Dragon Heist: Today is the Day

[Unoriginal]

So, Dragon Heist is out today.

Anyone got it already?

[Twigwit]

The D&D product page says it comes out September 18, not 7. Am I just not in the loop and there's some way to get the book early?

[Unoriginal]

The D&D product page says it comes out September 18, not 7. Am I just not in the loop and there's some way to get the book early?

It's available online on D&D Beyond on the 7th, as well as in some game store.

[Unoriginal]

Video review of what's new in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist


https://youtu.be/kCUaGPOOJKM

Notable things, spoiler ahead obviously:

-New devices, including parachutes

-Ship-to-ship combat

New magic items:

-Azure Edge, the legendary battleaxe

-Badge of the Lodge

-THE Black Staff

-Bracer of Flying Daggers (never runs out of daggers!)

-Dragon Staff of Agerron

-the feather on Jaralaxle's hat

-Knave's Eyepatch

-Lord's panobly

-Paper bird (send messages)

-Ring of Truth-telling

-Smokepower: gun powder, but on Faerun.

-Stone of Galorh


New NPCs:

-Griphon cavalry

-Drow gunslingers!

-Silverhand, with her Silver Fire powers! CR 17

-Nilhoon(?) the mind flayer

-Nimbleright the automaton fencer

and many others.

[Sigreid]

Well darn, guess I'm buying it. I really wish they didn't hold generic game content hostage to buying their adventures.

[ciarannihill]

So, Dragon Heist is out today.

Anyone got it already?

I had preordered it on DnD Beyond, scanned through it this morning for a bit and I'm quite excited to start it since my current campaign has 1-2 sessions left. I also appreciate that they want to allow the characters to have a contact within the city and that they vary in terms of intent and goals.

[Unoriginal]

I had preordered it on DnD Beyond, scanned through it this morning for a bit and I'm quite excited to start it since my current campaign has 1-2 sessions left. I also appreciate that they want to allow the characters to have a contact within the city and that they vary in terms of intent and goals.

What can you tell us about the NPCs?

[ciarannihill]

What can you tell us about the NPCs?

I'm AFB at the moment, but the jist is that the DM is encouraged to give the players an image with 6 or so NPCs who can frequently be found at the Yawning Portal, and to select one who they know and trust specifically. Some are upfront and normal, while others aren't. From memory these are included (spoilers follow):

Durnan, the owner and proprietor
a Chultan priestess who tries to help younger adventurers to indebt them to her for when they become more capable
A veteran adventurer who presently houses an intellect devourer
A barmaid who is, in reality, one of a small group of changelings trying to survive in the city
A Black Network spy masquerading as an adventurer
A clumsy seeming bard who is in reality a Harper



There are a ton more NPCs in general, but I like the idea that the characters have a contact who can aid them, sometimes with ulterior motives, from the start.


EDIT: To give an idea of the breadth of the NPCs, they gave statblocks to the Blackstaff (the person and the staff), the open lord of Waterdeep (who they describe as having weakened substantially from her prior most powerful state....Despite still being a 19th level caster with access to Time Stop), numerous (like 4-8) members of each villains' factions, the Yawning Portal crew and a few other potential helpful or harmful people to meet within the city, including people vying for a position as Masked Lord. They also include the Magic Item(s) needed to identify oneself as a masked lord.

They also allow one to join on of numerous factions within the city, including a few of the villains' factions, Force Grey and a ton of guilds.

[rooneg]

Well darn, guess I'm buying it. I really wish they didn't hold generic game content hostage to buying their adventures.

Umm, unless you're talking about the magic items (which are almost all pretty specific to stuff from the adventure) there is basically no generic game content here. There's a lot of info on Waterdeep, and the stats for a variety of specific characters, but I haven't encountered anything terribly generic. I mean there isn't even any generic "system for running adventures in a city" sort of stuff, which I'd seen a lot of speculation on. Even the bit where the PCs have a chance to run a tavern just refers to the DMG for how much money you make.

[Sigreid]

Umm, unless you're talking about the magic items (which are almost all pretty specific to stuff from the adventure) there is basically no generic game content here. There's a lot of info on Waterdeep, and the stats for a variety of specific characters, but I haven't encountered anything terribly generic. I mean there isn't even any generic "system for running adventures in a city" sort of stuff, which I'd seen a lot of speculation on. Even the bit where the PCs have a chance to run a tavern just refers to the DMG for how much money you make.

I was thinking mostly of the ship to ship combat rules.

[Unoriginal]

They're doing a Dragon Heist Livestream show on twitch:


https://www.twitch.tv/dnd

[rooneg]

I was thinking mostly of the ship to ship combat rules.

FWIW, I literally can't find ship to ship combat rules in my D&D Beyond copy. If they're in there they are not extensive.

[Millstone85]

What I wonder is how integral Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is to running its sequel Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage.

[Unoriginal]

What I wonder is how integral Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is to running its sequel Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage.

They precised one was not necessary to run the other. It's just if you get out of the dungeon you get in the city.