DON'T start Dragon Heist in the Yawning Portal! || Running Dragon Heist 5e

[@LunchBreakHeroes]

What did (or will) YOU do differently with your start to Waterdeep: Dragon Heist?

[@DJWidget]

Sadly, I didn't do anything differently, but I used Dragon Heist as the precursor to Curse of Strahd. They broke into the Vault, got the goods, and started hobnobbing with the bigwigs. The Margasters had several caravans go missing that found their way into the mists, and the party went after them. And my CoS was HEAVILY modified, major thanks to Lunch Break Heroes!

[@OldManGery]

Darn just started running WDDH last week, looking forward to whatever comes next for the city of splendours!

[@nappster2887]

@@DJWidgetI just got the book for dragon heist, and was planning on using this to lead into CoS as well. Did it work well for you and the party?

[@SupermonkeyGH]

Very interesting! The second group I began that adventure for, I had them meet in the YP and instead of a troll coming up it was a lone survivor of an adventuring party. It wasn't apparent at first, but he had something wrong with him. He eventually tore open his shirt and had what appeared to be a huge tumor on his torso which expanded to be watermelon sized and then exploded with sticky tendrils which shot out all over the room and dragged the party, Volo, and several other YP customers down to the bottom of the well and into the Dungeon of the Mad Mage. My intent was not for them to stay down there, but to survive long enough for someone to send the basket down to them. Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond my control we haven't had a session 2 since then. I very much like the idea of not starting in the Yawning Portal. Great job!

[@DJWidget]

@@nappster2887 For my group, it went really well. It allowed them to form a stronger bond and cement themselves as an adventuring party, and they managed to find and empty the Vault so they went into Barovia with some decent magic items and extra coin. Plus CoS can run a little quicker/smoother if the party entered with a few levels under their belt. I picked the summer villain path and reflavored them as the Diaconescus, a family of Vistani, and replaced the demons with gargoyles and the undead. Strahd gave the Diaconescus all the money they would need to rise to prominence among the families of Waterdeep; in return they have to figure out from their side of the mists a problem Strahd is having with souls going missing in Barovia (if they fail, their children's souls are still at risk). I got the PCs to head out of Waterdeep to the mists because the Margaster family lost two caravans in the last month on the east road out of the city.

[@minimoose7890]

Ah that's a strong, tense, exciting way to do the "you start in a Tavern", heh. Thanks for the new guide, looking forward to the guide and to hopefully running this campaign in the not so distant future.

[@Femonnemo]

It´s a really excellent spin on the tavern trope and a good tie-in for the campaign. It also helps with why the party wants the money and sets a precedent of them biting more than they can chew. Very cool.

[@benjaminhill3378]

I came up with the "You're all in debt" thing independently. My version had the PCs all in debt to different people/factions and after arriving in not!waterdeep by boat, discovered each business closed for the day. Only place open to get dinner is that Yawning Portal tourist trap. Ah well, beggars can't be choosers.

[@HoaxNess]

Very interested in hearing about this! On a related note, I've been trying to combine Dragon Heist and Keys to the Golden Vault into one big series of heists :p

[@HoaxNess]

Oh, I love the reasons why you're in the Undermountain. Reminds me of the secrets of Icewind Dale (every adventure should have this)

[@minimoose7890]

Oh, and turn the non-heist campaign into a multiple actual heists? ;-D

[@HoaxNess]

@@minimoose7890 Indeed! I'll probably never dm it, but I like thinking about such things :p

[@Frederic_S]

I started the last session of my homegame in a tavern and made fun about myself for it 😂 but we moved on fast and there was some tension and it was just fine 😁 but not starting in a tavern is always a good idea.

[@jimmybrook7119]

More heist ideas please.

[@alexmoran8662]

Well done

[@RVR121]

Sorry man your reasons for it don't grab me. The party are simply hirelings brought down by one guy who was charismatic as balls who ended up getting absolutely destroyed by the troll. Eventually the players can find his corpse and find out he had no money. Bam