DM Tactics: The Sunless Citadel

DND Content for Game Masters/Dugeon Masters.
This video is meant to be a supplement to reading the module. You get more from this video after reading the book at least once. I hope to help guide some ideas for your dungeon adventure and maybe point out a few items you may have looked over.
Make sure to comment below on your favorite part about this adventure!

[@VincentHarrydragonphire]

The only thing that I dislike is that the other combat encounters are constantly described as mundane. When I ran this, all of the skeletons were described as looking Elven which added to the story that the citadel used to be an outpost for a dragon cult made up of Elves (also tied to the Elf Dragonpriest turned Troll). IMO, skipping any of the skeleton encounters would just make this dungeon have less depth. In fact, since I made the skeletons Elven (which becomes more significant in the Grove), that gives me the opportunity to have them drop loot that also enhances the lore since that object was likely used by that creature in life which could have been centuries ago.

[@robbeech601]

Thanks for this. I’m DMing for the first time. These were really great tips. Thanks!

[@NicholasOnken]

Love the overview of the storyline and how you point out where potential hooks can go. Thanks!

[@waylonhastings]

This was awesome. I'm using this module as an entry to a larger Xovintaal driven campaign and the ideas for dragon hooks that you mentioned were fire 🔥. Thanks dude!

[@acamon]

Great video! I think your spot on with why this is a good introductory adventure, not only does it cover all the basics and give the DM lots of teaching tools through npcs, but there are so many ways different elements that you can pick and choose from for setting up the direction of your campaign. I'm planning on running Forge of Fury followed by Red Hand of Doom for my group, so I'm tweaking the Gulthias tree to be growing out of a green dragon egg, setting up the idea of the dragonspawn in RHOD, and tying Tiamat into the Dragon Temple stuff.

[@mattalford3862]

Very good synopsis. Thank you. I'm about to run this for the first time and this video was helpful.

[@caseyd2059]

genuinely good content and ideas from you, great rundown of the module. subbed.

[@JeniNeji]

Thank you! I like the falling down to an interesting spot very much instead of running all around.

[@DMHightower]

Excellent video, great tips on planning and streamlining. Since this module was the very first, introductory adventure for D&D 3rd Edition, it most definitely was not D&D 3.5. I really love the 5th Ed update. Thanks for the ideas to streamline the lowest level and also to avoid the combat mindset before meeting Meepo!

[@halfmadfalcon2078]

Man, my group just killed Belak last night! I wish I had come across this video before I started planning. It would’ve given me a much clearer sense of direction.

[@DiyDMMakesThings]

Very informative! I was worried about the key to the dragon priest as well. It didn't seem like it was portrayed very well through the story mechanics that they might want that key, but I also didn't think about meepo maybe dropping hints (if the PC's don't murder hobo him). I'm going to be starting my adventure into D&D as a DM with my only experience being the old D&D based pc games like Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate, and Neverwinter Nights. The party I'm running also has little to no experience with the game so I hope starting with the Tales from the Yawning Portal will be a good starting point and hopefully a full blown campaign for us!

[@gimpzilla]

You'll fall right back in, Tales is a great book to start with. Good luck with your game, DM with confidence and everyone will have fun no matter what,

[@jamesgladwell5748]

Looking to run this for a small group soon, this has been a great help, thanks!

[@giannettomichael]

I’m actually using this as an Emerald Enclave faction quest for Waterdeep Dragon Heist. Belak is a Druid of their order, and the first party sent to look for him never returned.

[@gimpzilla]

Nice usage, such a good module for foreshadowing. Thanks for the comment

[@marieking5969]

Just loling when you said “Meepo should happily join your group.” In my game, my barbarian character knocked down the door, scaring him. I and the Monk tried apologizing/offering to help find the dragon. Dm made us roll on these. I got a one, monk rolled badly enough that Meepo ran away, then random kobolds attacked us and I murdered one. We ran away, I had to murder a goblin prisoner to prove my loyalty to them, and then finally Meepo came with us, haha. Now we’re on good terms with Meepo, but it took a lot of work. Also our Erky has just hidden in a corner so far while we almost died, so idk if my DM is just being less generous haha.

[@ehudshapira2745]

Thanks for the video! I have very little experience with d20 systems, and from my current understanding it feels hard to imagine that a level 1 or 2 party with single-digit hp or close to it could possibly hope to survive many of these fights... 2, 3, 4 hits are probably enough to take most characters down, so how does an encounter with 8 or 10 enemies not end very badly for your newbie players and their brittle characters without some big-time fudging on my end? Am I just missing something?

[@gimpzilla]

The best answer is to just get your hands dirty, you'll need to run a few combats and you'll get the feeling of combat flow and how AC works, also characters don't immediately die at 0hp so just one survivor can save your story. Players will also surprise you with their tactics they might hear a large group and try to lure a few away, you can never really prepare for what they'll do, but they will make smart choices to avoid death. My last tip on your first session is to use your DM screen, start with some rolls behind the screen. Remember you can fudge some numbers if it completes a good story for your campaign. The story is everything, sometimes death is a good story. Best of luck, just keep your confidence and the party will have fun.

[@mathdemigod8162]

I think you give players far too little credit when it comes to going back and checking out the failed dragon priest area. I've been a DM my whole life, and I've never once had a single party who wouldn't immediately and permanently obsess over any door that they were unable to open.

[@berrymand71]

Ive run this twice with newer players both times. Both groups went back to find their way into the dragonpriest eventually. I also had the vampire awaken after the tree was destroyed. I'm currently planning to run this as an intro to a new game (translated into my own system). Just looking around the internet for how other people ran/changed the adventure before I make changes.

[@archersfriend5900]

They will work the whole session on a door.

[@mikesands4681]

Good presentation and solid tips.

[@bayoufunk701]

I am using the Citadel to get my players to 3rd level in prep for Out of the Abyss. I am placing small raw gems in some of the treasure and pickaxes beside the tunnels to the underdark. After the Citadel someone in Oakhurst will offer to pay them for a couple days of exploration as a potential mining site.

[@archersfriend5900]

Have them captured at the inn by a drow raiding party, then start out of the abyss.

[@d20tavernaz68]

Hey 👋 there good information here. And good work.

[@lincc9681]

Honestly just binging your videos now, really enjoy them. You mentioning the Gulthias Tree as something you could build a campaign around has made me come up with an idea. Start with Sunless Citadel and emphasize the tree, then run the Forge of Fury but once again add a Gulthias tree, it's kind of out of place here, why not just add one in an additonal cave after the black dragon. Then use them both to lure them into Strahd's realm and start Curse of Strahd. Just an idea I think may be interesting.

[@gimpzilla]

yup exactly, I went straight from sunless into barovia, in the middle of that mess right now =)

[@lincc9681]

@@gimpzilla Thats what I was originally thinking, but I'll be playing with some new players so I'm considering trying to give them more standard Dnd before hoping into horror Dnd. But may just end up hopping into Strahd, seems like a ton of fun.

[@Davidiad]

My group managed to have Jot join their journey, but he died from a natural 20 hit from a Goblin :D

[@rodrickneher280]

I'm using this dungeon as an intro into Curse of Strahd.

[@AStephenHero]

Did you create that in Rolld20 yourself, or were you able to load it somehow? If that latter, where can I find that?

[@gimpzilla]

You can find it on the Roll20 store page. Just search Tales of the Yawning Portal, or I bet Sunless Citadel would work too

[@d20tavernaz68]

The game is super good I would give it a 10. If your looking for a first game to introduce a party to. This is the Game.

[@waterparsley3643]

I make the first room to be a fight between kobold, goblin and twigh bliths, subtly tell the players there are 3 factions here. Based on the survivor and players choice, they may gain access directly to goblin site. Either way they will give the pc quest to slay or rescue the white dragon.

[@gimpzilla]

I like that idea. I've played with the idea of a goblin centric campaign using this module to have players join a goblin clan. The logic is there.

[@TwoStepILY]

We lost poor mepo then raged against the machine and took out the kobald Queen for essentially sending him to his death. Then we befriended the dragon who killed him and used him to kill the hobgoblin chief then parted ways. We where fighting long before your first encounter 😂😂😂

[@gimpzilla]

We'll that's one way to go about it 🤪