WATERDEEP and below…
Dungeons & Dragons 5e | Campaign
About the adventure
Your adventure will begin at one of the gates of Waterdeep about midday, late in the fall. You (or someone in the party) have recently inherited a large Tavern in the north ward of city. You and your friends can reopen it to run a successful business right here in a high-class neighborhood of Waterdeep! But upon arrival you find the tavern in pretty bad shape, left abandoned for some time, (while the ere to the property was located) It’ll be expensive getting it back up and running but fortunately there are adventurous ways to earn this coin within or near the city proper (most of them are even legal). However, most likely while you’re working on acquiring these funds for the repairs your group will most likely end up on the bad side of at least one of Two vicious criminal organizations which are operating in Waterdeep. Both are trying to find a vast treasure hoard hidden somewhere under the city. You might as well try to beat them to it as it would more than pay for the repairs. The Zhentarim is a mercenary gang led by an evil wizard who oppose Xanathar's Thieves' Guild which is rumored to be led by one of the most feared aberrations known to exist (a Beholder!) Both have evil intentions for this treasure and will be out to get you. Based on your choices you may have the opportunity to fight both of them!
established group, looking to add a player or two to our sandbox style waterdeep campaign (we lost our wizard..... at least temporarily) their level 4 with a Monk, Druid, and a Rogue
1 year on StartPlaying
25 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Teacher, Rule of Cool
Game Master Reviews (11)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Creativity
Teacher
Rule of Cool
The Sleepy Weasel
Playing the one shot with Shawn was a blast. He is knowledgeable of the rules, is very open to players ideas that are outside of the box, and most importantly keeps the pace going. He is also easy to laugh along with players, which is good for a DM so they don't take the narrative so seriously as well as genuinely enjoy player hijinks. I'd recommend Shawn.
Ray
Played 1 sessions
We had a fun game, helped us out with our Roll20 Sheets and with any questions we had. The game was engaging and we have a good tough fight against a dragon.
Coach OBubby
Played 1 sessions
Shawn is a DM that exudes his love and passion for DnD into every aspect of his story telling, world building, and combats. He knows the universe and rules very well, allowing him to be extremely patient and accommodating to new players. For advanced players, you can expect challenging combat encounters that test your builds and game knowledge while allowing you to play to your own style with the rule of cool. He is overall a completely solid and fun DM, that as a fellow DM, I give my recommendation wholehearted to.
DireBigB
Played 1 sessions
Shawn is a masterful old-school GM who excels at creating an immersive and engaging experience for his players. His kindness and openness allow players to truly shape the narrative, making every session feel like a collaborative story. Shawn's ability to keep everyone engaged and invested in the tale is remarkable, ensuring that each player feels valued and heard. His style fosters creativity and camaraderie, making every game session memorable and enjoyable. Very good for beginners as well.
Steve
Shawn did a great job for both my wife and I learning D&D. He is patient, but did a great job keeping everyone engaged and made a great story from the one shot we played.
Jeannie Garcia
As a beginner, I am at a loss for what actions I should take. Shawn took the time to explain what actions were available. He was very patient as I learned not only the "game play" but also the Roll 20 manipulations I needed to make. I will look for another opportunity to play a game with him soon.
Additional details
How to prepare
You’ll need a working microphone, free discord and Roll20 accounts. A working camera is preferred, but certainly not required. Most importantly just show up ready to play and have fun! Don’t worry If you know nothing about the city of Waterdeep or the Forgotten Realms setting in general. Even though I was playing when this setting was originally introduced back in the 80s I don’t have everything memorized nor do I want too. A lot of this setting will be original content inspired by the material rather than an exact history lesson of published material. Also don’t worry If you ARE familiar with the dragon heist or mad mage adventures. I’ve taken great inspiration from these published adventures but I’m also mixing it up A-LOT. I intend to run more of a sandbox where you'll be looking for this treasure hidden in Waterdeep. (not necessarily the exact events in the published adventure) As long as everyone has two common goals for their characters 1. A vested interest in a rundown bar that someone in the party (or maybe everyone) has inherited and 2. A curiosity about adventure and finding treasure hidden below the city. Things will likely fall in place with a-lot of my prepared material.
What I provide
I have Most official 5e books available on Roll20 including both dragon heist and mad mage modules (witch this adventure will take a lot of inspiration from) I also bring 40years of experience as a game master and player who visited this city in older additions. There is a lot of artworks and maps available on-line for this setting (that I will use some of) but as a professional artist I provide A lot of original maps and reference artwork myself as well to provide a unique and fresh adventure in this familiar setting.
Gameplay details
We’ll discuss all the safety tools and general rules of conduct in session 0. I’ll take a moment here to give some spoiler free hints as to how this will be different If you are familiar with the dragon heist adventure. As you may have noticed from the description of the game, many things have been changed or added. I’m actively using 2 of the 4 villains provided in the original adventure and I want you to have the opportunity to actually fight at LEAST one of those villains In their lair (hopefully both of them) and the dragon! Unlike the RAW adventure, where you don’t reach a high enough level to fight any of the big bads, you just have to foil them somehow. You’r adventure will also end up taking you into the first 3 levels of Undermountain. Which I have also changed (a little) in case you’re familiar with dungeon of the mad mage. I plan to take this adventure to at least the 10th level there’s plenty of exciting stuff happening in MY Waterdeep that the modules don’t mention. (No spoilers there lol) * maybe further than the 10th level if you want to venture further down into Undermountain once THIS story arc concludes.
Content warnings
• Character Death
• Snakes
• Spiders
• Violence
Safety tools used
• Aftercare
• Breaks
• Open Door
• Session 0
How will character creation work
I’m old school and strongly prefer everyone making their characters at the same time (during session 0) with my shared content on Roll20 after everyone meets each other. We’ll start at level 2, I’m fairly open with race and classes however this IS set primarily inside a big city some race/class choices will work better than others in this environment. Once you join the campaign I’ll send you a link to discord where there will be a little more detail about character creation. Feel free to start thinking about ideas for your character but please don’t finalize them until session 0 with everyone else (using the character sheet in my Roll20 game) Because party dynamics and balance tend to make the game better for everyone.
Players can expect
Combat / Tactics
Medium
Roleplay
Medium
Puzzles
Low
Experience level
Open to all
Platforms used
• Roll20
• Discord
$20.00
/ Session
Each player will be charged when a session starts.
Details
Weekly / Tuesday - 1:00 AM UTC
Mar 18 / Session 24
3-4 Hour duration
4 / 6 Seats filled
Schedule
Requirements
Experience required: Open to all
Age: 18+