ISSUE 167 | JUNE 2009 A Dungeons & Dragons® Roleplaying Game Supplement CONTENTS 4 HEART OF THE FORBIDDEN FORGE By Luke Johnson Many Cannith creation forges were lost on the Day of Mourning, but a rogue artificer has uncovered one of those that pursued some of the most experimental and dangerous research during the Last War. But while seeking the forbidden knowledge in the forge, this explorer awakened a dark power that was more than she could handle, and that now threatens the region. ON THE COVER Illustration by Matt Cavotta An adventure for 7th-level PCs set in the Eberron campaign setting. 3 EDITORIAL 99 RULING SKILL 50 GARAITHA’s ANVIL CHALLENGES By Scott Fitzgerald Gray By Mike Mearls The Scales of War Adventure Path continues. The Mike continues to educate on the githyanki are on their heels after suffering losses on nature of skill challenges, with unique applications and examples. the mortal world and in the Feywild. The PCs have the opportunity to strike a telling blow for their world as 103 SAVE MY GAME they undertake a mission of certain death at a githyanki By Stephen Radney-MacFarland stronghold and planar nexus. But how can a small group A DM’s best friend? Stephen of adventurers possibly hope to defeat a fortress filled to Radney-MacFarland, back with the brim with angry, fighting githyanki? An adventure more advice and letters from the for 17th-level PCs. mailbag. 107 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 167 DUNGEON June 2009 Whose Campaign Is This, Editor-in-Chief Chris Youngs Anyway? Senior Art Director Jon Schindehette ® Web Specialist Chris Sims I started building D&D campaigns when I was 11, his character. In fleshing out the how’s and why’s which means I’ve been building campaigns longer of Brell’s past, Greg had questions about genasi in Web Production Bart Carroll, Steve Winter than I’ve been driving (legally, at least). Over the years, Iomandra. Where do they live? How prevalent are Contributing Authors Scott Fitzgerald Gray, Luke I’ve learned exactly one thing about building cam- they? Do they have any particular views? What do the Johnson, Mike Mearls, paigns: Don’t do all the work yourself. Give your players other races of the world think of them? My answer Stephen Radney-MacFarland, space to enhance what you create, and when they try to him was basically, “You tell me.” So, he wrote up James Wyatt to add to your campaign, embrace their ideas as if a couple paragraphs and sent them to me, and I took they were your own. Just say yes. those ideas and figured out a way to work genasi into Developers Stephen Radney-MacFarland, All kinds of D&D books are aimed squarely at the story of the campaign. In fact, I was so inspired Peter Schaefer, Stephen players. Just as I urge you to pilfer campaign ideas by what Greg had done that I decided to turn one of Schubert, Rodney Thompson from other sources, you should also incite your the major paragon-tier villains of the campaign into Editor Miranda Horner players to pull ideas from core rulebooks, power sour- a genasi. It forced me to make genasi relevant to the Cover Artist Matt Cavotta cebooks, and campaign player’s guides. Encourage campaign, and frankly the campaign is lot stronger them to explore and use what’s out there. with them around, particularly since Greg and I have Contributing Artists Rob Alexander, Vince Chui, I dare my players to introduce new elements to my portrayed genasi as something of a mystery to the Wayne England, David Hammond, Jeffrey Koch, Raven Mimura, campaigns. I double-dare them. Case in point, when other races. William O’Connor, Adam I sat down to build my first 4th Edition campaign A campaign world that evolves to include new Paquette, Frank Wall, (which plays out every Monday and Wednesday game elements is much more fun and interesting to night with two different groups of players), I designed players than one that doesn’t allow this or that. The Cartographers Sean Macdonald, Mike Schley the world of Iomandra around the PC races in the trick is to get your players to do some of the heavy Publishing Production Specialists Angelika Lokotz, Erin Dorries, Player’s Handbook. I gave no thought as to how goli- lifting, to make them the instigators when it comes to Christopher Tardiff aths, gnomes, shifters, and other races might fit into expanding the depth and breadth of the campaign. Web Development Mark A. Jindra the campaign world, and I didn’t go out of my way to Sadly, Brell died before he had the chance to create space for them, either. However, when Greg savor the fruits of what he’d wrought. The day after D&D Creative Manager Christopher Perkins Bilsland (one of our editors) joined the Wednesday Brell’s untimely demise, Greg came by my desk and Executive Producer, night game, he wanted to try out an early version of said, “Is it okay if my next character is a deva?” I, of D&D Insider Ken Troop the genasi, which hadn’t yet been published. I said course, said yes. I didn’t have a clue how devas might Director of RPG R&D Bill Slavicsek yes. When a player comes to you and asks to add fit into the campaign, but I basically left that up to something new to your campaign, you should also say Greg. Now it’s hard to imagine the Iomandra cam- yes. Why? Because “your” campaign is the players’ paign without them. campaign, too. If one of your players can imagine a Special Thanks place for genasi in the world, then so can you. Richard Baker, Greg Bilsland, Logan Bonner, Michele Carter, When the time came to insinuate “Brell” into Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, Andy Collins, Bruce R. Cordell, Jeremy the game, Greg came armed with a background for Crawford, Rob Heinsoo, Peter Lee, Mike Mearls, Kim Mohan, Cal Moore, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Peter Schaefer, Stephen Schubert, Matthew Sernett, Chris Sims, Rodney Thompson, Rob Watkins, James Wyatt Heart of the Forbidden Forge By Luke Johnson An adventure for 7th-level characters illustrations by Matt Cavotta, Francis Tsai and Empty Room Studio [David Hammond, and Frank Wall] cartography by Sean Macdonald TM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC All rights reserved. “I knew hiring goblins was a bad idea. I knew! But my respect for Jelia blinded me and stayed my tongue. Now I sense something has awakened deep within the forge, and I am stuck here as a hostage to ensure Jelia’s cooperation. Dear reader, if you hold this book in your hands, I beg you to make it your sacred duty to return it to Breland and the King’s Citadel. They must know what happened here should Valsath and her hobgoblins take the secrets of this forge back to Darguun.” —Journal of Marus, a Citadel novice June 2009 | DUNGEON 167 4 Heart of the Forbidden Forge The Kech Shaarat goblins have numerous schemes The forge’s importance was not lost on other a deal with Jelia: For triple the normal fee, the goblins to unite the Dhakaani clans under the Bladebearer forces. Shortly before the Mourning ended the Last would help her find the forge, set it up and running, banner. One such plan focused on beating the Word- War, a group of irregular special forces, thought and then relinquish control of it to Breland. In return, bearer goblins to an artifact called the Ashen Crown. to be a freelance mercenary team in service to Jelia promised to share her secrets with the group’s arti- A group of adventurers defeated the goblins in this the Karrnathi government, collapsed the forge’s ficers. Jelia realized that her new allies were dangerous, quest, but other missions are moving forward. One entrance, trapping everyone inside. Haestus and the but she felt that she could handle them. In her haste, involves the capture of a destroyed creation forge and other artificers died slowly. she failed to do enough legwork to discover Valsath and the forbidden creature within it. The Bladebearers The Karrnathi irregulars were journeying through her cohorts are far from neutral. They’re Bladebearers have an unlikely ally in this goal: an eladrin artificer Cyre with news of their success when the Mourning working under the cover of a mercenary company. working for the Brelish government. struck. Nobody saw them ever again. In the chaos that The mission started out promising. The entrance “Heart of the Forbidden Forge” is a Dungeons & surrounded the ensuing events, the creation forge on to the forge complex was beyond recovery, so Jelia Dragons® adventure for five 7th-level characters in Darguun’s border was all but forgotten.