blast echoing and splitting the cold, quiet autumn air. The chase was on. The stone was finally in their hands, but they didn't know if they could hold it for long.

Performance Check: Dragon Heist #5 (ish)

Comments, Criticism, and Questions are highly appreciated. There's no D&D without a party.

Why?

As a rule, I am obligated to remind all prospective readers that this series will contain SPOILERS for any pre-written modules discussed within, in this case Dragon Heist. The subject of each post will be disclosed in the title as a forewarning to those who deign to gaze upon these texts.

Performance Check is intended to be a journal of my Dungeon Mastering endeavors. I decided to begin this as a project to preserve the stories of my players and serve as a lens to inspect my own performance: where I can improve, what changes I've made to a module for a better experience, or how I've opted to jumble around the preexisting resources given to us by the fine artificers at Wizards of the Coast.

Let's get the show started... with a bang.

The next morning, the members of the adventuring party barely had time to bask in the glory of the previous night’s festivities before a thundering blast and a wave of heat ripped split the dreary silence of the gray autumn morning like an egg hitting the pavement. Dust and ash sailed through the air as the Tavern’s new glasswork rained down on he citizens fleeing in terror below. Immediately the adventurers jumped into action, turning the Trollskull Manor into a makeshift aid station for the wounded. Gelman began his investigation while Craven alerted the city guard. Nuala tended to the wounded while Rackman made chase after the culprit.

Sure enough, the city guard made an appearance, headed by one Sergeant Comley and a Sir Barnibus Blastwind (of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors, of course). After questioning the witnesses, the party learned that the explosion had claimed the lives of a few Zhents, and a few men were seen fleeing the scene. The clues hinted at the two, although one was far too heavy to be seen moving at such high speed, with the tracks heading towards a family estate in the North Ward- the Gralhund Estate. Stumped for clues, Gelman enlisted the aid of his contact, Jalester Silvermane, who informed him that the Lords’ Alliance would arrange for a cleric to cast Speak with Dead on one of the corpses.

Converging at the Spires of the Morning and the crypt within, the party raised their inquiries with one of the deceased – a gnome, found at the site of the blast. The gnome – Dalakhar – informed them that he was on the way to deliver an object of great importance to them: The Stone of Golorr, the key to former Open Lord Dagult Neverember’s treasure hoard. He was attacked on the doorstep of their tavern, and had realized he had been followed by some Zhentarim and had hoped the party would, at the behest of Lord Neverember, retrieve the treasure for him, but was assassinated. With all the pieces in place, the party determined the thief, most certainly a Zhent, had absconded with the stone to Gralhund Villa.

With this information in hand, the party consulted with Neverember’s son, Renaer, on what to do next. They came up with the only solution: larceny. The party would raid Gralhund Villa and seize the stone for themselves.

I love it when a plan falls apart!

Renaer provided the party with a brief sketch of Gralhund Villa's exterior the next night. The party made their plans. They would sneak in through the back, near the stables, and slowly pick their way up through the house via the lower levels. Craven would cast silence to remove any noise the party might make during their entry, and Rackman would cast Pass Without Trace to obscure themselves. With that, the party ventured forth. 

When they reached the estate, Rackman boosted everyone up over the wall. First Gelman, then Gimble. Then, when Nuala mounted the wall... a slip up. Gimble had spotted a few suspiciously moving shapes, and when Nuala hopped over the wall (perhaps it was a bad landing, or a poor boost, or something in between, who knows?) she landed with a muffled thud. Unfortunately that thud was just enough to alert the Shadows who immediately darted for the party. The skirmish was brief, but just long enough to set the party on edge. Nuala was greatly injured, and although healed, she was rattled by her hair's width brush with death as the Shadows consumed her strength.

The party slunk their way into the manor proper and stumbled across a gruesome sight. The floor was littered with corpses, drowning in blood. They could hear clearly, the sounds of distant combat. Using a mirror to peer into an adjacent room, Gelman witnessed a few Zhentarim thugs polishing off the gurgling mounds of flesh that used to be House Gralhund guards.

With no hesitation, the party sprang once more into action, cutting their way through to the upper floors, where they came upon a huge man, half of his face charred black, kicking his way into Lord Gralhund's hiding chambers. This man, known to the party as Urstul Floxin, a known Zhent assassin, was out for blood. He sicced his minions on the party, into the tangled mess of bodies that was the fray on the upper floors, as he moved to deal with the noble.

Blood was shed, Rackman and Gimble were nearly killed, nearly, as Nuala raced between the two administering sustaining light that kept them from the embrace of death. Gelman traded blows with the assassin's minions as he fired from behind the nobleman's form, using him as a shield. Eventually though, the party turned the tide. The Zhentarim defeated, Urstul fled into the night. Both Gralhund Lord and Lady were unharmed, and the City Watch arrived soon after to clean up the mess.

The stone was gone, yet again. But, fearing for the life of his children, Lord Gralhund confessed (in secret) that his wife, the Lady Yalah Gralhund, had sent the stone away with a mechanical servant - a nimblewright - to an undisclosed location shortly before the party's arrival. The party managed to avoid confrontation with the City Watch after Craven used his quick and silvered tongue to spout some drivel about a "stove being on". In exchange for their silence, Lady Gralhund would not press trespassing charges, as they had rescued her and her children, but how can one truly trust a snake?

Wining and Dining in Waterdeep

With the Stone having just slipped their grasp, our adventurers were irritated to say the least. They decided to ask around about the mysterious nimblewright, and learned that the House of Inspired Hands, a Temple of Gond, was known for utilizing such mechanical humanoids. Inquiring within, the party learned of a peculiar nimblewright by the name of Nim who had created another nimblewright out of loneliness, despite being instructed not to do so by the head priestess Valetta. For an apology, Nim provided the party the means to find his lost creation (son?) by way of a silly whirligig known very plainly as a Nimblewright detector.

And so began an arduous and painstaking ward-by-ward search for the metal man, which ended in a sudden stop when the party reached the Dock Ward and learned that a carnival flotilla known as the Sea Maidens' Faire may have the metal man they were searching for. After inquiring with the dockworker in charge of running the skiff between the shore and the Faire, the wannabe investigators became wannabe noblemen for a night when they were invited aboard the flagship - the Eyecatcher - for dinner with the flotilla's captain, Zardoz Zord.

The dinner went well, despite Zardoz Zord's bountiful exposed chest hair and even more bountiful sexual energy, but the party learned that their windfall had been a false positive. The nimblewright they detected was not the one they were looking for. In fact, Zord had four of them, purchased from the isles of Lantan to use in his parades. But all was not lost, as Nuala, apparently known as the Rose of Trollskull Alley, was offered the opportunity to earn a commission painting a portrait of Zardoz Zord himself. 600 gold pieces of commission to be exact. Too good of an offer to turn down, Nuala accepted the offer, but the party was forced to return home without any more findings.

Their diligence paid off eventually, however, when Craven and Gimble stumbled upon the nimblewright in an alley. Unfortunately, Rackman and Gelman had split from them to search for rumors regarding the contraption, and Nuala was aboard the Eyecatcher with Zardoz Zord, so the two were forced to fend for themselves as the nimblewright assaulted them. Craven put up a valiant effort, struggling to fend off the furious flurry of blows from the nimblewright's rapier, nearly succumbing to his wounds in the process. But, Gimble's mind was racing. He used Misty Step to teleport to higher ground, giving him the visual he needed to get a clean shot on the mechanical menace.

When the thing was finally reduced to scrap, the two picked through its remains as all adventurer's do and found a map pointing to the Trades Ward with one name: Fenerus Stormcastle. Finally, they were getting somewhere.

Performance Check: Dragon Heist #4

Comments, Criticism, and Questions are highly appreciated. There's no D&D without a party.

Why?

As a rule, I am obligated to remind all prospective readers that this series will contain SPOILERS for any pre-written modules discussed within, in this case Dragon Heist. The subject of each post will be disclosed in the title as a forewarning to those who deign to gaze upon these texts.

Performance Check is intended to be a journal of my Dungeon Mastering endeavors. I decided to begin this as a project to preserve the stories of my players and serve as a lens to inspect my own performance: where I can improve, what changes I've made to a module for a better experience, or how I've opted to jumble around the preexisting resources given to us by the fine artificers at Wizards of the Coast.

A shot from the dark. Multiple shots from the dark, in fact.

We begin this episode with the party in the middle of combat with the mysterious gunslinger from last time. The half-elvish drunkard's innards lay spread out in the middle of the street, and the smoke wafts out of the barrel of the murderer's pistol. The entire party has assembled now, and the Drow is pinned down between Craven and Xaedas, having just arrived from the bar, the trio of Gelman, Nuala, and Rackman, and the icy waters of Deepwater Harbor. Naturally, the only way to go is up and out, but it's no use. When attempting a Darkness spell, the party lets loose a barrage of vicious spells and whistling arrows to lock down the Drow, pinning him in place as bells for the damned rang through the night. Like a cornered animal, he decided that the only thing he could do was run.

Making a mad dash for the nearest tenement, the Drow crashes through the front window, scattering gleaming shards of glass all over the floor of a ground-level apartment. Trading gunfire with the party, he slinks through the house to make his escape, but, unbeknownst to him, Gelman and Rackman are heading around the back to cut him off in the alley. Nuala and Xaedas (oh, and Gimble is here too, by the way) chase him through the house, while Craven's brain works and smokes as he tries to think of a solid alibi to feed to the City Watch.

Smashing the stairwell window on the second floor that peers out into the grimy back alley, the gunslinger hefts his grappling hook to a nearby building. He swings out, planting his feet firmly on the adjacent tenement and begins to scale to the roof His escape is in sight, as Rackman and Gelman and Gimble are too far away to strike him down. But, Nuala appears in the window, hot on his tail, and flings a dart with the precision of a well-trained archer that severs the grappling line, sending the Drow plummeting to his death 3 stories below (much to Nuala's horror, as she never intended to kill the man).

As the party hid the body and patched their wounds, the entire block began to light up with disgruntled, groggy, and altogether riled citizens. The frightened owner of the glass-filled, bullet-hole riddled apartment stumbled out of his room scared out of his mind and ready to report the party to the Watch. Gimble, well-meaning as he is, attempted to use Charm Person on the man, but failed, leading to an even larger conflict as more members began to pour out of their apartments to complain. Craven, wily as he is, offered a bribe and some snide remarks about this man being a "lucky participant" in a "trial run" of a special "enchantment and charming procedure" and as such was entitled to a hefty 10 gold pieces for his participation. Before the man could ask any more questions, the money was already in his hands, everyone was out the door, and there was nothing left but their tracks and an unanswered question as to who would pay for his shattered window.

All that glitters is not gold... but right now we need gold.

The party slunk back to the Trollskull Manor to lick their wounds, dig the bullets out of Nuala's skin, and avoid the authorities. While hiding out in the manor, they made a crafty investment plan. The party would use their various contacts, acquaintances, and minor reputation to work odd jobs to pay for the tavern's repairs. It would be a long, hard journey, but the party was determined to make the Trollskull a Waterdeep icon. Lif, the friendly bartender ghost wholeheartedly agreed. Meanwhile, Craven snuck out to meet with the Black Network who, although disappointed that yet another death had painted Waterdeep's streets, brought him into the fold as a new member of the Zhentarim.

Over the following weeks, the party participated in a number of odd jobs for a number of factions in the city, like guarding the Dungsweepers' Guild, making potion deliveries, cleaning up the City of the Dead of the dregs of a necromancer's shenanigans, and so on. During their free time, the party spent their days renovating the Tavern and earning some more money doing not-so-honest work (like gambling). Nuala painted a beautiful, classy landscape on its exterior using her newfound Warlock powers to stay awake at all hours of the day an night (Nuala's player decided monks were lame and switched to a Warlock at level 3). Slowly but surely, their coffers burgeoned with coin and emptied once more as they paid their carpenter neighbor Tally to fix up the manor.

With the repairs nearing completion, our party of restaurateurs determined the date of their opening night. They paid for an ad in the Waterdeep Wazoo, hired criers, sold art, and generally did all that they could to promote the opening of the NEW Trollskull Manor. For opening night, they also organized a party for their supporters, neighbors, and colleagues to the Opening Night of Trollskull Manor. Their guest list, unfortunately, included the Open Lord and the Blackstaff, all the members of the Doom Raiders, Jalester Silvermane of the Lords' Alliance, Matthew Mercer, Volo, Renaer, and a monk that Nuala befriended from the Order of the Gauntlet.

With all their hard work, hiring young locals to staff the kitchens and work the floor on opening night, the advertising, and their reputation from helping the citizens of Waterdeep, their opening night party was a smashing success. Our adventurers had purchased brand new, handsome clothes for the night, set roles for each member on the floor; Gelman was the Host, Nuala and Rackman ensured customer satisfaction, Craven acted as manager, and Gimble and Xaedas worked in the kitchen.

When the doors opened, there was a line of curious diners from all walks of life, holding their breath for the big reveal as to what poor souls decided it would be their duty to renovate the Trollskull Manor. The line, as expected, was out the door, down the street, and up the block, but the air was jovial for once. For once the people of Waterdeep didn't have to worry about getting shanked on their way to work, or from the very credible threat of the innumerable supernatural horrors that lurked just beneath their street. Tonight, everyone was here to party and have a good meal.

That's not to say it wasn't chaotic. Of course, the Open Lord and Blackstaff didn't show up (they're very busy), but a servant did come to get takeout for the young Blackstaff, so that was pretty cool. Most of the Zhentarim didn't show up, except for Tashlyn (being the most established and "legitimate" of the group) and the assassin, Ziraj, who actually showed up as the party's neighbor's +1, causing mass confusion among the party members. Rackman and Nuala dashed back and forth between tables, making sure everyone was having a good time, while Craven barked orders back and forth among the servers and the bus boys while trying to entertain the hungry guests waiting in line out front. Gelman struggled with the logistics of tables, seating, and others, but managed to keep a cool head throughout.

Overall, the night was a blast. All the guests enjoyed themselves, nobody got arrested or stabbed, and everyone was able to bask in the warmth of the Trollskull Hearth and have a drink, for once. The party continued long into the night, after the bards had left and the kitchen was ankle deep in food, but even our party had a fun time running themselves ragged.

ChangeLog:

Faction Odd Jobs

While I do appreciate the Faction Quests section presented in Chapter 2, I think that these could have been omitted or moved around into a list of quest chains for the DM to use at their discretion. As is, I feel like a majority of the Faction Quests don't play into the narrative of Dragon Heist as a whole. For example: "Hunt Skeletons in the City of the Dead" or "Protect the Dungsweepers' Guild" don't exactly scream Dragon Heist to me. However, there are a few quests in there that do service the narrative, but are spread out among the factions, breaking them into little tidbits of information for the players to piece together without guidance rather than creating an interesting sub-plot.

Instead, I picked the best quests from each faction at the appropriate level and strung them together into quest chains like "Skeemo's Betrayal" or "The Black Viper" and kept the more mundane side missions in my belt just in case the players wanted to do jobs for money. This way I can build up intrigue and weave these quests into the narrative more seamlessly, and lead the players into asking questions themselves, instead of giving them crumbs of information and expecting them to make something out of nothing.

Trollskull Manor

Obviously an Opening Night Party isn't part of vanilla Dragon Heist, but if the players are going to spend all of Chapter 2 trying to rebuild the damn thing and running themselves ragged around Waterdeep trying to build capital, you bet they're going to want a big party to celebrate. Plus, the addition of the "Big Chapter Ending Event" was a great opportunity to mix up the pot with possible mishaps, unexpected attendances, and an elevating of general party mood to celebrate their achievement, just to bring it back down in Chapter 3.

Dungeon of the Mad Mage Review

Comments, Criticism, and Questions are highly appreciated. There's no D&D without a party.

A Warning for prospective adventurers:

This review contains spoilers for Dungeon of the Mad Mage by Wizards of the Coast. Those interested in playing this adventure spoiler-free should steer clear or risk opening their mind to the Madness of the Mad Mage's subterranean super-complex.

The Don of Dungeons

Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage is Wizards of the Coast's follow-up to Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and is intended to run players from levels 5 - 20. The adventure's path follows the group of player characters as they descend from the famous Yawning Portal into the depths of the Undermountain - dwelling of the Mad Mage himself: Halaster Blackcloak. This adventure contains floor after floor of dungeon-delving goodness meant for a party of 4 players to fight, sneak, talk, and plunder. The multilayered content and straightforward design truly makes Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage the "Greatest Dungeon of Them All".

Mad Mage opens with an Overview of the Undermountain, listing off the names of its levels, general features, how magic works inside the dungeon, and some things players may encounter in their delve. There's also a section detailing the goals of the titular Mad Mage that you may or may not wish to utilize in your players' adventure. 

My personal favorite from this section are the "Starting Quests" given as Adventure Hooks in the Overview, just to give players side-goals and objectives as they naturally pick their way deeper and deeper into the Undermountain. Not only do these side-quests give the players optional goals to pursue, they the purpose of giving the players a reason to explore each floor to its fullest, rather than blitz the content like in, say, Tomb of Annihilation. Secondly, they encourage the players to return to the Yawning Portal now and again, as new quests may open up now that prior quests have been completed. 

The Yawning Portal in Dungeon of the Mad Mage is like Tristram from Diablo. Start, pick up some quests, dungeon, return, repeat. Plus, a few floors in the Undermountain contain their own quests that ask the players to involve themselves in the ecosystem of each floor to complete.

Diving into the Delve

Let's get down to Brass Dragons: the Levels, the meat, sauce, and sides of the feast that is the Undermountain. 

The Undermountain is divided into 23 dungeon levels and the infamous town of Skullport. It's less like the Undermountain is a 23-level dungeon, and more like the Undermountain is a stack of 23 different dungeons. Each level's chapter opens up with a brief "What Dwells here?" overview with a brief history, what lives, and whatever features it has. I love these. As I read each chapter in preparation for this review, each "What Dwells Here?" was like a fun-sized snack on Halloween, and I had my arm in the candy bowl. 

In addition to "What Dwells here?", each chapter has an entire page dedicated to the map of each level with marked with 10-ft units. If you were hoping for the detailed maps of Curse of Strahd, Storm King's Thunder, and Tomb of Annihilation, you're out of luck, because these maps follow the style of the simplified maps from Dragon Heist. But, each map contains "empty" connecting corridors that allow creative and enterprising DMs to add their own home-brewed additions to Halaster's madhouse.

Most floors in the Undermountain have their own unique challenges, themes, gimmicks, and characters, with some even being a throwback to to older published content. That's an accomplishment, but what really struck me were just how fun a lot of these floor concepts were. Here are some examples: 

• A Wipeout-style obstacle course including live commentary
• A network of tunnels with a 1/12th scale-model of a castle at its center that you can explore Honey I Shrunk the Kids style.
•  A wizard academy mired in intrigue, as if everyone was a Slytherin.
• ... and so much more!

The wide variety in dungeon types keeps the players from feeling like they're spinning their wheels. What's the goal? Get to the next floor, and eventually to the bottom. How are we going to do that? Figure it out on each floor, because sometimes there's no clear path to the exit, but when you get there, the level will definitely not be the same as when you arrived.

Every level's chapter ends with an "Aftermath" that accounts for the actions the players take on each level in regards to the quests and subplots introduced on each. Characters have the opportunity to change the Undermountain as they work through it, but without DM's worrying about the continuity of a complex overarching plot, or worry about players losing their way in an amorphous blob with no clear objective. It's kind of like Curse of Strahd in a way: you know where the Big Bad is; the adventure is getting there to punch his nose in.

Sounds pretty great so far right? But is it all unicorns and rainbows? Not exactly.

Don's Dirty Laundry

Unfortunately each chapter's layout leaves much to be desired, following the dungeon layouts of previous modules for each level. Navigating back and forth through the chapter to read a numbered blurb about a room makes it cumbersome to account for a level's exact population. What I would have liked to see is maybe a smaller form of the pre-dungeon text box from Storm King's Thunder that lists off the exact number of creatures in a room at a glance. I can't help but feel like it was a missed opportunity to improve on the layout that Wizards has been using for years. Or, you know, you could use DNDbeyond.

Talking about missed opportunity, I feel like Wizards of the Coast missed a good opportunity to include some interesting magic items in the Mad Mage's dungeon from a variety of different realms. The monster variety is superb, pitting players monstrosities from all walks of life (and un-life), but it seems that monster representation Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes or Volo's Guide to Monsters is conspicuously missing, and a few floors could be greatly enhanced with the inclusion of some critters from Mordenkainen's menagerie.

Conclusions

Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage is like a nice sandwich in a lot of ways. It's a straightforward adventure module with a clear purpose that's easy but together and understand. But in its simplicity you can find complex flavors and ingredients layered on top of each other that you can remove, exchange, and improve at your leisure. There's a lot to consume here, like Wizards of the Coast said: maybe like 8 months of content. But I can't find much to complain about here. It's refreshing to have an adventure with oodles of depth (no pun intended) instead of a massive adventure with the depth of a wading pool. What was that saying? "Wide as an ocean, deep as a puddle." If that's the case, the Undermountain is like the gods damned Mariana Trench: the deeper you go, the weirder it gets.

Performance Check: Dragon Heist #3

Why?

As a rule, I am obligated to remind all prospective readers that this series will contain SPOILERS for any pre-written modules discussed within, in this case Dragon Heist. The subject of each post will be disclosed in the title as a forewarning to those who deign to gaze upon these texts.

Why am I running a segment focusing on the same exact module as a similarly titled forerunner on the same blog? Well I'll tell you. Performance Check is meant to be a journal of my own current Dungeon Mastering endeavors. I decided to begin this as a project to preserve the stories of my players and serve as a lens to inspect my own Dungeon Mastering: where I can improve, what changes I've made to a module for a better experience, or how I've opted to jumble around the preexisting resources given to us by the fine artificers at Wizards of the Coast.

"A house is made of bricks and beams. A home is made of hopes and dreams."

- Some Waterdhavian Bard, probably.

Today's adventure begins the same night the previous one ended. The party reclines in the Yawning Portal with a hearty plate of food and a few glasses of strong liquor. Gelman still has an arrow sticking out of his shoulder and is a little delirious, while Rackman and Volo hash out the terms of their payment. Of course, Volo doesn't have the 100 gold per person he promised the party today (or rather forever), but he promises to come the next day with their "reward". When Volo leaves the tavern, everyone is finally able to recline and take a breath, and the consequences of their actions hit them all at once. Renaer and Floon were saved, but at what cost? The party is bruised and beaten, and Craven is most likely dead. Gelman and Rackman order another round of drinks to toast to the fallen, while Xaedas eats every pastry currently in the tavern, and Nuala says a prayer. Raucous shouts and cheers help lighten the mood a little and rattle the windows of the bar as another group of adventurers descends to their most certain doom in the Undermountain.

Suddenly, the door flies open, revealing a muscled dwarf in plate armor, a massive beard, two war hammers, and a massive, grotesque scar across his face. He began to approach the table, only to be pushed aside by Craven, who had come into possession of a tall chef's hat and sauce-stained apron. Craven takes a seat, orders a drink, and recounts his tale of guile and trickery that led to his escape. (see: Craven's Bizarre Adventure) What began as a night of mourning and recovery, became a celebration for a job well done and a fat sack of gold.

Oh how wrong they were.

Shuffling out of bed the following morning, everyone had the joy of both fighting a hangover, fighting back tears over the emptiness of their wallets, and fighting the urge to punch Volo when he revealed that the royalties for Volo's Guide to Monsters hadn't come through. Therefore, he didn't have the 600 gold to pay the party with. However, he had something that could potentially be better: the deed to a tavern in the North Ward. Not just any tavern. A historical tavern known as Trollskull Manor.

With such a name, one would think that the Manor was a luxurious property. Maybe it had a history of famous clientele? Perhaps it was a clandestine meeting place for secret societies and cults? Well you wouldn't know that from looking at it's dilapidated facade. Or by looking at it's boarded up windows void of glass, or it's small yard guarded by the skeletons of what used to be trees and carpeted in a tangle of weeds. This would be the party's new home, and seeing a golden cow, ready to be milked, the party accepted the property, with the dream of making it one of the best taverns in the North Ward - possibly all of Waterdeep.

The next few days were spent cleaning up the premises, pulling all the weeds, sweeping up the dust, throwing out the garbage, making friends with the ghostly bartender that haunts the tap room - the usual. Craven went out of his way to call some work friends and set up a meeting with some shady investors, while Gelman, Rackman, and Xaedas went to get some new trees and get the garbage man to collect their junk. On their way back, they met with a local enterprising chef running a business near the North Gate, and asked him to consider catering their Grand Opening.

However, not all was as it seemed. During a lull in the work day, Gelman snuck off to the Yawning Portal to meet with his Lords' Alliance handler, who tasked him to keep the peace, and protect members of the Dungsweepers' Guild from the escalating violence of gang warfare. Meanwhile, Craven met with a mysterious bard who claimed to be from the Black Network. Mutually interested in the opportunities presented by the other, Craven agreed to work with them to track down a mysterious serial killer in the Dock Ward who had been decapitating elves, his most recent being a half-elven sailor.

Craven brought this knowledge back to the party, not informing them about who had tipped him off about the case. Seeking more money to begin the restoration of the Trollskull Manor, and with a sense of general righteousness, the party unanimously accepted the job. The party staked out the Dock Ward for 3 days and nights, searching for information about the mysterious killer, such as his preference for elves and half-elves, foreigners, and finally, lone targets. On the third night, everyone was exhausted. Rackman, who had been in disguise as a feeble Elven man, collapsed near the dock in frustration, while Xaedas, Gelman, and Craven lounged in the bar, looking for potential targets. Nuala was the only one truly vigilant at this point, and noticed a half-elvish man stumble out of the bar, obviously drunk out of his mind.

Tailing the man into a nearby alley with an outhouse, Nuala realized that this man was the perfect target. Half-Elven, foreign by way of a merchant vessel, and alone. Just as she realized this, she saw the glint of a blade in the dark behind the outhouse. Leaping into action, she parried the blade and met face-to-face with the murderous assailant: a scarred Drow. Trading blows, the Drow blocked and parried Nuala's strikes and retaliated with one of his own. Drawing a pistol from his belt, he shot Nuala, the thundering shot echoing up the street, perking the ear of Gelman and Rackman, and sending the drunken elf running. Nuala was quickly brought down by a few quick strikes from the Drow's scimitar when she tried to chase after him. Rackman stepped into the alley, to block the Drow's pursuit path.

But it was no use.

The Drow dropped his sword, and produced a grappling hook. With a hefty throw, he stuck it to the corner of the building's roof, and swung around the corner, over Rackman's head. Airborne, the Drow took aim at the escaping sailor with his pistol, Just as Craven and Xaedas stepped into view. With a wrathful Bang, the bullet hit the sailor in the back, punching a bloody hole straight through the man's chest. With a last gasp, the man dropped to the cobblestones, dead.

ChangeLog

Drow Gunslinger

If you've read the only entry in my "Player Perspective" series in which I recount my own personal experience with this encounter, you would know that my issues lie with how the Gunslinger isn't given a good combat area to be introduced in. The old saying is that "a good DM can make a bad game great, and a bad DM can make a great game awful". Such is the case with the Gunslinger. It would have been too easy to make the combat area of "a back alley" a simple, empty alleyway. Now, I know that fire escapes probably don't exist in Waterdeep unless I say they do (which could prove to be an interesting idea for future encounters). But you know what has existed for the entirety of using things for shelter? Roofs. By giving the Drow Gunslinger some extra mobility (specifically in regards to creating distance and maneuvering around obstacles), I made him more of a threat. Hard to pin down, he can use his most noteworthy feature: a gun, to the best of his abilities, making him a real threat to the players, and a treat to fight. Just don't forget that he has super useful racial spells like Faerie Fire and Darkness.

Notes:

Craven's Bizarre Adventure

Having hopped through the portal in the sewers, Craven snooped and peered around his immediate surroundings. Being sandwiched between two sources of noise, Craven went the only way he could: down. In the nether levels of this complex, Craven was lucky enough to stumble across a disheveled and exhausted Halfling chef, who was so excited that he might even receive a brief moment's respite, that he left his chef's uniform with Craven, assuming he was here to take over the kitchen work. This coincidence was, in fact, the greatest boon Craven could have received. So fortuitous it was that it seemed like a blessing given to Craven by the gods themselves. Donning the hat and apron, Craven used this freedom granted to him to explore the hideout, albeit blindly. 

He stumbled into the break room, coming across one of the Xanathar's Lieutenants enjoying a smoke while watching the raucous party turning the room into a disaster zone. Meeting eyes with the Lieutenant, Craven puts on a show for the hungry bandits as the new chef: Craveoni Teufoli. His performance goes well, assuming the role of an exotic cook with an exotic meal to be prepared. Continuing to explore, Craven convinces a few Kobold servants to take him to the one man who can permit his exit, the Xanathar's Majordomo: the Dwarven warrior Ahmergo. Here, Craven came the closest to death. Nothing goes through the Xanathar's Guild that Ahmergo doesn't know about. Nobody comes in or out without Ahmergo knnowing, and yet, here was Craven, who had never been seen nor heard of before today. Suddenly, Craven and Ahmergo engaged in a conversational battle, Craven desperately trying to keep up the ruse, while Ahmergo tried to shatter it. Ultimately, Craven resulted to the ultimate debaters tactic, a hail-Mary:

"Come on, it's me. You can trust me."

Ahmergo let him go, even showing him an exit that would take him to Waterdeep's sewers. Craven escaped without a scratch, quickly returned above ground, and hopped on a Dray (Waterdeep's public transit) and returned to the Yawning Portal for a heavy drink.

Performance Check: Dragon Heist #2

Why?

As a rule, I am obligated to remind all prospective readers that this series will contain SPOILERS for any pre-written modules discussed within, in this case Dragon Heist. The subject of each post will be disclosed in the title as a forewarning to those who deign to gaze upon these texts.

Why am I running a segment focusing on the same exact module as a similarly titled forerunner on the same blog? Well I'll tell you. Performance Check is meant to be a journal of my own current Dungeon Mastering endeavors. I decided to begin this as a project to preserve the stories of my players and serve as a lens to inspect my own Dungeon Mastering: where I can improve, what changes I've made to a module for a better experience, or how I've opted to jumble around the preexisting resources given to us by the fine artificers at Wizards of the Coast.

Knee-deep in Dung(eons & Dragons)

After returning to the Yawning Portal and astounding one Volothamp Geddarm with their new acquaintance - the noble son Renaer of infamous former Open Lord Dagult Neverember - the party swiftly jumped into their bunks for a night of vigorous inactivity. Of course our noble adventurers required a few hours of beauty sleep while an innocent man languished in some dank sewer dungeon, but after a good cup of coffee, a large breakfast, and no less than 10 hours of peaceful rest, the party set out on the hunt once more. Out of a sense of obligation and guilt, Renaer offered his services and dueling skill to the group in order to find his kidnapped friend.

Leaving the tavern, Rackman's partner Amon (Drow Rogue) arrived, and the party decided to head back to the warehouse on Candle Lane to question the residents of the slum and look for clues. Nuala and Craven chose to question witnesses, while Rackman, Gelman, and Renaer decided to snoop around for clues. With a bit of his silver tongue (and a lot of his reputation) Renaer was able to convince the guard to let him and Gelman search the premises while Rackman prowled around the back.

Meanwhile, Nuala and Craven (now disguised under the name Cravoni Teufoni) questioned a local street sweeper (not associated with the Dungsweepers' Guild) about recent events. Craven was able to learn from this rather rough-but-friendly man that naught but 2 days ago did he witness the massacre in the warehouse that led to the death of no less than 7 men, and the kidnapping of Floon, described as "the schmuck in the fancy britches". This man, Antonio Figerolli, had witnessed Floon, with a bag over his head, being beaten and dragged up the street into a nearby alley.

Directed up the street by Craven, Gelman and Rackman prowled the streets. Rackman, recalling that the Xanathar's Guild often times used the sewers for traversing the city, found a manhole cover underneath a pile of nearby trash. Acting on his well-developed investigator's hunch, he flipped the steel plate over, revealing a painted yellow eye. "Follow the Yellow Signs" indeed. Craven paid the helpful street sweeper a hefty 3 tendays' work, and the party descended into the rancid sewer system of Waterdeep in search of the missing Floon.

After a long (and crappy) hour of walking through ankle-deep wastewater, the more nocturnally-inclined members of the party noticed a peculiar sight. A strange, twitching, floating green eye monster with 4 eye stalks, not much bigger than a child's kickball, staring directly at them. Before they could spring into action, the Gazer flew back the way it came, surely going to warn its master of the party's intrusion. Giving chase, the party made a ruckus, splashing water along every inch of the tunnel as they sprinted after the monster, the spish-spash-spish-spash of their boots echoing through the sewer tunnels. Amon, in the lead, sprinted into a circular chamber and was immediately brought down by an ambushing shot from an arrow slit carved into the wall. The party was sandwiched between two archers - watchmen(?) - for the Xanathar's Guild.

Combat ensued, but the narrow tunnels and their numbers turned what would have been a strength, into a deadly weakness. Clumped together and unable to move, the goblin watchmen were able to fire multiple shots into the crowd, downing Gelman as well. As Rackman, Xaedas, and Nuala struggled to fight their foes from their disadvantageous position, things began to look bad. Smartly, Rackman channeled the divine power of his god and reaped the soul of one of the watchmen. With the other watchman attempting to get away, and in a position no one could see or reach, Craven called out to him and passed his judgment: "Assaulting a citizen: imprisonment up to a tenday, flogging, and damages up to 1,000 gold!" and cast Dissonant Whispers. Fortunately this threat of retribution stopped the goblin in its tracks. Unfortunately, it stopped the goblin in its tracks by killing him.

After the wounded were dealt with, Rackman smashed open the arrow slit, turning it into a narrow window, and everyone climbed in. They began to explore the complex, finding a humble outpost of sorts. In the next room, they ambushed the two goons by breaking the door down. One of these thugs was knocked out, while the other one was (unintentionally) mocked to death by Craven's vicious words. Hearing screams echoing from up the hallway, Renaer sprung into action, rushing ahead of the group to rescue his friend.

The party encountered a disgusting scene. Floon was bloody and beaten, forced to kneel in the center of a poor-man's throne room as an Orcish figure beat him furiously, and burned his flesh with a small mote of fire. Sitting upon the throne was a tentacle-bearded creature with a black mask. As the party funneled in one by one, combat erupted once more, and the Gazer from the tunnel descended from the ceiling like a macabre disco ball. This fight was swift, and could have been brutal, had the Mind Flayer with the mask had not chosen to float away to a different room, leaving only his arcane minions behind (along with an Intellect Devourer). Fortunately, the party finished off the vile orc with only minor injuries, and Craven gave chase after the Mind Flayer, finding an adjoined room with a pulsating, opaque, black portal. Without hesitation he jumped in in pursuit.

Meanwhile, the rest of the party took care of a delusional, dehydrated, and very hungry and wounded Floon. They discovered a secret passageway out of the hideout, and Rackman took his battering ram to the exit, utterly demolishing the basement bookshelf of a halfling family. Luckily, the halfling familiy, surname Peabody, was surprisingly understanding about the destruction of their property, and the fact that the Xanathar's Guild had tunneled into their basement from their hideout, and directed the party to the nearest temple to treat Floon's wounds. After stopping by the Yawning Portal, Renaer bid them a farewell so he could take Floon to be healed by a cleric. But it was only then that the group realized:

Craven was gone.

ChangeLog

Gazer

What I've noticed, having run Storm King's Thunder previously, was that the combat encounters in adventure modules tend to be poorly balanced, trending towards being too easy. The module asks that a lone gazer be encountered in the sewer tunnel leading to the Xanathar's Guild hideout. I opted to have this Gazer flee and "attempt" to warn the hideout's caretaker, and also give a bit of a power boost to the final encounter of the dungeon. In addition, the fleeing Gazer was meant to get the party to act recklessly in order to awaken the goblin watchmen, who, in the module, are asleep at their posts when the party enters the area they're meant to watch over.

Performance Check: Dragon Heist #1

Why?

As a rule, I am obligated to remind all prospective readers that this series will contain SPOILERS for any pre-written modules discussed within, in this case Dragon Heist. The subject of each post will be disclosed in the title as a forewarning to those who deign to gaze upon these texts.

Why am I running a segment focusing on the same exact module as a similarly titled forerunner on the same blog? Well I'll tell you. Performance Check is meant to be a journal of my own current Dungeon Mastering endeavors. I decided to begin this as a project to preserve the stories of my players and serve as a lens to inspect my own Dungeon Mastering: where I can improve, what changes I've made to a module for a better experience, or how I've opted to jumble around the preexisting resources given to us by the fine artificers at Wizards of the Coast.

A Hive of scum... maybe a little villainy.

Our adventure begins, like so many other adventures do, in a Tavern. The famous Yawning Portal, in fact. Known to be a longstanding institution of the Forgotten Realms setting, the Yawning Portal shares its name with the eponymous module of short adventures/dungeons published last year, Tales from the Yawning Portal. 

Sitting at a dingy table not far from the bar were our adventurers: Amos "Rackman" Rackman, a Firbolg Trickery Cleric and Private Investigator, Gelman Xanthem, a Human Rogue and Secret Agent type (inspired by Section 31 from Star Trek), Nuala, a Tiefling Monk, Xaedas, a Wood Elf Ranger, Gimble the Gnomish Raven Queen Warlock, and Craven Teufel, Tiefling Bard and Lawyer. The 6 of them were drinking merrily and conversing about the most recent news when a bar fight erupted between another patron and a gang of gang members. The tavern enjoyed some free and bloody entertainment until a troll crawled its way out of the famous yawning portal of the Yawning Portal. It didn't make it too far until Rackman and Nuala sprung into action and shoved the thing back into the abyssal maw of the well to its inevitably short-lived death (trolls regenerate, everyone knows this). After popping the vampiric stirges that rode upon the troll's flesh like balloons, the party was met by the all-too-famous Volothamp Geddarm.

After being introduced to Volo, he quickly requests that the players investigate the disappearance of his friend Floon Blagmaar. Confident in their abilities now that he's seen them take care of a troll, he gives them an advance of 10 gold pieces each, with another 100 gold pieces to come after Floon is found. He lets the party go with one final gift: a lead, stating that he and Floon had been last together at a shady Dock Ward tavern called the Skewered Dragon, and that's the last he saw of him.

With haste, the party uses Rackman's intimate knowledge of "the streets" to dodge traffic and get to the Dock Ward, but are waylaid when Xaedas is enticed by a mysteriously alluring lavender smoke emanating from a persuasively purple trinkets shop.

The Xoblob Shop, owned and operated by the one and only Xoblob is a trinkets shop that can be placed anywhere in Waterdeep, but is one of the sources of information the party can use to learn about Floon's fate. After some bartering, Rackman sells his purple shield for a slice of sweet intel. A man matching Floon's description, and another were jumped by 5 members of the Zhentarim organization. Seeking more answers, the party is directed to the Skewered Dragon for more. With a well-placed ear and a few well-placed drinks, the party learns from a local drunk that Floon and his non-Volo friend were indeed there, and he saw them get pursued by 5 Zhentarim fellas on their way out. With an additional persuasion gold piece, the party learns that the Zhentarim keep a warehouse on the ironically dark and shady Candle Lane.

Gelman uses his knowledge of Thieves' Cant to identify a sign on the side of a nondescript building to mean "Dropoff", easily finding the Zhent warehouse. With an ear to the door, Nuala and Rackman hear some noises on the other end, and without hesitation, Rackman smashes the door down with his battering ram. The party surprises 4 scavenging Kenku amidst the bodies of 5 Zhentarim and a few of the Xanathar's Guild, and proceeds to breach the room action hero style. Amidst the dust and screaming, Craven beseeches the party to kill no one, or else violate the "Murder" clauses of the Code Legal. Everything goes according to plan, knocking out the first Kenku, but Gimble and Xaedas slide through the door with purpose and shoot 2 of the Kenku dead. The last one is knocked off a high crate with a well placed punch to the jaw, knocking him unconscious.

 At the end of the fight, the body count is 2 Kenku dead, 2 unconscious. As the party proceeds to do what adventurers do and loot the room, Gelman discovers a locked closet under the stairs. He proceeds to "adventure" through the lock on the door. Craven takes the lead to loot the closet, but the only loot he gets is a right cross from a shadowy man hidden in the shadows. This man is Renaer Neverember, the other victim in the kidnapping and Floon's friend. After a verbal apology and repayment in the form of using his reputation to slip the party past the guards, the party decides to retire to the Yawning portal after a long day of detective work. Before heading their separate ways, Renaer informs the party that he heard something through a hole in the wall, perhaps leading them to their next destination: "Follow the yellow signs".

ChangeLog:

Yawning Portal

It is recommended by the module to suggest that the players are some form of already-established group of adventurers, and also individually know at least one of the Yawning Portal's regulars. The latter portion of which I opted to omit from the players, given that, outside of the introduction, these NPCs play little to no role in the adventure, and feel more like a shoehorned "investment factor" for each character.

I prefer a fleshed out backstory for each character that I can pull NPCs from. In the past I've noticed this to be effective possibly due to the fact that people are generally invested in the things that they create. By having the players create their NPCs, I automatically create an emotional and narrative association between the player, the player character, and their backstory NPC, given that they had to spend extra time and a bit of their own creative energy to make it real.

Xoblob Shop

The Xoblob Shop is an interesting encounter/location in this adventure due to the fact that it's only truly relevant during the hunt for Floon. However, it's worth noting that the Xoblob Shop is actually a front for the Xanathar's Guild and the stuffed beholder described in the shop's text block is actually a Scrying Sensor for the beholder leader of the guild. It's strange then that the store doesn't play a bigger role in the story by nature of being a simple Trinket and Junk shop, and it may be recommended that future narrative-centric encounters take place around the shop, turning it into a landmark rather than a one-off encounter.

Idea: Perhaps the Zhentarim attack this particular shop as retaliation towards the Xanathar's Guild, but since nobody knows it's Xanathar-affiliated, it looks like a random act of violence? 

Notes

Volo

I see Volothamp Geddarm as an interestingly compelling plot hook for almost any adventure set in or out of the Forgotten Realms. For players relatively new to the character, he is an eccentric man of striking appearance and demeanor, and players might already have been introduced to him as early as character creation, as he shares a name with the race/monster expansion book Volo's Guide to Monsters, being the author/narrator for said book. New players will (hopefully) be naive to the author's antics, while veterans will surely be well aware of the man's infamous habit of being close to trouble. For any new player, Volo is "an interesting NPC with quest hooks", while for veterans, his presence is a clear "Hey! Follow this man for adventure!"