I’ve begun running Hoard of the Dragon Queen again for another group in our Wednesday D&D Encounters sessions. My original idea was to just run the first section before Princes of the Apocalypse came out and then start that, but we’ve been enjoying Hoard so much we’ve just kept going. We finished chapter 5 today, so we’re actually progressing quickly towards the end of the … Continue reading Hoard of the Dragon Queen – again!
Outside Baldur’s Gate. The Sword Coast. 1489 DR. The adventurers had stopped off in Baldur’s Gate, where they had paid the priests of the Lady’s Hall money to raise Ice, the halfling sorceress having been slain in their last battle against the Cult. Now they were on the Trade Way, heading north back towards Waterdeep. However, the Cult of the Dragon had not finished with … Continue reading The Rise of Tiamat – Session 11
Xonthal’s Tower, Mount Hlim. 1489 DR. Beneath the tower, the adventurers were soon attacked by a number of elementals – earth and fire elementals – which attacked as soon as they came into the chamber. Music and Mordechai, both tieflings, scorned the scorching touch of the fire elementals, with the doughty eldritch knight engaging all three of the elementals and swinging about lustily. When naught … Continue reading The Rise of Tiamat – Session 10
Storywise, this chapter is all about giving information to the players: letting them know about the cloud giant’s castle, giving them the pass phrase to sneak aboard, and giving them background on what the cult is up to. Continue reading Running Hoard of the Dragon Queen – episode 7
Xonthal’s Tower, Mount Hlim. The adventurers could see the tower, but they were getting no closer to it, having been returning to the glade where a sundial with three shadows stood again and again and again. They headed off once more, taking a path they’d taken before, no closer to finding the solution. This time they ended up in an area of giant mushrooms and … Continue reading The Rise of Tiamat, session 9
Castle Naerytar is a good example of an adventure locale that will challenge DMs and their players. It’s at this point that Hoard moves into the territory where a DM can make or break the adventure. Better be prepared! What’s going on here from a story perspective? The adventurers are continuing their investigations into where the treasure looted from the Sword Coast is being taken. … Continue reading Running Hoard of the Dragon Queen – Episode 6
And the adventurers killed the Green Wyrmspeaker, his great blue dragon having fled and abandoned him. Unfortunately, the Green Dragonmask was not present. His journal revealed that it had been taken to the Well of Dragons… to join the Draakhorn. And that was the 7th session of The Rise of Tiamat. Session 7 was very unusual – I didn’t run it! Due to cancellations on … Continue reading The Rise of Tiamat, sessions 7 & 8
And so, the story ends, as many a D&D campaign ends, with a big fight against a dragon. The great disappointment here is that this is it. Legends of Baldur’s Gate has been a beautifully written and drawn comic, and Jim Zub makes sure Minsc manages to get some of his best known and iconic lines in this issue. The action is drawn clearly by … Continue reading Comic Review: Legends of Baldur’s Gate #5
The fifth episode of Hoard of the Dragon Queen is the closest the adventure gets to an investigation scenario. The mystery – What has happened to the treasure? – is not especially challenging, but it can provide a nice break from the long road trip that has just concluded. But first, Waterdeep! Waterdeep, City of Splendours Hoard of the Dragon Queen doesn’t give all that … Continue reading Running Hoard of the Dragon Queen – Episode 5
Waterdeep. The City of Splendour. The adventurers had returned safely to the city, and delivered Varram the White to the interrogators of the Lords Alliance. They soon stood before the Council of Waterdeep to report on their progress. To their surprise, the council was now led by Lady Laeral Silverhand, who had replaced Lord Neverember as the Open Lord of Waterdeep and head of the … Continue reading The Rise of Tiamat, session 6
