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cpthero2
Great Reader

USA
2285 Posts

Posted - 21 Sep 2018 :  12:33:02  Show Profile  Visit cpthero2's Homepage Send cpthero2 a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Great Reader Irennan,

I really appreciate the response on this: thank you. Though I was very insulted by the 4th edition push from WotC insomuch as it affected the Realms as it did, from a marketing standpoint I got their point, I just feel it was wrong.

I have heard others from your demographic comp say similar things. I mean, it makes perfect sense. If the assumptions I posed were indeed accurate to what their marketing team had been working on, I stop to wonder how they went about the interviews and focus groups for their purported target market in the first place? Marketing research is a savagely hard discipline, and the right people really need to be on board to conduct those forms of analysis, otherwise you get.....well.....I think we see what happens, lol.

On a personal note, I certainly am glad to hear that their marketing decisions to push their product line as they did, drove you to the earlier materials. That couldn't have turned out better I think!

So, have you tried other systems such as 3.5/Pathfinder as well as 4th and 5th? If so, how did those systems come across to you?

Regards,



quote:
Originally posted by Irennan

Re: your point about appealing to future customer bases, and 4e being marketed to MMORPGers, a TTRPG will never offer the same kind of immediate satisfaction that a VG does, and between playing a VG and D&D, someone who wants a VG-like experience will play a VG. Emulating VGs is not something that TTRPGs do well, their strength is the kind of freedom and story/world depth that it can offer.

I was supposedly part of the target audience for 4e FR, but I was not attracted by it in the slightest. In fact, I was turned away and led to seek previous FR products. Then again, the approach of 5e is different: both rule-wise, and Realms-wise, and 5e is as popular as D&D has ever got, so I guess that--unlike 4e--they're doing things right, from a business standpoint.


Higher Atlar
Spirit Soaring
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Gelcur
Senior Scribe

499 Posts

Posted - 21 Sep 2018 :  20:48:58  Show Profile  Visit Gelcur's Homepage Send Gelcur a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I'll agree with most of what you posted cpthero2. Aside from:
quote:
Originally posted by cpthero2

They are producing the same material in 5th, that is effectively on par with what was printed in 3/3.5 (though they are even still deficit when compared to things such as 'The Lost Empires of Faerun', etc.).


I came in at the tail end of 2E, played/DMed all the way through 3/3.5E and even grabbed 2 or 3 4E books. I dare say overall 3/3.5 was nearly on par with 2E as far as lore was concerned. You mentioned Lost Empires, there was also A Grand History of the Realms, Races of Faerun, Power of Faerun, Faiths and Pantheons, the Tearing of the Weave set of three adventures, plus two of the early 3E books Into the Dragon's Lair and Pool of Radiance. When you compare it to 2E it still seems a bit sparse till you take into account all the online content much of it by Ed himself.

As far as rules go 3/3.5E can't be beat. For the most part it was fully thought out and the number of options and combinations was amazing. Many would say there was too much room for abuse but that was up to DMs to keep in check. 4E rules were just a mess. 5E actually seems fairly good, mostly because they went back to something very similar to 3/3.5E.

I think the real selling point of 3/3.5E was how well they merged lore and rules. Sure there were times books had "too much crunch, not enough fluff", like there could ever be too much lore. But it walked that tight rope the best any edition has, providing you deep interesting tidbits along with the numbers to run them in a game.

The party come to a town befallen by hysteria

Rogue: So what's in the general store?
DM: What are you looking for?
Rogue: Whatevers in the store.
DM: Like what?
Rogue: Everything.
DM: There is a lot of stuff.
Rogue: Is there a cart outside?
DM: (rolls) Yes.
Rogue: We'll take it all, we may need it for the greater good.
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cpthero2
Great Reader

USA
2285 Posts

Posted - 21 Sep 2018 :  22:38:06  Show Profile  Visit cpthero2's Homepage Send cpthero2 a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Hello Learned Scribe Gelcur,

I appreciate your thoughtful reply: thank you!

I appreciate your indication of the volume of material produced in the different editions. You know, I've never gone and actually looked at the fully body between editions and juxtaposed it. Not to check, but rather, out of complete morbid curiosity, I feel I'll have to go do so to scratch that itch. I believe that it is Tethtoril's Bookshelf where I can find that bibliography, is that correct?

I will also respond in greater depth to some other points you made, but I'm just about to head out the door for some family time, so I'll do so upon my return in a short while.

Best regards,



quote:
Originally posted by Gelcur

I'll agree with most of what you posted cpthero2. Aside from:
quote:
Originally posted by cpthero2

They are producing the same material in 5th, that is effectively on par with what was printed in 3/3.5 (though they are even still deficit when compared to things such as 'The Lost Empires of Faerun', etc.).


I came in at the tail end of 2E, played/DMed all the way through 3/3.5E and even grabbed 2 or 3 4E books. I dare say overall 3/3.5 was nearly on par with 2E as far as lore was concerned. You mentioned Lost Empires, there was also A Grand History of the Realms, Races of Faerun, Power of Faerun, Faiths and Pantheons, the Tearing of the Weave set of three adventures, plus two of the early 3E books Into the Dragon's Lair and Pool of Radiance. When you compare it to 2E it still seems a bit sparse till you take into account all the online content much of it by Ed himself.

As far as rules go 3/3.5E can't be beat. For the most part it was fully thought out and the number of options and combinations was amazing. Many would say there was too much room for abuse but that was up to DMs to keep in check. 4E rules were just a mess. 5E actually seems fairly good, mostly because they went back to something very similar to 3/3.5E.

I think the real selling point of 3/3.5E was how well they merged lore and rules. Sure there were times books had "too much crunch, not enough fluff", like there could ever be too much lore. But it walked that tight rope the best any edition has, providing you deep interesting tidbits along with the numbers to run them in a game.


Higher Atlar
Spirit Soaring
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Irennan
Great Reader

Italy
3802 Posts

Posted - 21 Sep 2018 :  22:47:21  Show Profile Send Irennan a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by cpthero2

So, have you tried other systems such as 3.5/Pathfinder as well as 4th and 5th? If so, how did those systems come across to you?




I started with 4e in 2012, and I didn't mind it tbh, but we (I and my group) found out that we preferred a narrative/story-focused style, while 4e put a lot of emphasis on the tabletop game aspect. We switched to Pathfinder in the same year, and we had similar problems, so we ended up creating our own system from scratch. I found about FATE much later (2016) and found it to be much closer to our style than D&D, but we already had our system, so we stuck with it. 5e is very simple and streamlined, but we're not interested in it. In general, I'm not interested in D&D as a game, my interest is purely for the Realms as a world (even though, ironically, I don't really use it for my game. My world has elements inspired by the Realms, but it's not the Realms).

Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things.

Edited by - Irennan on 21 Sep 2018 22:49:26
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cpthero2
Great Reader

USA
2285 Posts

Posted - 22 Sep 2018 :  00:34:21  Show Profile  Visit cpthero2's Homepage Send cpthero2 a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Great Reader Irennan,

That is interesting. I completely understand your desire for a narrative approach. I do use Pathfinder, but I've created a process, that has manifested over approximately 12 - 15 years of playtesting, where the RP has been placed back into the game, heavily, even when using Pathfinder, or any other system to be frank. Though, it includes a bit of heresy for a great many folk who laud strict adherence to the mechanics above all, haha.

I do find that quite ironic that you don't use the Realms full on, with us being on this site of course; however, as is with my base heresy in creating such a change to my own game, the name of the game after all is....fun.

I've heard of the benefits of FATE, and if I hadn't made the changes that I did to Pathfinder/D&D overall, I likely would have considered moving to such a system. I'm glad that the system works so well for you!

Best regards,



quote:
Originally posted by Irennan

quote:
Originally posted by cpthero2

So, have you tried other systems such as 3.5/Pathfinder as well as 4th and 5th? If so, how did those systems come across to you?




I started with 4e in 2012, and I didn't mind it tbh, but we (I and my group) found out that we preferred a narrative/story-focused style, while 4e put a lot of emphasis on the tabletop game aspect. We switched to Pathfinder in the same year, and we had similar problems, so we ended up creating our own system from scratch. I found about FATE much later (2016) and found it to be much closer to our style than D&D, but we already had our system, so we stuck with it. 5e is very simple and streamlined, but we're not interested in it. In general, I'm not interested in D&D as a game, my interest is purely for the Realms as a world (even though, ironically, I don't really use it for my game. My world has elements inspired by the Realms, but it's not the Realms).


Higher Atlar
Spirit Soaring
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Lirdolin
Learned Scribe

Germany
194 Posts

Posted - 23 Sep 2018 :  20:22:53  Show Profile  Visit Lirdolin's Homepage Send Lirdolin a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Got my copy yesterday. My first impression is quite good, although I'm more or less missing Mountainside on the map. Yes there are a few more houses on the northern slope of Mount Waterdeep and there is a walking Statue that is resting there, but in FRCG and Blackstaff Tower it was a neighborhood with several named streets and the Statue was a fallen warrior that was converted into several houses (called Downgiant Row), now there is an elven lady statue resting. But maybe all the recent calamities might have pushed most of Mountainside into the sea and the new Open Lord sculpted the fallen warrior into a pretty elf (much more pleasing to the eye) ;)
But I already laughed tears once, when I read about a certain drow's human cover identity: Zardoz Zord, owner of the submarine 'Scarlet Marpenoth'...I bet his human disguise is almost certainly a Sean Connery look-alike ^^

Edited by - Lirdolin on 23 Sep 2018 20:44:13
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farinal
Learned Scribe

Turkey
270 Posts

Posted - 25 Sep 2018 :  16:40:28  Show Profile Send farinal a Private Message  Reply with Quote
My book just arrived. Man it is a work of beauty. The artwork is superb and I also really like the maps, including the fold out one. Great quality as always.
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 04 Oct 2018 :  04:53:41  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
So I've not gotten very far into reading this, but there's one thing that already bugs the crap out of me.

In the description for the Xanathar Guild faction, there's the line "Few have any inkling that their boss is a beholder." And then the encounter that starts the adventure, a guy has tattoos of eyes all over his head, and in later encounters -- still in the beginning! -- there are multiple repetitions of the guild symbol: A circle with ten spokes radiating out from it.

So no one knows there's a beholder around, but they just like to use beholder symbology without questioning it? Is there some well-known connection between beholders and human crime that I'm not familiar with?

Furthermore, this is the 5E era -- which means that for more than a hundred years, this guild has been run by a beholder either named Xanathar (originally) or using "Xanathar" as their title. But no one knows there's a beholder running things -- which means that in one hundred years, no one that was knowledgeable about beholders ever heard that name and thought, "Hmmm, that sounds like a beholder name. I wonder if maybe this group using a beholder's name and beholder motifs is possibly run by a beholder?"

Unrelated to all that, "Floon Blagmaar" is a horrible name. It sounds like it's a spur-of-the-moment, made-up alias. "My name, Guardsman with the sword in my face? It's uh, Flllloooonnn... Blag....Maar. Yeah, Floon Blagmaar!"

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Balmar Foghaven
Learned Scribe

Canada
124 Posts

Posted - 04 Oct 2018 :  17:45:57  Show Profile Send Balmar Foghaven a Private Message  Reply with Quote
*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Yeah, the name Floon Blagmaar is a bit odd. Also, my players found it highly suspect that both his name seemed fake *and* he was conveniently an almost perfect body-double for Renaer Neverember...so good that the Zhentarim and Xanathar`s Guild both mistook him for being the nobleman himself. As it currently stands, they are now more suspicious of Renaer and this possible coincidence that they happen to know each other than of the blaring plot point which is the gang-war in the streets...lol.

Another point of contention: I had always understood that as of the 4e era, Renaer Neverember was the head of Waterdeep`s latest branch of the Moonstars, yet Dragon Heist seems to be listing him as the PC`s contacts for the Harpers. Have the two factions merged, or is this simply an error on the part of WotC... perhaps he defected?

"Despair not, for in the end all things shall work out for the best - in at least one timeline."
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 04 Oct 2018 :  18:42:33  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I've not read that far into it... But so far as I know, there's nothing keeping someone from being a Moonstar and a Harper. I know the pre-Spellplague Harpers would have frowned upon that, if they knew, but I don't know if the 5E new/old Harpers care that much.

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farinal
Learned Scribe

Turkey
270 Posts

Posted - 04 Oct 2018 :  23:46:20  Show Profile Send farinal a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I hate how Chris Perkins names NPCs. Breaks my immersion everytime.
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TomCosta
Forgotten Realms Designer

USA
948 Posts

Posted - 05 Oct 2018 :  13:59:50  Show Profile Send TomCosta a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I prefer "Taserface."
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 05 Oct 2018 :  17:16:24  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by TomCosta

I prefer "Taserface."





"It's metaphorical!"

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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11686 Posts

Posted - 05 Oct 2018 :  19:28:59  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

So I've not gotten very far into reading this, but there's one thing that already bugs the crap out of me.

In the description for the Xanathar Guild faction, there's the line "Few have any inkling that their boss is a beholder." And then the encounter that starts the adventure, a guy has tattoos of eyes all over his head, and in later encounters -- still in the beginning! -- there are multiple repetitions of the guild symbol: A circle with ten spokes radiating out from it.

So no one knows there's a beholder around, but they just like to use beholder symbology without questioning it? Is there some well-known connection between beholders and human crime that I'm not familiar with?

Furthermore, this is the 5E era -- which means that for more than a hundred years, this guild has been run by a beholder either named Xanathar (originally) or using "Xanathar" as their title. But no one knows there's a beholder running things -- which means that in one hundred years, no one that was knowledgeable about beholders ever heard that name and thought, "Hmmm, that sounds like a beholder name. I wonder if maybe this group using a beholder's name and beholder motifs is possibly run by a beholder?"

Unrelated to all that, "Floon Blagmaar" is a horrible name. It sounds like it's a spur-of-the-moment, made-up alias. "My name, Guardsman with the sword in my face? It's uh, Flllloooonnn... Blag....Maar. Yeah, Floon Blagmaar!"




Wow Wooly, you don't know just how upset you've just made my cousin Floon…. he's speechless. I think you seriously cut him to the quick.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas

Edited by - sleyvas on 05 Oct 2018 19:30:57
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moonbeast
Senior Scribe

USA
522 Posts

Posted - 06 Oct 2018 :  06:46:11  Show Profile Send moonbeast a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Floon Blagmaar? Who makes up all these stupid names? George Lucas is my guess.
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farinal
Learned Scribe

Turkey
270 Posts

Posted - 06 Oct 2018 :  22:03:35  Show Profile Send farinal a Private Message  Reply with Quote
A relative of Nanny Pupu from Chult
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Dargoth
Great Reader

Australia
4607 Posts

Posted - 07 Oct 2018 :  04:24:55  Show Profile  Visit Dargoth's Homepage Send Dargoth a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I think Floon is meant to be Waterdeep's Farbio

“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”

Emperor Sigismund

"Its good to be the King!"

Mel Brooks

Edited by - Dargoth on 07 Oct 2018 04:38:43
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Dargoth
Great Reader

Australia
4607 Posts

Posted - 07 Oct 2018 :  04:34:30  Show Profile  Visit Dargoth's Homepage Send Dargoth a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Balmar Foghaven

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Another point of contention: I had always understood that as of the 4e era, Renaer Neverember was the head of Waterdeep`s latest branch of the Moonstars, yet Dragon Heist seems to be listing him as the PC`s contacts for the Harpers. Have the two factions merged, or is this simply an error on the part of WotC... perhaps he defected?



I get the impressions the Moonstars became redundent for the module Laeral is tied to the Lords alliance faction as the open Lord of Waterdeep and Vajra Safahr the current Blackstaff has Force Grey and its their probably that alot of the Moonstars ended up.

“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”

Emperor Sigismund

"Its good to be the King!"

Mel Brooks
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moonbeast
Senior Scribe

USA
522 Posts

Posted - 07 Oct 2018 :  06:35:31  Show Profile Send moonbeast a Private Message  Reply with Quote
What a shame. I always liked the idea of the Moonstars….. a faction that is (sometimes) considered one of the "good guys" but not quite as goodie-goodie sweet pink unicorns like the Harpers.

It would have made a great fifth (official and AL-sanctioned) faction for 5e D&D IMHO.
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Zeromaru X
Great Reader

Colombia
2441 Posts

Posted - 09 Oct 2018 :  19:25:45  Show Profile Send Zeromaru X a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by moonbeast

Floon Blagmaar? Who makes up all these stupid names? George Lucas is my guess.



I don't know, I guess the name sounds perfect for the comic relief races, such as halflings and gnomes.

Instead of seeking change, you prefer a void, merciless abyss of a world...
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 09 Oct 2018 :  21:28:52  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Zeromaru X

quote:
Originally posted by moonbeast

Floon Blagmaar? Who makes up all these stupid names? George Lucas is my guess.



I don't know, I guess the name sounds perfect for the comic relief races, such as halflings and gnomes.



He's human.

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Zeromaru X
Great Reader

Colombia
2441 Posts

Posted - 09 Oct 2018 :  23:34:45  Show Profile Send Zeromaru X a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I hope he is a comic relief character.

Instead of seeking change, you prefer a void, merciless abyss of a world...
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 10 Oct 2018 :  03:31:53  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Zeromaru X

I hope he is a comic relief character.



The first act is finding and rescuing him; he was mistaken for Renaer Neverember and kidnapped.

I've not read far enough to know if he has any further part in the story.

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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 13 Oct 2018 :  02:44:23  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
So as I'm reading thru this book, I decide to check to see what the current description of the Dragonstaff of Ahghairon is; I was mainly interested in how it passed from Maaril to a gold dragon.

And it says in the write-up for the gold dragon that the staff was passed to him by Maaril. Dagult Neverember later cut a deal with the dragon, saying that if he guarded the latter's vault, then the dragon could keep the Dragonstaff.

Think on this. A human dude says to an adult gold dragon, "You can keep this powerful magical item that you already have in your possession if you agree to be my guard dog" -- and the dragon agreed.

Is it just me, or is that utterly preposterous? What could Dagult have done if the dragon told him where to stick it?

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Delwa
Master of Realmslore

USA
1268 Posts

Posted - 13 Oct 2018 :  02:46:56  Show Profile  Visit Delwa's Homepage Send Delwa a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

So as I'm reading thru this book, I decide to check to see what the current description of the Dragonstaff of Ahghairon is; I was mainly interested in how it passed from Maaril to a gold dragon.

And it says in the write-up for the gold dragon that the staff was passed to him by Maaril. Dagult Neverember later cut a deal with the dragon, saying that if he guarded the latter's vault, then the dragon could keep the Dragonstaff.

Think on this. A human dude says to an adult gold dragon, "You can keep this powerful magical item that you already have in your possession if you agree to be my guard dog" -- and the dragon agreed.

Is it just me, or is that utterly preposterous? What could Dagult have done if the dragon told him where to stick it?




Maybe the Dragon just was so overwhelmed with the dumb that he had to see it through just for its own amusement? Mabye?

- Delwa Aunglor
I am off to slay yon refrigerator and spoil it's horde. Go for the cheese, Boo!

"The Realms change; seldom at the speed desired of those who strive, but far too quickly for those who resist." - The Simbul, taken from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Conspectus
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 13 Oct 2018 :  06:33:53  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Reading more of this adventure...

I like the angle of "pick your villain."

I don't understand why they decided to do the seasonal thing, though -- and I only like one of the villains.

Your choices are:

Xanathar
The Cassalanter noble family
Jarlaxle
Manshoon

I don't like the Cassalanters for three reasons. One, they're Asmodeus worshippers -- and Asmodeus has no place in my Realms, especially since he was part of the 4E thing of "There's too many deities, so we're culling them and adding some more!" Two, they sold their children's souls and want to buy them back. This is an odd one, to me. It's too convoluted. Trying to buy back their own souls? That works. Trying to buy their way out of some other bad situation, not involving souls at all? This also works. But selling your kids' souls and then trying to buy them back is just an odd concept. And the last reason I don't like the Cassalanters for this is because of Caladorn Cassalanter, from the pre-Spellplague era. Caladorn was a good and truly noble sort. While I recognize that it's been 100 years and families can have oddball members, I just don't like the idea that his family could go that particular route. Just about any other noble family, with a less convoluted goal, would work better for me.

Jarlaxle's goal is more reasonable, and he's long been my fave character from that particular author, but I feel as if he was included in this adventure simply because of WotC's "Gotta have drow!" shtick.

Manshoon's inclusion also feels gratuitous, and his plot -- "I'm gonna use this money to buy Laeral's spot as the Open Lord!" seems both out of character and rather foolish. Manshoon is too intelligent, I think, to truly believe he could buy the rulership of Waterdeep, and I'm not convinced that he'd want to paint that particular bullseye upon his back. Getting a Lord or two in his pocket and being a power behind the throne, yes, that I could see. His stated plot? Nope, not happening.

So that leaves Xanathar. I can see anyone with that title wanting to kick a rival out of the city, and the Xanathar Guild has long been an established presence in the city.

I'm also not a fan of the "nimblewright detector" part of the plot, especially since it can detect the nimblewrights that Jarlaxle inexplicably has. Plus, it looks stupid. I'd've made it some smaller device, and keyed it specifically to the nimblewright that Nim built -- maybe it contains a twin to a vital component of that second nimblewright, or something like that. (Also, a nimblewright named Nim? What's next, a gnome named Gno? Some of the names used in this adventure are decent fantasy names -- and others are simply painful)

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Zeromaru X
Great Reader

Colombia
2441 Posts

Posted - 13 Oct 2018 :  18:15:16  Show Profile Send Zeromaru X a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Wait, the Cassalanters want to buy the soul of their children with money? That's really stupid. I can see Asmodeus facepalming right now.

So far, the only thing I like about this adventure is Volo's Enchiridion...

Instead of seeking change, you prefer a void, merciless abyss of a world...

Edited by - Zeromaru X on 13 Oct 2018 18:15:55
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 13 Oct 2018 :  18:37:15  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Zeromaru X

Wait, the Cassalanters want to buy the soul of their children with money? That's really stupid. I can see Asmodeus facepalming right now.


Yeah, I'd not really looked at it from that angle, considering that it's a goofy premise to begin with.

It is my opinion that Asmodeus is a very poor fit for the Realms, even disregarding the fact that the 4E designers ignored their own reasoning when they crudely shoehorned him in. I tend to dismiss just about anything I see pertaining to Asmodeus, in the Realms, because of those two things.

quote:
Originally posted by Zeromaru X

So far, the only thing I like about this adventure is Volo's Enchiridion...



I've not gotten to that part, yet.

But while I'm not gushing about this adventure, I don't dislike it, either. I think there's some good stuff, there -- it's just that there are some necessary changes to bring it out.

The Eltorchuls, for example, would have been a better choice for the evil nobles, in my opinion (assuming they're still around in 4E). And they could be wanting the money to shore up their finances and maybe fund their efforts to bring down another family. Or maybe they want a larger share of the crime in Skullport, and that's the intended use for the money.

Or its the members of one of the fallen noble families, wanting to buy their way back into Waterdhavian nobility.

Instead of Jarlaxle, how about the Knights of the Shield? They want the money for all sorts of shenanigans directed against Waterdeep and its Lords.

And instead of Manshoon, make a new Zhent villain, one without all the baggage Manshoon brings with him. Our new Zhent could be an evil bard, for example, and would be intending to use the money to either kill a couple of Lords and replace them with someone Zhent-friendly, or to get a Lord or two in their pocket (likely through blackmail of some sort).

Make those background changes, rename some of the NPCs, and you've got a solid adventure here. If I was DM'ing in the Realms, I'd make enough background changes to fit it into my 1375ish, non-Plagued Waterdeep, and I'd then run the adventure.

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Zeromaru X
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Colombia
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Posted - 13 Oct 2018 :  20:35:26  Show Profile Send Zeromaru X a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Well. I don't have the adventure. I don't have any 5e adventure, actually, cuz they are a little bit expensive. But they are selling the Enchiridion separately in DM's Guild. That's how I got it.

Instead of seeking change, you prefer a void, merciless abyss of a world...
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Dargoth
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Australia
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Posted - 14 Oct 2018 :  00:02:58  Show Profile  Visit Dargoth's Homepage Send Dargoth a Private Message  Reply with Quote
There are a number of interesting DMsguild titles that I might get to supplement Dragon Heist so far the following have drawn my eye.

Options for Trollskull Manor (Includes 16 upgrades to the Tavern,40 random events that can happan in the Tavern while the adventurers ar away and a map of the Tavern interior)

Down and out in Waterdeep (a 0 level adventure set in the Fields district of Waterdeep)

Waterdeep Encounters (100 short encounters)

Yearning to be free (A 5-15 level module revolving around Tielfing persecution in Waterdeep and the north, theres also Primer for introducing the factions in Ytbf during Dragon Heist)

The Various: Backgrounds of Faerun's

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