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Visit our website at www.wizards.com/forgottenrealms Contents Introduction . 3 Sidebar: Appearance Appendix: Tools of Evil . 180 Sidebar: Creatures from and Personality . 82 Weapon Special Abilities . 180 Monsters of Faerûn . 5 Ancient Netherese Outpost . 88 Smoking. 180 The Zhentarim. 95 Specific Magic Weapons . 180 Major Organizations. 6 Sidebar: Appearance Banesword . 180 The Church of Cyric . 6 and Personality . 97 Ebon Lash. 180 Sidebar: Appearance and Sidebar: Zhentarim: Tips Nightblade. 180 Personality . 7 for the DM . 98 Skull Blade . 180 Sidebar: Church of Cyric: Zhentarim Skymage Artifacts . 181 Tips for the DM. 9 Prestige Class . 102 Storm Star. 181 Spur Lord Prestige Class . 11 Tethyamar Fortress . 103 Chardalyn . 181 Twin Towers of the Maguscepter . 181 Eternal Eclipse. 12 Minor Organizations . 108 Shield of the The Cult of the Dragon . 18 The Arcane Brotherhood. 108 Hidden Lord. 181 Sidebar: Cult of the Dragon: Sidebar: The High Captains Rings . 181 Tips for the DM. 21 of Luskan . 112 Ring of Antivenom. 181 Sidebar: How Cultists Act . 22 NPC Gallery: Wondrous Items . 182 The Well of Dragons . 24 Artemis Entreri. 114 Drow House Insignia . 182 The Drow . 28 Beholders. 116 Fire Elemental Gem. 182 Sidebar: Drow Personality . 30 The Church of Bane . 118 Greater Piwafwi . 182 Sidebar: The Drow: Tips Temple of the Black Drugs in Faerûn . 182 for the DM . 33 Gauntlet. 120 Spells . 185 Darkmask Prestige Class . 33 The Church of Shar . 121 Battletide. 185 House Jaelre . 34 Sidebar: The Church and Combust. 185 The Night Masks. 38 the Shadow Weave. 123 Darkfire. 186 Sidebar: Appearance and The Daemonfey. 126 Devastate Undead . 186 Personality. 45 Daemonfey Bolthole. 127 Dread Blast . 186 Sidebar: The Vampire The Eldreth Veluuthra . 130 Greater Shadow Tentacle. 186 Infestation of Westgate . 47 The Fire Knives. 134 Handfang . 186 The Secret Haven of the House Karanok . 136 Lesser Shadow Tentacle. 187 Court of Night Masters . 50 Entropist Prestige Class . 138 Mystic Lash . 187 Sidebar: Night Masks: Karanok Mansion . 139 Night’s Mantle. 187 Tips for the DM. 52 The Iron Throne . 141 Phantom Plow . 187 Sidebar: The Most The Kir-Lanans . 144 Shadow Canopy . 188 Dangerous Game . 53 Kir-Lanan Rookery. 148 Skull Eyes . 188 Red Wizards of Thay . 55 Sidebar: The Rookeries . 148 Skull of Secrets . 188 Sidebar: Appearance and The Knights of the Shield . 150 Stasis Clone . 189 Personality. 57 The Kraken Society. 154 Stone Walk . 189 Sidebar: Red Wizards: Tips Malaugryms . 155 Triple Mask . 189 for the DM . 60 Mind Flayers . 157 New Feats . 189 Sidebar: On Thayan Soil. 64 Monks of the Dark Moon. 159 Eschew Materials . 189 Thayan Knight NPC Gallery: Larloch. 161 Phalanx Fighting. 189 Prestige Class. 64 Dark Moon Shrine . 164 Tattoo Magic . 189 Proskur Enclave. 65 Monks of the Long Death . 166 Alchemical Items . 190 Sidebar: Known Enclaves. 65 People of the Black Blood . 167 Sidebar: The Priador The Rundeen . 170 Emporium . 70 The Shadow Thieves . 171 Sidebar: The Stronghouse. 74 Shadow Thief Safe House . 175 The Shades. 78 The Twisted Rune . 177 Sidebar: The Shades: NPC Gallery: Sememmon . 178 SampleTips for the DM. 78 file 2 his book presents the most important and in- Ttriguing agencies of evil in Faerûn, along with in- formation about how to use them in your campaign. Perplex your players with a murder perpetrated by the famed group of assassins called the Night Masks. Draw ALIGNMENT your player characters into courtly intrigue and involve them Most of the organizations described in this book have evil in- in negotiations with the sharp-eyed, bald, and tattooed Red Wiz- tentions, and the majority of their members share that evil ards of Thay. Whatever path your campaign takes, you can use alignment. This may not always be the case, however, since these antagonists to challenge your players and their characters. there are exceptions to every rule. Sometimes good people do No roleplaying game would be complete without enemies, bad things for good reasons. You, the DM, must determine the and Faerûn has a plethora of them. Take the basics pre- alignments of your NPC antagonists and establish their mo- sented in this book and build your campaign around them. tives for the things they do. Give your antagonists depth and breadth. Allow them some Something makes the members of these groups commit evil personality. Let them care. Good villains are no less right deeds. They’ve undoubtedly done despicable things, though and justified in their actions than the heroes—from their they may have done them in the name of justice, love, or igno- point of view. Treat each villain as the protagonist of his or rance. Maybe they simply lashed out like injured animals and her own story, and not simply antagonists that confront the then couldn’t escape the mess they made. Did they choose an heroes at dramatically appropriate points. evil path, or end up there through accident or bad choices? Can your heroes help them change their ways? Was one of your heroes responsible for the antagonist’s downfall? By determin- How to Use This Book ing these facts in advance, you can create complex antagonists This book has three principal parts. The first chapter, Major that add roleplaying flavor to your game. Organizations, discusses seven primary organizations in Faerûn. Each entry details various aspects of these organiza- ATTITUDE AND ABILITIES tions, offers sample encounter groupings, and presents a loca- What kind of antagonists do you want in your campaign? tion important to that particular group. The actions of these There are as many models for villains as there are for heroes. groups have effects that ripple through all of Faerûn. Some openly and obviously follow an evil agenda, shrieking The second chapter, Minor Organizations, describes a curses and causing bloody mayhem as they storm the number of less powerful or smaller organizations. The villains fortresses of good. Some sit back, gather their followers, and in this chapter may prove more accessible to heroes than those wait with eternal patience for the perfect moment to strike. in the first chapter, or there may simply be fewer of them. Within the organizations described in this book, individuals They range in power from extensive thieves’ guilds to shape- in the actual membership vary greatly. They have different changers of terrifying lethality. motivations, philosophies, and personalities. The leader may AnSample appendix at the end compiles all the new feats, magic not want the same thing as a new fileinitiate. Their priorities un- items, and spells noted in the book. Just as player characters doubtedly differ. One may be smart while the other can barely create new spells and weapons with which to combat their foes, put on his armor without help. Cookie-cutter villains may so too do evil organizations construct items and magic to speed combat, but they won’t surprise and delight your players defend their interests. as much as unique personalities will. 3 Introduction CAMEO OR MASTERMIND? Secrecy: Classification of the level of secrecy of the group, You can keep your campaign straightforward by presenting as described below. your players with one encounter after another, each unique Symbol: A description of the symbol or symbols used by the and isolated. Or, you can increase the complexity by introduc- organization. ing antagonists with history, personality, goals, and desires. Cameo Appearance.