Halaster Dies at the End: At the Undermountain of Madness
There's a king's ransom for the taking hidden somewhere in Waterdeep...but it's never that simple when the Mad Mage is involved....
$15.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Wednesday - 5:00 PM UTC
Session Duration / 3–3.5 hours
0 / 6 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
In the city of Waterdeep, there's many ways to make some coin--some of them even legal. For the braver folk, there's always a trip into the multi-layered dungeon known as Undermountain, home of vast riches...as well as the insane wizard, Halaster Blackcloak, who has filled his lair with all manner of hazards and creatures from all over the Multiverse to keep the adventurer population down and slake his maniacal boredom. Upon taking up a simple missing person quest, you learn of an easier way to get rich--the former Open Lord of Waterdeep, Dagult Neverember, was banished before he had a chance to collect his ill-gotten gains of a million gold pieces from some hidden vault somewhere in the city. Whoever finds the Vault (as well as the way to open it) gets the money...but you discover you have competition, as you're not the only one in Waterdeep who knows about Neverember's stash, and the hunt is on. This would normally be a cut-and-dry chase/heist type of adventure, except for one small hiccup: the ancient wizard miles under the city who is--for lack of a better word--BANANAS also knows about the money. Though Halaster has no need for coin, he does require entertainment...and it could be he has found the perfect rubes to distract him from his ever-growing insanity for a while. What starts out as a simple quest through the wards of Waterdeep is merely the prologue as your adventure takes you from a grand urban caper into the infamous labyrinthine dungeon known as Undermountain...home to the Mad Mage himself. This adventure is designed to transform your 1st-level party of adventurers into 20th-level heroes...or perhaps villains. The quest is yours to accept; where it goes from there is entirely up to you...so long as you remember that Halaster Dies at the End.
Game style
Combat Heavy
Dungeon Crawl
Roleplay Heavy
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
4.6
(13)
3 years on StartPlaying
118 games hosted
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, Sets the Mood
Average response time: 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
About me
Everyone has a story in them. Let me help you find yours. It can be hard for those who want to play TTRPGs, but either can’t find a group or just don’t know how to get started. Let me make that easier for you by offering my services as a professional Game Master for whatever game system you’re interested in playing. Let’s build a story together, while leaving you the freedom to explore and enjoy the world you’re creating without being bogged down by rules and multiple plotlines to keep track of. I've been doing this for over 30 years and have garnered a reputation for being a little outside the box but--at the same time--being 100% inclusive. The goal is for everyone to have fun and for nobody to feel left out. Also, if you see me advertising a game with no players yet, and the scheduled day and time doesn't work, message me with a day and time that would work and I can possibly move it to that schedule. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Character creation will take place during Session 0, but you are welcome to get a head start if you like. My basic guidelines are as follows: 1. Stats are determined by rolling 4d6 and dropping the lowest per stat. 2. Leveling up is milestone-based. 3. Encumbrance is enforced, but coin weight is ignored. 4. I allow all official content (including Unearthed Arcana), as well as most 3rd-party content with prior approval.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Players will need access to a mic, as well as both Discord and D&D Beyond.
What Paul brings to the table
I'll set the scene, but remember that we're telling this story together as a group; feel free to exercise a little creative license, as I will be doing the same. At the same time, I will be respectful and inclusive of everyone at my table, and I expect all of you to be the same. All are welcome, so long as an individual's beliefs do not openly conflict with the beliefs of others. Having said that, I will be doing voices for NPCs (you are welcome to do the same for your PCs), and I will try to be as inoffensive as possible with those voices so please let me know if a particular accent makes you uncomfortable. I also utilize ambient music depending on the mood and the environment of the game, but I will try to keep it in the background as much as possible. I also embrace the Rule of Cool in most situations, so long as your arguement for a particular action is compelling enough.
Homebrew rules
I have two homebrew rules I personally use, and we can talk about including others during Session 0: 1. Healing potions can be used as bonus actions. The difference is that if you choose to use them as a regular action, you get the maximum effect of the potion without rolling dice. 2. Should a player need to roll a death save, only the player who rolled it and the DM are allowed to know the results for each roll. All other players will just have to guess how close or far away from death their comrade actually is.
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Internet
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Paul creates a safe table
Session 0 is used for character creation and to set expectations. Lines and veils are provided upon request, as well as debriefing.
Content warnings
Safety tools used