Running the Sunless Citadel: The Grove Level

While the upper level of The Sunless Citadel presents a typical dungeon-delving experience, the lower level shifts gears into one of horror. The concept of evil plant-creatures is already creepy, and the body horror of the transformation of Sir Braford and Sharwyn is very unsettling. Belak fits the trope of “mad scientist” quite well, and this section has the adventurers discovering his experiments in the … Continue reading Running the Sunless Citadel: The Grove Level

Running the Sunless Citadel – Goblins

The second group of enemies the players face in The Sunless Citadel are the goblins. In Dungeons & Dragons, goblins make up the lowest rung of a group of related humanoids: goblins, hobgoblins and bugbears. Occasionally, we refer to them all as “goblinoids”. It’s quite common when designing adventures to have a hobgoblin or bugbear leading a group of goblins, and that is the case … Continue reading Running the Sunless Citadel – Goblins

Running the Sunless Citadel: Kobolds!

Areas 13-24 of The Sunless Citadel contain the first organised group of monsters the adventurers meet: Kobolds! The kobolds of the edition of D&D when The Sunless Citadel was first published in 2000 were not quite the same as the kobolds of 2017. Both are relatively weak, cowardly creatures, mainly known for their attachment to dragons and their skill at trap-building. However, the current version … Continue reading Running the Sunless Citadel: Kobolds!

Running the Sunless Citadel: First Steps

The Sunless Citadel is the first adventure in the new Dungeons & Dragons book, Tales from the Yawning Portal. This adventure is designed for beginning characters, and is also a very good choice for Dungeon Masters as their first adventure. Here are a few tips for running your first session of the adventure! Character Selection The Sunless Citadel is a dungeon adventure, where much of … Continue reading Running the Sunless Citadel: First Steps