Waterdeep: Dragon Heist First Impressions

I love heist/caper stories and urban fantasy adventures so the minute the D&D team announced Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Now that I've got it? I'm still excited.

View attachment 101109
​

My full review will follow after I finish reading the book but a few quick impressions.

1. The choice of four villains to choose from is a nice touch for replay-ability. Each villain is tied to a season. The full reading will reveal why.
2. I like the adventure flowchart and encounter chains.
3. It has a pronunciation guide! That makes a DM's life much easier.
4. Players have three additional factions they can play, one of which is Force Grey. Critical Role fans will love that.
5. Lots of cool NPCs are in the adventure, including well-known ones like Laeral Silverhand, though she may not be the same as the last time you saw her in an official Waterdeep adventure.
6. The building maps are nice and could be reused in other adventures.
7. For background material, it includes a section labeled “Volo's Waterdeep Enchiridion” that should get DMs new to Waterdeep up to speed.

After the freeform aspects of Tomb of Annihilation, the fact that Waterdeep: Dragon Heist has a bit more structure while still a sandbox is a smart choice. Being set in Faerun's most famous city also presents some nice dilemmas for players. Murder hobo tactics are likely to get them killed or imprisoned, so players should have to be more strategic – of course, that's never guaranteed.

While these are just quick takes based on a flip through of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, they definitely whet my appetite for more. City-based adventures aren't explored enough in D&D, in my opinion, Waterdeep is a rich enough setting to allow for as much variety as any wilderness or dungeon setting.

This article was contributed by Beth Rimmels (brimmels) as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. We are always on the lookout for freelance columnists! If you have a pitch, please contact us!

 

[gyor]

Well I finally got the book, sooner then I expected.

Well organized for the most part. Neat adventurer. The big weakness is chapter 2 and the way factions, renown, and backgrounds are handled. AL needs to clarify weather or not the players can keep the gold generated by running the Tavern. If none of the players join the factions because they want to keep their current background, there is little to do in Chapter 2.

3 Archwizards in the book is cool.

Water deep got 2 new temples in North Ward, one to Imater named after a Saint, and a second that replaces the function of the Plinth in Trade Ward which was destroyed in 3e, a Temple to all the Gods called Holyhands House.

Between Holyhands House and the Temple of the Seldarine, all the Gods that don't have their own temples are covered. Still most of the major Gods like Sune, Tempus, Tyr, Lanthander, Mystra, ect..., have Temples of their own.

Actually the House of Holyhands temple is not new, it just didn't much attention. It's a former noble Villa turned Inn and Temple to multiple Gods.

 

[Jester David]

AL needs to clarify weather or not the players can keep the gold generated by running the Tavern

I thought gold wasn’t a thing in AL anymore....

 

[Azzy]

Are there any new monsters.

 

[Parmandur]

Are there any new monsters.

Yeah, several, and a bunch of NPCs.

 

[Prakriti]

Are there any new monsters.

No, no new monsters unless you count the Walking Statues of Waterdeep (CR 18). There are a lot of NPCs, though.

 

[Demetrios1453]

No, no new monsters unless you count the Walking Statues of Waterdeep (CR 18). There are a lot of NPCs, though.

Nimblewrights as well (CR 4).

I imagine Dungeon of the Mad Mage is where we're likely to see a good amount of new monsters though...

 

[Prakriti]

Nimblewrights as well (CR 4).

Ah, you're right. I thought that was another NPC.

Incidentally, I think Dragon Heist has the fewest new monsters of any adventure so far.

 

[Tiles]

Ravnica is reported to have a heavy dose of monster goodnes, heavy on urban I’m guessing??

 

[gyor]

Ravnica is reported to have a heavy dose of monster goodnes, heavy on urban I’m guessing??

The whole planet is Urban, although parts of it are extreme Urban decay and in ruins/condemned.

Honestly I think for Ravnica you could take Waterdeep as a whole drop it in as a city within the Ravnica Ecumenopolis beside the capital city of Ravnica with only minor changes to cliff side and the harbour areas, make it a giant Zenot (giabt inhabited hole in the Ecumenopolis that leads to the Oceans).

 

[gyor]

Ravnica is reported to have a heavy dose of monster goodnes, heavy on urban I’m guessing??

Yeah, but that includes some really big monsters as large parts of Ravnica are in ruins or utilitize large monsters.

Two types of monsters in the book are going to be Angels, both Boros and Orzhov and Vampires both Orzhov and Dimir types. I'd be shocked if Thrulls, both Orzhov and Rakdos types aren't. Boris Enforcer is in, a kind of Minotuar soldier of lawful goodness. I'm not sure how Ravnican Archons will be dealt with in Comparesion to D&D Archons.