ZHENTARIM: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

Zhentarim: Welcome to the Family.

Version 1.0.1

Author, Designer and Editor

Kevin Castillo

All Original Artwork

Kym Checa

Proof Readers and Play Testers

• Kym Checa
• Néstor Pérez
• Juan Bracho

Special Thanks
Thank you to all who believed in my project
and me, particularly my family. Through your
continuous support I managed to complete this
book in a timely fashion.

And thank you Kym not only for your support

but for the mountains of time and effort you've
put in order to make this project a reality, I
really, really couldn't have done this without
you. Thank you.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon
ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are
trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries.

This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used
with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

All other original material in this work is copyright © 2021 by Kevin Castillo and published under the
Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is
entirely coincidental.

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© 2021 Kevin Castillo
 ZHENTARIM: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

PREFACE
In this book, you’ll find a collection of ideas and resources to enhance your games with criminal
families, which in the Forgotten Realms, my setting of choice, would mean the Zhentarim. They’re not
the only option, but they’re one of the most known factions in the setting, and their existing theme
matches perfectly with this idea. Of course, the resources in this book aren’t limited to the Zhentarim;
if you want to create your own organized crime family analog feel free to adjust anything to fit your
worldbuilding needs.

For a long time, the Zhentarim has been this blanket organization of dubious morality (which more
often than not meant “the bad guys”) that we could just place in our campaigns whenever we needed
an option for the players to take the non-good route. But if you wanted something more substantial
than that, this book will help.

In this supplement, I’ve decided to expand on the faction as a whole, giving it a thematic makeover
drawing inspiration from all kinds of media that talk about the Mafia, the Yakuza and all sorts of
organized crime families. As such, “the Zhentarim” still exists as the umbrella term that covers the
whole faction. Within it, we can have different cells that can operate differently from each other with
their own rules, beliefs and operations.

The different mechanics presented in this book are designed as standalone, so you may decide to use
a few or all of them. These are meant to add that extra bit of flavor for your criminal underworld,
as well as giving Dungeon Masters and Players the tools to create their own. So feel free to mix and
match as you wish!

Chapters Overview
1. Get to know the Zhentarim and general aspects of the families within it.
2. Tools to create families and guided step-by-step creation process.
3. How the family makes and uses coin within the game. Divided into the front: Mercenary Work
and Rackets, operations that would be running on the side.
4. Expanding on the release of Tasha's Cauldron to Everything, using the Zhentarim as a Group
Patron if all the players are interested in answering to the faction.

Clarification on terminology
DM: Dungeon Master (or Game Master)
PC / PCs: Player Character(s)
NPC / NPCs: Non-Player Character(s)

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 ZHENTARIM: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

CHAPTER 1
ABOUT THE FAMILY
What we have achieved as the Zhentarim is no small feat. To become a globally recognized (and feared)
enterprise. Care to take a guess what our secret is? Is it raw strength? Is it otherworldly intelligence? Or perhaps
ruthlessness, and the willingness to do anything we must? Not quite; the simple truth is: We’re family.

The Zhentarim’s greatest asset isn’t the prowess of the individual members but rather how well we work together
as a unit, reinforcing our strengths and eliminating each other’s weaknesses. Once we take a new sibling in, we
nurture them, have them grow strong and ready to achieve their ambitions, which makes us stronger as a whole.

No matter how powerful a being is, no one

can hold vast empires under their direct
control; that’s why the Zhentarim operate in
cells, delegations, branches... or how they call
it themselves: Families.
Goals
Put simply, the Zhentarim wants one thing: to
make everyone in Faerûn dependant on them.
To achieve it, they seek to amass power;
whether that means military might, wealth or
influence, they want it all, and there’s nothing
that will stand in their way to get it.
We do have a strict code of conduct that all
members live by:
1. The Zhentarim is your family. You watch
out for it, and it watches out for you.
2. You are the master of your own destiny.
Never be less than what you deserve to be.
3. Everything and everyone has a price.
Each family can have their own goals and operate
vastly different from each other as long as they don’t
actively go against the Zhentarim beliefs.
• One family might strive to keep a continent at
war, continually profiting from their conflict.
• Another family might wish to infiltrate a
nation’s governing body and legally control and
bend society’s rules in their favor.
Chain of Command
The current leader of the organization is the
Pereghost, who currently acts as the commander
of Darkhold. It is as a result of his beliefs that the
transformation of the Zhentarim has even been
possible. At the same time, he takes a hands-on
approach to command the Zhents. The faction
is too vast to control personally, and he is more
than satisfied to delegate the operations of
smaller chapters of the Zhentarim to his trusted
officials.
Within the organization, members are assigned a
rank that comes along with responsibilities and
expectations.
Fang
This is the title given to any new sworn-in
initiates; their duty is to carry out their superiors’
commands.
Fangs must be on call at all times; if the
family needs them, they’re there. They’re also
taught early on to keep everything they do
“on the record” with their superior officers,
facilitating the management of a family and
protecting themselves from any disputes or
misunderstandings that might arise.
Members are expected to be proactive, actively
encouraged to further the family’s goals
through their own projects, whether legitimate
or otherwise. They can count on their family’s
support as long as their requests are reasonable.

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 ZHENTARIM: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY
Wolf
Once a Fang gets enough experience and
proves they can handle further responsibilities,
they may be promoted to Wolf.
They’re now seasoned members of the family,
so they can be trusted with their own teams
and handle more delicate and essential
missions.
They are given an objective and are free to
organize their resources as they see fit to
accomplish it. As expected, they always report
their dealings to their assigned superior officer.
Viper
A member promoted to Viper is given enough
trust to start a family of their own; however,
Vipers may choose to remain working under
their mentors or find a higher-ranking member
to serve.
The Viper is a mentorship role; they have
administrative power and can recruit new
members into the family.
Ardragon
A title derived from centuries-long corruption
of the word “Irondragon” describes the ideal
person holding this rank: a hardy, veteran,
experienced, calm-in-crisis warrior.
When I became a Viper, it was all different. Now I
was an officer; I commanded people I was in charge
of, I was responsible for them.
It’s a lot of work to deal with your guys, they always
have something going on that you need to deal
with, and of course, you still have to see the Boss
regularly, and she’d just say, “Here’s what I need
you to do...” and assign me a new task.
© 2021 Kevin Castillo
Not many make it to Ardragon; they must keep
a clear mind to make the best possible decisions
for their family and be capable of dealing swiftly
with any unpleasantries that might plague the
organization.
Most Ardragons not only lead their own families
but also issue orders to lower-ranking families.
Dread Lord
The highest attainable rank in the Zhentarim, a
Dread Lord is the embodiment of the family’s
virtues; they are the highest authority second
only to the Pereghost.
Complacency is not a trait that Zhentarim
members have, much less someone who
managed to rise this high. Dread Lords are
always looking to expand their influence, and
their name is known far and wide.
A single Dread Lord is the root of a family whose
domain might expand across multiple cities,
choosing their subordinates carefully and always
creating new opportunities.
Associates and Muscle
Not everyone who works for (or with) the
Zhentarim is a member and is thus not granted
titles. All of these people that work with a family
are referred to as Associates.
Associates are not formally initiated members
of a family, however in some cases, it might be
of the family’s interest to keep these folk close
by. They provide a service that the family might
need or where it would be troublesome for the
public to get involved.
Highly sought-after associates are medics and
legal representatives or advisors, but any family
can also use shop owners, innkeepers and most
craftsmen. They carry on with their business as
usual but are expected to provide priority and
superb services to the family they’re associated
with.
A successful relationship with an associate is
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based on trust; they must know that they got an
ally in the family, so helping them out with any
issues is second nature. Likewise, they know all
too well not to betray the Zhentarim’s goals.
The Zhentarim has worked hard to be widely
known as a group of mercenaries; thus, they’re
no strangers to work that could end up with
violence. In some cases, a family can also
employ third-party brigands, thugs or other
rowdy folks. These are simply called Muscle.
Muscle is often used when direct family
involvement is deemed unnecessary or when
the family needs to be discreet about their
involvement.
Adventurers could be considered either
Associates or Muscle, depending on the
nature of their involvement with the family.
Adventurers that accrue renown may be known
internally within the faction by honorary titles
but aren’t granted any actual titles by the family
until they’re sworn-in.
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Joining the Zhentarim
Every family is entitled to their own rituals of
initiation and hazing. Some demand serious
proof of loyalty and even some sort of personal
sacrifice to show resolve, while others are more
lax accepting members upon request. However,
once you’re sworn in, you’re in for life.
Before we grant you the privilege of joining our
family, you must prove that you’re loyal, that you’re
a good earner, and that you can handle the life.
The most common initiation method is to be
referred by an already sworn member, or the
aspirant could proactively find one existing
member and express their desire to join. Then
the at the member’s discretion, they’d take the
request to their superiors for approval.
Once the referral has been approved by the
family head, the aspirant is subject to a test that
depends entirely on who is evaluating. Some
might be inconspicuous, and some may be
grimmer than others.
Some examples:
• Deliver a package to a cryptic address without
being found out.
• Acquire an item from a secure location by any
means necessary.
• Defeat all other aspirants in combat.
• Have the aspirant do a task, then stage a
capture by the family and see if the aspirant
would sell them out after an interrogation.
More dangerous missions like assassination
or kidnapping are usually reserved for trusted
members who have proven their resolve, not
willing to risk exposure by pushing an unsworn
aspirant too far.
Once the aspirant completes the test and is
deemed satisfactory by the examiner, they are
called to participate in a formal ritual where they
swear loyalty to the family and are bestowed the
title of Fang.
 ZHENTARIM: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

Rising through the Ranks

Members earn higher ranks through merit
after investing a great deal of time and effort,
climbing one rank at a time, except in sporadic
and extraordinary cases where a higher
ranking member might choose to fast-track
an incredibly skilful member and have them
“skip” lower ranks.

Player characters can accumulate renown

to earn ranks as written on the Dungeon
Master’s Guide. It’s possible to do the same
for NPCs, but it’s recommended to simplify
this process.

Storytelling Method
Ignore the tables and decide what feels right
for your story! Having recurring NPCs earn
or lose ranks due to player involvement can
enhance the gameplay of any group. Scheme Length Table
Current Rank Length of Scheme (in months)
If the party’s influence benefits the NPC, they Fang 3 (or 1d6)
will cultivate a powerful ally, but they’re just Wolf 7 (or 2d6)
as likely to create their very own villain if they
Viper 15 (or 3d8)
oppose them.
Ardragon 25 (or 5d10)
This approach opens the door for more
organic encounters with Zhentarim members
who might seek out the party for a quest (or
Scheme Success Table
for revenge!). Roll Result
(d100)
1-5 The scheme fails, takes 2d6 months longer
Schemes Method and the agent has to pay a heavy price.
This is a more involved method that can add (The agent dies on a roll of 1!)
a timeframe for events while planning the 6-15 The scheme fails and the agent has to pay a
campaign. heavy price.
16-30 The scheme fails and takes 2d6 months
Any NPC whose rank the DM needs to track longer.
can start a scheme whose length depends 31-50 The scheme fails.
on their current rank. Consult the Scheme 51-60 The scheme succeeds but it takes 2d6
Length Table to establish how long the months longer.
character will need to run their scheme.
61-70 The scheme succeeds but the agent has to
pay a heavy price.
Then roll on the Scheme Success Table to
71-90 The scheme succeeds.
determine the outcome.
91-95 The scheme succeeds in half the time.
96-99 The scheme succeeds in 1/3 of the time.
100 The scheme succeeds in 1/4 of the time.

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 ZHENTARIM: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY
When the table reads “agent pays a heavy price”,
it might be anything that would affect the agent
negatively. Some examples:
• Death or Injury of a close person.
• Crippling Debt (for the agent or friend)
• Injury (Temporary or Permanent - like broken
bones or the loss of a limb)
• Out of comission (In Jail or in a Comma)
• The agent loses a rank (only when the scheme
fails)
Whenever a scheme table uses time, it’s written
in months for convenience. If your campaign
would benefit from a faster or slower time frame,
feel free to adjust it as you see fit.
I recommend easy-to-track units of time, such as:
• Tendays
• Months (3 Tendays)
• Years (12 Months)
Sample Scheme
Moe ‘the Hammer’ a Zhentarim Viper wants
to ascend to Ardragon, so he sets out on a
scheme.
Since he’s a Viper, he’d need to spend 15
months on this scheme.
During this time, Moe will be running
errands, expanding his influence and
looking for opportunities. At the end of the
15 months (provided there’s no delays or
breakthroughs), he’ll either succeed or will
see his scheme fail and cut his losses before
trying again later.
If sought out, Moe would be busy carrying
out his scheme, but if the characters were to
press on and meet him before the date, his
mood might reflect his results: eager and
proud or frustrated and desperate.
That being said, the player characters could
significantly impact the Zhent’s success (whether
positively or negatively) and completely change
the outcome after their interaction.
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Family Iconography
Globally the Zhentarim outfits their members
with the iconic Black and Gold colors, and they’re
encouraged to carry the symbol of the faction
(Flying Snake) with them.
The type of clothing worn usually depends on
the location and culture.
• Families in Waterdeep might opt for a more
elegant style and well-presented.
• Those who operate in deserts like the
Anauroch will naturally seek protection from
the elements and comfort, wearing loose-
fitting cotton and head wrappings.
• The ones that brave the rugged North would
have thick fur capes and other warm clothing.
Coat of Arms
To further represent themselves, each family
has its own coat of arms, a symbol to identify
themselves. The family head must make sure
their members can recognize such symbols to
avoid confrontation with other families. If one
of these regrettable events were to happen, the
members would know which family to hold
accountable.
Feel free to make your own or consult the Coat
of Arms table for inspiration. A symbol can be
anything, but we recommend to keep it simple,
so it’s easy to replicate.
Coat of Arms Table
Roll Symbol
(d8)
1 Elements: Water, Earth, Fire, Air
2 Snakes: coiled, stretched, ouroboros,
infinity
3 Geometric Shapes
4 Body parts: Eye, Hand, Foot
5 Weapons or Armor
6 Stylized Letters
7 Celestial Bodies: Sun, Moon, Stars, Clouds
8 Animals: Wolves, Horses, Lions, Eagles,
Gryphons, Dragons
 ZHENTARIM: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

Family Fashion (Uniforms)

The classic Black and Gold Zhentarim look is Garment Quirk Table
preferred, but it doesn’t have to be limiting, all Roll The outstanding feature is:
family members are welcome to accessorize as (d20)
they see fit, and some families take a step further 1 Half of it is a different color.
and create uniforms to spot their members at a 2 Half of it is of a different size.
glance. 3 Has a visible bite or claw mark.
4 Has a vibrant color.
This could be as simple as wearing a plain brooch
with your family Coat of Arms or as extravagant 5 Has a checkered pattern.
as you want it to be. 6 Glitters.
7 Glows faintly in the dark.
Feel free to make your own design, or if you’re 8 Has a distinctive smell.
looking for inspiration, roll on the Uniform 9 Has feathers attached.
Garment Table to select what garment to use 10 Has visible blood stains.
for the uniform and then roll (sparingly) on the
11 Part of it is see-through.
Garment Quirk Table to customize it.
12 Loose fitting.
Uniform Garment Table 13 Tight fitting.
Roll Garment 14 Makes a faint sound when moving.
(d10) 15 Has the family symbol.
1 Upper body (Shirt, Armor, Harness, 16 Puffy.
Shoulderpads). 17 Reversible.
2 Lower body (Pants, Skirts). 18 Has tassels.
3 Jewelery (Rings, Earrings, Necklaces, 19 Is in tatters.
Bracelets). 20 Is made of an uncommon material.
4 Ties (Necktie, Bowtie, Cravat).
5 Headwear (Headband, Hat, Masks,
Headwraps).
6 Outerwear (Overcoat, Scarf, Cape, Tabard).
7 Footwear (Boots, Sandals).
8 Belt or Sash.
9 Gloves or Sleeves.
10 Piercings or Tattoo.

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 ZHENTARIM: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

CHAPTER 2
A FAMILY OF YOUR OWN
So you want to lead your own family, eh? Good on you! You’ve got people who you trust, and they
depend on you. You know very well how we operate and have shown how competent you are.

A free piece of advice: Don’t make this about you; surround yourself with strong, talented and loyal
individuals and do your best to keep them satisfied.

Don’t let us down, and more importantly, for your sake, don’t let your people down.

This chapter’s purpose is to highlight aspects of
family creation, a bundle of small details that
added up form an unique, recognizable family.
As well as what the management side of it would
look like to better understand what the higher
officials deal with routinely.
Step-by-Step Creation
Your first step in creating a family is to imagine
what it will be like. Are you a small-time band
looking to grow and climb the ranks? Or a
long-lasting successful empire that oversees the
dealings of a continent?
We’ll present options as guidelines to help you
reach the vision in your head. It’s unnecessary to
use the exact numbers in this section, a struggling
family might have a hard time getting what’s
considered average, and an affluent one might
have more assets than they know what to do
with.
1. Family Head
The pillar of the family can be a character
that already exists or a completely new one.
Characters with high Intelligence, Wisdom or
Charisma scores often make good leaders.
The head’s rank is also essential, as it will reflect
on the family as a whole. This will be referenced
later in this chapter to determine aspects of the
family. The lowest title that a Head can hold
is Viper; anyone with a lesser title just hasn’t
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proven themselves as capable yet. Also, people
won’t be very eager to put their lives in the
hands of just anyone.
2. Rules
Every organization has its own set of rules to
follow. Ultimately, the family’s primary goal has
to align with the Zhentarim’s, but the steps to
achieve it are up to the family’s judgment.
Don’t stress trying to think of every activity, just
those that would define the family the best. If
it’s not bound to happen often, it’s safe to just
ignore it. And you don’t need to fill out every
section either.
As you assign activities to the different
categories, think of how regularly it should be
done or if it’s a permanent rule. Some examples:
• Members must donate to a charity every other
month.
• Members must participate in our internal
tournaments at least once a year.
• Members are forbidden to deal with drugs.
Mandatory Activities: Members who fail to
engage in these activities will be punished.
Encouraged Activities: These further the
family’s goals, participants might be rewarded
upon completion, but there’s no punishment for
not participating.
Discouraged Activities: This is the grey area of
what’s allowed, members who engage in these
 ZHENTARIM: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY
activities might be reprimanded, and those
who continuously engage in them will be
punished accordingly.
Punishment Laws: Rules exist for a reason,
and members should know what they stand to
lose should they disobey the family’s rules.
3. Name and Iconography
Now that you have a clearer picture of the
family in your head, it’s time to think of a
name, one that will echo respect among the
Zhentarim and fear on your enemies.
The family name could be just the founder
head’s surname, or it could be more colorful to
represent a vision, ideal or just straight edge.
Finally, you should look to create a Coat
of Arms for your family and optionally a
uniform. You can find examples of all this in
Chapter 1.
4. Headquarters
Every family needs a place to call home. To
outsiders, it’s a representation of the family’s
power; to its members, it’s a place of respite
where they can go and meet with their fellow
brothers and receive orders.
The headquarters must be a reflection of your
family’s rank. Being a powerful family who
happens to run their executive meetings in
the back room of a small tavern can make
others (whether family members or not)
question your ability to wield your power
appropriately.
These stations have analogue buildings in
other resources. Also, these will be listed with
a garrison of Zhentarim members to protect
the headquarters from outside threats.
© 2021 Kevin Castillo
Viper’s Nest
Equivalent: Guildhall
Standard Cost: 5.000 gp
Upkeep: 10 gp per day
Garrison: 10 (or 2d6+3) agents.
Ardragon’s Lair
Equivalent: Keep or Small Castle
Standard Cost: 50.000 gp
Upkeep: 100 gp per day.
Garrison: 50 (or 2d20 + 40) agents.
Dread Lord’s Dark Bastion
Equivalent: Palace or Large castle.
Standard Cost: 500.000 gp
Upkeep: 400gp per day.
Garrison: 150 (or 5d20+100) agents.
The Dungeon Master's Guide has a section that
shows the costs of acquisition and maintenance for
such structures. Still, if the family happened to fall
into the possession of an appropriate dwelling for
any reason (often a quest result), they can be used
as headquarters without issues.
Penalty
When a family fails to control a center appropriate
for the head’s rank for longer than 1 month, its
members have disadvantage on Charisma checks
when dealing with Zhentarim matters until
resolved.
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5. Members
And the final step, decide how many members
Family Contributions
the family has and what their ranks are.
All members bring in coin from their affairs
(the going rate is 20% from their income - up
Here we’ll give you an idea of the average
to negotiation as always).
size of a family appropriate to its rank. The
recommended ratio is approximately 4:1 for
Most of these contributions are used to pay
each rank.
for the household expenses (that is, stocking
the armory, providing medical care, training,
Meaning, for every 4 Fangs, you have 1 Wolf;
etc.) and, most important: used to pay the
for every 4 Wolves, you have 1 Viper, and
headquarters costs and upkeep. As you can
so on. This way, a Dread Lord commands 4
imagine, managing a family is an expensive
Ardragons, 16 Vipers, 64 Wolves, and 256
endeavor, but given the nature of their
Fangs, totalling a family of 341 members.
activities, the Zhentarim often comes up on
top.
The numbers don’t need to be exact, feel free
to adjust to best fit your concept. If you have a
The excess contributions are stored in secure
family that forgoes member count in favor of
vaults across the family’s domain, accessible
individual strength or vice versa, go for it.
only by the family heads and members &
associates with clearance.
Consider that the higher the member’s rank,
the less likely they will remain working under
This could lead to exciting story elements; for
someone else instead of creating their own
example: when the family takes a significant
family. The notable exception to this “rule” is
member loss, they might not have enough
when they feel close to succeeding the head
inflow to keep paying the expenses; thus
or an official. As said before, a member of the
pushing those in charge for a more drastic
Zhentarim will never be the subordinate of
approach.
another member with a lower ranking than
their own, but they might work for someone
On Wealth
with their same rank.
Of course, there are major Zhentarim
operations that bring in mountains of coin.
Members don’t need to stay in the
These are best reserved for players as quest
headquarters; they can embark on enterprises
objectives.
to expand the family’s domain. Higher-ranking
members can form smaller outposts along with
Feel free to track (or not) the family’s wealth
lower-ranking ones while remaining in the
as you see fit; you can use the headquarters
family.
upkeep and garrison as a guide to imagine
how much the family would need to be
For example: The Third Eye Family has their
earning to stay in the green.
headquarters in Neverwinter, where the head:
an Ardragon, commands most of the forces. A
Obviously, the family head is not the only
loyal Viper sets out with 20 Fangs and 4 Wolves
one responsible for paying the bills. They
to set up an outpost in Luskan, establishing a
would only be expected to contribute the
foothold for the Third Eye Family.
usual 20% from their own funds (but who’s
counting anyway?). After all, a successful
business runs on its own profits.

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 ZHENTARIM: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY
Board of Directors
The family success depends on cooperation;
having capable people in charge of operations
can give the whole organization an advantage.
This is a full-time role, so it’s best reserved for
NPCs, though there may be compelling storylines
where a character earns a seat on a higher
ranking member’s board of directors.
Since being part of the board is a full-time role,
they need to be paid for their work. Feel free to
price these positions as you see fit, but don’t go
any lower than 2gp per day, as that’s the rate
for a (lowly) skilled hireling. Some characters
might demand further compensation, either as a
reflection of their skills or greed.
Lead Advisors
The closest advisors to the family head, giving
exceptional counsel to other members is vital for
success. When making an Ability Check directly
related to the family, a member can add half the
modifier (rounded up) associated with a seated
member’s Ability Score (minimum 0).
© 2021 Kevin Castillo
Roles and associated ability:
• Secretary: adds Intelligence.
• Administrator: adds Wisdom.
• Marshal: adds Charisma.
Specialist Roles
They can be either members or associates.
Hiring these specialists represents a
commitment to significant changes to the culture
and operations in the family.
Specialists give significant advantages to a
family, but they don’t usually come cheap.
Some of them might only be willing to join and
provide their services after fulfilling a favor
(usually a quest) for them.
A family can have a limited amount of
specialists at once, depending on the head’s
rank. A Viper can seat 2 specialists, an Ardragon
can hire 3, and a Dread Lord 4. And since it’s a
prestigious role, family members often compete
to earn it.
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Some of these roles are:

• Ringleader: For a fee, they can rouse
bandits, thugs or similar NPCs to get
involved in fights or create distractions.
• Public Relations: They plan community
services (such as cleaning the streets or
building orphanages or schools). This makes
the family very favorable in the public eye.
• Flying Snake Rancher: They breed and
train Flying Snakes to be used by the
family, their most common use is to carry
correspondence swiftly and discretely.
Zhentarim mages can also choose the
Flying Snake as a special form for their Find
Familiar spells.
• Master of the Horse: They can provide and
deliver trained mounts to family members
for a fee.
• Wicked Bishop: They can allow the
recruitment of acolytes or similar NPCs.
Also, can summon fiends in exchange for a
Expanding the family
favor. Any family that pledges their allegiance to
• Loan Sharks: They can provide loans at another is henceforth known as a Subsidiary
very affordable rates reserved for family family (e.g., Ironguard Family: a subsidiary of
members. (Up to 5000 gp at a 10% interest the Black Claw Family). As with their members,
per tenday) a family will never pledge allegiance to another
family of a lower rank.
Create your own specialist!
This arrangement creates benefits and duties
Having specialists represents how the family for both parties. The subsidiary receives orders
takes shape after their executives, embracing from the liege family and must carry them out
new ideas and improving as a result. diligently. In return, the liege family must aid
and protect the subsidiaries as if they were their
Think about what the purpose of the specialist own.
is:
• To enable the recruitment of unusual units Acquiring Subsidiaries
that the family wouldn’t have access to
Members of the Zhentarim are no strangers to
otherwise. (Humanoid or not).
power struggles. To achieve a family’s goals, they
• To add unique resources to benefit family
often have to expand beyond their reach and to
operations. (vehicles, gadgets, magic items,
do so, they’ll need subsidiaries.
etc.)
• To grant members access to particular
The family’s rank influences how many
services. (long-range communication,
subsidiaries a family can have. Vipers can
teleportation, smuggling, etc.)
have 1, 2 for Ardragons and 3 for Dread Lords.
• To stockpile coin or other funds.
With an additional amount equal to the family
• To create opportunities (infiltrate the
head’s Wisdom Modifier (minimum 0), the
nobility, create distractions, plants in the
Administrator’s bonus is taken into account if
town guard, etc.)
one is employed by the family. (See the Board of
• Anything else you can think of! But make
Directors section earlier in this chapter).
sure to discuss with the DM and ask for
approval.

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Through Diplomacy
It’s in both families’ best interest to settle
these matters without spilling blood. A family
can become a subsidiary to another through
negotiation and contracts.
To recruit another family as a subsidiary, the
liege family must have an opportunity to do so.
If they have a good relationship, maybe all they
need to do is ask. Still, in most cases, families
must show goodwill before starting negotiation
(often by completing requests from the other
family).
After communication has been established,
they can present the subject of acquiring a new
subsidiary, which could take place in-game
as a role-playing opportunity or a set of skill
challenges often involving Charisma.
When there’s a clear difference in power, families
are more likely to accept such an arrangement, as
represented by the following table:
Difference in Family Rank DC
Same rank 25
One rank below 20
Two ranks below 15
Through Conquest
While wanton violence between Zhentarim
families is against the rules, there might be
situations where one might find justification for
such fights.
© 2021 Kevin Castillo
One such case might be if a family has proof
that another is going against the code of the
Zhentarim.
The conflict might be fought over a set of
skirmishes or sabotages until one side relents and
the family head surrenders, offering serfdom to
be spared.
Reckless conquest might draw the ire of higher-
ranking families or could see several other
families forming a coalition against your threat.
(At the DM’s discretion)
Losing Subsidiaries
Suppose the liege family continually exploits
or abuses the branch family or fails to honor
any promises that lead to the subsidiary’s
establishment. In that case, they can decide to
split off from the liege family.
Such an event never comes without warning; the
subsidiary’s representative should be in regular
communication with the liege family’s head and
will bring up their displeasures if they exist. If
the offences aren’t resolved, they might present
some harsh demands as an ultimatum to stay as
subsidiaries.
Should a subsidiary separate and become
independent again, they take any operations they
hold and their own subsidiaries with them.
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CHAPTER 3
THE BIZ
Coin might not be our primary interest but no-one can deny how important it is for present-day
endeavours. The more resources we have available to us, the better, and why shouldn’t we earn a little
bonus on the side?

Sure, you could just stick to the mercenary bit but remember, the family brought you in so you can
earn for yourself, and in turn, earn for the family. Use our resources, grow and prosper, but at the end
of the day do not forget that 20%

Here we aim to create revenue flow to ourselves Our Mission Statement

and by extension, our family. But it goes beyond
just doing work, we do it our way, the Zhentarim
way.
The simplest way is to lean into our reputation as
mercenaries. The world is a dangerous place and
people often find themselves in need to get rid of
such dangers. That’s where we come in.
We are Mercenaries
Thanks to the Zhentarim’s efforts over the
years, we have established ourselves as the most
effective mercenary company.
Our unfortunate history
Indeed, we all carry the scars from our past, the
Zhentarim was once filled to the brim with evil
schemers, hellbent on conquering the world, but
that’s long gone, honest.
Under new, better management, we’re now but
mercenaries united under one banner looking to
provide the best service that coin can buy. If you
need something done, anything, and you want it
done the right way, you know who to hire.
“We empower the people to achieve their
ambitions at affordable prices.”
Our success depends on our client’s success.
The more satisfactory our services, the more the
people will rely on us, which places us closer to
our goals.
Anyone can hire our services; as long as the coin
is good, the Zhentarim is willing to take on any
job. The only exceptions being any request that
would jeopardize the family in any way.
Mercenary Work
Being mercenaries is the Zhentarim’s face;
undoubtedly, we have a particular way of doing
business. Every family has their own process
tailored to their needs, but the general procedure
remains the same.
1. Meeting with the Client
Obviously, there can be no job if we don’t have
clients. Once the Client comes to the family with
a request, an appointed agent must listen and
conduct an interview to get all the information
required.
This would not only help with planning for the
job but also to price it fairly.

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Some of the questions the agent might ask are:
“What is the nature of the job?”
In other words: The quest objective.
Gathering The Client might need us to acquire
a certain amount of items on their
behalf.
Extermination Eliminate one or more targets.
Whether a monster or otherwise,
we don’t judge.
Delivery We can safely take any kind
of package, precious items, or
escort important “guests” to a
predetermined destination.
Tracking We can send our agents to find
what you’re after, if it’s information
or a creature or otherwise you can
count on us.
Exploration Maybe you’ve inherited a remote
property and you want to make
sure it’s safe.
Guarding Our agents will keep anything or
anyone safe.
Other The family is more than willing to
take on any reasonable requests
from their clients.
“Should we expect combat?”
The Zhentarim doesn’t shy away from armed
conflicts; it’s in the very nature of being
mercenaries, after all.
Any job that doesn’t require combat is
considerably cheaper, but when there’s doubt,
it’s better to expect it than not.
“How long will the mission take?”
Would the mission be a one-day deal? Or does it
need the family’s involvement for longer? (when
guarding an area, for example).
Extensions can be arranged for, but it is often
cheaper to hire the family’s services for the total
amount at once, as trying to fit an extension
might conflict with other appointments.
© 2021 Kevin Castillo
“How will the Client pay for this job?”
The family’s services are affordable, and even in
cases the Client lacks the coin outright, they can
make payment arrangements.
The Client can decide to pay upfront, which
is preferred, of course; however, clients might
choose to pay half upfront and half upon
completion.
In case the Client is short of coin, the family
might propose to take their cut from the mission
itself if they expect it will be sufficient. In some
particular cases, the agents might be willing to do
the task in exchange for a favor from the Client.
Be warned, the Zhentarim is not a charity; there
must be fair pay for fair services.
Insufficient Details
In some cases, the Client will not know the
exact aspects required for the job; when this
uncertainty exists, it’s better for everyone
involved to overestimate. And if the family were
to suffer any losses due to the Client concealing
information, it’s safe to assume the Client
won’t be happy when the family comes seeking
retribution.
In other cases, the Client simply doesn’t have the
information required to estimate the job correctly.
A better arrangement would be to have the Client
hire us for an intelligence-gathering mission
and then work out a new contract with this new
knowledge at hand.
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2. Confirm the Job doesn’t conflict 4. Do the Job

with family business
This is the main reason every Zhentarim member
must keep their activities on the record with their
superiors. Family heads often keep in touch with
each other to ensure one’s family activities aren’t
encroaching into those of other families.
In the case of such a conflict, the family must
decide if accepting the new request would be
favorable in the long term. Or they could propose
a compromise and only take on the new request
after the conflicting task is finished.
Finally, remember that a failed mission hurts us
more than if we had not accepted it at all.
3. Inform the Client about the results
of their request
According to family policies, whether through a
meeting or just delivering a message, the Client
must be informed whether their request will be
accepted or not.
This might seem like an obvious step. But we
pride ourselves in our effectiveness and have
a reputation to uphold. The family will stop at
nothing to see the job to completion.
As long as it contributes to the success of the
mission, nothing is off-limits. After all, the Client
hired us to get something done; they don’t really
care how we do it.
Outsourcing
When the job calls for it the family can spare
resources to hire third parties to assist with the
missions, often times this means to hire extra
muscle to support the family’s agents. They can
come along for the job or even create a distraction
somewhere else.
When the mission calls for it the family could
hire adventurers to get parts of this mission done
while eliminating the risk for our members. If this
was the old times, the Zhentarim could have tried to
dispose of these helpers, but that’s not how we operate
anymore.

Pricing
Usually, a group of 3 to 5 agents would deal with a single mission, for jobs that require more agents,
increase the price accordingly for each group involved.

The following table has some example missions that the family might be hired for, assuming they wouldn’t
last over a tenday. The prices listed are an approximation, feel free to change as needed.

Tier Risk Agent Rank Example Price (gp)

D Minimal Fang No combat expected. Delivering a package within a 5

city, Finding a missing pet
C Low Fang, Wolf Simple combat is a possibility. Guarding a location 60
or a caravan, capturing thieves, supressing a wild
animal rampage.
B Moderate Wolf, Viper Serious risk of death. Being bodyguards of a VIP, 200
clearing a monster’s den.
A High Viper, Ardragon Espionage, completing a major heist, assassinating 3000
an official.
Z Ultimate Ardragon, Dread Drive a Dragon away from the region, steal 100000*
Lord classified state secrets.

*Higher risk missions (particularly Z-Tier) might only be done in exchange for a favor with a major authority or
powerful being, as these would be far more valuable than the amount of coin the family would be earning.

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Rackets
Becoming the best is often an expensive
endeavor. No matter what path you choose to
gain power, it’s likely to involve funds, sure you
could go legit and take the long way, but why do
so when there’s so much coin just lying around
waiting to be picked up?
Rackets are “side hustles”, activities that family
members have going on the side to earn extra
coin for themselves.
Obtaining a Racket
There’s different ways to come into possession of
your very own racket.
• Starting it up yourself. By far the most
common way, a Zhentarim agent can use
their contacts to secure a racket and once they
pay the Acquisition Cost they’re free to start
managing it on their own.
• Quest Reward. A racket could be obtained for
free as result of a quest. Work with the DM to
make this happen.
• Assignment. Sometimes your superiors might
entrust a racket to you, either temporarily
or permanently (often without regard for
your Racket Capacity). Failing to keep
these running successfuly might bring dire
consequences.
Racket Capacity
A member of the Zhentarim can efficiently
hold as many rackets as their Wisdom modifier,
if this is exceeded, they will have to roll all
checks involved with running the rackets at
a disadvantage as it’s too much for them to
manage.
The Sitdown
When an officer needs to discuss important
family matters with their subordinates, they
call for a sitdown: a face-to-face meeting
(usually) while sitting down.
This is held behind closed doors and often in
small, intimate spaces, and no one is allowed to
leave until the discussion is formally over.
© 2021 Kevin Castillo
Running a Racket
The racket owner must make a check at the
end of every period to determine its success.
Work with the DM to determine how long these
periods will be. The recommended period is at
the end of each month.
There are two key stats everyone who owns a
racket must keep track of: Heat and Dread.
Heat
All activities draw attention, and if you’re
constantly spotted doing shady dealings, it might
draw the attention of undesirable folk.
Heat is a value between 0 and 100. It determines
if your racket becomes the target of a raid (more
on that later in the Raids section of this chapter).
Each racket has its own heat value that will
increase its owner’s Heat on each period. Any
leftover Heat remains for the next period.
Dread
Whether by fear or respect (or fast-talking),
the common folk won’t make a fuss of your
activities, hoping they bring in more good than
bad. Dread is a resource that is spent to avoid
incoming raids.
You have a pool of Dread points equal to your
Charisma modifier (minimum 1) times the Dread
Multiplier.
Rank Dread Multiplier
Fang 1
Wolf 2
Viper 3
Ardragon 4
Dread Lord 5
The Dread pool replenishes at the start of every
period, and any unspent points at the end are
lost.
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For each one of your rackets, you’ll need to go

through the following steps.
Raids
Raids are combat encounters that take place in
the venue of your Racket. The DM decides on the
1. Check for Success strength of the attacking force; these have the sole
Each racket is listed with a DC. This is an mission of ruining your business.
Intelligence ability check, roll the d20 and then
check with the following table. A Raid doesn’t need to take place immediately as
the period ends. The DM could warn the players
Racket Success Table that a raid may happen within the next few days,
d20 Outcome but always before the next period.
Success by The Racket generates double the It is possible for more than one Raid to happen
5 or more profits. simultaneously. Every Racket that triggered a
Success The Racket generates profits as usual. raid becomes a different encounter.

Failure The Racket generates no profits. You must choose which, if any, to defend
personally (preferably along with your
Failure by The Racket generates no profits and adventuring party). But a single person can’t
5 or more adds double the Heat. be in multiple places at the same time. If you or
your allies fail to show up to a Raid, the Raid
2. Increase Heat automatically succeeds.
Each racket is listed with a dice formula labelled
“Heat”. Roll the indicated dice and add the result If your family has any subsidiaries available (see
to your Heat. Chapter 2), you can call upon them to reinforce
any of these locations. Any subsidiary can
only defend one Racket per period at the DM’s
3. Check Heat for Raids discretion.
Roll a d100; if the result is equal or lower than
your current Heat, reset your Heat to 0 and take Calling in reinforcements doesn’t guarantee a
note of the current racket, it will be the target of a successful defence. If the DM decides a location
Raid! didn’t have enough defenders, the Raid succeeds.

3.1 Use Dread

You can spend points from your Dread pool to
increase the result of the d100; if this makes the
result higher than your current Heat, the Raid
doesn’t happen.
Even if a Raid is triggered, you must continue
with your other rackets until you’ve checked all
of them.
Once you’ve completed this process for all
your rackets, the period is completed, and you
should be able to collect any profits at the DM’s
discretion.
Raid Objective
Every Raid has a set objective. The raiders aren’t
looking for bloodshed but won’t hesitate to get
violent if needed. Some example objectives are:
• Taking out targets of interest (such as
managers or business partners) by capturing
or killing them a the raiders’ choice.
• Damaging the property (whether the building
or the product).
• Steal an essential item (documents,
prototypes, etc.).
Even if all the raiders are ultimately killed, the
Raid succeeds if they achieve their objective.

Once the goal is completed, the raiders should

focus on escaping.

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Raid Success
Any time a Raid succeeds, the raided Racket is
marked as Foiled.
Foiled Rackets
When a Racket is facing significant issues, it
is considered Foiled. Such rackets make their
success rolls at a disadvantage and with a -5
penalty.
If anything requires a Foiled racket to become
Foiled again, the Racket is lost.
To remove the Foiled status, the owner can
either pay half the Acquisition Cost for repairs or
engage in the Restore Racket activity explained in
the Downtime Activities section.
Losing a Racket
The racket owner might decide that the Racket is
more trouble than it’s worth and might want to
get rid of it as a result.
© 2021 Kevin Castillo
Liquidate
One option is to Liquidate the Racket, explained
further in the Downtime Activities section. This
allows the owner to make some of their coin
back.
Abandoning
A racket can be abandoned at the end of any
period, leaving it in ruins.
Missing Payments
At the end of each period, the owner must pay
the upkeep cost of a racket. Any racket that
misses this payment becomes Foiled.
Other
At the DM’s discretion, anyone could lose a
racket. This could result from breaking the
family’s rules or after upsetting a superior officer,
or for other story reasons.
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Downtime Activities
Rackets are designed to run on the side, as the
family member is occupied with more pressing
tasks. If anyone would prefer a more hands-on
approach to managing their businesses, they can
spend their downtime doing different activities.
The following activities take an entire period
(month) each to complete.
Support Racket
An agent can personally oversee their business,
focusing their efforts to make a profit.
A character who engages in this downtime
activity can choose one of their rackets and make
the racket’s success check with advantage on
their next period.
Lay Low
When Heat builds up too much, a character can
take some time off the action to get prying eyes
away from them.
For the next period skip all the racket checks,
thus, generating no profits nor heat. Instead the
character makes a DC 15 Wisdom (Stealth) check.
If the check succeeds, the character lowers their
current heat by 2d10.
The character must still pay the upkeep of their
rackets as usual.
Restore Racket
If a Racket is foiled, a character can spend their
downtime trying to fix any issues with it.
Choose one of your Foiled rackets. If the upkeep
cost of the Racket is paid on this period, the
Racket loses its Foiled status.
Liquidate Racket
While “selling the racket” isn’t as simple as
just finding a buyer, a family member can sell
their assets through their network. (real estate,
information and contacts, or leftover product).
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A character can attempt to sell by making a DC20
Charisma (Persuasion) check, if it succeeds they
can sell their Racket for half the Acquisition Cost,
or 10% if the Racket is Foiled.
Racket List
Some rackets examples are presented in the
following section. The racket description gives
the racket’s name, Acquisition Cost, Upkeep
Cost, DC, and other relevant properties. As well
as a suggested location for raids. The DM may
adjust any of these values.
Coin Laundering
This racket involves owning a "legitimate"
business that provides members of your family
and associates with a service to make their
ill-acquired coin appear to have come from a
legitimate source, whether by falsifying a receipt
or by selling a product at a ridiculous markup.
Acquisition Cost: 2200 gp
Upkeep Cost: 80 gp
Difficulty Class: 12
Earnings: 4d6 x 10 (140) gp + 40 gp
Heat: increases 1d6
Suggested Location: The business place used as
a front for the underhanded deals.
Community Service
This racket requires a team of public relations
agents thinking up schemes to improve the
people’s opinion of your family. These might
include funding or building schools, orphanages
and the like, providing humanitarian relief
aid in times of need, or even cleaning up the
environment.
Acquisition Cost: 1200 gp
Upkeep Cost: 100 gp
Difficulty Class: 8
Earnings: none.
Heat: removes 1d10+5
Suggested Location: The office where the public
relations team work might keep records of said
schemes and other potentially incriminating
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 ZHENTARIM: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

Fraud
This racket involves employing a team of
charlatans that will come up with schemes to
convince people to willingly give up their goods
or information. This could mean impersonating
officials, or setting up an organization as a facade,
such as a “healing” temple, or even selling a
placebo.
Acquisition Cost: 1500 gp
Upkeep Cost: 100 gp
Difficulty Class: 15
Earnings: 3d6 x 20 (200) gp + 20 gp
Heat: increases 1d8+5
Suggested Location: The fake place of the
charade is attacked while the scam is taking
place.
Gambling
For this racket, one must own a venue (often
hidden) where folk can gamble. This could be
a gaming house, a sports arena, a fighting pit,
and the like. The bookies would take a cut on
the owner’s behalf from all the bets placed, and
sometimes the outcome of a match might be
predetermined.
Acquisition Cost: 3000 gp
Upkeep Cost: 150 gp
Difficulty Class: 15
Earnings: 1d6 x 100 (350) gp
Heat: increases 2d4+4
Manufacturing
This racket requires the making of and selling
illicit or restricted goods. It doesn’t matter if the
product is genuine or a forgery. In some cases,
the “real” manufactured product is disguised
inside another inconspicuous looking one.
Acquisition Cost: 1500 gp
Upkeep Cost: 250 gp
Difficulty Class: 17
Earnings: 6d6 x 20 (420) gp
Heat: increases 2d10
Suggested Location: The warehouse storing the
illicit goods.
Panhandling
People are often willing to part with coin; this
racket involves employing staff to ask for it.
Whether directly asking for donations posing as a
charity or by trying a roundabout, deceptive way,
such as pretending to be beggars or using urchins
to ask for handouts.
Acquisition Cost: 120 gp
Upkeep Cost: 15 gp
Difficulty Class: 10
Earnings: 1d6 x 10 (35) gp + 20 gp
Heat: increases 1d4
Suggested Location: A nondescript building
where the panhandlers come in and deposit their
collected coin.

Suggested Location: A clandestine fighting pit,

packed with people cheering on their chosen Protection
fighter in a match. This racket involves convincing people, often
through intimidation, to pay a fee to keep their
businesses or homes safe from dangers, such as
thievery, harassment, or what could happen if
Tried and true
they didn’t pay the price.
Owning multiple of the same racket is perfectly
Acquisition Cost: 250 gp
fine; just make sure to differentiate them when
Upkeep Cost: 20 gp
keeping track of them.
Difficulty Class: 15
Earnings: 3d6 x 10 (100) gp
For example, both “Toy Factory” Manufacturing
Heat: increases by 1d6+7
and “Art Forgeries” Manufacturing are the same
racket types.
Suggested location: A city street where some of
the protected shops are attacked.

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Ransom
There are people or items that others consider Create your own racket
more valuable than coin. This racket involves
If you have a scheme in your head, make sure to
acquiring the said meaningful item or person and
work with your DM to make it a reality.
offering the owner a price in exchange for its safe
release.
As a general rule, for a Racket to be very
profitable, it should either generate a lot of
Acquisition Cost: 4500 gp
Heat, have a high DC or be difficult to acquire.
Upkeep Cost: 600 gp
Difficulty Class: 26
There are three elements to consider when
Earnings: 4d6 x 100 (1400) gp
creating one, and you shouldn’t pick more than
Heat: increases 2d6+10
two:
• Easy. Lower DC meaning more consistent
Suggested location: A secluded or
Earnings.
inconspicuous tower with a room where the
• Safe. Generates little to no Heat, meaning
captive is held at.
fewer raids over time.
• Profitable. Earnings are considerably larger
Smuggling than the Upkeep Cost.
This racket involves secretly transporting
restricted or illicit merchandise or people into or Creating rackets with all three might even be
out of a particular location, especially without a reward for characters that complete an epic
paying tariffs imposed by the local authorities. adventure!
This racket usually involves a great deal of risk
for everyone participating.

Acquisition Cost: 3000 gp

Play-by-play Rackets
Upkeep Cost: 150 gp The following section is an example of how to
Difficulty Class: 22 determine the outcome of rackets in play, along
Earnings: 2d6 x 100 (700) gp + 100 gp with a hypothetical player named Steve and his
Heat: increases 2d8 character Eggface.

Suggested Location: Sewers or a trench where
the smuggling caravan is ambushed during one
of the jobs.
Optional Rule: Investing
If a character would like to make more of their
rackets, they could try and improve them. Some
ideas are:
• Lower the DC
• Increase Earnings
• Lowering Heat
• Add a garrison of defenders for raids
• Other special effects
These improvements would come at a cost. It
could be a one-time fee or an increase in Upkeep.
Or it could be a reward for an adventure!
Eggface is an ambitious Wolf with the following
Ability Scores:
• Intelligence 12 (+1)
• Wisdom 16 (+3)
• Charisma 16 (+3)
After the end of the last period, Eggface
managed to set up his third racket, "The 88" an
underground fighting pit in the North Ward of
Waterdeep. His current rackets are:
• Vigilantes by the Sea (Protection)
• Oghma’s Gift (Community Service)
• The 88 (Gambling)
The next period is due, so Steve does the
following steps in order.

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1. Look up his previous Heat (23) as it carries

over from the last period. 6. Finally, Eggface needs to pay for the upkeep
of his rackets. A total of 270 gp, since the
2. Calculates his Dread. Eggface is a Wolf, so rackets earned 960 gp Eggface can pocket the
his multiplier is 2, times his +3 Charisma; difference! (690 gp)
Eggface has 6 dread.
This was an unlucky month for Eggface! Two of
3. Steve goes through his first racket his rackets will come under attack, now he must
(Protection) decide which one to defend.
3.1. Steve now rolls for the racket’s success
(1d20 + 1) and gets a 16 against the
Protection DC (15). Success!
3.2. Steve rolls for the Earnings of his racket
(3d6 x 10) and has 160 gp waiting for him!
3.3. Eggface’s Heat increases accordingly
(1d6+7), rolls a 4, which adds up to 11,
raising his Heat to 34.
3.4. Steve checks for raids. To be in the clear,
he must roll 1d100 above his Heat (34).
He rolls a 31, which would mean a Raid is
coming his way.
3.5. Thankfully Eggface has Dread, so he
spends 4 points to bring his check total to
35, which is higher than his Heat, so no Raid
happens!

4. Steve goes through his next racket

(Community Service)
4.1. Rolls for success (1d20+1), 10 against DC
8. Success!
4.2. Community Service reduces Heat by
1d10+5, rolls a 3 for a total of 8, leaving the
Heat at 26.
4.3. Check for raids, rolls 1d100 and gets
12. Eggface doesn’t have enough Dread to
change his result, meaning his racket will be
raided!
4.4. As the racket will be raided, Eggface’s
Heat becomes 0.
5. Steve goes through his last racket
(Gambling)
5.1. Rolls for success (1d20+1) 20! beating the
DC 15 by 5.
5.2. As the racket succeeds, Steve rolls for his
earnings (1d6 x 100 x 2) for 800 gp.
5.3. Gambling increases Heat by 2d4+4, rolls
8 for a total of 12.
5.4. Checks for raids. Steve rolls a 3 on the
d100. 3 being lower than 12 means the racket
will also be raided! Setting his heat to 0.
Keep it dynamic!
Adding modifiers to the racket rolls that reflect
the world events can be fun to play around with.
Running a protection racket on a remote town
should be way less likely to draw attention than
in the Noble District of Waterdeep.
The DM can adjust any of the racket properties
(DC, Upkeep, Heat or Earnings) for any
particular periods to reflect current adventures.
• Heat gains are doubled (location is on high
alert)
• -3 success DC (trusting townfolk)
• +10 Dread (the party recently took down a
powerful foe publicly)
• Anything else that seems fun!

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 ZHENTARIM: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

Kickback
From rank Viper and above, you can (and will)
mentor and help other Zhents of lower-ranking
who run rackets of their own. In return, they'll
report to you their activities and cut you in a
piece of their earnings.

Everyone's rackets are their own businesses, and

what they bring as Kickback is based on respect
and trust; they willingly bring in a cut for the
family.

Kickback can be used as a story device to make

players feel their character moving up the family
ranks, and the higher a character is on the ladder,
the larger this earning would be.

When the story calls for it, use the following table
to generate Kickback.

The Kickback Table results mention a Treasure

Table. You can find these in the Dungeon Master's
Guide or create your own.

The suggested tables depend on rank. Viper uses

Individual Treasure (0-4), increasing in tier until
Dread Lord uses Individual Treasure (11-16).

Kickback Table
d100 Outcome
1-10 Debt. Your subordinates need your help
to pay debt. Should you refuse you might
create a Rival. Roll on the appropriate
Treasure Table and pay half.
11-20 Scraping by. Your subordinates barely
covered their expenses this period, they
have no coin left to offer.
20-45 Low business. Your subordinates didn't
earn much coin this period. Roll on the
appropriate Treasure Table and get half.
46-85 Business as usual. Roll on the appropriate
Treasure Table.
86-95 Good business. Your subordinates made
more coin than usual. Roll twice on the
appropriate Treasure Table and keep the
higher result.
96-100 Jackpot! Roll on Treasure Table one tier
above. (ie: Viper would roll on the CR 5-10)

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 ZHENTARIM: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY
CHAPTER 4
ZHENTARIM OUR PATRON
You are to provide for the family, and the family, in turn, will take care of you. That's the principle of our
relationship.
You may use our resources to grow and reach out for the power you deserve, but there's a lot of work to
be done in the way, oh, so many things to do.
Building upon the options presented on Tasha's
Cauldron of Everything, this chapter is all about
having the Zhentarim as a group patron,
providing perks, resources and opportunities,
and the tools to personalize the patron with tons
of flavor.
In this manner, the patron can be a personalized
family that all player characters belong to or
work for (without necessarily being members).
If they run their own family, they could receive
"orders from above" from the Zhentarim higher-
ups.
Focus
There are many different ways Zhentarim
families might choose to operate; some favor
strength while others wits. The Focus will help
with the theme of the activities and will provide
extra perks and opportunities.
© 2021 Kevin Castillo
Roll or pick from the following table to determine
what kind of family you serve.
d6 Family Focus
1 Ambassadors. Knowing people in high places
who just happen to owe you favors come quite
handy often.
2 Black Merchants. Specializing in rare
goods that would be troublesome to acquire
otherwise.
3 Inquisitors. The Zhentarim at its core is
intertwined with divine worship. These
families seek to increase their god's followers
and influence across the world.
4 Militants. These seek the strongest and
cheapest muscle for hire, waging war is their
business.
5 Smugglers. Sometimes, purchasing the goods
is the easy part. Transporting them, however,
can't be neglected
6 Tycoons. Wealth is power, we deal in anything
that makes coin, legal or otherwise.
Perks
As your group patron, the Zhentarim provides
the following benefits:
1. Associates
There are many Zhentarim-supporting business
ventures out there, and you know how to identify
them. You can use their services at a discount
(some even for free!) as long as you don’t disrupt
them and stay in their good graces. Otherwise,
they might complain to their benefactors.
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 ZHENTARIM: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY
2. Safe Houses
Sometimes people need to lay low.
The Zhentarim keeps an assortment of
inconspicuous buildings where agents and
associates can evade pursuers and take refuge
from danger.
These safe houses are equipped with the bare
necessities and constantly under watch by a
sentry. It’s preferred to stay inside until the
heat dies off, the family will deliver supplies
regularly, so there’s no need to exit the
premises.
If the existence of a safe house is exposed, the
responsible party will likely be punished, and
the dwelling might be abandoned.
3. Tools of the Trade
When a superior gives you a task, they can
also provide the means to execute it effectively.
As long as the organization keeps a supply of
the needed item or has an associate who can
facilitate them.
For example, if a mission involves burning
down a building, the Zhentarim might provide
oil and alchemist’s fire.
Variant: Information Network
If the Zhentarim needs an item for a mission
and doesn’t have it on supply, they would most
certainly provide accurate information on where
to acquire it.
4. Focus Perk
In addition to the previous perks, the family’s
focus grants an additional perk.
• Ambassadors - Opportunity: Your family
can use their resources to grant you an
audience with important political figures,
rulers, etc. Should you mean harm to these
figures, they wouldn’t arrange a meeting,
but instead, they could provide information
on where and when they’d be most
vulnerable.
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© 2021 Kevin Castillo
• Black Merchants - Magic Item Loan: As
long as it’s for a job, the family could lend
you a magic item you might need. Only one
item may be borrowed at a time. The DM
determines if a particular item is available.
• Inquisitors - Call of the Zealous: In times of
need, your group can appeal to the priests of
your faith for aid. Provided you’re in good
standing with the family, they can recruit a
Cleric or Paladin NPC (stats determined by
the DM) to aid your group with a task.
• Mercenaries - Muscle: You can use your
Zhentarim contact to arrange a force of
mercenaries willing to do most things, no
questions asked. The strength of this group
comes at the DM’s discretion.
• Smugglers - Dead Drops: You can request
your patron to deliver items even into secure
locations. The delivery will happen at your
patron’s time and convenience. The quantity
of the items that can effectively be smuggled
is up to the DM’s discretion.
• Tycoons - Mountains of Coin: Your patron
knows that you must spend coin to make
coin. While on a mission, you may request
your patron to cover your lifestyle expenses
(up to a Wealthy lifestyle), and in some cases,
they might be willing to grant additional
spending funds.
Personal Accountability
You may freely use the perks provided
to you by your patron as you see fit. Be
warned! Abusing, misusing or otherwise
damaging the Zhentarim's property or
reputation might bring dire consequences.
Your patron might revoke your perks until
all accrued debts are paid in full, whether by
coin or otherwise.
 ZHENTARIM: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY
Contact
Initiated members should always have a reliable
communication line with their superiors,
though often they might be preoccupied
with pressing matters; your contact provides
this connection at any time you need (or are
needed).
Roll or pick from the following table to
determine your contact with the Zhentarim.
d6 Contact
1 Trusted Associate. This associate has proven
their loyalty through their hard work.
They're likely successful business owners
that use their resources to aid you.
2 Flying Snake. Small, swift, and efficient;
these traits make Flying Snakes excellent
messengers. They wrap their tails around
a scroll case carrying documents with
instructions and are trained to fly back after
receiving a signal.
3 Dropbox. Written letters containing
instructions appear mysteriously inside
secure and hidden compartments. Letters
you send are likewise taken without a trace.
4 Mentor. A Zhentarim member who was of
higher rank when you joined the family took
you under their wing and showed you the
ropes.
5 Guild Clerk. The Zhentarim may employ
the services of secretive guilds, entrusting to
them this intelligence distribution, provided
their members can put up with the expected
bureaucracy.
6 Town Lunatic. A member has established a
persona of an insane person in town. No one
would pay any mind to what "the crazy one"
rambled about.
Quests
Families might have a different way to
approach their problems, but at their core, they
are Zhentarim, they share common objectives
that will secure and expand their power in the
world.
© 2021 Kevin Castillo
This section presents a handful of mission
examples a Zhentarim patron might assign to
their followers.
General Quests
Search and Rescue. Our client had an item of
value stolen. We are to retrieve it and return it
safely.
Collect Debt. The people at this location owe us
plenty of coins and are refusing to pay. Collect
it for us. You may rough them up a bit but do
not kill them.
Show Goodwill. The locals have trouble with
a crisis, and the local authorities aren't dealing
with it promptly. Show the common folk that
we're the ones they should depend on!
Ambassadors Quests
Entourage. The close relative of a VIP requires
an escort, keep them safe and cater to all their
needs and whims as they're rather picky.
Sabotage. Our favored candidate is in a
deadlock with a rival politician, ensure ours
wins the election at all cost.
Parasite. Escort this doppelganger, and have
them replace a figure of power.
Black Merchants Quests
Inflate Auction. Identify the whales for the
upcoming auction, and bid on the items they
want to drive the price up, but back off before
they give up!
Rare Hoard. A powerful monster keeps a
particular item in its hoard; it alone is worth
more than the entire hoard. Deal with the
creature however you please, but bring the item
intact to us.
Forgery Hunt. One of our associates bought an
item that happened to be a forgery. Track the
seller and deal with them.
Inquisitors Quests
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 ZHENTARIM: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY
Aid the Clergy. Our faithful need help dealing
with opposition, ensure their safety.
Reclaim Sacred Grounds. The enemy holds a
land of importance to our faith. Drive them away!
Safeguard a Ritual. You must protect members
of the order as they complete an urgent ritual.
Militants Quests
Extend War. Two factions have been battling for
a long time; now, one lacks manpower while the
other lacks equipment. Ensure both have what
they need to keep the war going.
Establish Foothold. The enemy holds a key
fortified position. Take control of it for our side.
Slayer. The client has a monster problem, and
we're the solution.
Smugglers Quests
Distraction. We have a valuable shipment to
transport, we won't make it through our usual
means. Make sure all the eyes in town are
looking in the direction opposite to us.
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Protect Cargo. A client needs a shipment sent
through treacherous territory. We need you to
keep it safe.
Acquire Vessels. The enemy keeps an advanced
ship whose technology would facilitate our work,
claim it for us.
Tycoons Quests
Trade Loophole. Local authorities have restricted
the trade of an item for a specific purpose.
We have a cargo of it coming, our transports
will hand them over to you, but they'll have
to pretend they were robbed, get it to our
underground warehouse and avoid capture.
Exclusive Deal. There's a new product taking the
market by storm, ensure the supplier deals with
us exclusively.
Supply Control. We can squeeze even more
coin on the sales of a product if people think
there's not enough of it to go around. Raid the
warehouses and burn them down.