The Dungeon Master's Diary: We All Stand Together In Waterdeep (Pom Pom)

The Return To Waterdeep Adventure

Having survived the dangers of the jungles of Chult and the perils of the Tomb of Annihilation, my merry team of adventuring heroes returned home to Waterdeep, expecting a hero's welcome, feasts and merriment. But of course, this was never really ever going to be as expected.

Don't mind Gerald, he's Bi-Polar

I had been wanting to construct a city-based dungeon map (using the D&D Dungeon Tiles Reincarnated City Tiles) for some time and decided to go all out with a mystery adventure in Waterdeep, complete with NPC characters and interactions, voice-overs, clues, puzzles and riddles as well as some dangerously new enemy types which I built custom for this adventure and used the minis off of Hellboy the Board Game. Here's the premise below:

The idea was to get my players interacting with the city as they try to uncover what's causing this miasmic cloud of putridness in the city. And they would have to do it quickly as the longer they took, the "Geiger meter" would start to fill up and start dealing out some serious damage (see environmental hazard below). At the start of the game, they would only have one single at-will power card enabled - the result of their 'weapons' being held in the ship's ironhold. In addition to all the standard actions of move, move/attack in the hero phase, each player also had an additional bonus 'interact' action which would allow that player to interact with objects or NPCs on their tile in order to obtain clues and start to unravel the mystery.

The mystery, in itself, was actually just this: The Lord of Blackwater Manor, Sir Balaster, hasn;t been seen for over a month and his manor is under guard by strange Zentarim-looking guards as well as death knights. Multiple frog spawns are all over the dock-side of Waterdeep and eerie gangly folk in trench coats with bulging yellow eyes are seen skulking the alleyways and shipyards. As the players interact and uncover more clues, they begin to unwind the mystery and everything points directly to Blackwater manor and soon they need to devise a stealthy way into the manor. The rooftop approach offers the quietest way in, if the players are able to bypass the Shrikes which can set off a shrill alarm and alert the guards to your whereabouts. If 2 or more guards are alerted, you would have to abandon that approach and try another route. There was always the sewers which would give you an advantage over stealth but the toxic haze would enable permanent damage to all heroes going that route. They could also just opt for a brute force option and storm the bridge into the manor but then, given their lack of weapons and power cards, would be heading off to a suicide mission against two deadly death knights.

Each route into the manor was riddled with puzzles to solve - like the cattle and carts weight problem to get to the ladder leading up to the roof or the various interactions with the NPC traders and townspeople to get information via puzzles (wordles and connections). I even threw in a bipolar bear named Gerald who was the most reliable source of information but equally dangerous! To get information from Gerald players would need to call either even or odd and roll their D20. On a fail Gerald would attack that player for a heavy 2 HP loss. On a pass, Gerald would dish out some useful info!

Eventually the players made it into the Blackwater mansion where the usual D&D adventure system ruling would apply except they would be dealing with a new category of frog monsters. Also, once in the manor, their weapons and power-cards were restored and players again had an additional 'investigate' bonus action, allowing them to investigate the various rooms within the manor.

The conclusion to this adventure would be a boss-fight against a hideously grotesque Frog Boss Monster in the inner chambers of the manor that had one very nasty attack called 'Swallow' which results in instant death for any player. But, by the time my team of dungeoneers had reached this level, they had accumulated a host of special powers and cards - a result of them solving over 90% of the riddles and puzzles I had thrown at them (note to self: harder puzzles). One such ability was Gerald's pocket watch (see below) - an extremely powerful artifact allowing a player to 'freeze time' for 5 turns. This allowed our sorcerer player to execute his font of magic in a 5-shard array of 'poor-dungeon-mastering-overpowered-shenanigans' which saw the Frog Boss destroyed before it even had a chance to croak. And they weren't even supposed to kill it! All they had to do was sing Paul McCartney's 'We all stand together' frog song to it and it would transform back into Blackwater and then attack the actual villain who was none other than the Mad Mage himself, Halaster Blackcloak.

But, as always, my players found a loophole. I'm starting to feel like Dr Claw from Inspector Gadget or any other villain from that 80s cartoon era who has their best thought out plans inevitabley foiled.

Below are some pics of the board and city layout as well as the new treasure & villain cards as well as the NPC interaction sound clips:

Records of Alfred Chamberlain, Steward in Attendance to Lord Balthazar Blackwater

"Friday, May 24th - East Wing Dining Hall, Blackwater Manor

These records bear an account of Alfred Thaddeus Chamberlain, Steward in Attendance to Lord Balthazar Blackwater.

Let it be known that these may very well be my final words. I have barricaded myself in the dining hall. Outside, in the halls...it comes...summoned under some dark arcane powers. It comes...not for blood and flesh...but to spill the seeds of chaos and madness into the world. A spawn of chaos...born of evil...

But I must relate these matters now, before it's too late. The truth must be heard and known.

It began three fortnights after the Master and his Waterworks team had ventured deep within Waterdeep's underground, investigating old pipe-plans to extend the City's water supply. A mysterious gas leak caused an explosion and a cave-in. The entire waterworks crew perished. Yet, by some great destiny, our Master survived. But he was forever changed. The ordeal had destroyed him, and he isolated himself in his chambers, coming out seldom. Shortly after, a mysterious hooded figure arrived at the Manor and was welcomed by Lord Blackwater. Things took a very dark turn thereafter.

First, the frog swarms around the Manor. Then, the Master fired all the house staff and groundskeepers. Then, the strange dining requests that saw the chef leave in a huff of anger. Then, the howling and croaking...and more strange amphibious creatures walking the corridors of the Manor...hungry for flesh and blood! A green slimy sludge poured out of the Master's chambers, into the ravines, sewage pipes, and even into the main water supply. A toxic haze began forming over Waterdeep, shrouding the town in a wicked green mist.

Then, one very dark night, the hooded figure emerged from the chamber, whooping hysterically and cackling maniacally. "It is done! It is done! It is done!" he repeated over and over. Then...an unholy sound and an even unholier sight. A beast! A thing so vile and evil that the very thought of it grips my heart with icy fear. A monster! Slimy, porous green scaly skin covered in bulbous warts, sunken yellow eyes, a long wicked tongue, and sharp teeth! It tore through the mansion, in a dreadful rampage, killing all the remaining staff who refused to leave...killing...eating...swallowing!!! Its mere presence sent off a toxic cloud that choked and consumed all! And in it's wake...an army of frog-like creatures following.

I should have died that night as I saw its dark form approaching me, but the hooded one spoke then...nay...sang...he sang a song, and to my utmost horror, I saw the beast collapse. Its form writhed and changed with the snapping of bones and flesh and ungodly howls and evil cries...in its place, naked and trembling, was Lord Balthazar himself! Then, the hooded one spoke: "Rest now, my spawn of destruction, my Ogdru Jahad, rest, for soon we shall unleash the plague of frogs upon this world." And taking the whimpering Lord Balthazar by the hand, they left.

Fear upon fear fell on me as I did the only thing I knew to do...I ran...and hid...hid away from the horror of it all!

But...it comes for me now...because I know it...I know its truth, for the beast is Blackwater and Blackwater the beast. Yet, I fear that all will be lost should this creature be let loose. For the Hooded One seeks an Object: a Skull by which his arcane ritual may be completed and have Blackwater completely transformed. He seeks to let it loose upon the city, spreading the plague of frogs and destroying Waterdeep!

It comes...it comes...I have hidden the skull in the Manor...yet I dare not say where...only that if it is found, it must be destroyed completely. Also, this box...it holds a key to reversing the transformation...A musical piece...if you are able to sing the song...the song will bring the Master back. Keep it secret, keep it safe!

You must not let the Monster escape!