Oc`Kg\i`<]jq` Secrets of the Astral Sea™ Sample file ROLEPLAYING GAME SUPPLEMENT Rob Heinsoo • Ari Marmell • Eric Scott de Bie CREDITS Design Art Director Rob Heinsoo (lead), Mari Kolkowsky Ari Marmell, Eric Scott de Bie, Robin D. Laws, Matthew Sernett, Rodney Thompson Cover Illustration William O’Connor (front), Ralph Horsley (back) Development Stephen Radney-MacFarland (lead), Graphic Designers Peter Schaefer, Stephen Schubert Keven Smith, Leon Cortez, Emi Tanji Editing Additional Graphic Design Cal Moore (lead), Soe Hemmi Joanna G. Hurley, Jenny Lockington, Lynnette Struble Interior Illustrations Managing Editing Dave Allsop, Kerem Beyit, Zoltan Boros & Gabor Kim Mohan Szikszai, Julie Dillon, Vincent Dutrait, Wayne England, Jason A. Engle, Ralph Horsley, Howard Lyon, Jim Nelson, Director of D&D R&D and Book Publishing William O’Connor, Adam Paquette Bill Slavicsek Cartographer D&D Creative Manager Jason A. Engle Christopher Perkins Publishing Production Specialist D&D Design Manager Erin Dorries James Wyatt Prepress Manager D&D Development and Editing Manager Jefferson Dunlap Andy Collins Imaging Technician D&D Senior Art Director Ashley Brock Jon Schindehette SampleProduction file Manager Cynda Callaway Game rules based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and the later editions by David “Zeb” Cook (2nd Edition); Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison (3rd Edition); and Rob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, and James Wyatt (4th Edition). 620-25126000-001 EN U.S., CANADA, ASIA, PACIFIC, EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS WIZARDS OF THE COAST, BELGIUM 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 & LATIN AMERICA Hasbro UK Ltd Industrialaan 1 First Printing: Wizards of the Coast LLC Caswell Way 1702 Groot-Bijgaarden April 2010 P.O. 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Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events included herein is purely coincidental. Printed in the U.S.A. ©2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. VISITOURWEBSITEATWWW.DUNGEONSANDDRAGONS.COM contents 1:ASTRALADVENTURING . 4 Avernus, the Burning Wastes . 68 Eldregaard . .124 The Astral Sea . 6 Adventure: Hell’s Bonds . 70 The Forgotten Sanctuary . .125 Geography . 8 The Outer Torments: Frostburn . .125 Campaign Themes . 9 Hell’s Border Islands . 76 Kar’ka Dun . 126 Explore the Infinite Sea . 9 Tytherion . 80 Mutas . .126 Crawl Astral Dungeons . 11 Tiamat’s Realm: Azharul . 80 Pluton, the Gray Waste . 126 Fight Astral Pirates . 12 Samaragd, Shivering Spires . .126 Fight the Gods of Evil . 14 the Serpent’s Kingdom . 82 The Triad Islands . 127 Join Heaven’s Order . 16 The Scales: Zulkolosz . .127 Overcome Heaven’s Flaws . 17 Tytherion’s Archipelago . 88 Adventure into Myth . 18 4:ASTRALDENIZENS . 128 Traveling the Astral Sea . 19 3:THEDEEPASTRALSEA . 90 Abomination . 130 Ship-to-Ship Combat Astral Render . .130 in the Astral Sea . 20 RACESOFTHEASTRALSEA . 92 Hundred-Handed One . .130 Astral Vehicles . 20 Couatls . 92 Malediction . .131 Dominion Ships . 21 Outlook and Interaction . 92 Nullifier . 132 Navigating the Astral Sea . 25 Cloudlands . 93 Voracia . .133 Adventures on the Astral Sea . 27 Life and Culture . 93 Banesworn . .134 Environmental Hazards . 28 Gith yanki . 94 Banesworn Warrior . 134 History of the Gith yanki . 94 Banesworn War Priest . .134 2:DIVINEDOMINIONS . 30 Life and Culture . 96 Juggernaut of The World of the Gods . 32 Outlook and Interaction . 96 the Black Hand . .135 The Gods . 32 Maruts . 98 Banesworn Iron Bulwark . .135 Exarchs . 32 Life and Culture . 98 Banesworn Lore . .135 Angels . 32 Outlook and Interaction . 99 Encounter Groups . .135 Exalted . 34 Major Sites . 100 Devil . 136 Outsiders. 35 Quom . 101 Burning Devil . .136 Dominions and Border Islands . 36 History of the Quom . 101 Indwelling Devil . 137 Arvandor . 37 Life and Culture . .102 Pillager Devil . 138 The Glorious Hunt . 38 Outlook and Interaction . 102 Warder Devil . 139 Major Areas . 40 Exalted of Erathis . 140 Adventure Hooks . 41 SHATTEREDDOMINIONS . .104 Exalted of Kord . 141 Encounter Groups . 41 Carceri . .104 Gith yanki . 142 The Green Isles: Arvandor’s TheSample Isles of Carceri . file. 105 Ch’r’ai Inquisitors . 142 Archipelago . 42 Adventures . 106 Duthka’gith . .142 Celestia . 44 Environmental Features . .107 Gith yanki Far Wanderer . 143 Major Areas . 45 Erishani . .108 Gith yanki Blackweave . 144 Gods of Celestia . 45 Adventure Hooks . 109 Gith yanki Ghustil . 144 The Game of Mountains . 46 Environmental Features . .109 Gith yanki Pyroclast . .145 The Foothills: Encounter Groups . .109 Gith yanki Sword Stalker . 145 Celestia’s Archipelago . 47 Adventure: The Monolith Stirs . 110 Gul’othran Marauder . 146 Chernoggar . 51 Kalandurren . .114 Gul’othran Dragon Raider . .146 Gods of Chernoggar . 52 Environmental Features . .115 Tu’narathi Dragon Rider . 147 Major Areas . 53 Encounter Groups . .115 Osyrimon . 148 Adventures . 55 Pandemonium . 116 Vlaakith . .149 Between War and Destruction . 56 Adventure Hooks . 117 Gruumsh . 150 The War Expands . 58 Environmental Features . .118 Battlesworn of Gruumsh . .150 The Shrapnels: Encounter Groups . .118 Exarchs of Gruumsh . 152 Chernoggar’s Islands . 59 Shom . .119 Quom . 156 Hestavar . 61 Death of a God, Quom Fanatic . 156 Gods of Hestavar . 61 Rise of the Illumians . 119 Quom Enforcer . 156 The Daybreak Islands: The Shattering of the Word . 119 Quom Harpoonist . .156 Hestevar’s Archipelago . 64 Adventure Hooks . 121 Quom Desperate . 157 The Nine Hells . 65 Environmental Features . .121 Durud Fragment Mage . .157 Asmodeus’s Fall and Encounter Groups . .121 Durud Healer . .158 the Foundation of Hell . 65 Encounter: Purifiers of Shom . 122 Durud Slayer . 158 Devilish Motives Motes in the Astral Sea . .124 and Adventures . 66 Archanus . .124 MONSTERSBYLEVEL . 159 CHAPTER 1 AstralAdventuring @sk`md`i^`_kg\t`mnand Dungeon Masters might be familiar with previous descrip- tions of the Astral Sea as an infinite silvery plane. In the world of the 4th Edition D&D® game, the Plane Above is that and more—it also serves as the place where many of the deities of the D&D multiverse reside. ) This new view of the Astral Sea includes other aspects that haven’t been part of the cosmology before, such as the border islands that surround the divine dominions. Suffice it to say that the amount of interesting territory and beings that characters might interact with in the Plane Above has been expanded. Those border islands are covered in full later in this book along with the dominions themselves. Chapter 1, however, is designed to help you get the most out of this book for your campaign. The chapter presents seven campaign themes that weave together the rest of the elements of this book. These themes range from the predictable (Fight the Gods of Evil) to the unexpected (Overcome Heaven’s Flaws) to the world-shaking (Adventure into Myth). Sample file “Traveling the Astral Sea” at the end of Chapter 1 revisits the earlier discussion of geography, providing mechanics for navigation, vessels, and astral hazards. The following sections of this chapter create a framework for adventures on the Astral Sea. ✦ The Astral Sea: The Plane Above has many facets to its nature and its history, any of which can come into play. This summary highlights each of those facets. ✦ Geography: Essential physical concepts that play into all the areas the Astral Sea encompasses. ✦ Campaign Themes: Seven diverse approaches to running a campaign that uses the Plane Above. Most of the themes are complementary rather than exclusive, meaning that you can incorpo- rate elements from more than one to create a unique campaign experience. ✦ Traveling the Astral Sea: How to move around in the Astral Sea, and a look at some.