This Article has 2 Sections:
1. NPCs - Dramatis PersonaeThe ToA book has the NPCs for this section scattered all over the place because they're arranged by topic. Your players will be in one particular area at a given time, so having to flip back and forth between the Merchant Prince section, the Side Quests section, the Encounters Tables, and whatever is a huge pain in the butt. Instead, I have arranged the NPCs for Port Nyanzaru by location on a single page. These follow the numbering used on the Port Nyanzaru map in the book. I have included links to stat blocks when possible. Some of these are non-canon or homebrew NPCs, so if you don't like that, sorry. PRO-TIP: Press Control-F (Command-F on a Mac) to "FIND" a word or name on this page for speedy lookups. (Cell-phones have their own wonky ways to do this, so good luck). OLD CITY (1) BEGGAR'S PALACES Beggar Prince Madame Malaya | Drexl from True Romance South Ziggurat. Prostitution: leverage over many in city. BBB policy. Spy. Beggar Prince Spotless Takataka | Tony Soprano North Ziggurat. Sanitation: ruthless Chultean Waste Services. Gladiator. (2) EXECUTIONER'S RUN Beggar Prince Kamari the Fat | Beetlejuice Lesser Ziggurat. Gambling: runs all the bookies. Dino races, Grand Coliseum, and raptor fights collected in city; Executioner Run bets taken at Lesser Ziggurat. Popular. Commoner. K’lahu | Sleazy girl Watto | "Collect a Debt" p.16 (see below) Female bookie who takes bets at Executioner’s Run. Hires party to collect from Taban: 10% to players (only has 50gp of 500gp debt, which he'll pay once <50hp). Thug. Taban | Clayface Man who owes 500gp to K'lahu; offers to join players when loses. Gladiator. (3) REFUSE PIT Ghouls, otyughs (otyughs foreshadow the obliette in the Tomb). MERCHANT WARD(4) GOLDENTHRONE - THRONE HILL (if there, 1d3 hours for audience w/ MPs) Honor Guard | Spider, Scorpion, Tick, Harvestman, Octopus, Squid, Nautilus, Byte 8 Gladiators. (5) MERCHANT PRINCE'S VILLAS (appear in 3 locations on map) NAME | BASIS | POLITICAL STYLE] Ekene-Afa |Donald Trump | Nelson Mandela Weapons, shields, canoes, rain catchers, and traveling gear. Gladiator. Ifan Talro'a | Jareth the Goblin King | Richard III Beasts. Jealous of Wakanga & Ekene; flying snakes warn Yuan-ti. Noble. Jessamine | Bride of Frankenstein | Gandhi Plants, poisons, and assassinations. Has death curse. Assassin. Jobal | Lando Calrissian | Prince Humperdink Guides and mercenaries. Wants Syndra’s map. Scout. Aazon Talieri | Inigo Montoya Trusted consort loyal to Jobal. Spy. Kwayothe | AOC | Queen of Hearts Fruit, wine, oil, perfume, tej (mead), and insect repellant. Has fire ring. Priest. Wakanga O'tamu | Prince | Mitt Romney Magic and lore. Has Wizard’s Journal. Mage. Syndra Silvane | Dolly Parton Stricken by the death curse. Staying with Wakanga. Archmage. Zhanthi | McGonnagal | Mitch McConnell Gems, jewelry, cloth, and armor. Ytepka member with Zhentari ties. Noble. (7) TEMPLE OF SAVRAS Grandfather Zitembe | Rafiki Knows curse is in Omu. Make him a secret Eshowe descendant. If asked to sooth, "a jungle city far to the south, enclosed by cliffs and crawling with snakes--a black obelisk draped in vines." 3 Zhent Assassins wanting info about Artus Cimber. Priest. Inete | Fiver Granddaughter of Grandfather Zitembe. Has had visions of red wizards running a base in Aldani Basin. Suggests visiting Temple of Savras (so probably not met there). Acolyte. 3 Zhentarim Assassins: Vlargak, Mocesti, & Jathen | Weasels from Roger Rabbit Want Zitembe to do spell to aid their search (scrying? divinations?). 500gp ruby. Assassins. (10) JEWEL MARKET Zhanthi's guards and spies. HARBOR WARDBRAZEN PEGASUS Ortimay Swift-and-Dark | Cockney street-urchin Female gnome captain of the Brazen Pegasus; clever and calm. Bandit. Grig Ruddell | Coach Beard from Ted Lasso Gray-bearded first-mate of Brazen Pegasus. Hulking and silent except orders. Veteran. 6 Sailors | Archer, Cyril, Krieger, Lana, Cheryl, Pam Various ethnicities. Bandits. (12) STATUE Na N'buso, the Great King. Just a big statue. (13) HARBORMASTER'S OFFICE Zindar | Santa Half gold-dragon harbormaster. Ytepka Society member. Offering 2k gp for each pirate ship and 500 gp per captured captain. Uses spells for work; message, detect thoughts, knock, clairvoyance s, dominate beast, etc. Stats. (15) FORT NYANZARU Castellan Paihikara | Cyclops Leader of a fort that hasn't done any actual fighting in decades. Noble. Officers Ajabu, Mnyama, Malaika, & Ysman | Marvel Girl, Beast, Angel, & Iceman Loyal to the Merchant Princes. Veteran. 40 Soldiers Loyal to the Merchant Princes. Guards. MARKET WARD - THRONE HILL(18) RED BAZAAR THE THUNDERING LIZARD - 5 sp / night Azaka Stormfang | Okoyeh from Black Panther Free if group finds “family heirloom” Mask of the Beast. Saja N’baza ally. Acrophobic. Weretiger. Emeka Isrit | Arthur/Billie Madison--an ex-adventurer owner. Night: sloppy-drunk bartender, free drinks (only sells tej). Daytime: competent manager. Hew Hackinstone | Private Pyle Guide. Insane dwarf. Survived dragon attack at Wrymheart Mine and wants to return. Berserker. Musharib | Kuil “I have spoken” Guide. Wants Gauntlet from Hrakhamar. Super-bigoted against non-dwarves. Albino dwarf spirit warrior. Salida | Jessie from Toy Story, but insulting Guide. Tries to join to report to Ras Nsi. Yuan-ti pureblood. Undril Silvertusk | Ted Lasso Female half-orc priest of Torm. Just came to town and realized buying a horse wouldn't cut it. Seeks party to Camp Vengeance, but will stand against Breakbone if things go south. Priest w/ 60ft darkvision. Volothamp “Volo” Geddarm | Mel Brooks' King Louie Famous author from Waterdeep on Chult book tour. Selling guides for 50gp. Will pay for new monster information for his books. Friends with Jobal. Volo. KAYA'S HOUSE OF REPOSE - 1 gp/night Eku | Glinda the Good Witch Guide. Cannot lie. Couatl disguised as middle age woman. Knows Omu location. Enemy of Nanny Pu’pu. Couatl. Faroul | Rosencrantz Guide. Calishite (Spanish Moore) partner to Gondolo. Gambling addict, has map to Needle’s Bones. Tells tales. Owns Zongo the triceratops. Scout. Gondolo | Guildenstern Guide. Halfling. Drunk. Faux poet philosopher. Lucky/survivor. Scout. Kaya | Morticia Addams Elegant and kind Chultan owner. Has access to the Merchant Princes and royalty. Noble. Ronhip Foechuckle | Tom Cruise Hipster bartender. Knows everything about booze. Commoner. (20) GRAND COLISEUM - YKHVAZI HILL Ekene-Afa |Donald Trump | Nelson Mandela - Only at Coliseum for major events. Weapons, shields, canoes, rain catchers, and traveling gear. Not typically accessible at Coliseum. Gladiator. Beggar Prince Kamari the Fat | Beetlejuice - Only at Coliseum for major events. Gambling: runs all the bookies (thugs). Popular. Commoner. Suggested Events for Holidays: Heroes of Legend vs pirates. Gladiator. Velociraptors vs tigers Mages vs ghouls, skeletons, or zombies. (21) HALL OF GOLD - MOUNT SIBASA Temple of Waukeen. Bridge connects Mount Sibasa to the Grand Coliseum on Yklwazi Hill. Sibonseni - “Mother of Prosperity” | Oprah Beloved chief priestess. Super-diva rides who rides a sedan chair. Servants toss coppers. Priest. (22) PUBLIC BATHHOUSE EVERYONE All Chultans bathe every day at these places. The elite go to the Temple of Sune; the commoners go here. You can introduce your characters to any plot hook at these places. (23) DYE WORKS Omala | Mad Hatter Colorist got iron token from Ytepka Society and needs escort to Kwayothé ("Help a Dyeing Man" below). Commoner. MALAR'S THROATGate is called Ubtao's Jaws; runoff from jungle dumps goods from here into the city Flask of Wine | Sylvester the Cat Unregistered guide. Male. Sociable, but mostly repeats River’s last words; Seeking Artus Cimber. Tabaxi hunter. River Mist | Henrietta Pussycat Unregistered guide. Female. Seeking Altus Cimber for Zentarim. Tabaxi hunter. (24) TEMPLE OF TYMORA Encounter 6 (see below) Besieged by 2d6 zombies and 2d6 skeletons led by a ghoul. If players defeat undead, temple rewards them 5 gallons of tej and a potion of healing. SOUTHERN HILLTOP MANSION Altered from Adventurer's League Beggar Prince Pock-marked Po, “The Hideous Prince” | The Godfather Protection. Old, pock-faced man, always calm. Attendant "lovelies" (bandits) (use CR to make hard). Golden spyglass. Veteran. TIRYKI ANCHORAGENo shelter from dino or undead attacks. Folk must rush into Tiryki Gate to get protection. Dinosaur Handlers Commoner. with +5 Animal Handling Pirates and Sailors Bandits. Lady Death's Dealers Operate in groups of 4 on street corners. Thug. Flask of Wine | Sylvester the Cat Unregistered guide. Male. Sociable, but mostly repeats River’s last words; Seeking Artus Cimber. Tabaxi hunter. River Mist | Henrietta Pussycat Unregistered guide. Female. Seeking Altus Cimber for Zentarim. Tabaxi hunter. HUMBLE CABIN (not a findable place) Beggar Prince Irokuro Kika, "Lady Death" | Ruth from Ozarks Drugs. Allied to Po. Childhood friend to Kwayothe and philosophical mentor. Revolutionary. Assassin. NOT AT PORT NYANZARU, BUT COULD COME UPKupalué “Weed” | I am koo-pah-LOO-ay. At Fort Beluarian. Qawasha’s vegepygmy companion Qawasha | Bob Ross At Fort Beluarian with vegepygmy. Directs to undead regions always. Suggests getting writ. Druid. Shago | Annie At Fort Beluarian. Son of Zhanthi. Fears becoming undead. Wants to impress Liara Portyr. Gladiator. SIDE QUESTS & ENCOUNTERS - NON-LOCATIONAL NPCsThese NPCs and encounters aren't tied to a particular location in the city, but could be hooked to players in many places. If the NPCs would likely be in a location, though, I included them above as well. SIDE QUESTS (p.16) 1. COLLECT A DEBT K’lahu | Sleazy girl Watto Female bookie who takes bets at Executioner’s Run. Hires party to collect from Taban: 10% to players (only has 50gp of 500gp debt, which he'll pay once <50hp). Thug. K'lahu could be anywhere, but likely will be met in the crowd outside Executioner's Run or in the Lesser Ziggurat. Wherever in the city she meets them, K'lahu will approach the team with flattery, saying they look like just the type of people to help her—and make a little money! She'd like the party to go shake down this guy, Taban, who owes money to Kamari the Fat because he's kind of a bruiser and she's worried her men aren't up to it. Taban | Clayface Man who owes 500gp to Taban; offers to join players when loses (free canon-fodder for the Tomb's traps!). Gladiator. He could be anywhere in the city. If you want this to be a small encounter, put him in the crowd at Executioner's Run and K'lahu points him out. Then it's just a matter of following him discretely into an alleyway for the rough-up. Or, if you want to stretch it out, the group can shylock around the city and track him down like bounty hunters. Does the party deliver the whole 500gp worth of gemstones to K'lahu? If so, she'll tell Taban that from now on, his bets need to be paid in advance—he's lost all his credit. She might, afterward, invite the party to meet Kamari the Fat, who is always looking to hire reliable enforcers. Does the party take the gems and keep them? Then they've made an enemy with Kamari the Fat. He'll get a sanction issued from Jessamine and hire her assassins to take the party out in their sleep. 2. CREATE A DISTRACTION AT FORT BELUARIAN Rokah |Sean Connery James Bond Spy Rokah could approach the party anywhere, but if they do something big in public, that can trigger him trying to hire them. He could also think they look like an effective troupe and approach them cold. Rokah needs an escort to Fort Beluarian and a distraction while he ransacks the commander's (Blaze Liara Portyr) quarters. His superiors (Zhentarim, but don't say this—say "people who work directly for the merchant princes") suspect the Flaming Fist are in league with the pirates, and he has been tasked with finding the evidence. The party should be warm to this since Zindar offered rewards for bringing down pirates as soon as they arrived. In return, he offers to pay for their charter of exploration (50gp), introduce them to the best wilderness guides in Chult and pay for hiring them (River Mist & Flask of Wine), and will cover passage to and from the fort (the Brazen Pegasus, most likely). Assure the party that this is a low-risk endeavor. The garrison has 58 mercenaries stationed at it, but they'd only need to distract enough that he could get into the Inner Bailey and snoop around. That location has only a dozen or so guards in it at any given time and Liara Portyr holds court in its Hall (10C). Rokah should have a map of the fort—provide either the one in the book on p.55 or trace off a rough hand-drawn one. This will allow the players to plot out their distraction plan. The distraction will need to last some set amount of time. I would determine this randomly. Roll a d12 when the distraction begins in order to determine how long his search goes. On a 12, he fails to find any evidence, but otherwise he finds the sending stone in her iron box (10I). Rokah will pay the necessary costs of Aramag the Dragon-Turtle. From Beluarian Landing on up to the Fort, the party should be attacked by something. I used a trio of sea hags (pretending to be women in trouble on the road) because that was the random beach encounter that came up (p. 195), but you could throw whatever you like at them. If successful, Rokah fulfills his promises to the party. He also may provide them access to Zhanthi, who is ultimately behind this mission. 3. ESCORT A PRIEST TO CAMP VENGEANCE Undril Silvertusk | Ted Lasso Priest w/ 60ft darkvision. Female half-orc priest of Torm. Just came to town and realized buying a horse wouldn't cut it in the jungle. Seeks party to Camp Vengeance to deliver a "packet of dispatches" from superiors in the Order of the Gauntlet. Undril is broke. She probably has just enough money for a couple night's lodgings and a horse (75gp). She should seem upset and worried. Maybe even crying. She's a sore thumb wherever she is, because she's A) a half-orc and B) in shining chainmail armor. We are not told what is in the packet of dispatches, though Undril will consider it her duty to protect them and keep them secret. Breakbone orders an on-foot party to head north and clean out undead—so maybe the missive said that reinforcements are not coming because the riverway is too dangerous. If they came bay canoe, he sends them with his sick to Port Nyanzaru—so maybe the notes say that the losses are too great, so he must retreat (he's gone nuts, so he misinterprets this to be because of his sick needing treatment, not to abandon the fight). However: I think the coolest would be for the dispatches to include a statement ordering Breakbone to be relieved of command, with Ord Firebeard assuming the position, due to general incompetence. He would pretend not to have read it and continue in charge illegitimately. If players can find out what's in these ahead of time, it could shape the outcome of the Breakbone encounters quite a lot. If Breakbone tries to punish the party for balking at anything, the book describes various ways his orders can be challenged, but Undril's loyalty to them is the main thing. She'll stand up to him and convince him to let them go. Breakbone is basically Col. Kurtz from Apocalypse Now!, so I'd lean into that. When the players are getting close to Camp Vengeance, I'd watch the movie again and then maybe refresh my readings of Heart of Darkness. I'll give my ideas about how to run that on a later blog post about the location specifically. 4. EXPLORE THE ALDANI BASIN Inete | Fiver Acolyte. Granddaughter of Grandfather Zitembe. Has had visions of red wizards running a base in Aldani Basin. Suggests visiting Temple of Savras to get her supplies. She'll provide her own food and supplies and donate another 100 gp to the expedition's expenses. This is probably introduced after the team has been in the jungle before and already up some levels. If the party reaches Aldani Basin, they'll find the base easily enough—it's the giant floating earthmote, Heart of Ubtao (p.58). In it, they'll discover the elven lich Valindra Shadowmantle | Lydia from Beetlejuice, who will reveal to them the nature of the Soulmonger and that it is in Omu. She is power-player in Forgotten Realms lore, but here incognito. I'd play this lightly—like, have her be pretty gothy the whole time, and if pressed at all, will state outright that she's a lich, ho-hum. Inete will be incensed that Valindra is using this sacred place for her base (as will any traditionalist Chultans in the group). Valindra is in charge of all the Red Wizards of Thay that are exploring Omu and Chult. 5. FIND ARTUS CIMBER Xandala | “Naughty Zute!” handmaid from Holy Grail Sorcerer. Half-elf claiming to be the daughter of Artus Cimber and worried to find him. Really a betrayer character who will, when they find him, cast Dominate Person, take the Ring of Winter, and flee. She has light scales all over her. Summerwise | Cute and Mute Pseudodragon Summerwise can be persuaded to turn on Xandala, but why would the party suspect her of foul play? You didn't hint at it, did you? Xandala doesn't come with any direction or plan for the party, just a loose desire to find Artus. You'll need to decide where Artus is and how the party might track him into the jungle, if at all. 6. HELP A DYEING MAN Omala | Mad Hatter Commoner Colorist got iron token from Ytepka Society and needs escort to Kwayothé at Goldenthrone. Though he'd likely be found at the Dye Works, it would also make sense for him to go to The Thundering Lizard or elsewhere to seek out a party to help him. Omala's crime is strange. He used contraband Dancing Monkey Fruit "to make and sell dyes." The effect of the fruit comes when eaten or drunk, so why would he do this? Would clothing dyed with the fruit have a poisoning effect too, but the book not mention it? Was it a food dye? It's unclear. Instead, I'll infer what I can from the description and lay out how I'd run this: The fruit makes an excellent chartreuse clothing dye. Normally, Omala buys from Kwayothe for 5 gp per fruit and uses 1,000 of them per month. Last month, a black-market trader came to Omala with an offer: Dancing Monkey Fruit fresh out of the jungle for 1 gp a piece. The trader had a month's worth, no questions asked. Omala couldn't resist, so he made the deal—defrauding Kwayothe for 5,000 gp. He'd have got away with it too, but the Ytepka Society have eyes in every business—and noticed. His fraud triggered their dropping the iron coin. Kwayothe is terrifying, Rumor has it she tortures people to death with her beautiful pets. Omala strikes out to The Thundering Lizard (or wherever) trying to find a capable group of protectors who will escort him to the Goldenthrone to meet her and ensure she won't kill him on the spot. He cannot pay them because he has only the 4,000 gp that he saved from the purchase and will need to pay Kwayothe the full 50,000 gp to make amends. He's shy 1,000 gp. Kwayothe is willing to forgive Omala the 1000 gp deficit if the characters agree to secretly assassinate Shago within the next 10 days. If the characters succeed, Kwayothe will pay them 1000 gp out of the pile Omala paid her (inadvertently creating an enemy of Zhanthi). If the characters fail, Kwayothe has Omala killed. 7. HELP THE LORD'S ALLIANCE Lord Lerek Dashlynd | Thor (a terrible spy) Spy Illuskan offering a ship for an accurate map of Chult that includes Nangalor and Orolunga. The Player's Map does not have these locations listed, so they will either need to find these locations through adventuring or get them marked accurately by Eku (knows both) and/or Azaka Stormfang (knows Orolunga). In turn, this side quest is only really possible later in the adventure. Why does the Lord's Alliance want to know these two places? Nangalore is home to Zalkore N'Buso, the last queen of Omu. Orolunga is the home of Saja N'baza the all-knowing Naga. I think this happened because someone from the Lord's Alliance was guided by Eku into the jungle and she told them that answers could be found in these two places. Ironically, I have Lerek spending time every week in the same diner that Eku frequents (Kaya's). If Lerek hires the party before they have been in the jungle, doing research about where these places are would be their quest. They could go to Goldenthrone, Temple of Savras, pursue rumors, etc. to get on the right track. 8. HUNT PIRATES Zindar | Santa Half-Dragon. Half gold-dragon harbormaster. Ytepka Society member. Offering 2000 gp for each pirate ship and 500 gp per captured captain. The first side quest the players get, but it will probably not be possible until they return to Port Nyanzaru the first time. He knows the ship names: Dragonfang, Emerald Eye, and Stirge. The players can capture these at sea from a ship like the Brazen Pegasus or their own, like if Lerek gave them one. Or, they might wrangle them out of Jahaka Anchorage over land. Succeeding at this immediately elevates the party in public standing. Zhanthi will praise them from a balcony. They'll be recognized in the streets of Port Nyanzaru as heroes. 9. SAVE AN INNOCENT MAN Belym | Ernie Commoner Gay husband offers 25 sp to save husband from Executioner's Run. Belym's husband is Draza | Bert who apparently is a victim of mistaken identity. The vibe of this encounter is urgency, so he runs up to the party as they are watching the trials at Executioner's Run. "You look like good and capable people. That man, the man second back in the line, that is my husband! He is innocent!" The party cannot stop the man from dropping into the pit, but they can surreptitiously help him cross the gauntlet. If they are not sneaky enough, guards come and arrest them, etc. If they succeed at helping the man, word travels amongst the commoners that these foreigners are good people. This gives them advantage on persuasion checks with commoners and populists in the future. 10. SEEK WISDOM AT OROLUNGA Eshek | Vinz Clortho, the Keymaster Acolyte of Savras A possessed man tells the party, “SPEAK TO THE GUARDIAN OF OROLGUNGA!!!” and passes out. This is a random encounter, best used if a party is too focused on some other path. Or, it could be cool to do it as soon as they leave the docks their first day in the city! Azaka Stormfang and Eku both know the location of Orolgunga, so this could be a good segue to them. The Temple of Savras, obviously, could offer more help too. ENCOUNTERS (p.193)
1. A PARROT POOPS ON A RANDOM CHARACTER'S HEAD Roll a die to choose the party member. Or, choose the one who would be funniest. Bonus: have this happen to this character every time you roll below a 16 for Port Nyanzaru Random Encounters to create a running gag. 2. DINOSAUR RAMPAGE The text indicates that an ankylosaurus goes nuts and has to be calmed or put down, but this wouldn't apply to different parts of the city. So, choose different ones as you like. This is where I got my idea for the triceratops/almiraj encounter at the end of Session 1. 3. STOP! THIEF! A merchant shouts, "Stop! Thief!" as a furtive youngster named "Gord" (Commoner) rushes past the characters. lf the thief is caught, the grateful merchant can introduce characters to a merchant prince (maybe to suggest they be hired as guards?) or provide them one other favor. If this happens outside the wall, then the introduction could be to a Beggar Prince. 4. OOPS! ALL PIRATES! A drunk foreign sailor--(unarmored veteran AC:10)--is loudly trying to pick a fight with three local commoners, who are clearly no match for the lout. If the characters intervene, the grateful locals become a reliable source of information about Port Nyanzaru, but the sailor and his shipmates ambush the characters elsewhere in the city later on. First off, make the sailors pirates. All the pirate ships in the book are manned by Chultans, but change that. Make this the Calishite crew of the Emerald Eye in town to get supplies. Second-mate Bestir is the lout. This creates a beef between the party and a particular pirate crew. The locals are a trio of college boys out carousing (Derise, Sanka, & Junior). Junior had too much and threw up—right on Voltan's belly. Voltan flew into a racist rage, which is going on when the party happens upon them. These guys are educated about lore, technology, history, languages, as well as current political events. 5. BEGGAR PROPHECY A beggar (Commoner) grabs a character by the arm and shouts, "The ancient one beneath the Forbidden City gives birth to a terrible new god! The snake-men know! They know!" Then he stumbles away into the crowd. Passersby tell the adventurers to ignore the beggar and that his predictions are wrong most of the time. We'll call him Teiresias. 6. UNDEAD SIEGE Alarm horns declare that undead are attacking Malar's Throat. Mercenaries keep the monsters out ofthe city proper, but people are trapped in the temple of Tymora and besieged by 2d6 zombies and 2d6 skeletons led by a ghoul. If the characters defeat the undead, the temple rewards them with 5 gallons of tej and a potion of healing (2d4+2). How this would work if the characters are not in or near Malar's Throat is unclear. Maybe just opt for another parrot poop if they're not. 7. YUAN-TI ATTACK Shouts of "Look out!" give a character a briefwarning as a water barrel, building stone, or other heavy weight crashes down. The character must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or be struck, taking 14 (4d6) bludgeoning damage. Any character who succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check spots a disguised yuan-ti pureblood slinking away from the scene. The players would have no idea what a yuan-ti is, let alone one in disguise, but say that they thought the man had reptilian eyes for a moment. 8. BEG TO BET A tabaxi minstrel, Ball of Wax | Snagglepus, asks one of the characters for a gold piece for her to bet, promising to pay it back. If the character agrees, the Ball makes good on her promise the next day, returning a pouch containing 10 gp. 9. PICKPOCKET A thief (spy) named Panya tries to pick the pocket of one of the characters (+4 sleight of hand vs passive perception). 10. VOLO The characters run into Volothamp "Volo" Geddarm | Mel Brooks' King Louie who is delivering a copy of his new book to one of the city's merchant princes. There is a 50 percent chance that Volo is drunk. A copy of his guide is 50gp. 11-20. MEET A SIDE QUEST NPC See above section.
2 Comments
This Article has 5 Sections
A Pedantic NoteOn page 32 of the guide it says: The city is famous for its weekly dinosaur races through the streets. Faerun does not have weeks. It has Tendays. 1. How Cool is a Dinosaur Race?A good encounter will address two questions:
Most of the racing I've seen was in movies. I'm a movie buff, so I use movies for inspiration, but I also pull from comic books, novels, etc. Ben-Hur, Fast and the Furious, and Pixar's Cars films all have fun race scenes. Grease, Star Wars: Episode I, and Days of Thunder are fine sources too. What makes these races exciting is that they have
Dinosaur Betting - Preliminary NoteThe book gets this totally wrong. Don't follow it or you'll end up very confused. This is NOT how odds are written. Frankly, the dino betting element is boring. Focus on dino racing instead. I'll return to my betting notes at the end. 2. Why to Skip the Race as WrittenHere's how the book suggests you run it:
The whole race is abstracted, so it will really be a bunch of math problems on a sheet of paper in the end. Boring. If you want to run it as the book says, I would print handouts for the players, one for each dino. I don't like this way of running the race. It's not very fun, it's not dangerous, and it doesn't hit our secondary goal of touring the city. 3. Sean McGovern's Dinosaur RaceGo buy Sean McGovern's Tomb of Annihilation Companion (ToAC) right now. It's five bucks well-spent. You'll thank me. I will be stealing a lot of his dino race ideas for mine (I won't include the parts I steal here--so if you don't buy his supplement, you'll have to invent your own), but I won't be stealing how he runs the race itself. I don't like his actual race mechanic (sorry, Sean), so I'll come up with my own. What ToAC does well is threefold. It gives us:
Though this doesn't give the players a tour of everywhere they can go in Port Nyanzaru, it gives them exactly enough to learn the basic layout of the city and some ideas of where they can go to get started having fun. It has 8 stages, each with their learning experiences:
An example of the supplement's challenges is this at Stage 1: Pushing Riders Off the Bridge. Riders can make an opposed strength check to try to knock one another off their dinosaur. The loser of the opposed strength roll must make a DC 10 Dexterity save or fall off the bridge into the crowd below. This lets the player deal with a rival (the NPC doing the pushing or that THEY are pushing), experience some danger with HP loss or even death, and creates a set-back in the race that doesn't put them out entirely. I like all this. I recommend using all of the challenges from the race in the Tomb of Annihilation Companion. But I still don't like the racing mechanic. 4. A More Intuitive RaceThe main problem I see with the race mechanics is that they are complex, but will never be used again in the game. If I'm going to introduce a complex mechanic in a mini-game (like the raptor fight gambling I introduced), I want it to teach my players something that they'll be using later on (ie, flanking rules). The second problem is that they don't feel much like a race. They feel like a bunch of math problems: the first player to add up points to 300, wins. The third problem is that the race race mechanics aren't intuitive. I want my players to look at what we're doing and understand why a rule would be there on-sight. The better way to run the dinosaur race is as a board game. Players always love a mini-game and board games are good fun. All sorts of board games are races, from Candy Land to Life. Even children understand this sort of gameplay. Players go around the table rolling dice to move forward spaces until someone gets to the end of the board. Instead of a bunch of combat mechanics and calculating full and half movement speeds, we'll try to emulate a traditional board game. You can have all the players try to ride in the race if you want, but I would follow these guidelines:
Board Game RulesNOTE: These rules are under construction. Since receiving more feedback, I think they need to be tweaked. In particular, I think that all players need to be stopped at every challenge space, but there are other revisions as well that I think are useful. I'll update this when I can.
In order to run the race as a board game, you'll need to make the board. I like crafting terrain with foam, so that's how I'd build one. If that's not your thing, a board game for the race can be laid out using markers and 3"x5" index cards or just a sheet of paper. Here's a layout of what it might look like. If you'd like something a little nicer, go to your local print-shop (I use Costco Photo Center for this) and print out this 30"x20" game board I put together for you. (Note: this was the official point I decided to set up a Ko-fi account for tips. This gameboard was NOT in my documents folder, I built it for this blog because I have lost my mind now. Thanks. You made me lose my mind. See what you did??) Once you have your game board, you'll need descriptions and rules for the challenges. Again, I would go buy Sean McGovern's Tomb of Annihilation Companion and use his. With only tiny modifications (losing the half-speeds punishments, ditching the mount-swapping and the monkey, altering the flying lizards punishment to a skip-next-turn, cleaning up challenge 6's pit escape, and changing the canoe mechanic to a back-one-space), the race will be pretty fun. Some of the punishments from the challenges can be deadly too, which provides our game with danger. BONUS ADVICE Don't let your players die in this mini-game. If they reach 0 hit points, have rodeo clowns in the crowds rush to their aid and feed them one of Wakanga's healing potions. Rivals & DinosYou're going to need some toy dinosaurs. You could use any tokens you wanted--from another board game, player minis, dice, etc. But just go to the local dollar store and buy some tiny dinosaurs for this. These will represent the rivals and mounts for the players. Leading up to the race, be sure to have at least one of the NPC riders harass your players in some way. I recommend having Ekene-Afa's son, Tyrik, do so. Likewise, it's not a bad idea to have one be helpful. I would recommend having Faroul & Gondolo provide them with tack and harnesses or something so they can meet these feckless guides. Print out offer the following dinosaur cards to your players. If they are racing, they will use their own character sheet stats for Animal Handling, strength checks, etc. If they are running an NPC rider, they will use the card's stats. Zongo and/or Nasty Boy should be run by the DM, not a player. Don't forget that the Rider Stats get replaced by the player character's stats if they are in the race. When running the race, make sure to emphasize the antagonism of the rival (Tyrik). Given any opportunity, he'll try to throw a player character off the track and talk trash. He loves to brag that his mom is heroic Ekene-Afa. Also, don't forget that Zongo farts constantly. Make it stinky. Faroul and Gondolo are idiots, but you may want to conceal this so your party chooses them as their guides. This depends on how bad you want their jungle experience to be. Winning & LootIf your players don't win the race, they won't get prizes. What a bummer. You can move on from there if you like, your party a bunch of losers. Or, you can run the race two more times, doing the three races for the day (ignore the 2-legged vs 4-legged vs unchained. This is goofy and requires more dinosaur leg-knowledge than most of us have). This gives them two more chances to win the following (swiped from Sean McGovern's Tomb of Annihilation Companion).
5. Dinosaur GamblingI would skip betting on the race. However, players may be hungry for money and want to get in on it. If so, ignore the gambling rules in the book. They're gibberish. Instead, let the players bet on who wins the board game. Keep it simple. If they bet 100gp, they can win 100gp. Don't worry about odds and payouts. It's too much math to be fun. It will be interesting to see if any of them try to throw the race over a bet. If so, would Kamari the Fat come after them for taking a fall without his knowledge? Could be cool role-playing. Next Up: Guides!
There are 6 sections to this article:
1. This Merchant Prince Stuff is Overwhelming!Tomb of Annihilation gives us three pages (p.25-27) of biographical info about the merchant princes and assorted factoids about them in a half-dozen other places. Though this groundwork seems ripe for exciting plots, it's not clear what we're meant to do with them. Getting a sense about what they're on about as a group first is a useful first step. Worse, there are a lot of vectors of intrigue, but it's not organized in an easy way to use. In order to play the princes, we'd need to study and internalize the priorities and allegiances of each one of the princes. I'll try to present these dynamics in a more easily referenced way to run. The book doesn't say exactly how the players are meant to meet or interact with the merchant princes, but it does suggest meeting Wakanga first. I'll put together some paths to all of them for us to use. Finally, The book mentions the "beggar princes"--and says they are a "mocking parallel" of the merchant princes. But none of these are described at all. I get the impression that we're not really supposed to meet them in the game, but they are an interesting opportunity. I'll put together a set of them for us to have on hand. 2. The Ytepka Society and The Rise of the Merchant PrincesFrom 1364-1479, Port Nyanzaru was a Amnish colony. It's now 1490 and it's been only 11 years since the Flaming Fist were removed from the city walls by the revolutionary Merchant Princes and sent packing to Fort Beluarian. Port Nyanzaru is newly independent. NOTE: I have not read the various preceding modules and novels that may flesh out what this part of the world was like before Tomb of Annihilation. It's entirely probable that my background information here DOES NOT MATCH established lore or continuity, but that's okay. I don't mind. For a hundred years, foreigners controlled Port Nyanzaru and funneled Chult's resources out of the peninsula. Then, there was an uprising--and this was orchestrated by the Ytepka Society. The Amnian kleptocracy was managed by 7 bosses and each managed a particular domain, usually attached to an export:
Besides 1 and 2, these are all exports desired by the wealthy and magically ambitious in the rest of the world. The Ytepka Society selected Merchant Princes to take over these roles when they overthrew the colonizers 11 years ago--for good or bad. Who were the Ytepka Society? No one knows! It's implied that there were much more than 50 of them at the time of the revolution. We are told that they are mostly neutral good. I think this is included to let us DMs know that they are a secret society working basically for the "good," but willing to break rules or ignore laws to accomplish that. Which is fine. But why are they secret? It implies two things. It implies that the revolution could not be done with public knowing its leaders. Why? Here are my suggestions:
It also implies that their tactics were both legendary and clandestine. It couldn't have been a totally secret revolution or they would not be able to exert their influence with their Ytepka coins--and it couldn't have been entirely public or there wouldn't be any mystique about what they are. It also means their tactics, at least sometimes, were terrifying. This is reminiscent of the final Mosaic plague of Egypt. In secular terms, this had to have been an attack in which Hebrews snuck into Egyptian homes and murdered the first-born of every Egyptian in the city. This would require both knowing who the first-born were and being able to execute the act of infiltration and assassination of so many thousands. The Ytepka Society did something similar. Maybe they snuck into colonizer and colonizer-friendly homes and destroyed things--or killed a pet--or murdered someone. Maybe they were able to convince the yuan-ti to slither into those homes and kill the youngest family member...or abduct them into their cult! Whatever they did, they left Triceratops Coins in the homes in question. I think every adult Chultan remembers the details of this event but does not talk about it, or at least, not with foreigners. The Ytepka Society selected 7 people to be the Merchant Princes of Port Nyanzaru, which was then monitored by the secret society. It's unlikely that all the current Merchant Princes were the ones first installed (for example, Kwayothé is not an original). However, all of the Merchant Princes know that, if they become too corrupt or stray too far from the interests of native Chultans, the Ytepka Society will remove and replace them. The book names only two members of the Ytepka society: Zindar the Harbormaster | Santa and Zhanthi the Merchant Prince (gems, clothing, armor) | McGonnagal. Since Zhanthi is named as a Ytepka, this implies that none of the other princes are Ytepka or know that she's one--and that the Ytepka always install a Ytepka spy in the ranks of the merchant princes to keep an eye on them--just like they must do in every industry in the city. Zhanthi and the Ytepka are the "good guys" in Port Nyanzaru. Starting with that is helpful for sorting out the political intrigue. 3. Merchant Prince Intrigue Sorted OutThe book (and most online guides) organize the various conflicts among the merchant princes by character. Instead, I'll organize this content by topic. There are 3 main issues of political conflict within Port Nyanzaru.
1. Transparency vs Secrecy (Maps & Information) The characters have a super-map of Chult. It is the most comprehensive map of the peninsula in existence, so they have a stake in the transparency vs secrecy conflict automatically. On the side of secrecy is Jobal's position. He most strongly believes that maps, lore, histories, etc. should be privileged and leveraged to increase Chultan wealth and power. If he discovers that the team has Syndra's map, he'll offer to buy it--then task thieves with taking it--and eventually kill for it. On the side of transparency is Wakanga O'tamu--who believes that shared information is a tide that raises all ships. He is good, so he won't kill to get the super-map--but he would offer trade for it. He would also be interested in making a copy of it--which his scribe could do in only a couple hours.
2. Isolationism vs Globalism (Guards, Guides & Trade) Rather than think about this set of conflicts in terms of colonizer and colonized, it's easier to think in terms of isolationism vs globalism. It's an interesting in-game role-play conflict because both sides can be embraced by either good or evil people for good or evil reasons. Characters will encounter this dynamic in a variety of contexts: by dealing with guards, guides, and buying supplies. Ekene-Afa is the most isolationist of the merchant princes. She sells nothing to the outside world; her products are only used in Chult. She would be happy if Chult cut ties with the foreigners, who once watched gladiator slaves kill each other for sport, and relied on themselves. Wakanga O'tamu is the most globalist thinker of the merchant princes. He is a Harper, which is a secret organization dedicated to disseminating information across all political borders. Ekene-Afa would rather Chultans be totally independent from their former colonizers. 3. Monarchism vs Populism (Who Should Rule) This populism vs monarchism theme is subterranean, but set up throughout the module. It may be that your characters never engage with this topic meaningfully, but this graphing helps lay out the assumptions of the major players. Also, you may decide to allow this tension to come to a head partway through the campaign, in which case this would become more immediately relevant to the players. Zhanthi is a monarchist -- and again, she's meant to be our "good guy." This makes sense because the game, as you move further into Chult, is decidedly monarchistic. Eventually, characters will meet the rightful heirs to the Omuan throne in Kir Sabal and learn about Ubtao's barae. Which is fine. Fantasy as a genre is typically monarchistic. Zhanthi, as the only Ytepka of the merchant princes, and of noble heritage, is a sort of clandestine queen. Kwayothe is so populist, she's a revolutionary. She wants to tear down the government itself and hand it to the oppressed poor of Port Nyanzaru (and then apparently have torture orgies in which she filets rich people!). Zhanthi is a noble and reveres the old royal family--seeing the merchant prince system as a "close enough" attempt to establish something like it. 4. How to Meet the Merchant PrincesYou'll need to decide how much of the merchant prince content your table even wants in your game. It may be that you don't care about them and need only to have them operating in the background. Or it may be that you want them to meet one or two of them before heading off on their adventures. Or it may be that you'd like them to deal with them all in some way. If your players only need supplies, these can be got through the vendors licensed under the merchant princes in the markets. Needing some rain catchers alone wouldn't warrant meeting a merchant prince in most cases. The book provides a suggestion for how to first meet one, Wakanga O'tamu by way of introduction through Syndra Silvane, and also hooks for how they could meet Jobal and Kwayothe, but there are reasons players may interact with the others--including a session that would introduce them all at once. NOTE: For politicians in D&D, I add a shorthand similar to the "basis" that indicates their "political style" for me. Wakanga O'tamu | Prince | Mitt Romney Syndra invites the characters to come to Wakanga's villa when they get to Port Nyanzaru. She suggests that he may have good advice for how to proceed. At his villa, Wakanga is hosting a get-together in preparation of the Dinosaur Races the next day. /u/Pababaloo suggested running a skill challenge (5 successes before 3 failures) to see if the players impress their host once there. Even bad rolls should get your players moving in some right directions:
Jobal | Lando Calrissian | Prince Humperdink The players may meet Jobal while trying to secure a guide, they may win a dinner with him after winning a dino race, or they may be brought before him if they were seen to be working with unlicensed guides.
Kwayothe | AOC | Queen of Hearts The group could meet Kwayothe if they take on the Help a Dying Man side-quest or win a dinner with her in the dino race. If a character has a noble background, she may send her incubus and succubus consorts, Ixis | Nikki Minaj and Indar | Lil Nas X, to seduce them into one of her torture rituals. Ekene-Afa |Donald Trump | Nelson Mandela Players may be introduced to Ekene-Afa through her son Tiryk | Dani Rojas if they meet him through the dino race. They may encounter her personally if they need to buy her magical weapons, which she sells herself. They may also interact with her if they find their way into an arena experience. Players might find themselves in a gladiator fight, sea battle, dino rodeo, etc.--just make it non-fatal. Clowns should be waiting in the wings with healing potions. Ifan Talro'a | Jareth the Goblin King | Richard III If the heroes hire Salida as a guide, she should convince them to go meet Ifan to buy a beast for their journey or get advice (but really so he can send message to the Yuan-ti that they're on their way south!). Otherwise, the only reason to interact with him is if you are playing dark intrigue with the merchants, since Ifan is so negative--which I would avoid. Again: keep their experience in Port Nyanzaru positive. Jessamine | Bride of Frankenstein | Gandhi Jessamine doesn't have much to offer the players unless you are going to make the merchant princes a dark intrigue (which I would avoid). She will help players if she finds out that they're working to stop the death curse, but players won't likely need poisons or assassinations. The main thing she could offer is her political power as the neutral deciding vote amongst the princes. Players may eventually seek Jessamine out after they've trekked into the jungle because she'll buy exotic plants. Zhanthi | McGonnagal | Mitch McConnell The only way the characters would meet Zhanthi early in the game would be if they were able to capture pirates for Zindar--for which, Zhanthi would pay the reward. They likely won't meet her until they start bringing back treasures at higher levels from the jungle. Or, if they learn information about the lost royal family of Omu, they may return to Port Nyanzaru to seek Zhanthi's advice about that. Meet All the Merchant Princes! I have not run it, but a cool gaming session would be one in which the players set aside their characters and got to run a meeting of the merchant princes at the Golden Throne. Each would be given a character synopsis (here's some I wrote up - but no Wakange, since he is already being run by you) that they would use to guide some official policy debate. This would give the players some insight into who they all are, but not require the DM to try to run an array of NPCs at once. Choose one of the topics below or create one of your own:
5. Some Ideas for the Beggar PrincesTomb of Annihilation gives us only the following about the beggar princes who run The Old City: The Old City is run by "beggar princes" in a mocking parallel to the merchant princes of the city proper. They have no official authority, but each of them sits atop a web of debts, favors, incriminating information, and loyal muscle that allows them to get things done with an efficiency that the merchant princes sometimes envy. Unlike the merchant princes, whose positions are based on wealth that passes from generation to generation in the same family, the identities and even the number of the beggar princes changes continually. These are clearly meant to be crime bosses! Woo! Mobster fun! The beggar princes ran their crime syndicate long before the merchant princes came to power. They existed under Amnian colonization as well...and probably under the monarchy before that. Organized crime is a constant. There are two main beggar princes. They get to rule over each of the ziggurats in Old City called The Beggar's Palaces (p.18). These two ziggurats serve as the best protection in Old City during an external attack. A third, smaller ziggurat in Old City is home to a third, lesser, beggar prince. Finally, there is a beggar prince for each of the other sectors of the outer city: Malar's Throat and Tiryki Anchorage. (Add or subtract as you will, of course). 1. Spotless Takataka - North Ziggurat - Sanitation Spotless Takataka | Tony Soprano runs a mostly-legit business through his gang Chultean Waste Services (CWS). His operations run in and out of the walled city and he is welcome at high-prestige events. He has a lot of power because they:
2. Madame Malaya - South Ziggurat - Prostitution Madame Malaya | Drexl from True Romance oversees all the pimps, prostitutes, and escorts in Port Nyanzaru. If she finds anyone hooking independently, the punishments are the same as Jobal's: BBB - beating, blinding, beheading. She has leverage over many people because she knows what they do with her prostitutes. 3. Kamari the Fat - Lesser Ziggurat - Gambling Kamari the Fat | Beetlejuice runs all the bookies in Port Nyanzaru. He's gregarious, friendly, and gruff--but he's also Joker-level ruthless with anyone who rips him off or tries to run books outside of his monopoly. He's as accepted inside the walls as Takataka is, though only ever shows up there for special events at the Grand Coliseum. He's happy amongst his friends and hangers-on, partying like mad, in his decadent ziggurat eternal-rave. Bets on Executioner's Run are handled at the Lesser Ziggurat itself, but bets on the dino races, Grand Coliseum events, and raptor fights are taken and collected by Kamari's bookies around the city. Also, even ship captains pay a cut of the below-decks games to the prince through his agents. 4. Pock-marked Po, “The Hideous Prince” - Southern Hilltop Mansion - Protection Altered from Adventurer's League Pock-marked Po | The Godfather presides over Malar's Throat and dwells in the mansion on the south hill overlooking the city. An old, stooped, pock-faced man seated in a bamboo chair, Po is surrounded by a cadre of young women he calls his "lovelies" who tend to his every need. He surveys everyone and everything with his one good eye, and his golden spyglass, for how it can benefit him. The Hideous Prince narrowly survived an encounter with the yuan-ti. Returning with a small fortune, Po set up a protection racket for denizens of the Malar's Throat forgotten by the merchant princes. Subscribers may retreat into the central hall during any dinosaur or undead attack, their entry secured by the possession of a facial tattoo that indicates they are up-to-date on their dues (these are removed by knifepoint if in arrears). Po is wickedly cunning and has a sharp, silver tongue. He displays professional courtesies in discussion and even when angry, never loses his temper. 5. Irokuro Kika, "Lady Death" - Cabin in Tiryki Anchorage - Drugs Irokuro Kika | Ruth from Ozarks was formerly one of Pock-marked Po's Lovelies, but she came to an agreement with him when the Merchant Princes rose to power. The two beggar princes maintain a close alliance. She lives in a humble cabin, inherited from her parents, in the center of Tiryki Anchorage. She embraces discretion. Very few people know she is a beggar prince; her neighbors know her only as a lady who volunteers at the temple's children's school. They do not know that she singularly tames the smugglers, estranged pirates, and street dealers of the Anchorage. Her sense of justice is unblinking and for-keeps, so the nickname "Lady Death." Her street dealers do all of her dealings for jungle drugs. They are both trustworthy and shrewd. They seek and sell dancing monkey fruit, menga leaves, ryath root, sinda berries, tri-flower frond orange blossoms, wildroot, yahcha, yellow musk creeper, and zabou mushrooms. Irokuro was childhood friends with Kwayothe and is her philosophical mentor. She is a radical populist, but the behind-the-scenes operator, not the charismatic. Next Up: Running the Dinosaur Races!
There are 4 section to this article
MORE THAN JUST A PLACE TO SLEEPIn most D&D games, the characters are going to stay at an inn. You have permission, though, to let players find other places to stay--in this adventure and in others. WHERE the players sleep and wake will determine where and with whom they'll break bread. Hospitality is the traditional foundation for alliances, deals, and favors. The players can stay anywhere in Port Nyanzaru, so long as someone would welcome them. Consider being flexible about this. Most of these options will have cheat sheets so you can run these settings easily. The Thundering Lizard - The Loud One
We'll make this a cross between a Rainforest Cafe and the Mongolian tavern in Raiders of the Lost Ark. During the day, it's a family tourist trap; after dark it devolves into a wild pirate bar. This dichotomy gets amusing when hungover parties are trying to get their breakfasts down. Here's my flavor text for when they find the inn: The Red Bazaar--an open-air market stacked with heaps of shining fresh meat--is full of people from around the world. Over the red table banners, you spot the skull of a Tyrannosaurus Rex framing the doorway of a building with its mouth. Over the skull arches a giant sign of individual, self-illuminated letters glowing in reds and golds like Vegas: "The Thundering Lizard." Shrieking children are chasing each other in the entryway. If the players arrive during the day, keep the vibe very Chuck E. Cheese: lots of families from around the world, eating with kids. Toddlers are screaming, going wild. Waitresses are frazzled and annoyed. Management is putting out fires with upset families. Trying to secure a room at this time should be a pain in the butt and annoying. It costs 5 sp/night to stay at The Thundering Lizard. If they arrive after dark, it's a wild honkey tonk, full of drunk jeering revelers--many of whom are betting on dinos. Both inns have bulletin boards near their front doors with guide advertisements. If the players want to hire River Mist and Flask of Wine, they need to go outside the walls where Jobal has less reach. Volothamp “Volo” Geddarm | Mel Brooks' King Louie is staying at this inn and doing presentations on monsters once every nine days (a Faerun week). Have him drinking in the bar most nights too, bragging, and hawking his book. He is willing to pay good money for monster information about obscure species, so he'll be very friendly with the characters. ADVICE: The book says that Volo's Guide will give wrong information with the good. Don't do this. False information will confuse and eventually anger your players. Instead, make the information limited. If they ask to look up a monster in the book, hold the page of the Monster Manual up to the player for 60 seconds. It's easiest. Emeka Isrit | Arthur/Billie Madison--an ex-adventurer who runs the place with his family. At night, he's a sloppy-drunk--but super-friendly--bartender. He pours too many free drinks and sometimes slips and falls. During the day, he's a competent manager for the restaurant and hotel. The Thundering Lizard only sells their house-made tej; no other drinks. Tej is a honey wine made from honey, water and the medicinal shrub gesho. It's mellow and sweet, with a acerbic aftertaste that clears the palette in the heat. Tej is 4cp/mug; 2sp/gallon (when not being poured for free). My Drinking Rules: For every typical serving of alcohol after the first, characters should roll a DC12 Con check against being poisoned for 1 hour. Three failures in a row, and they're "double-poisoned"--rolling with double-disadvantage on all checks and periodically throwing up and falling down. You can also use some of the various carousing rules out there if your players are the types to really get into the drinking fantasy. Velociraptor Fights At night, the bar hosts heats of velociraptor fights. In real life, these dinos were the size of chickens, so this is a lot like cock-fighting. The game, though, presents them as they are in the Jurassic Park movies--and that's fine by me. I use the raptor fights as a way to teach players about how mechanics like pack tactics swing fights (similar to flanking and helping actions--which also give advantage on rolls). The fighting pen is a 10'x 10' square. This means that the raptors are always within melee attack range. I present the players with fighting data for the 3 teams of raptors and they are able to bet on the one they think will win the next fight. Here are their combat and gambling information. Players place their bets, then choose two players to run the dino fight against each other. Once one of the teams is knocked unconscious, bets are paid. The creatures are taken out of the pen and given a healing potion and this is repeated. Kaya's House of Repose - The Quiet One
Kaya's House of Repose is an elegant small hotel just barely outside the Merchant Ward. It's twice as expensive as The Thundering Lizard, but the quality of the stay, the range of the services, and the social access it provides is elevated as well. It costs 1 gp/night to stay at Kaya's. Kaya | Morticia Addams is an elegant and kind Chultan noble--and because of this, she has knowledge and access to the Merchant Princes and the royalty in town. If the upper crust is going to go out on the town, it's likely they'll eat at her inn (unless, they're out slumming it, as some do). Unlike The Thundering Lizard, Kaya's offers much better fare than tej and a sampler appetizer platter. Kaya's offers an extensive menu, a wide array of drink options, stabling, spa services, and a tobacconist shop. Consider offering temporary stat boosts and other effects for some of these amenities: +2 temporary hit points after spending the night at Kaya's, +5 temporary hit points for staying in the suite, +2 Charisma for 24 hours after a full spa treatment, or +2 Intelligence for 2 hours after smoking one of the hand-rolled cigars. Be creative; incentivize spending money on the best. Kaya's also houses a full staged theater that seats a 160 people between the floor and mezzanine. A few guides frequent Kaya's. Most significantly, this is the only location where players will find Eku, but she will only join a group of good characters. Similarly, Faroul and Gondolo | Rosencrantz & Guildenstern frequent Kaya's often because they see its clientele as more likely to fall for their BS--and they like the soft life. I include Salida's advertisement at all three notice boards because I think her betrayal is the most interesting to set up, leading into the Fane of the Night Serpent. An ad that connects the players to the Help the Lord's Alliance side quest (p.16) is on the notice board as well. Lerek Dashlynd | Mr. Wednesday occasionally gets a cocktail at the bar and asks if anyone has asked about the notice. This reinforces the map intrigue dynamic in Port Nyanzaru and can be used to send the heroes out into the jungle when you're ready. The main bit of fun for most is the "mixologist" Ronhip Foechuckle | Tom Cruise. He's a slick hipster bartender with rolled up sleeves and knows everything about booze. NOTE: some of his cocktails have special effects when poured--or drunk. Recipes will be followed by ingredient descriptions. RONHIP RECIPES
INGREDIENTS: Amberfire: hot whiskey Cherryfire: cherry whiskey Dragon’s Breath: Moonsea brandy Elverquisst: ruby-colored and fruity; gold flecks, magic makes them form shapes Fireseed: dwarven; in non-dwarves, DC 15 Con, fail = drunkenness; succes = +2 resistance rolls Flamebeard’s Firebrandy: rotgut from Mirabar Garlrawdwarven: buttery syruppy whisky Gulluk: giant booze; made from broth Harborbottom Whiskey: Rotgut; tastes like fish poop Heart of Wine: Zakhara desert or snow mountains Hultail spirits: Cormyr instant-drunk, +2 dmg +2 AC, disadvantage; pass out in 2 rounds for 12 hrs Kumiss: Zakharan mare liquor; sour milk Luiren Rivengut: For cleaning and fire Moon Rum: c. 1372; purple from beets Moonshae Moonshine Old One Eye: excellent cyclopsian pale red Sagecourse: From wildspace; smokey Sake: From Kara-Tur Seawine: Mount Sar liqour Thannaberry: dark blue; sweet, from Khôltar in south Wyvern Whiskey: scale in it; from Nimbral; super-excellent Zzarfortified sherry: orange/almond—elves hate it Merchant Prince's VillaThough the characters may not be able to figure out how to do so right when they arrive in Port Nyanzaru, they might find a way to make themselves guests to one of the Merchant Princes. The game comes with a detailed map and description for a generic Merchant Prince Villa, but I assume this was included as an infiltration and burglary option--not as a lodging option The Merchant Princes live in opulence and luxury. Play that up in the role playing. They have servants and access to all of high society. If the players are in their domain, turn up the dials in terms of intrigue and rumors they can overhear. Some Merchant Princes are more hospitable than others; likewise the accoutrements of each particular villa match the interests of the princes themselves (see p. 27). Double-check the details for each before introducing any villa to the characters. The villas are within the highest walls of Port Nyanzaru--and all have easy access to the political hub Goldenthrone (p.20), the research center of Temple of Savras (p.20), and the elite spas of the Temple of Sune (p.21). They also have cherry views for events like the dinosaur races. Alternative OptionsYour heroes may end up sleeping anywhere in the city. I've put together some options here and some ideas for how to handle them. Ships Any character with a sailor background can secure free passage on ships for the team as crew-members -- but they will sail at the mercy of the captain. Players may decide to sleep below-decks instead of paying for lodgings.
On the Economy The characters might impress a local enough to be invited to sleep in their home. This is an opportunity to dole out un-masked opinions of the Chultans about any of the happenings or people in the city. This could be done in any district, inside or outside the walls.
In the Streets The players may just find an alley behind a bar to sleep in.
UP NEXT: Merchant Princes!
This Article has 4 Sections
The Port Nyanzaru ProblemPort Nyanzaru is a well-fleshed-out section of this campaign. Kudos to all the people who worked on it, because there's a lot here and your group can get into a HUGE mess of fun in that city. The problem it has is this: players leave the city the moment they find a lead into the jungle. Online forums are full of DMs complaining that they spent months setting up intrigue, games, and side-missions that their players skipped. YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS TO YOURSELF. First off, internalize Murphy's Law for Dungeon Masters: Don't prep something too much or the players will certainly bypass it. This goes for Port Nyanzaru itself. Deep study it at your own risk. Second off, YOU control when they'll head out of the city (mostly). Remember that YOU control the information and money in the game. Don't give the players any until you are ready. Not knowing where to go will keep them in the city. Being too broke to leave will keep them in the city. There are four (4) primary levers that will launch your characters into the jungle:
2. Goals: Destination, Guide, Supplies, and CharterDESTINATION The destination lever is the worst one of the four to switch on early. Most players (because they're idiots) will ignore all safety concerns once they learn where to go. Avoid giving them a destination until you are ready for them to leave. Your players may be idiots, but they're also frustratingly clever about figuring out goals like this. Here are some likely strategies they may come upon:
Not knowing where to go when the clock is ticking is frustrating. Embrace that and allow it to generate tension in the group! So, how do we get the players to start asking around to the right people? There are two ways this is going to happen and the difference between these methods is like the difference between players solving the logic of a trap vs a rogue rolling a skill check to do it. 1. Your players will figure out that some person may have the expertise they want and seek them out. Maybe they hear that Wakanga is the Merchant Prince in charge of lore. This becomes a mini-adventure you can role-play:
xNOTE: You should read all of p.36 of the book. It's a rumor table, but it makes an important point in the opening text at the top: The best people to talk to are those who actually work or live in the jungle: hunters, guides, and explorers. No skill checks are necessary to get people talking, but to acquire reliable information, characters must go where in-the-know folks gather. Have a respectably wise character say this to them--Zindar, perhaps. Then the players will know that they can find rumors about the soulforge by hanging out in good places. RUMOR TABLE ADVICE:
GUIDES Using the guides to delay the players is very easy. Just make guides unavailable. Early and often, NPCs should say that the group NEEDS a guide to survive the jungle. ...don't want them just rushing off to die out there without one. Here are some ways to make guides unavailable:
Most of the guides have a fee-waiving mechanic, but you may want to suppress this. Using character poverty as a hurdle to getting started is effective. SUPPLIES Don't be secretive about the supplies characters will need to survive the jungle. Unless, of course, they hire on Faroul & Gondolo--in which case, have them wave such worries away or try to hook them up with reduced-price knock-offs of the real things! To survive, players will need:
Maybe have a drunk at the bar break this down for them. CHARTER In order to legally explore the jungle, adventurers need a charter from the Flaming Fists (p.54). It costs $50 gp and signs away half your loot to the mercenary group--but they won't arrest/kill you/take all your stuff in the jungle if they find you with the document. It's a neat idea. I never have my players run into random Flaming Fists out there--there's too much cool other stuff to see to waste time on boring old Sword Coast baddies as random encounters--but a neat idea. However, needing to get an additional $50 gp together to get started--plus find a way to Fort Beluarian--is a fourth time-altering lever at your disposal. 3. Politics: Merchant Princes and ColonizersAs I said elsewhere, you can get pretty deep into colonizer/colonized dynamics in this game if you want. If your players are into it, I think it makes for pretty rich storytelling. On the other hand, if your players are going to jet out into the jungle the moment they find a mission, you will have spent HOURS prepping political dynamics in Port Nyanzaru for nothing. Rather than do all that work yourself, I recommend using the Alex Kurowski's AMAZINGLY detailed resource on these dynamics at 20 Sides to Every Story instead if and when the time comes that you'll need to introduce them. The key political dynamics to understand are these:
NOTE: Before I go on, I want to remind you that despite all this potential for intrigue, backstabbing, politics, etc--I HIGHLY recommend you treat your players positively by everyone in Port Nyanzaru--thought of as strange foreign guests, wherever they go. Get their guards down for the jungle. Anyway, what does all this political dynamic mean in real terms for you running the game?Briefly, this: Your players will probably first find themselves a hotel (there are two) and those are found in the Market Ward. In them, players will meet working class people who have pragmatic, populist ideas. They'll tend to think the Merchant Princes are out of touch (except Ekene-Afa, the gladiator; they usually love her). Old City, Malar's Throat, and Tiryki Anchorage exist outside the walls. They have their own order outside the laws of the Merchant Princes. This means danger, but also access to contraband. Some Chultans miss the Flaming Fist; others don't. Sort of depends on if they got harassed by them in the old days or if they think security was better when they were manning the walls. Some, of course, might have purely philosophical reasons to like or dislike them. Merchant Princes officially approve of each other. Generally. They are politicians, so they will always present a gracious attitude to each other for public consumption; it's behind closed doors that they may hate one another, etc. Regular Chultans probably don't know much about what they really think of each other most of the time. I'll make a full analysis of the Merchant Princes and other NPCS in a later post. 4. Time: Stuff to Do and Fun to be Had![]() How long should the players spend in Port Nyanzaru? It depends on your game and your table, but a lot of DMs find that their players are only in the city for 2-4 days before they head out on their adventures. This is because they learned where to go and got the gear they needed to leave too quickly. On the other hand, how long is too long? This is going to be up to you, Dungeon Master. The way I would calculate this isn't based on time, so much, as on experiences. You can assemble this list in whatever way sounds right to you. Maybe a good way would be to base it on how many it would take to hit level 3 before cutting out to the territories. It's up to you, but have a plan. Some fun things for the players to experience include:
Select some number of these events that you want your players to experience before they can head out. I'll work up guides for most over time that you can use. Then, share information with your players about their goals slowly as they work their way through these experiences. DON'T FORGET!
NEXT UP: PORT NYANZARU LODGINGS
An Analysis of An Opening SessionNOTE: if you'd like to skip the analysis of what did and didn't work with mine, just click past this to "Session I - Play This One." I usually launch campaigns with a strategy that helps players embrace character development.
Rather than have the team pre-assembled in a tavern, I walk each player into the game individually. I study the characters beforehand, then decide how their backgrounds tie into the plot. In Session I, I walk each character into the story with a one-on-one mini-session that gets them to the starting point. This allows me to present strong plot hooks. Doing them in isolation builds suspense, a sense of specialness, and keeps the rest of the team knowing the other characters' hooks in advance. With a larger group, this is pretty obnoxious, so I do the same, but all together. The players just need to consciously avoid metagaming. SO... When I started Tomb of Annihilation, I did this. I introduced each character into the adventure using mini-adventures into the den of Syndra Silvane. In retrospect, knowing how DEADLY this campaign is and how often these characters would die, this whole session now seems like a huge waste of time. Moreover, the campaign is very long, so this intro seems doubly superfluous. I recommend against it. Instead, I would begin Session I as I have outlined next, in the post titled: "Session I - Play This One." [If you'd like to read a summary of what my Session I looked like, you can do so here: "Session I - Baldur's Gate."] A BETTER SESSION ITHIS SESSION HAS 3 SEQUENCES:
Micah's Pronunciations (not definitive) Almiraj - AWL-meer-ahj I'jin - EE-gin Fort Beluarian - FORT bell-oo-AIR-ian Port Nyanzaru - PORT NAI-an-ZAH-roo Syndra Silvane - SIN-druh sill-VANE Wakanga O’tamu - wuh-KAWN-gah oh-TAH-moo Zindar - ZIN-dar SEQUENCE 1 - HIRED BY SYNDRA SILVANEThe best way to start the game is just as the book describes on pages 8-9 (NOTE: I have altered the text in places as I would read it; it doesn't match the book). For the past twenty days, the only topic on anyone's lips has been the "death curse": a wasting disease affecting everyone who's ever been raised from the dead. Those who have been resurrected now grow thinner and weaker each day, slowly but steadily sliding toward the graves they once dodged. When they finally succumb, they can't be raised. Also, neither can anyone else! Resurrections and revivifications seem to not be possible anymore, even from the most powerful of clerics! The scholars of the Sword Coast are at a loss to explain this curse that has affected--according to reports--the entire world. The book says you can "invite the players to explain why their characters are together," but don't bother. Instead, assume they don't know each other (unless they put something together themselves during character generation) and jump right into it. You have each been invited to the mansion of Syndra Silvane, a retired--and beloved--adventurer-turned-merchant. Her major domo leads you up a grand staircase to the third floor, then ushers you into a wood-paneled room with a fireplace, velveteen furniture, and a heavy table bearing goblets and bottles of wine. The walls are hung with maps and sea charts. On the east wall: racks hold hundreds of scrolls. When I prep an adventure, I create character shortcuts for my NPCs. It's hard to keep track of traditional character notes that outline flaws, foibles, quirks, and so on. They overwhelm me. I spend my time figuring out a character shortcut--what I call the "basis" of an NPC. This is a few words that remind me how to play a character. Sometimes--if it seems appropriate and if I feel capable--this would include an accent or "funny voice" I'd use when running them. Other times, it is a reminder of the "who" of the character. Yes, I also write up important notes about the NPCs, but having that quick-reference is valuable. I use a spreadsheet for this. Here's a screen-grab of what that sort of information looks like: Nerdy, right? Anyway, In the case of Syndra Silvane, it's important that the players are on-board with helping her early. Being mysterious and dark is no good for that. We need to do as much "save the cat" work on her as possible. I rewrote the flavor text above to mention that she is a beloved adventurer, but I also wanted to drive that home. In MY game, my son's character is her adopted ward--so I needed someone nurturing and motherly. Dolly Parton. Everyone loves Dolly Parton! Plus, I can pull off her twang pretty well. So here's my NPC note for her: Syndra Silvane | Dolly Parton | Human archmage stricken by the death curse Add on a bit of sickliness to the voice to make her sympathetic and we're golden. Syndra needs to drop a lot of exposition on the players here. Handle this anyway that's comfortable for you, but I like to give my NPC something else to be engaged with so that the information drops are spread out organically. A workable idea is to have her spending a lot of time ensuring that her major domo, Francis [Francis | Duckworth/Lurch], is providing the most appropriate refreshments for each character. A drink here, a snack there, don't your people love this delicacy back home?, whatever. Then, between each request and step of service, she can return to the primary topic and share more information or answer a question. The book gives us a list of things for her to tell the characters before they go, but it's a lot of text. Here's the same information in bulletpoints. Syndra Information:
Feel free to use these "other teams" as sources for the backup characters the players will need to introduce throughout the adventure. The book mentions treasure that she may offer for their success, but it seems moot to me. More likely your players will start a whole new campaign if they finish this one. Instead, feel free to have Syndra give them stuff NOW. Minor magic items, pendants, passes, etc. She gave one of my players (her ward) a sending stone so she could talk to him every day on the quest. But she could hand out anything a la the of Wizard of OZ. It's more important that your players LIKE her and want to save her than for them to have a bit too much loot early on (they'll likely lose it falling off a cliff anyway). Be sure the players get the map. I gave mine this one, but the one that came in the book works fine too (get it laminated). I just liked the idea of a stitched together map to give them: This is the player's map, but you'll need to use the DM's map to plan your hexcrawls, etc. IMPORTANT: I highly advise that you download, bookmark, and use the NUMBERED MAP OF CHULT that was put together by /u/revderrick over at /r/TombofAnnihilation. Be sure to upvote his post and thank him for his hard work! I'll mark locations in these blog pages by their hex-numbers on /u/revderrick' maps. I've backed up his files here in case, for whatever reason, his get removed or something. Whenever your players have role played this scenario enough, have Syndra Silvane teleport them to Port Nyanzaru. SEQUENCE 2 - ARRIVAL AT PORT NYANZARUHEX 4120 Feel free to read the descriptive text for "Arrival" on page 16 of the adventure. I chose to ad-lib the section, using my own language--for a few reasons. 1. I hate reading text to my players. It breaks mood and doesn't sound like me. 2. I don't like the stuff in that text about "voices shouting and cursing in an unfamiliar language filled with clicks, inhalations, and singsongy words that make it sound almost musical." Not just the gesture at the Khoisan languages (ew), but I decided early on not to mess with having a Chultan language (or languages) for players to deal with. If dealing with language barriers is fun for you guys, then go for it. But it seemed like a drag to me. Chultans all speak common in my game. 3. The "minstrels in bright clothing." Had to skip it. 4. I like the pop of the environment, but I wanted to hammer home that this is an advanced culture with interesting technologies--so I went on about various hydro-powered mechanics that crane ships in and out of port, load goods on and off them to the piers, and so on. 5. Calling the dinosaurs "giant reptiles" is only clever if the players can see that they are actually dinosaurs. They can't, so saying "there's a brachiosaurus (you guys have no idea what it is, of course!) with giant chains yoked on its chest dragging a ship into the bay!" works much better. Elements to Emphasize in "Arrival"
This last point deserves a comment. It's possible to run Port Nyanzaru with all the underhanded darkness you would expect in any city D&D game. I'd avoid that. Instead, remind yourself that one day soon, these people are going to be out in the jungle--where it's deadly. Keep Port Nyanzaru very friendly. Keep it positive! Get them to lower their guards. Make everyone in Port Nyanzaru helpful! Make the contrast bold, so that when they get outside those walls--whether into the jungle itself or off to Fort Beluarian or sailing a ship into pirate waters--they realize it is way-bad out there! It's Noon. The players find themselves standing on the pier of Port Nyanzaru, after being teleported there. They are halfway between the Lighthouse (14) and the Harbormaster's Office (13). They arrive and see the spectacle of the Harbor Ward, then turn to the "HO HO HO!" of a golden dragon-man striding towards them from the west! It is the harbormaster, Zindar. [Zindar | Santa Clause | Half-dragon harbormaster is offering 2k gp for each pirate ship and 500 gp per captured captain] He barks orders at the harbor workers and sailors as he makes his way to greet Syndra. He seems very loving and powerful--and concerned about her death curse affliction. She pets him away. Zindar makes sure to check everyone's identities. If there is a rogue in the group, he likely calls them out and warns them that Port Nyanzaru has little tolerance for theft!--but good-naturedly. Nothing gets past Zindar! After introductions, Zindar begins to escort Syndra down the pier. He says that he assumes Merchant Prince Wakanga O’tamu is waiting for her up on the hill. She agrees and says she is off to rest in his villa; she is very tired. She wishes the team luck, and suggests they find a good place to sleep for the night. They'll need their rest to take on the quest ahead of them. They are standing next to the Harbormaster's Office as he sends them off. The Harbormaster's Office is a sturdy building with vaulted windows, but you get the sense that Zindar spends little time in it. You can see clerks moving about, moving customs papers and the like inside. If they dawdle, Zindar will tell them that he will answer any letter left with the clerks inside within 1d6 hours. He takes every list and checks it twice! (See how I do this?) Otherwise, he welcomes them to Port Nyanzaru and must get back to work. Here is my bulletin board for the Harbormaster's Office: BULLETIN BOARD EXPLAINER: I designed three bulletin boards for Port Nyanzaru (none are printer friendly; we were on Roll20 for COVID lockdown at the time). Each is different and have contents based on the types of guides that would opt to advertise on it (none of which include the illegal guides that can be found outside the city--like the Tabaxi guides or in Fort Beluarian). This one at the Harbormaster's has advertisements for:
It also has a sticker promoting Volo's Guide to Monsters (which players can buy from the man himself, if they meet him). It also has a brochure for the city, which has the following map inside: Finally, this bulletin board, since it is on official property (as opposed to the others in town) has a warning from Merchant Prince Jobal on it: "ALL GUIDES MUST BE REGISTERED WITH MERCHANT PRINCE JOBAL OR B.B.B." If the characters do much research, they will eventually learn that the B.B.B. is commonly understood: beaten, blinded, beheaded. Three strikes, you're out. What do the players do?The players only have a few options for lodging in Port Nyanzaru.
In the meantime, they'll find themselves in some variation of the Triceratops Encounter. SEQUENCE 3 - TRICERATOPS ATTACKS AN ALMIRAJ!To finish off the session, a little action sequence is good. This will give the players a bit of combat to enjoy after so much talky-talky, give them a sense of the CR of the dinos they'll be dealing with in the campaign, and introduce your first bit of weird Gygaxian lore to the adventure. REMEMBER: if they die, they die. Don't chicken out on this. I based the encounter on the old cartoon trope of an elephant freaking out about a mouse--only swapped the creatures out for an almiraj and a triceratops. Whatever the players decide to do above, they'll start heading to wherever they're going in the streets of Port Nyanzaru. Find yourself a good battle map to use--maybe a market street leading into a plaza, with some stuff to climb on around--and have the characters stumble upon a suddenly rampaging triceratops! Here's the one I used, made by /u/AfternoonMaps (go thank them and upvote if you use it!) that I found at their reddit post. I was playing online, so this map worked well. If I were running this in-person, I would probably use my roll-out Chessex mat, some wet-erase markers, and scatter terrain--but whatever you like is fine. The characters hear a crazed elephantine trumpeting! The crowd around them begins scattering and freaking out! Someone in the crowd screams, "A TRICERATOPS HAS GONE MAD!" As is typical, WotC does not include the dinosaur stat blocks in the adventure itself (lame) so here's its information: ROLL INITIATIVE Whether the triceratops or the players get the drop, the dino is not going to be in range to hit one of them--yet. Start it off at least 30 feet away from the party. On its turn, the dino will use its trampling charge to probably kill a nearby civilian--a merchant or a juggler or something. Roll its attack out in the open. It can deal up to 74 HP DAMAGE in a single turn! The players need to see and understand this. Example DMing: Some 30 feet ahead, you see this massive three-horned monster rushing down the alley! It goes straight for a balloon vendor and -- rolls a 1d20+9 to hit against and AC 10 -- that's a hit! He takes -- rolls a 4d8+6 piercing damage -- whoah. You're pretty sure the guy is immediately gored to death on the horns He rolls a DC13 STR saving throw...and fails.. His body falls to the ground prone. The beast takes a bonus action and stomps the body -- rolls a 1d20+9 to hit with advantage for being prone -- and that hits, which is going to be -- rolls a 3d10+6 bludgeoning damage -- aaand...that is (adding up the HP totals) FIFTY-ONE HIT POINTS OF DAMAGE! The balloon salesman seems entirely destroyed, just crushed bones and flesh on the pavement. This should scare the crap out of your first level players. Little do they know, this monster isn't interested in any of them at all. It's after an almiraj! So cute, right? Your players are probably going to want to keep it. DO NOT TELL THEM ABOUT IT YET. Once the civilian gets attacked by the triceratops, do two things: 1. Roll a 1d8 every round to determine which direction the almiraj will run. 1___2___3 4___a___5 6___7___8 The critter has a movement of 50 FEET so use it how you like. 2. Also roll a +5 stealth check against the passive perception of whichever character is nearest to the critter to see if they notice it. Once its spotted, the group can see it easily. The triceratops will charge directly toward the almiraj at the beginning of its turn, trying to kill it. It's likely that they'll try to catch it, so let it use its actions to dodge and evade, etc. Be sure to have someone in the crowd shout to them, "I'jin the Almiraj is never in the same place twice!" This is a clue for how to solve the trap room in the Tomb itself, but your players will almost certainly forget this unless you hit on it multiple times in the campaign.
Only have the triceratops trampling charge a player character if the character is adjacent to or sharing a space with the almiraj. Make it easy for them to avoid the monster. Once the situation is resolved, call it a night! Next Up: Port Nyanzaru - A 30,000 Foot View
THIS ARTICLE HAS 3 SECTIONS:
PREFACE: ON BAD IDEAS If you’re online, you’re going to find a lot of people asking about some pretty bad ideas. I’ll phrase these as questions, as they’d be posed in forums. I’ll respond with my opinions to each pitfall. “My players just finished another campaign and are high level now. How should I introduce those characters to Tomb of Annihilation?” Don’t. ToA is designed to take characters from level 1 on up to about level 11. The exception to this would be if you wanted to start them off right at the entrance of the Tomb itself. If that’s the case, they should be pre-leveled up to level 9. “Does someone know a good one-shot set in Chult to start off the campaign with so the characters will get to know each other before the story begins?” There are already too many places to go in the adventure, no need to add more. The characters will get to know each other on the road. Or…probably not. They might just keep dying. “My player wants to run a Tabaxi (or some other Chultan). How do I introduce them into the adventure in such a way that they’ll know the region already?” The whole point of running ToA is to introduce players to environments, creatures, and lore that they DON’T already know. Do not allow players—at least at the beginning of the campaign—to play characters from the Chultan peninsula. Have them pick someone from the Sword Coast. SESSION 0 Disclosure: I don’t usually do a Session 0 for my campaigns. My group is my family, so I already know their boundaries well so it’s unnecessary. Usually. Tomb of Annihilation is a different sort of game, though, so a Session 0 makes sense. I’m not going to go over all the elements of a good Session 0, how/why to run one, etc. There are very good resources for that elsewhere. I’ll put out, though, that if you are playing with new people, you should probably do a Session 0 so you can establish what sorts of content is off the table. Your Session 0 will probably need to cover other issues besides those covered here: triggering content, player desires for the campaign, rule interpretation clean-up, game scheduling norms, etc. I’m just here to talk about what ToA uniquely needs. Tomb has a few elements in it that are best dealt with in a Session 0 in order of relevance
ToA’s Context—this is all stuff you can tell your players, IMO Tomb of Annihilation is a 5e reboot of an iconic adventure called Tomb of Horror by Gary Gygax. That adventure was written as a way to kill of characters that were too “stacked” by obnoxious (and often, dishonest) players. “You got a guy who says his 20th level fighter is invincible? Send him over the the Tomb of Horror table!” they’d say! It was an overtly unfair module to be run through. The puzzles were not self-consistent; the challenges were absurdly deadly (a lot of “if the players enter the room, roll a save-vs-death because: evil magic” sort of stuff). The villain of that story is a demilich named Acererak the Eternal. He’s the most famous lich in all of D&D, except for perhaps Vecna. He has even appeared as a villain in such mainstream content as the book and film, Ready Player One. Acererak is a maniac whose favorite pastime is building nutty dungeons full of traps and monsters, then watching adventurers get chopped up on them in new and interesting ways. Knowing this about the game’s origins and the nature of Acererak MAY influence what your players say about how modded they’d like the campaign’s deadliness to be. Keeping the nature and identity of Acererak a secret to be revealed seems goofy to me. He’s on the cover. He’s famous. Players should know who he is, at least a little. The Game is Deadly As I said elsewhere, I offered my players three choices during our Session 0:
My players chose 2, so I’ll be including all my mods for the game in this blog as they come. I’ll also include any observations or thoughts I have about the other modes too. If the players choose either bloodbath or deadly modes, I would make a house rule that they MUST have a back-up character ready at every single session.
You should emphasize to your players that ToA is survivable IF players focus on caution. They won’t do it. They’ll always fall for any bait in any scenario. But telling them this in Session 0 gives you the ability to tell them you told them so when they went back to pluck the emerald eyes from the statue that killed them. Racism and Othering in the Game Most of the adventure takes place in a pseudo-African jungle setting. The native people of the region are all black humans. This alone is sort of weird to say out loud once the players arrive at Port Nyanzaru as a reveal: Your eyes blink open from the teleportation spell and are blinded by the array of colors in Port Nyanzaru! Giant hydraulic systems move ships and cargo around the bay before you! Coral and turquoise drapery adorns bleached stone walls of strange Arabesque architecture! Giant lizards (what WE would call “dinosaurs!”) tow the ships into port! And everywhere you look, every NPC is a straight-up BLACK PERSON! Exotic, right?? Try it out. Weird, right? I found that the easiest way to introduce these problematic elements is to tell the players about them upfront, before the game begins: Look, gang. This adventure is set in a parody of Africa, Latin America, and Asia combined. Let’s use that genre to illuminate bigotry, not reinforce it. Your group can then lean into this as hard as you like. Pendleton Ward, who wrote Adventure Time, worked on this—so the comedic potential of the parody is intentional. I, personally, emphasize this stuff a lot in my game. I draw not only on jungle adventures like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Tarzan, The Emperor’s New Groove, and Romancing the Stone—but also on indictments of racism and colonialism like Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Ferngully, Apocalypse Now!, Black Panther, Cameron’s Avatar, and Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. My Chultans are conscious of the colonialist efforts of the Sword Coast. They either resent their exploitation—or assist it opportunistically. Other racist topics that I inform my game with include black-face, minstrelsy, cultural appropriation, the Noble Savage, and the Magical Negro. Player Background Knowledge of Forgotten Realms Tomb of Annihilation is explicitly a Forgotten Realms adventure set in Faerun1. The adventure begins in Baldur’s Gate, which the characters are meant to count as “home.” Or at least, “like home.” The assumption is that the characters grew up in the European fantasy setting—with leather-capped goblins, paladins in shining armor, and gray-bearded wizards wearing violet star-crusted cloaks. This makes the arrival at Chult jarring and alien. If the characters are FROM Chult, it would mess up the whole set-up. If the characters know a lot about Chult, then it messes it up too. Don’t allow this. Moreover, the adventure assumes that players are familiar with some of the Sword Coast factions—particularly, the Flaming Fist mercenary group, the knights of The Order of the Gauntlet, and—to a lesser degree—the Harpers. I would give a handout to the players with rough descriptions of these three groups that say something like:
Other non-Chultan factions like the Emerald Enclave, the Lord’s Alliance, the Zhentarim, and the Red Wizards of the Thay have their parts in the adventure, but it doesn’t assume that the players are familiar with them. You can introduce these as you like. Micah’s House Rules This will not be encyclopedic; like most gaming tables, we have a whole mess of house rules that we have adopted over time. This will, instead, be a list of the house rules that I recommend especially for Tomb of Annihilation.
Without XP as a motivator, I like to reward good character play (interest in lore, problem solving, etc.) with handing out magic items and weapons. These can be looted by replacement characters and serve as a motivator in a milestone system. They can also be taken away or broken when you want. I’d mostly stick with simple magic items like +1 swords and the like. Here are the suggested milestones as indicated in the adventure book. NOTE: most groups find that they are able to mop the floor with the big bads pretty easily if they are over 10th level at the end. This can be mitigated by using enemies who want to win and a properly sized group (2-5)…or by letting the players get to locations at lower levels than indicated in the guide below. SUGGESTED CHARACTER LEVELS (per p.7 of ToA).
Beyond these, you may also consider using a different D20 game system entirely for running this adventure. 5e Hardcore Mode, for example, or another OSR-style game would likely offer a more punchy RPG system for a game like this. I’ll be assuming 5e throughout the blogs I write, unless I state otherwise for some reason. Up Next: Session 1 - Baldur's Gate Micah Faulkner - @AnnotatedToADungeon Master THIS ARTICLE HAS 3 SECTIONS
1. The Conflict: Acererak, The Atropol, and the Death Curse20 days ago, a blight fell upon the entire world: the Death Curse. Anyone who has ever been raised from the dead is losing 1hp per day until they are dead again—and no one can be brought back anymore. By the end of the campaign, the players will learn that Acererak the Lich has found an aborted god called the Atropol. He put the Atropol in a dungeon and has attached it to a machine that feeds it the souls from everyone who dies around the world. Once the Atropol eats enough souls, it will gestate into a god, which Acererak will control or unleash or something. Acererak makes messed up dungeons, lures adventurers into them, and then watches them get massacred in them. This is his motivation for establishing the Death Curse through the Atropol—as adventurer bait to his Tomb of the Nine Gods. It’s not clear he would know what to do with a pet god if he had one. Acererak doesn’t seem to know much about how to feed souls to aborted gods, so he has tasked a set of hags named the Sewn Sisters to do this for him. The players WILL have to defeat these hags to get to the Soulmonger. They do NOT have to face Acererak to finish the campaign (though, it is likely this will happen because if they also kill the Atropol, he shows up—and players are not going to skip killing a big gross god fetus thing). Acererak has stashed the Atropol in a crazy 6-level dungeon deep in the jungle peninsula called Chult. The heroes will need to find the Tomb, and clear it, to save the world. 2. ChultChult is a jungle peninsula. The game is meant to feel like an Indiana Jones adventure. I recommend keeping this sensibility in the forefront of your mind as you run it. Heck, write “Indiana Jones” on a post-it note and keep it on the inside of your DM screen or something. Chult is a mish-mash of a variety of jungle tropes—a sort of pseudo-Africa* that’s also littered with Aztec pyramids, Southeast-Asian footbridges, and Tiki goblin villages. There are more stereotypes than you can shake a stick at. I’ll talk about how I handle these in the Session 0 article. Chult is also home to all sorts of obscure old Gygaxian monsters and creatures. The writers of this adventure dug out all sorts of weirdness from the Fiend Folio and AD&D’s Monster Manual II. Lean in to this stuff—it’s the coolest part. 3. The Sandbox and the PlotTomb of Annihilation is supposed to be a sandbox adventure; however, it’s broken up into 5 acts and only the 2nd act is particularly sandboxy. Unless something crazy happens, the plot goes like this:
Next, learn what I include in my Session 0 and which house rules I think are best for ToA: “Introducing Tomb of Annihilation.” * Chult’s natives are black humans, a tribe called the Tabaxi. These natives are not to be confused with the cat-people called "tabaxi," who ALSO live in Chult—but come from a pseudo-Mexico called Maztica. Confusingly, whenever the word "tabaxi" is used in the WoTC Tomb of Annihilation book, it's referring to the cat people--but various supplements will use the word for the natives. It's often confusing. Micah Faulkner - @AnnotatedToADungeon Master THIS ARTICLE HAS 5 SECTIONS:
So you want to run Tomb of Annihilation. Here are some things to consider before you begin. Do you have the time? ToA is a long adventure. It’s designed to take over a year with regular play and it can be stretched on for multiple years if you like. However: the vast majority of campaigns fizzle out in less than ten sessions, so be prepared for the likelihood that your group will dissolve long before you arrive at the Tomb itself to face Acererak. If your players aren’t interested in such a commitment, play something shorter. There are also ways to play the adventure in fewer sessions (railroading, skipping travel, or just starting the characters off at Level 9 outside the front door of the Tomb). Are your players ready to play something so deadly? ToA is written as an homage to the classic Gygax module Tomb of Horror—which was intentionally designed to kill OP characters, usually unfairly. ToA—and especially the final section, the Tomb itself—is similarly deadly. I offered my players three choices during our Session 0:
My players chose 2, so I’ll be including all my mods for the game in this blog as they come. I’ll also include any observations or thoughts I have about the other modes too. Do you want a sandbox adventure? Tomb of Annihilation is written as a “sandbox adventure” (not exactly; it’s in 5 main chapters—but still…). If you are unfamiliar, this means that the game is designed with a big map and no particular order of events for the players. This can be challenging for a couple reasons:
If you want a more linear adventure, with less pre-adventure prep and less anxiety about where the game needs to go next, you might consider running a different game. On the other hand, though the locations can be seen in myriad orders (or not at all)—these can be prepped as they come. I would still recommend you read the entire adventure book at least once before you begin. As for the issue of challenge ratings, I would not worry about it. The adventure is famously deadly. If a scenario is unbalanced either way, fine. When the players come across one that’s too easy, they’ll breathe a sigh of relief (and gain a sense of overconfidence that will be exciting to destroy next time!). When they come across one that’s too hard, they’ll either outsmart it—or die. If you want to take the time to alter scenarios to be harder or easier, go for it. That’s the fun of being DM. Don’t feel like you have to, though; you’re NOT being too mean. The players are the idiots who agreed to go to Acererak’s house, right? Meatgrinder and the Death Curse “Meatgrinder Mode” is explained on p.6 of Tomb of Annihilation. This optional rule raises the to-hit for a death saving throw to 15, instead of 5e’s usual 10. The rules say you “must choose to run the adventure as a meat grinder from the very beginning.” Chris Perkins does NOT come to your house and confiscate the module if he finds out you decided to introduce this part-way through. This note is probably included to avoid table-side fights in “organized play.” Introduce new house rules as you see fit. If it improves your game, use it. You should always discuss any homebrew changes with your players ahead of time, but if it keeps them coming back for more than the average 6 sessions, do it! As for the death curse, it has a few interesting effects:
Many DMs will suggest that you NOT introduce the death curse at the beginning of the adventure, arguing that doing so incentivizes the players to rush through the adventure (the curse starts with a 79-day timer because that’s how many hit points the character’s patron, Syndra Silvane, has). They say that players end up skipping too many of the scenarios and locations in the adventure if they have this timer pushing them forward from the beginning. I disagree, but I understand the point. The game will be very long (maybe two years of bi-weekly gameplay) even with the death curse clock ticking from the beginning. Without it, the game will be even longer. If you want to spend MORE than two years in a jungle-themed grindhouse adventure, cool. Maybe hold off. But it’s also okay for your players to not see half or more of the content in the sandbox. I would introduce the death curse at the beginning, as written, and then play Curse of Strahd or something after this adventure. Also: even if the players fail to solve the Soulmonger problem before Syndra dies, it doesn’t mean the adventure is over—just that their patron is now dead and their soul probably stuck for some amount of time in the Soulmonger, creating a new timer. Even if it gets consumed by the Atropal and is destroyed totally, the team has even more reason to defeat the aborted god and the Soulmonger. The Elephant in the Room: Racism and Colonialism Tomb of Annihilation is problematic. This can be dealt with however you like, but it behooves you to be aware of it before you settle in to prepping an extended campaign. The story takes place in the jungle land of Chult, which is sort of a hodgepodge of pseudo-African, pseudo-Central/South American, and pseudo-Asian tropes, locations, and artifacts. The manual never comes right out and says “ooga booga”…but it comes close. This is your table and your game, so handle these issues however you like. If you read on, you’ll see how I handle the issues of colonialism, racism, cultural appropriation, stereotypes, etc. so that our game was palatable to us. But I’m not here to tell you how you SHOULD run your game—just how I run mine. If this sort of content is a problem for you, choose a different adventure. If you’re still interested in running ToA, continue on to my next post, in which I summarize the adventure itself: Summary of Tomb of Annihilation. Micah Faulkner - @AnnotatedToA Dungeon Master |
AuthorMicah Faulkner first started playing D&D back in 1985. He took many years off after high school, but came back in 2016 to find everything new and changed. Now he plays with his wife, son, and sisters every couple weeks. Archives
January 2023
Categories
All
IN DEVELOPMENT:
The Playa's Handbook (working title) A supplement for your campaigns with mechanics for romance! Fall in love! Get sticky! Stay tuned! |