Rats of Waterdeep is an adventure set in Waterdeep for first-level characters. Designed as part of the Guild Adept program by Lysa Chen and Will Doyle, it presents an investigative scenario sent in the poor quarter of Waterdeep, where a strange plague is turning people into rats!

I love that the adventure’s resolution is open-ended. It sets the scene very well – the adventure’s background is one of the best I’ve read – and then allows the characters to discover what is going on. The story can become one of revenge, of betrayal, of disaster, or of love redeemed depending on the choices of the players. Players who enjoy investigations and role-playing are likely to enjoy this one.

The adventure has an attractive map of the important streets, with notes for the DM on what is in each area. The map works very well as a quick reference during play.

The players can find a lot of clues in the first encounter, which can lead them in different directions. Only a few of the clues are hidden away behind ability checks; this allows players to progress even if they roll badly, but rewards those who chose appropriate skills. I think it’s possible to “solve” the mystery very quickly if you take one route, but the interest of the scenario comes from piecing together the clues and working out what is happening.

The main non-player characters are nicely described, with histories and personalities that make the job of DMing them a lot easier. The encounter with the Xanathar feels wrong to me; because, in established lore, the beholder crime-boss is very paranoid and secretive and works through intermediaries. This may have changed in the upcoming Waterdeep books, but I’d be tempted to replace the beholder with just one of his minions.

The adventure is very well-written and beautifully laid out. An effective stylistic choice is the use of boxed text that reads like the voice-overs as part of a noir movie!

Overall, this is a superior adventure. Highly recommended!