Dragon Heist: Noble Character Has No Reason to Stick Around?

[Merudo]

At the end of Chapter 1 in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, the characters get joint ownership of Trollskull Manor, a dilapidated manor/tavern.

Although the manor will likely be interesting place to stay for those non-native to Waterdeep, I find it hard to believe that a Waterdhavian Noble character would be at all interested in living there. Seems the logical choice for a noble would be to sell her share of the Manor.

The manor is essentially what binds the party together in Chapter 2-3 - so if the nobles don't bite, it feels awkward to involve them in the story.

Any recommendation on how to DM this?

[Boci]

The noble is an adventurer right? Yes, most nobles won't be terrible interested in part ownership of a dilapidated manor, but most nobles also don't choose to be adventurers. Presumably the noble background assumes you are the seventh child of an eighth child and therefor unlikely to inherit anything unless a rather large family tradgedy strikes, so for them, one who has chosen an adventurers life, partial ownership of a tavern is an interesting opportunity.

[Mercurias]

Depends on the character. Some of my favorite noble PCs I've seen have some kind of petty rivalry with an unscrupulous sibling or other relative. It would be a total blast to have that relative come down in a whirlwind of unpleasant snobbery either try to take the manor via corrupt legal force or try to buy it from out from under the Noble's nose. With the right character, that would make them want to hold onto the manor, if not to spite their relative then to figure out why they wanted it so much in the first place. If the answer is "It was just to take something from you" at the end of the adventure, then that would be even better.

[MilkmanDanimal]

One of my characters is a noble, and is doing the tavern as an "ironic rich girl" thing. She's hanging out with the little people just to look risque and bohemian.

[Unoriginal]

At the end of Chapter 1 in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, the characters get joint ownership of Trollskull Manor, a dilapidated manor/tavern.

Although the manor will likely be interesting place to stay for those non-native to Waterdeep, I find it hard to believe that a Waterdhavian Noble character would be at all interested in living there. Seems the logical choice for a noble would be to sell her share of the Manor.

The manor is essentially what binds the party together in Chapter 2-3 - so if the nobles don't bite, it feels awkward to involve them in the story.

Any recommendation on how to DM this?

Nobles likes to have personal incomes and their own place to use whenever it's convenient. They can sleep at their family's estates and go spend some time with their silly adventurer friends, too.

Personally, I went with "the group has traveled to Waterdeep together and decided to stick around" approach, with one of them being a native who was away on a business trip, one is an elf coming back from self-imposed exile since she figured people forgot about her crimes after a couple of decades, and the third is a complete foreigner.

[Beleriphon]

At the end of Chapter 1 in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, the characters get joint ownership of Trollskull Manor, a dilapidated manor/tavern.

Although the manor will likely be interesting place to stay for those non-native to Waterdeep, I find it hard to believe that a Waterdhavian Noble character would be at all interested in living there. Seems the logical choice for a noble would be to sell her share of the Manor.

The manor is essentially what binds the party together in Chapter 2-3 - so if the nobles don't bite, it feels awkward to involve them in the story.

Any recommendation on how to DM this?

They could be less owner and more permanent fixture.

[TroubleBrewing]

They could be less owner and more permanent fixture.

I've got a noble in the party who's doing something like this. The rest of the party is trying to start up a mercenary company using the tavern as an office, and the noble is financing the tavern's continued operation while the wheels on the company get rolling.

[BaconAwesome]

Is the Noble in a faction? Maybe they want her to operate it as a safehouse or information drop, or maybe they want her to keep an eye on the other party members?

Is she a second or third child or from a secondary branch? Maybe she has something to prove, or maybe she's planning to bail when the Cassalanters ruin her family by calling in all their markers, leaving her stuck with the party like Cordelia and Wesley in Angel or Anya in Buffy.

Maybe she's waiting for an older uncle to die but doesn't have funds until then, like Bertie Wooster and all his friends, or her family has a title but the parents reveal that they're short on funds and keep trying to marry her to gross rich people whenever she goes home.

[Pex]

You're the DM not the player. Let the player decide. If she wants to stay problem solved.

If the player doesn't want her character to stay and it will cause problems, metagame it. Explain to the player out of game the module really needs her to stay. It's railroading, but it's minor. When the player does stay, don't punish her for it. She does not lose status for being a noble living in that manor. Her rivals will laugh at him, but they're her rivals. They wouldn't like anything she does. Her friends and associates appreciate her trying to liven up the place. They're fascinated by her willingness to go rustic and are curious how she will return the manor to its glory days. This his how the player's noble makes a name for herself as is proper for her station. she can't rely on her parent's Family Name forever. she needs to continue the Honor as her own self, and making this dilapidated building into a beautiful mansion will be a great accomplishment. Her friends will admire. Her enemies will envy.

[Zhorn]

You're the DM not the player. Let the player decide. If she wants to stay problem solved.

If the player doesn't want her character to stay and it will cause problems, metagame it. Explain to the player out of game the module really needs her to stay. It's railroading, but it's minor.

Pretty much hits the nail on the head. It's like with ANY adventure hook; majority of that party is grabbing onto the adventure hook, and one player declares their character isn't. Tell the player to roll a new character that will. It can seem a bit harsh, but all adventures require player buy-in, and the story follows the majority. If the division causes a separation of a character from the group, it's perfectly reasonable to outright tell your players you're running just one campaign about one party, and not some multi-path LOTR-esque game.

[Unoriginal]

Also, two things:

1) the adventure doesn't require all the PCs to stay at Trollskull. As long as they keep working together, there is no issue.

2) Trollskull Manor is *still* a manor, in a rather pleasant neighborhood, and on top of that it is historicaly significant enough they named the alley after it. Sure, it needs to be cleaned up and fixed some, but other nobles would more likely be impressed that the PC managed to acquire the land & building for so cheap. That'd be a great conversation piece, at the very least.

[BaconAwesome]

2) Trollskull Manor is *still* a manor, in a rather pleasant neighborhood, and on top of that it is historicaly significant enough they named the alley after it.

Good point, but technically, the Manor is named after the Alley instead of the other way around. :)

https://www.sageadvice.eu/2018/10/04/why-waterdeep-trollskull-alley-is-called-that-what-the-story-behind-the-name-is/

[Sigreid]

It's downtown real estate, of course the noble wants it, though they will want to spruce it up.

[EggKookoo]

The manor is essentially what binds the party together in Chapter 2-3 - so if the nobles don't bite, it feels awkward to involve them in the story.

It might be too late in your situation but during my session 0 I always try to encourage the players to come up with reasons their PCs would want to stay together, independent of any "plot" based reason I might present them. Kind of inoculates them against this kind of problem.

Maybe you can do it retroactively if the players are willing?

[Vogie]

Noble doesn't necessarily mean "rich at all times". Perhaps they get a missive from the family that due to a famine/storm/eruption, things'll be a bit lean for the rest of the year until the crops regrow, ships are rebuilt, or real estate cleaned up. Heck, you could pull a full Arrested Development pilot where there is some criminal happenings going on and their assets are seized for a period of time.

[Kadesh]

If a player doesn't want their character to stick around, then they won't. If they do, they do. People have this wonderful thing called "whimsy" which they can choose to listen to, for whatever purpose.

[Mad_Saulot]

I had my players sign an "Adventurers contract" it has a number of stipulations in it regarding: no PvP, loot sharing, pooled finances and on quest living arrangements ie, when actively in-play they are expected to reside within jumping distance of each other, cos ambushes happen, I know its very metagame but my group is newish to DnD and they had trouble coming up with "realistic" reasons to stick together, apparently ADVENTURE isnt reason enough for some.

[EggKookoo]

I had my players sign an "Adventurers contract" it has a number of stipulations in it regarding: no PvP, loot sharing, pooled finances and on quest living arrangements ie, when actively in-play they are expected to reside within jumping distance of each other, cos ambushes happen, I know its very metagame but my group is newish to DnD and they had trouble coming up with "realistic" reasons to stick together, apparently ADVENTURE isnt reason enough for some.

Do you use Backgrounds? One trick is to try to link them. Like, if one PC uses Acolyte and another is Urchin, you could suggest the Acolyte acted as a kind of social worker for the Urchin (checked on them, brought them food or clothes or something). Or an Urchin could have been an informant for the Criminal. Or two Soldiers served together (maybe one was another's CO?).

[Sigreid]

I had my players sign an "Adventurers contract" it has a number of stipulations in it regarding: no PvP, loot sharing, pooled finances and on quest living arrangements ie, when actively in-play they are expected to reside within jumping distance of each other, cos ambushes happen, I know its very metagame but my group is newish to DnD and they had trouble coming up with "realistic" reasons to stick together, apparently ADVENTURE isnt reason enough for some.

Eh, my simple solution is playing with people who are there to play together. If you dont want to play together, you're not welcome.

[Ganymede]

At the end of Chapter 1 in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, the characters get joint ownership of Trollskull Manor, a dilapidated manor/tavern.

Although the manor will likely be interesting place to stay for those non-native to Waterdeep, I find it hard to believe that a Waterdhavian Noble character would be at all interested in living there.

There's really no reason to assume that this is what the PC would choose to do, or even that it is the most probable outcome.

But yeah, Trollskull Manor's layout is sketched out in the module, and it contains some very nice bedrooms and some more spartan quarters. If this actually ends up being a problem, I'd urge your player to instead shoot for the nicest living quarters. For instance, the master bedroom on the third floor has a large private bathroom and is right next to a privy; those sound like choice sleeping arrangements.

[Joe the Rat]

Pex nailed it - it's up to the player to stay invested in the game, either by a reason for the character to stay, or a new character. Let them figure it out, and use the advice here if they get stuck.


It's downtown real estate, of course the noble wants it, though they will want to spruce it up.

If there's one thing annoying wealthy urbanites are into, it's gentrification.

[ChildofLuthic]

One of my characters is a noble, and is doing the tavern as an "ironic rich girl" thing. She's hanging out with the little people just to look risque and bohemian.

Make sure you explain that it's a vintage manor then.