Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

About the adventure

The Yawning Portal, a famous inn and tavern located near the eastern slope of Mount Waterdeep, it is here that many adventurers will pay the tavern owner Durnan a gold piece for a shot and chance at descending down deep into the portal that gives the inn its name for a chance to explore for loot and treasure and to fight any number of strange beasts and monsters that dwell below in the Underdark. Legend holds that more than one thousand years ago, the wizard Halaster Blackcloak journeyed from a distant land to the base of Mount Waterdeep, perhaps acceding to the whispered summons of providence. Some believe he hailed from the nearly forgotten empire known as the Cradlelands. Whatever the case may be, Halaster and his apprentices delved deep into the mountain, exploring the magics and ruins of drow and duergar. Some will say that Halaster went too far with his mystic studies, that it drove him to madness and obsession. In time, the city now known as Waterdeep developed in the shadow of Mount Waterdeep and spread down to the harbor. As the city sprawled outward over the years, it came to surround the ruins of Halaster’s home. Undermountain was known to those early settlers, and they often sent criminals into its endless depths as punishment. So it was for many years, until an intrepid adventurer named Durnan delved into the labyrinth beneath the tower and returned alive, laden with riches and countless harrowing tales. Durnan used his new fortune to demolish the remnants of Halaster’s tower and built an inn over the well he had used to descend into Undermountain, and call it the Yawning Portal. Durnan owns and operates the inn and tavern to this day, serving patrons and inviting the brave and foolish alike to test their mettle in the Dungeon of the Mad Mage.

Additional Details

How to prepare

Players will need to have a mic and a place with minimal interruptions. Bring your spirit of adventure, the more you're willing to interact, the richer the rp can be. Plus notes, take notes there's only so much I can do from my end with NPCs met and current objectives if players don't take notes either. Maybe something was important to you and you can ask about that later. D&D Beyond will be used for storing character sheets. If you want your own paper, physical copy of a character sheet, go for it, just keep it up to date with the site.

What I provide

The prepared adventure and flexibility as every player/character will respond differently to circumstances. I have a wide variety of books and access to D&D Beyond.

Gameplay details

I try to be a good narrator and describe the action. I get that different players will have different levels of role-playing ability and experience. This is a fantasy game, centered on fantasy violence, exploration, and a certain classic dungeon crawl style and feel. There will be a lot of fantasy tropes used. If I know you have children who may be present and can overhear people on Discord, we'll aim to keep the language clean. Mostly PG-13 rating. While I can think I have all bases covered, the important thing is to speak up as communication is key.

Content warnings

(none)

Safety tools used

Debriefing
Lines and Veils
Open Door

How will character creation work

Characters need to be made with point buy. All characters will begin at level five. If a player comes in at later sessions, we'll get them adjusted to the current levels in the game. Bear in mind characters will need to be from Forgotten Realms and the Sword Coast region. Please stick to the use of the Player's Guide, Sword Coast Adventure Guide, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, Fizzban's, and Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. If there is something you want such as the Haunted background, just let me know.

Players can expect

• Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
• Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
• If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.