CONTENTS 4 WEB OF CHAINS By Owen K.C. Stephens Slavers have come to the Kragholm region, and the former-slaveholder citizens of settlements such as Elmhollow have come to appreciate the yolk of servitude in an all-too uncomfortable manner. But the group of Underdark slave traders have larger plans in mind, and the PCs must act to stop a slave empire from rebuilding. An adventure for 13th-level PCs. ON THE COVER Illustration by Kekai Kotaki 3 EDITORIAL 24 A TYRANNY OF SOULS By Robert J. Schwalb 94 RULING SKILL The paragon tier of the Scales of War Adventure CHALLENGES Path concludes with “A Tyranny of Souls.” The player By Mike Mearls characters, heroes of their world, have now all but Mike continues to educate on the driven the githyanki from the mortal realm. To strike Sample file nature of skill challenges, with unique applications and examples. a final blow to the threat posed by the invaders, they travel to the githyanki city of Tu’narath. There, they find 97 SAVE MY GAME unlikely allies, a chance to secure a lasting peace from By Stephen Radney-MacFarland the githyanki threat, and have a chance to finally end A DM’s best friend? Stephen the menace posed by the githyanki. An adventure for Radney-MacFarland, back with 19th-level PCs. more advice and letters from the mailbag. 100 DUNGEONCRAFT By James Wyatt James discusses the latest changes to his fledgling campaign. Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, DUNGEON , DRAGON , d20, d20 System, Wizards of the Coast, all other Wizards of the Coast prod- uct names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, LLC, in the U.S.A. and other countries. ® This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental. Printed in the U.S.A. ©2009 Wizards of the Coast, LLC. No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. For more Dungeons & Dragons articles, adventures, and information, visit www.wizards.com/dnd edITORIAL 168 DUNGEON July 2009 Party to Build Character Editor-in-Chief Chris Youngs I’m one of the advocates of the player entitlement that’s a loose, and the first adventure is a romp that requires the Senior Art Director Jon Schindehette big part of the D&D game these days. My agreement with PCs to escape from his fortress. Stephen Radney-MacFarland’s “Yes” mantra is complete. It was fun. But it didn’t work as well as campaigns I’ve Web Specialist Chris Sims I think Scott Kurtz, perhaps channeling Chris Perkins, run in which the party members have ties that bind. The Web Production Bart Carroll, Steve Winter sums it up well in this PvP strip. The point is that players PCs had no reason to stick together after they survived in my games quickly learn that they can try anything and their escape. The game just works better if the characters Contributing Authors Mike Mearls, Stephen Radney- that they can tell a story about their characters, and we’ll have similar goals and interests. MacFarland, Robert J. Schwalb, all work with any problems that might crop up. Even when I ask for this, it doesn’t always work. Each Owen K.C. Stephens, James Wyatt It’s not that I didn’t play enough old-school games. I of my players has a different place on the spectrum of just believe that letting my players exercise creativity and committed versus casual. One of my players treats his interject narrative control is a good thing. In my gaming character backgrounds with all the serious thought of a Developers Stephen Radney-MacFarland, group, when a mechanical element causes a problem, I dedicated novelist. These elaborate concoctions work only Peter Schaefer, Stephen find that allowing this freedom pays me back. My players until he comes up with a concept that thwarts another Schubert, Rodney Thompson trust me, and they’re all savvy enough to see when a rules player’s desired character choice or he makes his char- element isn’t working ideally. Sometimes they won’t point acter an island. For example, he might create a character Editor Miranda Horner, Gary Sarli it out, but if something is interfering with play, we work with a hatred of the infernal so intense that he won’t toler- Cover Artist Kekai Kotaki together to house rule it. ate an infernal warlock another player wants to make. That sort of approach isn’t always appropriate, because No matter how much good potential a character Contributing Artists Rob Alexander, Wayne England, when I feel motivated to say “no” to a rules element or story has, I have to say “no” when that story steps on the Raven Mimura, William O’Connor a player, it usually has little to do with the rules as writ- desires of other players. I do so by guiding the discussion ten. It’s often a matter of personal taste. Like all DMs, I’m about the new character toward compromise and party Cartographers Robert Lazzaretti, Sean looking to create a specific experience at the table, and integration -- toward a solution I can say “yes” to. Having Macdonald, Mike Schley my players have similar tastes and desires, so steering the a cohesive party is too important to allow my storyteller campaign in a particular direction inevitably improves player total freedom with some of his lone-wolf ideas. Publishing Production Specialists Angelika Lokotz, Erin Dorries, our experience.Sample file Fortunately for all of us, he never seems so attached to his Christopher Tardiff For instance, I don’t like magic items that put the ideas that we can’t come up with a compromise. Even the responsibility on me, as DM, for constant tracking. I have most dedicated roleplayers usually recognize the impor- Web Development Mark A. Jindra enough to do. Take the cloak of distortion. It imposes a con- tance of the group bond. stant –5 on ranged attacks made from more than 5 squares Now, if I could only influence the players who have a D&D Creative Manager Christopher Perkins away. In the best case, I remember the cloak before attack- casual attitude to be a little more like my hardcore story- Executive Producer, ing a PC wearing it, because it’s clear the monster can see teller with regard to their character stories. Maybe if they the cloak’s effect. Usually, however, I announce a ranged knew I’m more likely to kill PCs who have no important D&D Insider Ken Troop attack on the PC only to be reminded of the cloak. Then story connections ... but I digress. Director of RPG R&D Bill Slavicsek I have to either suck it up or change targets, neither of In all seriousness, I try to reward the story work my which is satisfying. players do for my game. I prefer the hardcore storyteller’s When I create a campaign, I encourage my players to details, even the troublesome ones, to nothing. It’s easier use what they know about the campaign to build their to trim the fat from detailed character stories than it is characters. More importantly, I usually ask them to create to work with a PC who has no apparent motivations or Special Thanks relationships among the characters. Ultimately, since the history. Richard Baker, Greg Bilsland, Logan Bonner, Michele Carter, D&D game is cooperative, character building is really In a roleplaying game, less is not more in this con- Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, Andy Collins, Bruce R. Cordell, party building. text. Detailed PCs who have detailed connections to one Jeremy Crawford, Rob Heinsoo, Peter Lee, Mike Mearls, Sure, I’ve played games where I threw the party another make for a game that is more immersive and Kim Mohan, Cal Moore, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, together. I started one campaign in which the PCs were personal. Peter Schaefer, Stephen Schubert, Matthew Sernett, Chris Sims, captured as fodder for an eldritch machine that ensured Rodney Thompson, James Wyatt an aging wizard’s life would last decades longer. Add a malfunction that kills the wizard and turns the characters Web of Chains By Owen K. C. Stephens An adventure for 13th-level characters illustrations by Raven Mimura and William O’Connor cartography by Jason Engle TM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC All rights reserved. “I can see now that trafficking in Sample file our … merchandise … on the open seas left us vulnerable. We will use the depths of the Underdark to our advantage and reforge our empire on the backs of fresh slaves. The Bloody Chain will not just survive, it will flourish! The people of Kragholm have long experienced the rewards of their slavery practice. Now it is time for them to know the other end of the lash.” —Ghorfal the Voracious July 2009 | DUNGEON 168 4 Web of Chains “Web of Chains” is a D&D® adventure for five 13th- Bloody Chain from the brink of extinction and turned off to Ghorfal’s camp. The populace of Elmhollow is level characters. This is a stand-alone adventure it into a small but dangerous raiding band. Ghorfal now cowed, unwilling to risk the wrath of whoever featuring neogi, creatures recently presented in the still craves the greater wealth and influence he once commands the drow.