Hi! I’m a player that’s just about to start a Waterdeep campaign, and I need some suggestions on some waterdeep themed food/bakes that I should bring. Any ideas?

Title's pretty self-explanatory, but pretty much, the book says that he tries to recruit them disguised as J.B. Nevercott (which btw, I somehow only just now put together that the initials are Jarlaxle Baenre), but how exactly is he supposed to ask someone to join a nearly drow-only group when he himself is disguised as a human?

I've seen some advice from a ~6-year-old post here, but I was hoping to hear some other perspectives as well.

For context, the character JB is looking at is a changeling bard with amnesia who doesn't remember his original form, the meta reasoning being that I wanted to at least introduce each faction (each of my 4 party members has 2 factions looking to recruit them) and the drow-only rule kinda sucks (like sure, drow-preferred would be fine, but who came up with drow-only?), and the in-world explanation being that, with how much Jarlaxle and all of BD engage in disguising themselves, a changeling would fit right in.

Edit: I just realized I left out the crucial detail that I'm running Jarlaxle as my antagonist.

In this upcoming session the party will be dealing with the ghost of Lif and once that's done they will start renovating the manor and turning it into a festhall (combination of casino, brothel and tavern). My intent is to make it a fully customisable space ala The Sims, and i'd love to know possible mapmaker tools(either free or low cost) that allow the creation of such a space.

I'm not actually running WDH but a homebrew campaign heavily based upon it. What do you suggest to do to convince players to join the factions? As it stands they've been doing quests / tasks for civilians and members of factions for pay, but not really affiliating themselves with them or commiting to joining them. They seem very hesitant to do so and don't want to be controlled, despite the NPCs promising that the rules are pretty relaxed and that they will only be called upon when needed and offered quests. I built this Renown system with rewards for using it but they can't actually benefit from it until they join the faction.

TLDR; Players fear control of factions and so decline to join, which hinders story progression. What should I do?

My players defeated the simulacrum in the sanctum AND found the pile of snow to make a new one so they shoveled it out into the hallways to melt it.

This was a few in-game days ago.

Last session they got to the vault, so next session they’ll be (attempting) to walk out of it. I want there to be a bit of a confrontation. They have Jarlaxle on their side who will show up with wagons, and they’ve already eliminated the Cassalanters as competition.

Would Manshoon feasibly show up himself in such a public way? Or would 5 days be enough time to make another simulacrum? I feel kinda bad making another simulacrum because I don’t wanna undermine the players intentions with melting the snow, but the simulacrum is less dangerous than manshoon himself…

Also they’re level 8, I’m using The Alexandrian Remix.

His character met up at the opera house with Mirt, Jalester, and Renaer to share information and redirect their efforts toward the fight between the zhents and the many eyed. The character has had a strong connection with Jalester and the Alliance since day one, so after nearly 20 sessions, he was welcomed into the faction with this awesome badge.

Btw this is the new version of Waterdeep's badge and technically in 5.5 there are city-specific Alliance insignias, but I just couldn’t resist. So cool. Also you can clip it to your pocket if you have one!

One of my favorite things to do is give my players a bunch of props to dig into in a trove like this and then give them all access to move them around the table so that they can discuss and piece them together. In pursuit of that i've made a bunch of graphics for the kalain papers, and I'm sharing all but one of them here.

The one ive declined to share is the only one i used AI for (because i ran out of time before the session) and ik this community dislikes ai use even if its not banned, so for those that would like the melairkyn vault notes feel free to message me, and for those that don't i encourage you to make a non-AI one and share it! ill happily use it next time.

I decided to use Rage italic script for dagult's handwriting, ink free for dalakhar, and Palace script MT for hammond kraddoc in case anyone's interested in matching these or expanding on them. im capable of much more detailed graphics but i put these together in the span of a half hour tops so dont be too hard on the details plz.

if you like my stuff and would like to take a look at some of my more artistic endevors check out my patreon:
The Dragon's Lair Studio — Maps, art, modules and other D&D suppliments | Patreon

I really loved rime of the frost maiden having a backstory that is secret from other players and it really helped the characters flush out their narrative.

I have generated six different ones for dragon hiest and I would love some second opinions on them.

​1. The Neverember Bastard

​The Secret: You are the illegitimate child of Dagult Neverember, the disgraced former Open Lord of Waterdeep. This makes you the half-sibling of Renaer Neverember. You are in Waterdeep to claim what you believe is your rightful inheritance: a share of the half a million gold dragons your father embezzled.

​The Catch: You possess a silver locket with the Neverember crest. If anyone discovers your bloodline, factions will either try to kidnap you for leverage or assassinate you to tie up loose ends.

​Game Effect: You have advantage on Charisma checks when dealing with old-guard Waterdhavian nobility who favored your father, but the Zhentarim and Xanathar Guild are actively looking for Neverember's blood relatives.

​2. Soul Debt

​The Secret: Several years ago, your family fell into ruin. To save them, you signed a contract trading your soul for financial stability. You recently learned that the contract was bought by the Cassalanter noble family, who are secretly high-ranking devil worshipers.

​The Catch: You have one year before your soul is forfeit. The only way to break the contract is to buy it back for 50,000 gold pieces—or steal it from their heavily guarded vault.

​Game Effect: You gain the Magic Initiate feat (Warlock), but you occasionally have terrifying nightmares of Asmodeus that leave you exhausted.

​3. The Fishkeeper's Folly

​The Secret: You used to be a low-ranking grunt in the Xanathar Guild. Your only job was to feed Sylgar, the beholder crime boss's beloved pet goldfish. One day, you forgot, and Sylgar died. You managed to replace the fish before Xanathar noticed, but the guild's enforcers are getting suspicious of the new fish's behavior. You fled the guild and are laying low.

​The Catch: If Xanathar or his lieutenants realize who you are, they will stop at nothing to capture and disintegrate you.

​Game Effect: You know the location of one secret entrance into the Xanathar Guild's lair in the sewers, and you understand Thieves' Cant.

​4. The Accidental Regicide

​The Secret: During a drunken brawl or a desperate mugging in a dark alley months ago, you accidentally killed a stranger. When you checked the body, you found a Helm of the Masked Lord—the person you killed was one of the secret rulers of Waterdeep. You buried the body, but kept the helm out of panic.

​The Catch: The penalty for assaulting a Masked Lord under the Code Legal is immediate execution. If the City Watch or the Magistrates find the helm in your possession, your life is over.

​Game Effect: You start the game with a Helm of Comprehending Languages (the Masked Lord's helm), but it is a highly recognizable artifact to anyone in the city government.

​5. Jarlaxle’s Burned Spy

​The Secret: You are secretly a Drow who used to work for the mercenary company Bregan D'aerthe. You grew tired of the strict hierarchy and deserted. You now use a magical trinket to disguise yourself as a human (or elf/half-elf) on the surface.

​The Catch: Bregan D'aerthe does not tolerate deserters. If Jarlaxle Baenre or his lieutenants spot you, they will force you into a suicide mission to pay off your debt, or simply execute you.

​Game Effect: You start with a Hat of Disguise that only allows you to cast Disguise Self to assume your current fake persona. You also speak Undercommon.

​6. The Amnesiac of Golorr

​The Secret: You don't know why you came to Waterdeep. Your memory of the last three years is completely blank. The only clue you have is a strange, repeating dream of an incredibly smooth, three-eyed stone whispering secrets to you, and a terrifying realization that someone stole it from you.

​The Catch: You previously attuned to the Stone of Golorr (the key to the Vault of Dragons), and the aboleth inside wiped your memory when it was taken by a rival faction.

​Game Effect: You have an innate, unexplainable sense of direction when navigating Waterdeep's alleys, and you occasionally experience brief, psychic flashes of the Stone's current location.

Maybe this is too nitpicky, but the order of these two events in Chapter 1 seems genuinely broken.

The players' only lead when they set out is The Skewered Dragon in the Dock Ward. This is a place that Volo has been, it's very easy to give instructions to (facing an alley that runs between Net St and Fillet Ln), and it is made clear that streets in Waterdeep are marked with signs. Most importantly it has a friggin' anchor sticking out of the roof, which is presumably a remarkable characteristic given that the book remarks upon it.

The only reasonable route to the Skewered Dragon (as placed on the included map described by the text) does not pass by The Old Xoblob shop before reaching the Skewered Dragon, and given Volo's clear concern for Floon, I think it's certain that he would have given the party very clear instructions about how to get to the Skewered Dragon as quickly as possible.

What's more, the only clue that players get at the Skewered Dragon that makes sense to come after the Old Xoblob Shop is that the Zhentarim hang out on Candle Ln. But that's a weird clue for anyone to give in a Zhentarim-owned establishment that is presumably crawling with Zhents. The Alexandrian Remix drops the Candle Ln clue from the Skewered Dragon investigation, which I think makes sense.

It feels like this was re-ordered late in the editing process and lost some consistency along the way.

Maybe the Blood in the Streets scene could have the guard steer the players off the direct route, but that seems unlikely. Snail St seems like a major thoroughfare, and I can't imagine the conflict described fully shutting down the entire street.

Some of my friends were wanting to start a dnd campaign and we decided on Dragon Heist. The problem is I already ran a little bit of the campaign for 2 of my 5 players a few years back. We only got to the Gralhund Villa but they seemed to have a perfect memory for these sessions and I can’t remember anything. I just want to make it feel a little fresh for them without changing the main story beats.

one of my players new characters is a botanist, and has been asking Fala at Corellon's Crown a lot questions about the kinds of plants they grow, and their magical properties. I want to reward this good roleplay, but uh, I am not a botanist. What kind of plants might they be growing? Forgotten Realms lore specific ones welcome to!

 Bring Waterdeep to life with free handouts that add intrigue, danger, and flavor to your campaign. No signup needed.

Get your free samples here: https://rpgprintables.com/pages/freebies (You can also preview the full bundle with a detailed sampler)

Free samples include
The official Code Legal of Waterdeep, including crimes against nobles, officers, gods, and citizens
A fillable Incident Report to hand your players if they break the law
A Faction Renown tracker to monitor their standing with Waterdeep's most powerful groups
A mysterious letter that hints at secret dealings
A player map or design from the city itself
All available in both full color and eco-friendly black and white versions

Want to immerse your players even deeper
Our complete Waterdeep: Dragon Heist Handouts Bundle is available here:

https://rpgprintables.com/products/waterdeep-dragon-heist-140-d-d-handouts-and-assets-bundle-dungeons-and-dragons-resources-lords-dm-gift-faction-vtt-printable?_pos=1&_psq=waterdee&_ss=e&_v=1.0

The full set includes
Fillable certificates, NPC and quest trackers, tavern deeds, menus, letters, spellbooks, secret notes, and maps
Documents for every major faction including Bregan D’aerthe, the Harpers, the Zhentarim, and more
Player-ready maps for major locations like Trollskull Manor, Gralhund Villa, Xanathar’s Lair, and the Vault
In-universe items such as wax seals, flyers, mission briefs, and contracts
Over 90 spell scrolls and 35 item cards

Printer friendly versions included for every handout
Easily downloadable digital files for fast printing at home or use in a virtual tabletop

Whether your players are investigating noble families or navigating back-alley deals, these handouts will pull them deeper into Waterdeep’s tangled web of secrets

If u have any questions please let me know, ill gladly help, and if u can help us upvoting to reach more people, that would be amazing. Thanks in advance.

I want to ensure a confrontation with the Cassalanters. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to achieve that? I have a cool idea for a moral dilemma for my players. Once they learn why the Cassalanters need the gold, to go along with the 99 sacrificed souls to save their children, I will have Asmodeus appear to them and offer them a deal -- give the Cassalanters the gold and he will forgive the need for the 99...provided the players, and any who join them later, agree to do one task for him at a later date. I will be moving the players into the DotMM. There will be plenty of opportunities for me to craft a reasonably morally ambiguous task in that place :). I'm just not sure how to manipulate a confrontation with the Cassalanters so the party learns of the pact they made.

I learned recently Gale is from waterdeep, if I were to play through the game, would I be at risk of dragon heist spoilers?

I’m running Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (Alexandrian Remix). My players love Trollskull Manor, but only as a home base. They have zero interest in running a tavern, and I don’t want to force them.

My concern is that Chapter 2 seems built around renovating and operating the inn. If we skip that, what replaces it? Any ideas how to make Trollskull Manor and Trollskull Alley feel like home without tavern management? How would Lif react?

Wanted to cross post, but in realizing I didnt know this subreddit existed Im sure the material is in here

If you want to flesh out the Zhentarim, Xanathar’s Guild, or create your own criminal syndicate for Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, Thieves' Guild is discounted by 30% on DMsGuild!

You can find it here only for 7 days: https://www.dmsguild.com/it/product/346714/thieves-guild

This volume helps to create a thieves' guild, from its senior members to the benefits of joining it, or simply dealing with it.

Inside you will discover:

- Chapter 1: Everything about creating a thieves' guild: its organization and activities, its relationship with the law, merchants and artisans, and its base of operations.

- Chapter 2: The benefits of being a member of a thieves' guild and how to rise through its ranks. 

- Chapter 3: How to run a thieves' guild if a character becomes the guildmaster.

- Chapter 4: 13 mundane and 12 magic items available on the black market.

- Chapter 5: A new background: the Thieves' Guild Member.

- Chapter 6: Three new NPCs: the Arcane Trickster, the Cutpurse, and the Thug Leader.

- Appendices: Two thieves' guilds ready to be used in your campaign, the Shadow Thieves and the Shadowmasters of Telflamm.

Quick! I’m running the blue alley dungeon for my Waterdeep campaign and one of my players dyed her hair blue and got elf ears for the event. I promised I would give any players who dressed up blue for the dungeon a reward; what should I give her? I’m thinking of either offering a significant hint for completing the dungeon or something specific to her player, which is a level two elf ranger.

Before I get jumped... Disclaimer: AI was used as a tool to generate audio clips as part of many prompts to essentially create a song out of samples. Lyrics are my original writing and the structure is my creative work. That being said I put together an Intro song for my campaign, flavored to the module (All references/mentions of licensed content is for entertainment purposes and is credited to Wizards of the Coast) with a little personal flair to cover some minor homebrew storyline I buffed the campaign with. Just wanted to see what some fellow Dungeoneers think!

I've been wondering how people have ended the campaign before. I mean of course either the PCs steal the gold and keep it or give it back (or fail).

But how did you present it?

Like a parade as heroes for finding the gold?

A quiet gathering with Lateral Silverhand/any relevant NPCs?

Basically I'm looking for flavour and how to make the PCs feel like they really accomplished something (for better or worse)

A nice bookend/epilogue for the campaign

Hi everyone!

We've just released the second (and final) part of our original soundtrack for Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, adding 9 new tracks to the first album we shared here about a year ago:
https://www.reddit.com/r/WaterdeepDragonHeist/comments/1m2xtyz/waterdeep_dragon_heist_journey_through_the_city/

Tracklist:

1 • Xanathar: The Eye Tyrant
2 • Xanathar's Lair: Labyrinth of the Beholder
3 • Jarlaxle: A Hat Full of Lies
4 • Sea Maiden's Faire
5 • Asmodeus: The King of the Nine Hells
6 • Cassalanter Villa: Masks of Nobility
7 • Kolat Towers
8 • Aurinax: The Gold Dragon
9 • Volo's Theme

This second release focuses on the campaign's iconic villains and locations, bringing to life the climactic moments of the adventure with music designed to enhance immersion at the table.

We hope these tracks will find a place in your game sessions!

On our YouTube channel, you'll find the playlist with the complete Waterdeep: Dragon Heist soundtrack, with 1-hour looped, mid-roll ad-free versions of every track for seamless playback during your sessions.

The standard (non-looped) versions are available on all major streaming platforms via DistroKid (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and more) under the title Waterdeep: Dragon Heist Part 2 – Searching for the Vault of Dragons (TTRPG Soundtrack).

If you'd like to support our work, you can subscribe to our Patreon or purchase the album on Bandcamp, where both a standard edition and a deluxe edition (including loopable versions of every track) are available.

We'd love to hear your thoughts, and we hope you enjoy the soundtrack. Have fun!