i GHOSTS 0 DRAGONSPEAR C &D NEXT PREVIEWGHOSTS or DRAGONSPEAR CASTLE* AN EXCLUSIVE D&D® NEXT PREVIEWProject Leads Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins D&D R&D Team Greg Bilsland, Bruce R. Cordell, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Dupe, Peter Loe, Mee Meare. Kio Mahan, Tor Olsen. ‘Christopher Perkins, Ben Petrisor, Robert. Schwalb, Matt Sernet, Chris Sims, Rodney Thompson, Steve Winter, James ‘Wyatt, Chris Youngs [D&D Brand and marketing Tear (Chris Lindsay, Shelly Mazzanoble, Hilary Ross, Lx Schuh, Nathan Stewart, Laura Tommervike Senioe Creative Ditector Jon Schindehette ‘Act Director Kate Irwin Graphic Designer Emi Tanjt Publishing Production Specialist Jessie Daeg Prepress Manager Jefferson Dunlap Imaging Technician ‘Carmen Cheung. Production Manager (Cynda Callaway Cover Iustration Kekai Kotak cartography Jason A. Engle Interior Mlastrations Dave Allsop, Kalman Andrasofszky, Steve Argyle, Dave ‘Arneson, Den Beauvais, Ralph Belsner, Eric Belisle, Greg Bell, Noah Bradley, Sam Buriy, Milvo} Ceran, Conceptopolis, ‘Stephen Crowe, Ned Dameron, Diesel, Tony DiTertiz, ‘Vincent Dutralt, Jeff Easley, Jesper Ejsing, Wayne England, Emily legenschuh. Gonzalo Flores. Ken Frank. Dan Frazier. Lars Grant West, Paul Guzenko, Des Hanley, Jared von Hindman, Tyler Jacobson, Michael Kaluta, Jorge Lacera, Roger Loveless, Howard Lyon, Victoria Maderna, lawomir Manik, ‘Will McLean, Christopher Moeller, Le Moyer, Jie Nelzon, ‘William O'Connor, Erol Otus, Patrick Thomas Parnell, Darlene Pekul, Steve Prescott, David Rapoza,Scott Roller, Richard Sardinha, Craig) Spearing, David C. Sutherland it), {Galo Sethacal Sceplen opty Davi A. earpiece ‘Trott, Eva Widermann, and Sam Wood CONTENTS Foreword, (CHAPTER 1: DAGGERFORD CAMPAIGN. Running the Campaign. Adventure I: Fane ofthe Sun Swallower.. ‘Adventure 2: Ihe Cursed Urypts ot Amberg Adventure 3: The Fall of left enon Adventure 4: Dragonspear Castle... Daggerford and Beyond.ewnuns (CHAPTER 2: HOW TO PLAY ssa Basic Rules... Ability Scores. (CHAPLBK 5: MAGIC Spell Descriptions. Adventuring Gear.. (CHAPTER 5: DM GUIDELINES... ‘Miscellaneous Rules... Encounters and Kewards. (CHAPTER 6: BESTIARY... APPENDIX: PREGENERATED CHARACTERS... «62048890000001 EN wsan'9780 7860565314 Fl Pig August 2013, 947654321 Dunctous & Dnacans DD, Wiardsofthe Coe Foncorrn Reans, hosts Orgerper Ctl other Wizards othe Coos produc names, anther seaport lgorarindomanivel Weare the Goat ntnc USA on they wots Acacia hak Sse theses ae popes of Ward ‘he Come Tae materi pestered unr the copyrigh ws oe Ui entaned hens probed thot Sates of Ameria Ay epoducion or urathored we ote meal oxpenwrten permit of Wed ofthe Coat, Publined Wy Wiad ofthe Cons LC. Manuactrea by Hasbro SA, us Ele Sotcht 3, 2800 Delemant, CH epesinady hase Frogs Rendered Ae Fas Bar abrdge Mien, UBT TAU. Prine in the USA. ©2013 Wizards f the Const Visit our west at DungeonsaneDragps com —‘The book you holdin your hands is NOT the next edi- ton of the Dinroxs & Dracons® Roleplaying Game. Ita snapshot ofa game till in the throes of develop: ‘ment and extensive public playtesting (over 140,000 playtectere ac af thie writing) Tie alen a cel contained ‘gaming experience-something you can pick up and play with your friends immediately. All you need are some dice. ‘The book is titled Ghosts of Dragonspear Caste” ‘Why? Because “D&D® Next Gen Con Hotness" isnt particularly evocative. Also, this product is an adven: ture first and foremost-or rather, four adventures that, string together to form a thrilling mini-campaign, Ifyou'e curious about what a D&D Next campaign ight feel like, thes dhis praduct shoubl salty yous curiosity. Lots of dungeon exploration, roleplaying ‘opportunities, and awesome surprises await! By the ‘way, ifyou’ee a player, MONT RPAT THE ADVEN. TURES! Trust me when I say this: they/re alot less fun ifyou know what happens. ‘will say this much: The adventures take place in a relatively small corner of the Forcorrsn REatms® campaign world called the Sword Coast, which, i turns out, is just a fun place to explore. Here, the char- acters decisions and actions can have far-reaching consequences. I's also great place to show players and DMs how much fun it can be to discover what made the Forcorren Reatats setting so popular in the first place: the unabashed love of detail. As you're probably aware, the Foxcorren REALas hasheon with ue fora long time, and over the years ‘we've seen a lot of big events wreak untold havoc ‘on the world, from the Time of Troubles to the Spellplague. The latest iber-event is called the Sun. dering, which, ironically, is as much about restoration as itis about pulling things apart. Like other world. spanning events in the setting's history, the Sundering, Js what happens when gods try to set things right (or wrong, depencling on their disposition) and, even better, when gods decide to use mortals as thelr agents of change. Speaking of change, by the time this book is released, the D&D Next rules will have changed slightly hacel on the latest playtoet feedback. If youre 4 playtester, you might discover some inconsisten- cies between what's written in these pages and what appears in the latest playtest documents on the D&D ‘website. Such is the nature of print publishing! From the time this book goes to the printer to the time it arrives at the Gale Force Nine booth at Gen Con, four ‘montis will have passed. You wouldnt believe how much playtest feedback we receive and process in four ‘months; it's truly awesome and terrifying, Whatever the differences might be, we dou't expect thens tu have 4 profound effect on the adventures i this bah vt the ‘overall quality of your play experience. ‘As you flip through the pages, you'll notice that eee having a bit of fan with the visual presentation By no means is this design indicative of what D&D ‘books will look like in the future. We're experiment {ng with some ideas, but we'e still along way from setting the look and feel of our books going forward. Al I can says that we're trying to learn from our past successes and failures. ‘The art appearing in this book comes from all past editions of the D&D game, and we mixed in some D&D Next concept art just to keep things fresh. Ie's really a chance for us to say, “Look where D&D has zone before!” and "Lets see where we can go from here!” On pages 280-281 is one of my favorite works of art the winning entry fram nr reront DRT) Newt Character Sheet Contest, as voted by the fans and a select panel of judges. Anyone who thinks character sheet design isnt an art form clearly hasn't tried to create one! Props t Brian Morgen for taking top prize. Let me conclude by saying: A lot of wood elves died to bring you this product. (A lot oftreants, too) We hhope you put it to good use and have a rollicking good. tUme stomping around the Sword Coast Give Isteval amy regards! (Christopher Perkins D&D Senior Producer May 2013CHAPTER 1: DAGGERFORD CAMPAIGN Daggerford is a small but important Sword Coast town where fledgling adventurers can make names for themselves. Its a great starting point fora campaign because there's so much territory around Daggerford to explore, and the town is within reasonable traveling distance of three very important cities: Neverwinter and Waterdeep to the north, and Baldur's Gate to the south. In short, the Sword Coast is where the action is. Players can choose from the pregenerated charac ters starting on page 267 or create their own using the D&D Next rules. Some of the player characters might be lifelong residents of Daggerford or hail from farms or estates within the surrounding Delimbiyr Vale (also known as the Shining Valley). You can use the mate rial in the “Town of Daggerford” section (page 134) to help players flesh out interesting backgrounds for their local characters and forge ties with NPCs who can serve as mentors and trainers. Other characters might ing through town, on their way to some other destination when they are drawn to Dag. gerford by the promise of adventure. Daggerford isin many ways. the quintessential rural town, complete with monster infested hills, spooky forests, ruined castles and mansions, and for Jom swamps. What makes Daggerford stand out are the colorful NPCs and the memorable dungeons that the player characters get to explore. To geta feel for what this mini-campaign has to offer, here are the parts you should review fi + The "Running the Campaign” section below. + The “Personalities of Daggerford” section (page 135), which introduces several NPCs that could hhave interesting ties to fledgling adventurers. + The map of Delimbiyr Vale on page 141 Daggerford contains ll the trappings ofa typical ‘medieval settlement built on the shore ofa river that flows out to the sea. It an excellent kick off a D&D" campaign because ofits pro ing adventure locations such as the Lizard Marsh, the High Moor, the dwarven dungeons under Mount Ilefarn, and the ruins of Dragonspear Castle. Dag. gerford is situated along a well-traveled trade road that connects two of the Sword Coast's greatest cities: WHAT THE PLAYERS DON'T KNOW Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate, Alot of caravans and _gossip passthrough town, creating even more opportu nities for adventure and intrigue. ‘At the end ofthis long chapter. you'll find a com plete description of Daggerford and its inhabitants, including colorful nonplayer characters (NPCs) that can serve as trainers and mentors for fledgling cleris, fighters, rogues, and mages. As the DM, you are free to develop these NPCs or substitute them as you see fit. The end of this chapter also includes information on other areas of interest near Daggerford, along with random encounter tables you can use in case the play ‘ers want to explore other locations and pick up some extra experience points (XP) or loot! ‘The bulk of this chapter is devoted to adventures. ‘The four adventures in this book are designed to take characters from Ist level o 10th level Each adventure requires atleast 8 hours to play, and ideally you'll have a reliable group of players with whom you can run the adventures in sequence, creating a short but memo: rable D&D Next campaign. Everything you need to run the adventures is Included in this book, including the basic game rules and character creation rules. You'll find magic item descriptions at the end of chapter 5 and monster statis: tics in chapter 6. ‘While each adventure hae itz own ctory to tell, there are some overarching plot elements that connect them. These are described in the next section ("What the Players Don't Know”). When you're ready to begin, the campaign, go to the “Where to Begin...” section. WHat THE PLAYERS Don’t Know Somewhere along the Sword Coast, far from their homeland, the Red Wizards of Thay are building a secret fortress, The fortress includes an academy built atop magical portals connected to four elemental nodes—vaults of immense elemental power. The Red Wizards intend to hamess this energy and use it to ‘threaten and eubjugate the cities of the Sword Coast. ‘The elemental portals were built many years ago bya secret society of bored, wealthy, unscrupulous ‘Netherese nobles who founded a cult dedicated to the Elemental Princes of Evil. When the cult’s activities began attracting unwanted attention, its leaders sealed the portals with four elemental keys, dismantled the cult and its temple, and fled. The keys were hidden in scry proof altars dedicated to the Elemental Princes of ‘Air, Earth, Fire, and Water and buried underground. ‘The Red Wizards researched dhe dead eleteay tal cult, spoke to the spirits of former members, and tracked the four elemental keys to the Sword Coast, where the leaders of the elemental eult had retired Jong ago. The Red Wizards dispatched operatives toretrieve the four keys and return them to then secret stronghold ‘The Red Wizards have already obtained the Air Key, and they're close to retrieving the other three. However, they've suffered a major setback: The author- ities in Daggerford have captured Arvik Zaltos, the Red Wizards’ main operative in the area. Hisloss mits the entire operation in jeopardy. Worse, due toa fault {in the Red Wizards’ communication network, Arvik’s superiors aren't even aware he's been arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to hang. ‘The Red Wizards aren't the only threat to Dagger ford. A rakshasa named Nadir has arrived in town to exact revenge on his old nemesis, Sir Isteval (see page 135) The paladin, along with several companions, slew the rakshasa years ago in Cormyr. The rakshasa's disembodied spirit languished in the Nine Hells for years before reincarnating, and Nadir has spent the past several months tracking down Isteval. Na knows his old foe is working with the Daggerford authorities to eradicate the Red Wizard threat, and the rrakshasa has decided to aid the Red Wizards without knowledge while also plotting Istevals ruin. THE ELEMENTAL KEYS AND PRINCES OF ELEMENTAL EVIL The Red Wizards of Thay are after four elemental keys scattered in various locations around Dagger- ford. The adventures in this book are structured in a way that makes it difficult for the characters to ‘obtain the tour elemental keys. Lven it the players do everything right, most orall ofthe keys ae likely ‘to end up in the Red Wizards’ hands, and that’s fine. The elemental keys play pivotal roles in the early 2014 seasons of the D&D Encounrens” instore play program. It’s okay if players think it’s important to keep the elemental keys out of the Red Wizards! clutches. Even if they fail to do so, they will have accomplished many other things of great impor- tance, such as earning Isteval's trust and defeating the evil rakshasa Nadi. The Princes of Elemental Evil are not widely known or worshiped in Faerin. The Red Wizards know of them through extensive research, but few other possess such knowledge. ‘Although they attract their fair share of demented cultists, the princes are more like powerful monsters than gods. The four main elemental princes are Imix (the Prince of Evil Elemental Fite), Ogrémoch (the Prineenf Ful lomantal Fath), Olhydlrs (the Princess of Evil Elemental Water), and Yan-C-Bin the Prince of Evil Elemental Air). WHERE TO BEGIN .. . ‘You can begin the campaign by reading the following text aloud to the players: Every year around midsummer, the population of Daggerford swells as people come from up down the Sword Coast to partake in the tow annual festival of games. While merchants hawk their wares alang erowled bonlevard, erowale gather to witness all manner of contests, from | archery and tug-o'wars to wrestling and pi eating. But alas ill weather has dampened this year’s fe tivities. Torrential rainfalls from thick black clouds as wild coastal winds how through the darkened streets. Guests pack the local inns and taverns, hhoping for some reprieve while keeping their spirits high with drinking games and music, but the storm has been relentless, and there's no end insight. Not surprisingly the storm has given rise to lot of gossip about recent events in town, namely the cap ture of tattooed man believed tobe a Red Wizard of Thay, What would a Red Wizard he doing sa far from home, you ask? Well, according tothe local | gossip mongers, he was magically disguised and working for Lord Foshin as a gardener, of all things! That’ righ, the same Lord Floshin whose estate was attacked and looted by ores and halFores a fortnight ago. They say the Red Wizard was behind it, and thats why he's doomed to hang after the festival. sa good thing Lord Floshin wasn't home during the attack. He could've been captured and taken away by the orcs. Thats what happened tu is ser ‘ants, gods protect them! One can only imagine their horible fate. Ifthe players haven't already done so, now would be ‘a good time to have them introduce their characters. Applayer character might be a longtime resident of Daggerford or a visitor who has come for the summer festival It would be nice, however, ifone or more party ‘members have strong ties to the town. tthe end of this chapter, you'll find descriptions of Daggerford and several important NPCs who ‘might have tiesto the player characters. Feel free to Uestribe diese NPCs w your players they're having trouble fleshing out their characters’ backgrounds. ‘Many of these NPCs make excellent mentors for Ist level adventurers, The Red Wizard ATRed Wizard mained A vik Zalios llred die Clotskull tribe of ores and half-orcs to attack the Floshin (pro: nounced flow-shin) estate, creating a distraction so that ‘Arvik could raid the Ploshin family crypts. Within one sealed crypt, Arvik found a stained-glass altar WHERE TO BEGINdedicated to Yan-C-Bin, the Prince of Evil Klemental Air (ce “The Flemental Keys and Princes of Elemental Evil” sidebar) Arvik smashed the altar, retrieved the Air Key hidden within, and gave itto an apprentice in Daggerford. Meanwhile, the Clotskulls took several of Lord Floshin's servants back to their lair in the kills north of Daggerfird, ta he need as brooding stack ta replenish their dwindling numbers. Unfortunately for Arvik, one of Lord Floshin’s maids managed to escape her captors and flee back to town, whereupon she told local authorities that Arvik and the orcs were in cahoots. Armed with a detailed description of Arvik (albeit a magical disguise to hide his true appearance), the authorities had no trouble finding him. News about the attack on Lord Floshin’s estate and the captured Red Wizard set the stage forthe first calveituse. Must hn leave in lit to share, since details have been kept under wraps. ‘Characters who ask around and succeed at a DC 15 CChariema check to gather information inearth the fal lowing tidbits: + Sightings of ores in the hills north of town are more common nowadays. The duke has vowed to "bol ster” patrols ofthe northern countryside. + A local paladin of Amaunator named Sir Isteval is fiends with Lord Floshin an in the Red Wizard matter. mali hae taken an interest + The tattooed man was captured in Daggerford a couple days after the attack on the Floshin estate. Before his arrest, he was seen in the company of other shady characters whose identities are unknown, + The tattooed man’s name is Arvik Zaltos~at least, thar’s what he was called when he worked (albeit briefly) for Lord Floshin. ADVENTURE 1: FANE OF THE SUN SWALLOWER By Christopher Perkins, Robert J. Schwalb, and James Wyatt This adventure is designed for four to six Istlevel char acters, and the adventuring party should reach atleast 4th level by ts conclusion. Ifthe characters don't have ‘enough XP to advance to 4th level, consider adding «a few random encounters (see page 12) between this ‘adventure and the next one, or consider allowing the characters to train with thelr mentors in Daggerford and advance to the appropriate level “Fane ofthe Sun Swallower” begins in Daggerford, luring the public hanging ofa Red Wizard, and ends inthe Lizard Marsh, with the characters storming the underground lair ofa black dragon that thinks itt the Chosen of Talona (goddess of rot and corrup ton). Along the way, they match wits with a devious rakshasa, contend witha vile lizard queen and her cursed lizardfolkthralls,and cross swords with an ‘nbred farnily of swamp-cwelling half ore bandits who are also meddling inthe black dragon's business. SETTING THE STAGE Like most black dragons, Thoss Fyurnen is thoroughly wicked and rapactous. However. he has too many problems in his reptilian life to concern himself with ‘conquering the Lizard Marsh (or Daggerford, for that ‘atter) For one thing, he'son the “outs” with his black dragon mate, Cheleen. Thess Fyurnen has taken custody oftheir unborn brood™four dragon eggs in all-while Cheleen tends to some important business of her own, Should anything happen to the eggs, Thoss ‘Fyurnen would find himself the target of his mate's unbridled wrath, ‘Unfortunately, one of dhe eggs disappeared while “daddy” was out hunting. In his anger, Thoss Fyurnen. devoured several ofthe lizardfolk who worship him as the Chosen of Talona. Eventwally, their vile queen per suaded the dragon to consider other possibilities. The‘dragon had, afterall, turned down am alliance with a tattooed man calling himself a Red Wizard of Thay. Eventually the lizard queen convinced Thoss Fyurnen, the dreaded Sun Swallower, that he was the victim of Red Wizard treachery. ‘The Red Wizard, Arvik Zaltos, had tried to bribe the dragon into stealing an altar from Cromm’s Hold. a fortified estate on the edge of the Lizard Marsh. ‘When Thoss Fyurnen declined, Arvik sent a team of stealthy halF.ore raiders into the dragon's lair to snatch ‘one of Thoss Fyurnen’s precious eggs. Arvik planned. to extort the dragon into stealing the altar. However, not long after the egg was stolen, Arvik was arrested in Daggerford. After Arvik is hanged in Daggerford’s town square, news arrives that a black dragon has attacked Cromm’s Hold. "The characters are among those cent to provide aid and reinforcement tothe beleaguered keep. When they arrive, they find a few dead soldiers and several dead lizardfolk, but no signs ofthe dragon. The Party’s Goal ‘The Duke of Daggerford sends soldiers and clerics to fortify Cromm's Hold, and Sir Isteval makes sure the characters are invited along. Although her keep with- ‘stood the lizardfolk attack. Baroness Wynne Cromm wants the dragon hunted down and destroyed, How- cever, Sir Isteval urges restraint and is secretly more concerned about the stolen altar. (He suspects there's aconnection between it and the smashed altar at the Floshin estate.) Keeping his suspicions to himself, hae asks the characters to locate the dragon’ lair, but warn deta w seer clear ofthe vile wyrm. While searching the dragon’s lair, the characters ‘stumble upon the encampment of the half-orc bandits who stole Thoes Fyurnent gg (ee alia "Nadie Role” below). The stolen egg is their first real clue as to the dragon's motive for attacking Cromm’s Hold. Return- ing the egg to Thoss Fyurnen might go a long way toward making peace with the dragon. However, com- plications arise when the egg hatches prematurely and the newborn wyrmling bonds with the party. The Water Key (Cromm's Hold, situated on a bluffoverlooking the Lizard Marsh, is important to Daggerford's defense. Baroness Wynne, the noble who commands the fort: fied estate, isa descendant of one of the nobles who hid the four elemental keys (see page 5) in the Shin. ‘ng Valley. The Water Key was locked inside an altar dedicated to Olhydra, Princess of Evil Elemental ‘Watet, aud was unl! revenily sealed tn the dungeon of (Cromm’s Hold, ‘When Thoss Fyurnen touched down in Cromm’s Hold and demanded the altar, Baroness Wynne had ‘no choice but to surrender it. Unfortunately, the black PART 1 ‘dragon's promise to leave Cromm’s Hold in peace was a lie; asthe dragon took flight with the altar in its