I was lucky enough to receive Waterdeep: Dragon Heist for Christmas. Having read it cover to cover and run the first two chapters, I thought I’d writeI was lucky enough to receive Waterdeep: Dragon Heist for Christmas. Having read it cover to cover and run the first two chapters, I thought I’d write a review for it. This will work like all my other reviews, but this time I’ll do something extra: something for Worldbuilder DMs and something for Writers.
Waterdeep (also known as the City of Splendours) is a sprawling urban setting. There is little room for exploring the wilderness or trekking through the mountainside. In this adventure, heroes are faced with cobbled streets, seasonal festivals, business rivals, and Waterdeep’s criminal underbelly. Street smarts and a knowledge of who’s who amongst the city’s inhabitants might serve the heroes better than a warhammer or a fireball (shhh…foreshadowing).
As the DM, you are given a choice of four/five amazing villains that are each tied to a season. This gives the adventure great replayability and malleability.
After the PCs get acquainted with some of the citizens of Waterdeep, they are given a tavern. This not only gives them a steak in what is happening in the wider city, it inadvertently puts them in the crossfire of a gang war.
Soon the heroes will be chasing down the Stone of Golorr – a magical item that knows the location of a gargantuan stack of gold.
Dragon Heist is a what it says on the cover – a gold old heist. Players will have to outwit the denizens of the underworld to either claim the gold for themselves or keep it out of the hands of evil.
Opinion
This is a great adventure! There is enough room for your own creativity (this might be a con to some) plus some truly amazingly written characters. I love Waterdeep. In this offering, we get to see a lot of it and players are encouraged to go out and effect things (for good or ill).
There is so much in this (relatively) slim publication that won’t be used during the adventure. I – in fact – like this. It gives you a lot of material to repurpose for the campaign going forward. Even the villains you don’t use can pop up somewhere else. The villain bases are particularly useful too, as they can feature again once your party are strong enough.
The right amount of humour and darkness makes for a rich experience. There is a lot of good to be found from players, DMs, and writers. Cons
Compared to the other official 5e adventures, Dragon Heist is relatively short. Granted, the scope of the adventure is only from levels 1 to 5, there is a lot of it that is left to the DM’s imagination. As a writer and a worldbuilder, I love this – it gives me room for my own creations and – most importantly – allows me to put up things that my players find entertaining.
But I name this as a con because this might be a challenge for new DMs. This is especially apparent in Chapter 2 where the players are tasked with fixing up a tavern. They can join factions, certainly, but this is a bit of a strain on new players who aren’t accustomed to the lore. I found myself throwing NPCs at my table of newbies to hook them into joining a faction – something that was more of an annoyance than anything else. Again, this is down to the players and your DMing style.
If your players are interested in running the business (as mine were), you won’t find a lot of help in the book. There are expenses tables and guild NPC suggestions, but that’s about it. The rest is up to you. Either the DM or the players will find this tiresome.
I suggest supplementing this chapter with content from the DM’s Guild (there’s a lot of great things there) or running with a character quest or something. I don’t recommend skipping this chapter, because it is here that you should forge a bond between the PCs and Waterdeep. Potentially Offensive Content
Dungeons & Dragons materials are usually free of offensive content. Of course, this can change at the table and depends heavily on the people around it. Be that as it may, because of the nature of most table-top RPGs, descriptions of violence are part of the experience. Pros
It is a breath of fresh air. Dragon Heist is not a dungeon crawl or a wilderness survival encounter. This urban adventure takes place in a single location that players will become familiar with. This will – with some luck – give them a sense of belonging. They might develop relationships with certain NPCs and become invested in their successes or failures.
This investment is what every DM wants from their players. If they care about the world their characters inhabit, they will want to keep coming back.
The villains are fantastically memorable. Regardless of who you pick (you have choice of four or five) as the main BBEG your players will remember their encounters with them.
There are many other great things in this publication – from Xanathar’s fish problem to the amazing art and maps. There really is something for everyone here. For the Worldbuilder
For the worldbuilder, page 163-188 is a godsend. It is a delightfully written description of all things Waterdeep – from festivals to taxes. There are great examples here for building your own quirky, fantasy metropolis. Whether it is for your own campaign or for your sprawling fantasy epic, Volo’s Waterdeep Enchiridion may cover aspects that you haven’t thought of.
Note that this is not a full rundown of the ins and outs of designing a city – not at all. This, instead, is a history that gives texture to a fictional setting. This is the valuable thing about it. You aren’t given a dry, black-and-white table of ‘things in Waterdeep’ (this might be how you design a city, but it isn’t how you present a city).
Therein is the lesson.
The denizens of Waterdeep also add depth to this world. They aren’t merely filler for every citizen fulfils a role (whether for ill or good). This is something that you, as a worldbuilder, should not overlook: don’t forget the people.
Once you start answering questions like ‘why is he here?’, ‘what produce would this stall sell?’, or ‘where do alchemists get their ingredients?’ you start filling in blanks in your world that you didn’t even know existed. Aspects of the world can emerge this way – and so can stories. For example, a dingy corner shop sells rare magical items – how did they acquire these? – they must be fencing for the criminal underground – perhaps the owner is trying to go straight – perhaps he got himself killed now his daughter runs the place – someone is investigating his murder – the city needs a watch or police service – etc. For the Writer
As stated under Pros, Dragon Heist makes players invested in the city of Waterdeep. It does this by familiarising them with the wards of the city, the locals, and the web of intrigue that connects them. The citizens of Waterdeep are humanised: you discover what they want, or fear and you begin to care.
This is what a writer should take away from this: make readers care.
DMing Dragon Heist gives writers an opportunity to ‘test out’ characters. To see what kinds of characters your players care about. Or which villains they love to hate.
D&D – as I see it – is a testing ground for characters. Not so much for stories, because a campaign ought to be a PC’s story, not the DM’s.
The antagonists in Dragon Heist teach us writers another thing: make your villains worth it. You see, your job as the DM is to make your players feel like heroes – and there’s no better way to do that than giving them a horrible bad guy to play off. Heroism doesn’t come from doing ‘good stuff’ for the sake of it; it comes from beating or being better than the villains.
This can carry over to your writing too: your hero can only be as good as your villain is bad....more
I’m late to the review game here folks, but I’d never forget to do a write up on my favorite Campaign Setting for Dungeons and Dragons. Eberron!
If youI’m late to the review game here folks, but I’d never forget to do a write up on my favorite Campaign Setting for Dungeons and Dragons. Eberron!
If you want to get my thoughts right out front, Eberron: Rising from the Last War is great. Coming in at 320 pages it is very meaty, and long on assistance for the Dungeon Master. Has some excellent tidbits for players too. It’s pretty much what I expect to see from an Eberron Campaign setting book. We’ve seen this before in two previous editions of D&D. This setting in particular always does a great job of introducing the world, without getting long winded. You get the perfect bare bones rundown, and are then handed the tools necessary to run with it. That’s the book in a nutshell. If you want to run games in this Campaign Setting, grab this book and you’ll have all the setup you will likely ever need.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t start with a toast to the alternate cover art. It is one of my favorites since they started down this road of providing such a thing. If you have a choice between the standard cover and the alternate it is really a no-brainer here. Vance Kelly knocked it out of the park. A perfect companion to this weird little pulpy, noir, high fantasy, steampunk world. Does everything you need to set the tone. As for the standard cover (pictured above) I’m not a huge fan, simply because it highlights an area of the world setting I never really play around in, personally I preferred the working cover art, which does make an appearance in the book at least.
The first part of the book spends some needed time introducing players to the basics of Eberron. The background of the world, and what to expect about play style. Eberron has always been set almost immediately after a shaky peace has been negotiated between countries that have been at war for a generation. This sets up a very conflicted world that really allows a DM to play around. With this many groups vying to find their place in a newfound world you can go in a myriad of directions. The best thing about how this has always been handled, and continues to be handled, is that there is very little hand holding for the DM. You get the info you need to create, but aren’t told specifically which direction to go with it. We don’t even get to know what caused the major cataclysm that instigated the world to sit up and force a peace! That’s on you to explore. It can make for a somewhat advanced treatment for a DM on where to go, some may need a little more help than that, but I have always appreciated the freedom to stretch my imagination some.
Chapter One kicks off some character creation stuff, and this is where player characters will be spending most of their time. This isn’t a tidbit chunk added to appease folks looking for a few new character options, here we get a solid rundown of the changes you’ll find for races of old, and four whole new races to look at.
Changelings – Descended from doppelgangers these individuals can change appearances with ease. Often choosing a static humanoid form to be their day to day appearance because their natural form typically earns them nothing but mistrust. Changeling Kalashtar – Tough to describe but they are essentially the blending of humans and psychic spirits. Certainly new type of race to play around with. In fact I’m reminded that I’ve never done much with them personally. Maybe that should change. Kalashtar Shifters – Descended from Lychanthropes, can take on bestial characteristics in order to enhance their natural abilities.Shifter Warforged – Metallic constructs given sentience for the purposes of war. Where they fit in during a peace time their race has never encountered is up to the player. One of my personal favorite additions.Warforged
We are also given a new class to play with known as the Artificer. This is a classic Eberron class that approaches magic with a mixture of tech, often giving a steampunk feel to the style. The Artificer can currently advance in their roles as Alchemists, who delve into potions and other mixtures, Artillerists, that essentially bring a magical turret to the battlemat, or Battle Smiths who function almost like a combat medic. Overall the Artificer is very setting appropriate, but certainly a class for players who have a bit of experience under their belt. There seems to be a lot going on with this class and you’ll want to be prepped.
Another great element to the character creation chapter is the addition of Dragonmarks, which have always been a staple of Eberron, namely I like how they are implemented in 5e. In fact this is probably my favorite implementation to date. In 5e, choosing to take on a Dragonmark replaces your chosen racial/subracial traits. It basically pot commits you to the choice. Really forces a PC’s hand to make use of the role-play aspects of their chosen Dragonmarked house. Definitely a go-to for someone wanting to try something a little different that is setting unique.
Chapter Two delves into Khorvaire, the core of the Eberron world. Here we are informed on the major countries, organizations, faiths, etc. of the lands where the bulk of the action seems to take place in Eberron. At the center of this land mass lies the ever elusive, and highly dangerous, Mournland. The Mournland used to be the country of Cyre until a magical cataclysm turned it into a wasteland of horrific monstrosities and magical hazards. This destruction helped force the uneasy peace that keeps the other powers at be in check, no one wants such a thing to happen in their own backyard. Sharn
Chapter Three highlights just one city located on the continent of Khorvaire. What can be so special about the city of Sharn that it gets a chapter all its own? Just to whet your appetite, the city is so massive it must be contained via magic to support it’s growth upwards rather than out. The city of Sharn is aptly referred to as the City of Towers for this reason. If you’re looking for the noir aspects claimed by lovers of this campaign setting here is where you might want to set down some roots. Shadows loom lengthy in a city where those above you get richer as the layers get laid. Mysteries abound around every corner as groups like the Boromar Clan operate like gangsters, or the Tyrants utilize Changelings for information dealing. I’ve personally used Sharn frequently for some excellent adventures. Truly a unique city for tabletop rpgs. The book gives some great detail on districts and organizations. Just enough for you to work with as usual.
Chapter 4 is the Dungeon Master’s toolbox essentially. Lots of great embellishment of villainous groups, and some morally gray ones at that. With the exception of perhaps the Emerald Claw most groups aren’t outright evil, they just find themselves at odds with what many would consider “good” when they start looking out for themselves. You’ll find details of places beyond Khorvaire here, some good maps, travel considerations, and more. Plus, lots and lots of random roll tables to help pad some stuff out. Rounding thing out, we are gifted with a nice little adventure, titled Forgotten Relics, for a DM to either use or peruse in order to get an idea of what an adventure in this setting might look like. Looks to be a one shot that could last two or three sessions.
Chapter 5 focuses on treasure specific to Eberron. Everything here is something you’d find unique to such a world. It isn’t the highlight chapter of the book for me but it is a nice added touch. With over 20 new magic items to dole out it will be easy to nudge one of these items out for the players.
Chapter 6 is a 40 page highlight of some of the NPCs and foes you might run into in this world. I’m always a fan of more baddies to throw at my players, especially ones fresh to a setting so they might not be privy to all the information about the beast. I mean, we need to know what lurks in the Mournland right, or the jungles of Xen’Drik? If the players are foolis…I mean brave enough to try and muck about in such places, I need to be prepared!
My opening remarks stand. Eberron: Rising from the Last War is a gem. One of the best additions to this particular edition’s line of books. If future Campaign Setting source books follow suit we are looking at some great content. It is doubly fun because I could see this book working for the player and the Dungeon Master equally (with a slight edge to the DM, which is to be expected). Quality books or no, the line of large campaign books we’ve seen of late are typically just a DM’s tool with little to offer the players. Here we have some added content that a player character will enjoy. Would have loved to see such a thing for Ravenloft rather than the adventure we received honestly, not that it was a bad adventure just left a lot of opportunity on the table.
I feel like Eberron: Rising from the Last War is a must have....more
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