# Tomb of Annihilation Assistance ## By Tosh Le

**https://www.patreon.com/zingbobco000 If you'd like to support my work!** >**Abbreviations:** DDAL: D&D Adventurers League Adventurers (via DMsGuild) DDEP: D&D Adventurers League Epic (if you have access) PN: Port Nyanzaru EiPN: Encounters in Port Nyanzaru EitJoC: Encounters in the Jungles of Chult JT: Jungle Treks RoM: Ruins of Mezro GA: Guild Adept BoJR: Beasts of Jungle Rot ## Storyline (WIP past 12th): ### Level 1: Cellar of Death ### Level 2: Aremag slays many adventures w/ breath, players escape Introduction to Port Nyanzaru A Little Too Fancy (EiPN) If they want to get into Kaya’s House of Repose DDAL07-01 1st-2nd missions Smell of Death (Kwayothe is intrigued by them after the last mission) (EiPN) DDAL07-01 3rd-4th missions During the Travel of the 3rd mission River Hop (EitJoC) City Chase (Pickpocket) (EiPN) DDAL07-01 5th mission If they haven’t done it already, A Little Too Fancy (EiPN) could be thrown in here to have the players have to get into Kaya’s House of Repose ### Level 3: It’s a race day! Yuan-Ti Ambush (EiPN) - Boss has a note about messing with the next race, but nothing more than that. - The lackeys are drug addled with the grung/Yuan-Ti drug Create a Distraction at Fort Beluarian - If they meet with a guide and choose one run Tavern Trouble (JT) - Before the adventurers are about to head out, begin Ifan’s fetch quests (see below) - During Travel run Chwinga Challenge (EitJoC) Run Fort Beluarian - If the adventurers join the Flaming Fist run *Ghoul Hunters* (see Agents of the Flaming Fist sidebar) Snuffed Out (EiPN) DDAL 07-03 A Day at the Races Crate Number Seven (EiPN) DDAL 07-04 A Walk in the Park Right Place, Wrong Time (EiPN) Path to Omu (RoM) - Halfway through the journey run Hunted (GA) - During return trip Jungle Chase (Flying Thieves) (EitJoC) ### Level 4: DDAL07-05 Whispers in the Dark It's a race day! Spa Day Escort a Priest to Camp Vengeance - Possibly run Camp Righteous - During Travel Beacon of the Spirit (EitJoC) - Run Camp Vengeance itself Plague Boat (EiPN) Hunt Pirates (plus rent a boat) Crime and Punishment (from Liara for the pirates) (EiPN) Explore the Aldani Basin (meet with Valindra) - During Travel Monkey See, Monkey Do (EitJoC) Otyugh’s Wish (EiPN) ### Level 5: DDAL07-02 Over the Edge 1-2 missions Undeserved Punishment (combined with a chase where the thug starts 90 ft. away) (EiPN) DDAL07-02 Over the Edge remaining missions - Gain the possibility of hiring Azaka as a guide - With the possibility run Firefinger Ruins of Matolo - During Travel on the canoe Mystic River (JT) ### Level 6: City Chase (Beserk Behemoth) (EiPN) Help the Lord’s Alliance: Nanglore - During Travel Jungle Chase (Jungle Egg) (EitJoC) Collct A Debt Help the Lord’s Alliance: Dungrunglung - During Travel Mudslide (JT) ### Level 7: Find Artus Cimber (The Side Quest) - Here Xandala simply joins the party, the real event is whenever Artus is encountered Wakanga’s Quest

\page - They are simply given the note where Vorn is. - When they do head towards Vorn: Jungle Chase (Ribbit Run) (EitJoC) DDAL07-06 Fester and Burn City Chase (Weretiger Hunt) (EiPN) If the adventurers are agents of the flaming fist run *Shilku Reconnaissance* The Weeping Grove (Ekene-Afa asks for the adventurers to retrieve a branch to make into a Yklwa) (EitJoC) - During Travel We Delved Too Deep (EitJoC) - Artus Cimber should be encountered on the return trip, leading to a confrontation with Xandala and a lead into Heart of the Wild Heart of the Wild ### Level 8: DDAL07-07 Rotting Roots (aim for the minimum EXP) - During return Beautiful Plumage (JT) Pyramid of the Moon (appears randomly right outside of Port Nyanzaru) (EitJoC) DDAL07-08 Putting the Dead to Rest (aim for the minimum EXP) - During the journey Ambush from Above! (JT) DDEP07-01 Peril at the Port (aim for the minimum EXP) DDAL00-01 Window to the Past Seek Wisdom at Orolunga - During Travel (whenever they travel) Jungle Chase (Grung, Forest, Grung) (EitJoC) Orolongu (tells them to go to Mezro) - During Travel back Tanua’s Troop (EitJoC) Children of the Crocodile - During Travel Most Dangerous Game (could result in them having to head back and forth between PN and the jungle) (EitJoC) Omu ### Level 9: Fane of the Serpent ### Level 10-11: Tomb of the Nine Gods. ## Optional End of Campaign Any other remaining Chultan locations that you find interesting ### Level 12: The Risen Mists Parting the Veil (RoM) ### Level 13: Ruins of Hisari Run the Strangers in a Strange Land from Liara Portyr (alternatively any NPC who has some control who they’ve become allies with) Tomb of Horrors ### Level 14: DDAL00-02E Forgotten Foes DDAL07-09 Unusual Opposition DDAL07-10 Fire, Ash and Rain ### Level 15: DDAL07-11 A Lesson in Love DDAL07-12 In Search of Secrets ### Level 16: DDAL07-13 Old Bones, Older Tomes DDAL00-03 Those that Came Before DDAL07-14 The Fathombless Depths of Ill Intent ### Level 17: DDAL07-15 Streams of Crimson DDAL07-16 Pools of Cerulean DDAL00-02F The Definition of Heroism ### Level 18: DDAL07-17 Cauldron of Black Sapphire DDAL07-18 Turn Back the Endless Night ### Level 19: DDEP07-02 Drums of the Dead ### Level 20: DDAL00-05? Trust & Understanding ## Dinosaur Racing: Since there are three separate races, one for four-legged dinos, one for two-legged dinos, and one that’s all of them. I would allow for players to race in the Four-Legged and Two-Legged races, but keeping the unchained for professional racers. When running a race I would use **Sean McGovern's Tomb of Annihilation Companion.** Here are the groupings for each (includes **Beasts of Jungle Rot Dinos**): Four-Legged: Dimetrodon, Young Ankylosaurus, & Young Triceratops Two-Legged: Dilophosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Zealoraptor, Young Allosaurus, Deinonychus, Hadrosaurus, Young T-Rex Unchained: All, HOWEVER this is the one that’s going to be specific to the racers themselves (i.e. use the betting on dinosaur races table, which I’ll also edit) Betting on Dino Races: Since the table never constitutes what happens in the case of player betting on multiple dinos or says how to do win, show, place, etc… you can use the following edited chart that uses a percentages instead:

\page 1-37 -- Big Honker 38-56 -- Ubato’s Favorite 57-70 -- Banana Candy 71-83 -- Bonecruncher 84-90 -- Grung Stomper 91-94 -- Scarback 95-97 -- Nasty Boy 98-99 -- Jungle Princess 100 -- Mountain Thunder Once you’ve rolled for the first time you can roll again for 2nd (rerolling the results of the winner) and again for 3rd (rerolling the results for 1st & 2nd place). The odds for show are ¾ of the odds for win and the odds for place are ½ the odds for win. In addition, the odds for Exacta are twice the total odds, and the odds for five times the total odds. ## Egg Challenge: This is from the **Beasts of Jungle Rot** guild adept package on the DMsGuild Ifan Talroa is constantly on the look-out for new dinosaurs that he can rear and promptly sell for a pretty penny. Once he begins to learn of the character's exploits he asks them to go on… Fetch Quests! He asks for dinosaur eggs, lots of them. This is a quest that in reality should be worked on throughout the entire adventure and can simply take place over the span of their travels. I would recommend not sending the adventurers off track whenever they begin tracking dinosaurs, the dinosuar trails happen to stay within the ten mile hexes the adventurers are traveling throughout. In addition, the number of days is 1d10-check result/5. Anyway, here’s the order for eggs that Ifan wants them: 1. Nemicolopterus 2. Velociraptor 3. Troodon 4. Dimetrodon 5. Pteranodon 6. Deinonychus 7. Dilophosaurus 8. Archelon 9. Hadrosaurus 10. Plesiosaurus 11. Zealoraptor 12. Pachycephalosaurus 13. Allosaurus (he’s getting interested in them at this point) 14. Quetzalcoatlus 15. Ankylosaurus 16. Stegosaurus 17. Triceratops 18. Therizinosaurus 19. T-Rex (he’s really interested in them now) 20. Mosaurus 21. Brontosaurus 22. Brachiosaurus 23. Titanosaurus 24. Sacrosuchus 25. Gigantosaurus ## Guide Abilities: The following guides have the natural explorer feature, and if they did not have proficiency in survival they now how proficiency in it: Eku (All of Chult) -- Should only appear when the adventurers are visiting Orolunga Kwilgok (Coast, Forest) Azaka (Forest, Mountain) -- Should only appear after the adventurers have earned the support of the Weretigers. Only has resistance to non-silvered attacks as opposed to immunity. Musharib (Forest, Mountain) -- Should ask for the adventurers to aid him after the Tomb, simply to not delay even more than they already have Qawasha & Kupalue (Forest, Swamp, Coast) River Mist & Flask of Wine (Forest, Coast) Salida (Forest, Swamp) Shago (Forest, Coast) -- Should only appear after the adventurers have completed Shilku Reconnaissance Mudgraw (All of Chult) Eeyal (Wasteland [specific to ToA], Forest, Coast) Faroul & Gondolo do not have the favored terrain feature Hew Hackinstone (Forest, Mountain). The only restriction about this (which also applies to any character with the natural explorer feature) is that one can still become lost, they still gain the double proficiency bonus feature. None of the guides can pinpoint the location of any of the unknown locations on a map (hence why Chult is unmapped), they just know their general location. In addition, the difficult terrain + canoeing stacks in the same way that multipliers in D&D works (i.e. x1, x2, x3, etc…) so a guide in their favored terrain on a canoe will travel 1.5 hexes at a slow pace, 3 at a normal pace, and 4.5 at a fast pace. ## Random Encounters: Relatively minor change, but random encounters within Omu automatically occur every hour. In addition the random encounters occur at 8:00 AM, 4:00 PM, and 12:00 PM. ## Weather and Travel: For travel I would recommend using Sean McGovern's **Tomb of Annihilation Companion** as it gives some great occurences for every day of travel. This can be used in conjunction with both the events that I've layed out previously as well as the general random encounters section of ToA. ### Precipitation (Very In-Depth): In the Amazon there’s anywhere from 80-430 inches of rainfall in a year. That’s an average of 255 inches in a year. However, there is also a dry season, which lasts for six months, in which there is only around two inches of rainfall every month. This means that there’s around 243 inches for the other six months, which in turn means that there is on average around 1.3 or so inches per day. Therefore the following table has been made for rolling for the amount of rain. Note that given most rain measurements a lot of these per hour amounts will seem very small. That’s because in Chult there’s a lot of extremes, so while it might be raining 0.4 inches one hour, it’s then raining only 0.1 inch. I’ve tried to balance this out with the “on and off” system, but 0.2 inches per hour is a lot of rain.

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##### Rain | 1d20 | Type of Rain | Effect | |:-:|:-|:--:| | 1-3 | Virtually Nothing | There is nothing except minor mists, they do not obscure vision, nor do they produce enough liquid to have more than a couple drops of water. | | 4-7 | Light Rain On and Off (Switches Every 30 min.)|During the light rain (roll evens or odds to determine if light rain is active) the area is lightly obscured past 150 ft. if it is small or medium (multiply/divide by 2, 3, 4, etc… for every lower size category), and heavily obscured past 600 ft. (multiply/divide similarly) For every hour that a rain catcher is out, 0.02 inches of rain is collected. | 8-12 | Light Rain All Day |As above except 0.04 inches of rain is collected | 13-16 | Heavy Rain On and Off (Switches Every 30 min.) |During the heavy rain (roll as above) the area is lightly obscured, and is heavily obscured past 150 ft. (multiply/divide as above). Missile weapon ranges are all halved. For every hour that a rain catcher is out, 0.06 inches of rain is collected. | 17-19 | Heavy Rain All Day |As above except 0.12 inches of rain is collected | 20 | Tropical Storm | See the book for information; in addition, the following changes are made: The vision ranges are halved, missile ranges are halved again, any open light sources are extinguished, only creatures that are immune to exhaustion can be encountered during travel, and it automatically counts as a nat 20 in terms of wind. In addition, 0.2 inches of rain can be collected every hour.

### Temperature (Very In-Depth): Apparently the temperature regularly climbs as high as 95 ˚F, and rarely goes below 70 ˚F even at night. In addition, it is incredibly humid, and apparently the humidity of the rainforest varies from around 77% to 88%. Now, the humidity does actually increase the perceived temperature (what it feels like). So, I tried to find a maximum amount that the humidity and temperature could increase before it passes the extreme heat (100 ˚F) mark. This came out to about 25 combined changes between the humidity past 76 and the temperature past 70 ˚F. ***In order to determine the temperature during the daytime roll 1d20 and add that to 75 ˚F. During the nighttime, simply subtract 6 ˚F from that number. To calculate the % humidity roll 1d12 and add it to 76.*** Therefore, if 1d20+6+1d12 is equal to or greater than 25 then there is extreme heat. ``` ``` ### Beating the Heat: In most cases, Chult is very hot. Far hotter than your average jungle, and even as hot as some deserts (sometimes hotter with the humidity). This means that a lot of water is required in order to stay alive. Normally characters inside of a standard day in Chult need to drink **two gallons of water** during travel in order to stay hydrated. This decreases to **one** each day if there is no travel, and in the case of more or less than eight hours of travel you de/increase that amount by ⅛ of a gallon. If a character does drink less than half of this amount over the course of the day they wake up the following morning with one level of exhaustion. (Note that one cannot restore levels of exhaustion while dehydrated). If one drinks half or more, but less than the total amount needed they may make the save as described in the book. In the case of extreme heat, a character must make a Constitution save as described in the book if they do not receive enough **1 + ¼ a gallon for every hour of travel** (so if they're traveling for four hours they need two gallons). Characters in heavy armor must similarly make this save no matter how much water they drink, except the DC is decreased by 5 if they drink the correct amount of water.

\page ### Things to Do: #### Forage: If someone forages they can (with a DC 15 Wisdom [Survival] check) find food and water as described in the DMG. Water must still be purified, either via the Purify Food and Water spell or from some other method (leaving it out in the sun, boiling it, etc…). If a character succeeds on a DC 10 Wisdom (Survival) check, but fails the DC of 15 they find food and water as described, but it’s not the best of food (i.e. they accidentally picked those really bright fruits and / or a dead body that they thought had only been dead for a couple hours). This means that anyone who eats said food must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution save or else they are unable to have a restful sleep, constantly throwing up and having bowel movements that shall not be described. This means that they cannot recover any of their exhaustion levels, and they gain one. This food can still be purified though through the Purify Food and Water spell. #### Map Making: In order to effectively map your way through the area (if you are going into an unknown place), you should have a navigation duo of some kind: someone looking at the map to judge where to head next (see Navigating below) along with keeping an eye out for the best way across that random chasm that you found, and someone to map where you have been so that the navigator can consult this later. This check is a DC 10 Intelligence (Cartographer's Tools) check. Note that if the mapper does not have the tools they cannot gain their proficiency bonus to the roll. In the case that this is a failure the hex that the group is in is not cleared (which has ratifications below). Note that a lost group cannot map, and instead the mapper is aiding the navigator by consulting the map constantly. #### Navigating: Possibly aided by the mapper, the navigator tries to ensure that the group will not get lost. They roll as described in the book, except they gain advantage if the area has been mapped before (either by Syndra Silvane, someone else, or by the mapper) then the navigator has advantage on their survival check. #### Sneaking: This not really a specific “thing to do,” instead if a group is moving at a slow pace they can make a group stealth check. One thing to note is that metal is something that is incredibly uncommon in the jungles of Chult, and as a result any character who is wearing metal armor gives enemies advantage on any Wisdom (Perception) checks if they have a sense of smell and are native beasts/monstrosities of Chult. #### Keeping an Eye Out: Anyone who is not partaking in one of the other activities (except Sneaking) can keep an eye out, allowing for their Passive Wisdom (Perception) to be used for noticing threats. In the case that everyone is consumed with an activity (except Sneaking) all enemies automatically succeed on their Dexterity (Stealth) checks. ``` ``` ### Night Travel: Noticing that the daytime can be extraordinarily hot, some groups might decide to travel during the nighttime instead. While this means that the temperature is lower, it does have some issues of its own. The most obvious issue is darkness. If someone does not have darkvision they automatically fail any sight-based checks and thus cannot map, navigate, forage, or look out for things unless they have some other sense or a light source. Even if someone does have darkvision, don’t forget that dim light means disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks, so unless they have a light source with them it’s very easy for enemies to sneak up on them. However, with a light source moving through the jungle it’s very easy for enemies to notice the characters. As a result, roll an additional d20 during the 12:00 random encounter (in the case of 2 rolls of 16 or higher have an additional random encounter occur sometime later in the night).

\page # In-Depth Storyline Welcome... This is my in-depth storyline, a more advanced version of the first part. I am one to plan a lot, and add on a lot of extra stuff. Being prey to such temptations I figured I could write out my notes at least, so any DMs who choose to create this "mega-campaign" can follow in my footsteps. Unless otherwise noted, run everything as written. **In addition, in terms of AL legality, what I recommend is running adventures that are not AL-legal "off the books" per se. Alternatively you can simply remove them and the storyline shouldn't suffer too severely.** A couple things that the players might be confused about: 1. Why aren't they going into the jungle immediately upon hearing that the reason behind the curse is in the jungle? 2. Why are *we* doing this... what about other adventurers? Answer 1: The factions believe that there is still some modicum of time to fix the death curse problem, but there is a limited amount of time to fix the issues in Port Nyanzaru. In addition, the factions are not entirely sure that this group of adventurers will be the group to bring an end to the death curse so they want to deal with the current problems before sending them off to their possible deaths. Answer 2: The factions are planning on sending reinforcements, but in the meanwhile you're the only people here, so we need for you to take this on. ## Cellar of Death ### Timeline The players should begin this adventure on Day 7 of the Death Curse. The trip to the Cloakwood takes two days, and since they have such a large force they're traveling by boat instead of teleportation circle. The adventurers can then rest in the Cloakwood before heading back to Baldur's Gate. In the interim they are instructed to simply wait for further instructions, for four days the factions gather representatives (which includes the characters) to head to Chult on a 7 day journey. That means they arrive in Chult on Day 20. This then makes everything work out timeline-wise. ### Failure In the case of failure, I would recommend that agents of the factions eventually catch Zaldara, but it comes at the cost of a tenday of in-game time. ### Journey to Chult As the characters are sailing to Chult I would have them travel on a seperate boat from the main group (*The Diviner* maybe?). I would set up that there is an authoritative Flaming Fist captain who's the head of the expedition, he is very imperialistic and believes that everything in Chult is under his juristiction. The journey should go somewhat smoothly, I'd personally hand it over to the players, how do they think the travel went? Maybe trade-off days with each player saying what happens on an individual day. However, on the final day the voyage makes it to the Bay of Chult... guarded by Aremag. The unnamed captain stands boldly, ordering "This overgrown turtle" to let them pass, or there will be consequences. Aremag does not take these treats well and soon the rest of the expedition is in an all-out battle, with the exception of the characters who (smartly) run off. If the adventurers feel super strongly that they should fight, they take 5d6 fire damage from a quick puff from Aremag that wasn't even meant for them. If they still want to continue, Aremag attacks all of them with a humongous tail (still not really focussing on them). The combat should end with a victorious dragon turtle and many dead adventurers, although hopefully not the characters. The captain says fearfully that they will drop the characters off in Chult, have them report to Syndra (who teleported ahead), and then they will teleport back and try to get reinforcements (which will arrive in three months [long after the mission is over] because they had already gathered everyone who was willing to go on a mission to Chult). ### Meeting with Syndra Syndra upon meeting the characters should be shocked that they are the only ones remaining, but still urges them to assist with the situation in Port Nyanzaru. If they are at a loss, have her comment that there a couple members of the factions in Port Nyanzaru who have a possible lead on a way to end the death curse (the dreamer's amulet, which is, in fact not a way to end the death curse), which begins DDAL07-01 A City on the Edge.

\page ## DDAL07-01 City on the Edge ### Soggy Wren In order to meet with Soggy Wren the adventurers must legally get the key to room # 207 in Kaya's House of Repose. This can be done by successfully "beating" A Little Too Fancy in *Encounters in Port Nyanzaru*. Have fun with this little bit, it should be an interesting roleplaying experience for the players! However, in the case of failure, Soggy Wren will simply submit and meet with them in the Thundering Lizard (rather miffed of course at the adventurers failure). ### Thieving Thieves who Commit Thivery! When the adventurers have gathered the four pieces of the Dreamer's Amulet, Lekhet has one of his pureblood agents try to steal the pieces from the characters. When they are heading to meet with Soggy Wren about the final mission run the Spy City Chase from *Encounters in Port Nyanzaru* except at the end the adventurers find that the spy was a pureblood (from some nature or perception check). The spy also carries the following note on a scrap of parchment: *Get the pieces back through whatever means necessary. The amulet must be assembled so she can be killed. **PRAISE DENDAR!** -- L.* ### Future Travels Once the group defeats Lekhet they are pulled aside by Pockmarked Po who asks for them to aid in a mission. He needs a group to create a distraction at Fort Beluarian. If the adventurers seem to not take the job simply because he requested it, then he notes that the Flaming Fist are acting suspiscous and the Zhentarim are taking it upon themselves to be the good guys (not mentioning that their motives are entirely self-centered) so the heroes would be aiding the land of Chult. They are to leave two days from that day, since River & Flask are returning from a different expedition. In the meanwhile though, they can enjoy the races! Two days later, as the adventurers are prepping to heading to meet with River & Flask they are ambushed (see Yuan-Ti ambush)! And when they make it to The Thundering Lizard, where River & Flask are, they find that they're being accosted (Tavern Trouble) based on their connections with the Zhents. When they're actually going to head out, a messenger greets them and informs them that Ifan Tal'Roa requests their presence at Goldenthrone. As they meet him he informs them that he wants dino eggs, which begins the egg fetch quests. ``` ``` ## Yuan-Ti Ambush In order to ensure the Yuan-Ti's manipulation of the races goes smoothly the Yuan-Ti arrive at the conclusion that the characters must be killed. ### Conclusion As the players are looking over the other combatants, note that the cultists look drug-addled with a new drug that is unrecognizable to the characters. This is evidence that something strange is afoot, but there is a journey to go on, so this shall have to wait until later!

\page ## DDAL07-03 A Day at the Races ### Gathering Rumors The Investigation check should be a Wisdom (Perception) check. ### Betting There is only an unchained race before the main race, that is the main time for the players to bet on the other dinos. ### The Competitors There are two other teams in addition to the characters. If the players have more than 4 just add a couple **Scouts** who only come into use during the final leg, if there are less than 4, remove #4, #3, #2, etc... These are the two teams: The Yellow Almirajs (or Indigo Zorbos if the players choose that) which consists of: 1. **Wadizi Agolo**, an Unassuming Chultan **Acolyte** of Waukeen. 2. **Atumwa Utugelu**, a Catious Chultan **Apprentice Wizard** with the *Observant* feat (automatically succeeds on noticing a brick). 3. **Yuta Balaka**, a Reckless Albino Dwarven **Thug** (functions like a hill dwarf for racial traits). 4. And an odditiy: **Ander Tealeaf** a Nimble Lightfoot Halfling who has the statistics of a Nuetral Good **Goblin** except increase STR, WIS, and CHA to 10, INT to 11, remove *Nimble Escape* and add the standard Lightfoot Halfling traits (Lucky, Brave, Nimbleness, Naturally Stealthy, etc...). The Blue Elbis (or Black Su-Monsters if the players choose that) which consists of a team of Evil competitors, aided by both Yuan-Ti and their drugs. The drugs grant a +1 to all checks made by this team, which increases to a +2 later on in the race. The team consists of: 1. **Mezoar Sahandi**, a Darting Chultan **Scout** with the *Prodigy* feat for animal handling. 2. **Azuil Hakal**, an Unsportsmanlike Chultan who has the statistics of **Sharwyn Hucrele** from *Tales from the Yawning Portal*. If you do not have this adventure simply use the Apprentice Wizard statistics. 3. **Lozli Olboko**, an Imposing Chultan with the statistics of **Sir Braford** from *Tales from the Yawning Portal*. If you do not have this adventure simply use the **Thug** statistics. 4. **Sleeps Lightly Like Wind** (Sleeps), a Deceptive Tabaxi **Spy** (so add the standard tabaxi racial traits). ### Complications Before, during, and after the race several complications occur that hint towards the presence of some outside influence with this race. ``` ``` #### Before: Right before the jockeys are getting up onto their dinos any player with a Passive Wisdom (Perception) of 11 or higher notices that there is a hooded person who is stroking the dinos on the Blue Elbis/Black Su-Monster team. If their passive Wisdom (Perception) is 13 or higher they notice that the figure seems to be feeding the dinos something, and if their passive Wisdom (Perception) is 15 or higher they notice that as the figure has a nictitating membrane. The players do not have any time to dwell on this however, as they are quickly helped onto their mounts. #### During the First Leg: During the first leg, after the group has succeeded on the first check, have half of the players and two members of the Yellow Almirajs team make Wisdom (Perception) checks against DC 14. On a failure they do not notice the hidden Grung asssasins who are working with the Yuan-Ti. This grants the Grung advantage on their attack. If they do succeed they notice a small hooded figure perched on a rooftop with a blowgun. The assassins then fire the blowgun (use the dagger attack bonus) against the two characters and the two other riders. On a hit the characters/riders take 3 piercing damage and are poisoned until the end of their next turn. If the characters succeeded on their check they notice the small figure jump an astounding distance off out of sight. #### During the Second Leg: During the second leg, after the characters have gotten their first ring half of them notice a strange cloaked figure standing on a rooftop. The figure suddenly raises its arms and begins chanting as half of the players and half of the Yellow Almirajs need to succeed on a Intelligence (Investigation) check against DC 12 or they spend the round doing nothing as they simply see the sun being eaten by a ginormous snake. Any character that has the *Snakes on the Brain* story award from DDAL07-01 is automatically targeted (which could result in more than half the party being targeted if more than half of the party has that story award) and has disadvantage on this save. The shaken members of the Yellow Almirajs don't really care, just thinking it to be a random occurance. #### In Between the Second and Third Leg: In between there is a one minute mandatory pit stop for the racers to catch their breath. This applies to all teams and it's not much more than dismount, get some water, and remount. However, as the characters and the Yellow Almirajs are drinking the water have half of them (and the Yellow Almirajs) make Wisdom (Insight) checks against DC 16. On a failure they do not realize that some of the people pouring their drinks are a bit too concerned with getting them to drink the liquid and that their drinks have been spiked! As they drink them the characters (and the Yellow Almirajs) must make DC 13 Constitution saves or be poisoned for the next 1d4 checks that they make. If they succeed the constitution save then they are only poisoned for the next check they make. If someone succeeds on the insight check then the Yuan-Ti immediately realizes they've been discovered and vanishes into the crowd.

\page In addition, if the group is within one check of the Blue Elbises, anyone with a passive Wisdom (Perception) of 13 or higher notices that someone seems to be feeding their dinosaurs something (again), if they have a Wisdom (Perception) of 15 or higher they also notice the nictitating membrane of a snake-like eye as before, but the hooded figure quickly vanishes and there is not too much for the players to do. #### During the Fourth Leg: Anyone with a passive Wisdom (Perception) or higher hears a strange whistling after either the Yellow Almiraj or the characters have succeeded on their fourth success (right when they're so close to the finish line). Immediately snakes seem to have just suddenly appeared adjacent to the players (or the Yellow Almirajs). They begin to spook the triceratops and the onlookers, the former of the two begins bucking. All characters must succeed on a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check against DC 8 or else for every two failures (round up) the players lose a success as they have to go back and get their teammates. ### The Chaos (The End) - Do not make the little girl a focus, it's a very strange addition to the module. Instead the girl was simply seperated from her parents and acts as a timer, if you would. - It should be **Ankylosaur Zombie** - If the adventurers assist in stopping the zombies Ekene-Afa (who was watching the tournament) gives them the +1 Quarterstaff as a reward. - Inside of the satchel there is a small note: "Crate Number Seven, Second Row, Lower Level, South-East Warehouse, Tiryki Anchorage" - Soggy Wren thanks the characters for finding this, and says that they will soon be in touch. In the meantime though, he asks the adventurers to investigate the location in Tiryki Anchorage and then return to him at Kaya's House of Repose. This leads into Crate Number Seven. ``` ``` ## Crate Number Seven ### Connections As the adventurers are investigating Crate Number Seven an unlikely ally helps them fight off the Yellow Musk Zombies. Wadamu pops up at the second round of initiative with a blowgun shot towards the yellow musk creeper (+4 to hit, 3 piercing damage). He then begins helping them out from that point on. Once the adventurers beat the creepers and they talk to him he says that he saw them fight off the dinos and he would like their "*Big strong toughs help, with bad bad peoples.*" He doesn't really say too much else unless they seem like they won't help him, in which case he gives them puppy **fr**og eyes and offers them *Goggles of Night* like in DDAL07-04. ### Investigations Inside the crate are several vials of **Wanderlost**, brought here by the Yuan-Ti (instead of the treasures). If the characters seem interested and Wadumu is with them he tries to play on that, noting that he knows where the silvery stuff is made. "*It with bad bad peoples!*" With that, they should return to Soggy Wren and receive the gold amount that would've been collected in the crate. As they head back to Kaya's House of Repose they find that Screaming Wind is also present (albeit somewhat uncomfortable in the luscious climate that is Kaya's House of Repose. This then leads into DDAL07-04.

\page ## DDAL07-04 A Walk in the Park ### Plot Hooks Remove the satchel shop. It's a poorly implemented easter egg. Instead the plot hook is rather clear with just continuing on from where DDAL07-03 and Crate Number Seven left off. Screaming Wind and Soggy Wren are a bit concerned about the strange grung who was picked up, but he seems amicable and simple enough that they're not too worried. They encourage the adventurers to investigate this further and screaming wind has an EE member (if there is one, if not just use a random party) take a *Sending Stone* with them temporarily to communicate. ### Traveling As the characters leave right away it takes them one day to get there (so the camp is 20 mi. away) following Wadumu. Assuming they leave after they investigate the crate they should spend the night out in the forest, have Wadumu say his bedtime story, and then the next morning encounter the mudslide, allow for a short rest, and then head into the camp. Also the mudslide should just be 1 round, (unless a 5-6 is rolled) as 1d4 is far too extreme and ends the fun quickly. ### The Camp The players should have to sneak in, or at least disguise themselves and Wadumu to head in. Try to have them do something clever. As a good rule of thumb for a T1 adventure, a clever solution has a group skill check with a DC of 8-11, a decent plan is 12-15, a poor plan is 16-19, and an idiotic plan is 20+. As the players enter note how while most humans are working, some of the warriors/guards seem to have a glazed-over expression. They have been drugged to the point of complacency with their Yuan-Ti masters by Wanderlost and Enchantments. If the adventurers fail/attract attention to themselves then the slaves run in fear, while the glazed-over warriors and the grung attack. A round later the Malison hears fighting and sends out his guards (the **Thugs**) to investigate, if the fighting continues, he comes out himself. There are around 30 people in camp. 10 are **Tribal Warriors**, 2 (possibly more or less from encounter strength in the final fight) are **Thugs**, 14 are **Commoners** who are slaves and can fight if pressured, 4 are **Commoners** who are entirely unable to fight (children), and 6 are **Grung** who are sentries. If the adventurers pull off their deception they can investigate the tribe. Anyone with a passive Wisdom (Perception) of 12 or higher notices that a warrior brings a grung into the large tent. Anyone with a passive Intelligence (Investigation) of 12 or higher realizes that one of the tents is almost entirely unused by any of the common folk, and therefore is probably special. With this information it becomes clear that something is going on in the large tent, but Wadumu (if he can) advises that the characters wait until dusk when there will be less people in the village to investigate the larger tent. ``` ``` ### The Boss Whether the adventurers decided to wait until night or attacked right away the final encounter is incredibly easy. Therefore it's being swapped up. Instead of a **Yuan-Ti Pureblood** there is a **Yuan-Ti Malison** as the big-bad. That way it feels like a step-up from DDAL07-01 City on the Edge. In addition, he has the assistance of two **Thugs** and three **Grung** who are positioned nearby. As the Malison perishes he says: "*You may kill me... but the Queen shall live on. Long live Dendar!*" > #### Encounter Adjustment > **Very Weak**: Remove the **Thugs** > > **Weak:** Replace the **Thugs** with **Tribal Warriors** > > **Strong:** Add two **Thugs** > > **Very Strong:** Replace the **Thugs** with **Berserkers** > > **Further Adjustments**: If this encounter looks like it is too hard for the characters, have the glazed enemies simply stand and stare for a round. Alternatively have the **Grungs** join in on the fight. If things are looking too easy, have the Malison use an action to essentially dominate a couple or all of the Grung who then begin fighting on his side no matter what the plea was (although upon the Malison's death they are fine). ### Conclusion Using the Sending Stone and reporting back that they have completed their mission they are asked to return to Port Nyanzaru, for there are rumors of a way to end the death curse (Ruins of Mezro, The Path to Omu)! Also, as they return through Tiryki Anchorage they find themselves mixed up in another Yuan-Ti plot (Right Place, Wrong Time)!

\page ## Path to Omu ### Hooking the Heroes Based on the documents that the heroes helped steal from Fort Beluarian, Po has discovered that the Flaming Fist has a regiment in the lost city of Mezro, and based on the rubbings they have made, several tomes make mention of some kind of oracle that might have the answer. The adventurers are then asked to investigate. ### The Prophecy *When the Soulmonger grinds,* *and exiled Nsi wraps himself in serpants,* *Death's curse will grip the world,* *From beneath the forbidden city.* *Seek out the Oracle* *Hidden, and forgot* *She lies in Orolunga,* *'Lest all be for naught.* > **NOTE:** Nobody has heard of Orolunga, instead Sgt. Valdro shall eventually discern its location. ### Conclusion After the heroes have left the ruined city of Mezro, Sgt. Valdro stays in Port Nyanzaru noting that with every day she grows weaker, and she's better served investigating the location of this strange "Orolunga." (which nobody has heard of). Meanwhile, when the heroes return they have a more pressing matter: Wadumu needs their help! ``` ``` ## Whispers in the Dark ### Fish Hooks, The Hero Kind When the adventurers return to Port Nyanzaru they find Wadumu who is jumping for joy, for he has found "Big Bad Evil Yuan-Ti" (or BBEYT for short), and wants the heroes to "Put stop to bad plans!" Assuming the adventurers seek to aid Wadumu, the factions deliver some minor quests for the heroes to go on while the adventurers are in the jungle. ### The Journey The journey should only take around 1/2 to 3/4 of a day. With Wadumu guiding them, it's only around 15 miles away. This allows for the transpiring of a single day without breaking immersion and saying that "travel days don't count to the Soulmonger" (which makes little sense). ### The Courtyard Make sure that you emphasize (if the players are on the fourth round or later) that the swarm of zombies is never ending. The next encounter is almost certainly a TPK if a group spends more than a couple rounds on this encounter. ### Dumping Info The encounter with the Venom Queen begins with a lot of exposition for the characters. Such information will probably be forgotten rather quickly, so maybe just include a couple facts at the beginning and when (if) the adventurers are gaining the upper hand then you can begin adding more information round by round to try and strike fear into the adventurers "*Kress'Voon's master is a lich, Raugalith! Even if you slay me, you shall fall to either Kress'Voon or **his** master! MWAHAHAHA*" ### The Finale Run this mostly as written, although I would recommend adding the extra feature to her Invoke Nightmare ability: "If anyone has the Snakes on the Brain story award from DDAL07-01 A City on the Edge they have disadvantage on the first saving throw of this feature." ### The Return to Nyanzaru & The Future Once the characters come back to Port Nyanzaru they discover that it's a race day (see above) and they can participate. If the characters win, then they get to a private bath, which then leads into Spay Day from Encounters in Port Nyanzaru.

\page ## Escort a Priest ### How Do I Hook? Most of the general aspects of this side-quest can be run directly from the book. Guide a half-orc priest of the OotG to a OotG fort. The main thing Undril should emphasize is that the characters are beginning to get some recognition within their faction (as they are surely Rank 2 by this point). This gives the players a sense of accomplishment on their adventure. ### The Journey As established in the quick storyline, you can run Beacon of the Spirit and Camp Righteous during the travel in addition to any other encounters you would like to throw in. Camp Righteous would really only work if the players are taking a riverboat, which I would try to push because of how Undril really wants to get this message to Commander Breakbone. Not only will this speed up their travel, but they also get to explore more of Chult! As for Beacon of the Spirit that can be thrown in wherever. I would recommend adding it around halfway through the journey if the characters are not taking the river route (and therefore miss Camp Righteous), while having it be on the way back if the characters *are* taking the river route. ### The Arrival Run this as in the book, the players arrive, see the terrible situation, meet the pompous fool that is Niles, and probably get on his bad side as he orders them to do something they don't want to do. However, when the players inevitably (prepare for this, players don't like being told what to do, especially by someone who's obviously weaker than them) go against Niles, try to preserve him. He's important for later, and we can then have some character development. However, in the case that he is killed it's ok, we can set something else up. Maybe Undril becomes promoted to his position? In addition, switch the two quest Breakbone gives the characters. That way if the players arrived by foot they can check out Camp Righteous and the Righteous loot it holds (heh, but no, taking care of water forever is a serious burden that saves the characters a lot of meticulous note-taking). Alternatively, if they went by river route they can check out Beacon of the Spirit on the return trip. ### The Return Having returned to city the adventurers notice something going on... have them arrive the Tiryki Anchorage way (which makes sense especially for the river route) and as they're returning the soldiers (in the midday) have them overhear the **Bandits** as detailed in Plague Boat. As the adventurers finish the fighting they find two things. The first, the memo, sets up a hint about Valindra in the future. The second is Zindar, who quickly arrives on the scene (even though it's in the more seedy dock area, random dock fights shouldn't be had while he is dockmaster) and offers them their next job: Hunting Pirates! ``` ``` ## Arrrr me hearties, Yo Ho! ### Little Bit of Background Captain Pelican Jack, a pirate captain of no small fame recently left the pirates of Jahaka Anchorage. While he was there, however, he (as pirates do) gambled... a lot. Dipping into some extra money during a night of heavy drinking he happened to gamble away some of his cursed treasure. This happened to transfer his curse to several of the other pirate captains. Years passed and when he finally left he decided to make the most of it by betraying their location to the Ytepka society as long as they'd provide a solid bit of coin and protection. ### Zindar's Job Zindar, after they destroy the Vampire Spawn, realizes that some of these adventures could prove useful in helping the Ytepka society. He asks that they hunt down some pirates who are ruining trade in the region. In order to help them he informs them that there is a captain who runs of the fastest boats here in the harbor ward (The Brzen Pegasus)! In addition, as long as one of the characters still has the story award *The Trusting Triceratops* from DDAL07-01 A City on the Edge, Zindar will aid them by paying for the boat. Otherwise they pay a minor fee and the story continues on. ### Thar Be Pirates! After the characters have gotten onto a boat it should be a simple journey to Jahaka Anchorage. You can run everything as normal albeit the pirates should realize that Jack betrayed them so that whenever they encounter a captain (try to vary the exact nature of their reaction though) they curse Jack. ### To Davy Jones' Locker With Ye When a pirate captain finally dies the curse begins to take effect on them as a swirling red portal appears and pulls a ghost-like version of the captain (their soul) through a portal, leaving a single cursed coin. The second time this happens there is a harsh cry of: "NOT AGAIN!" from Captain Smoke, leaving another cursed coin. The third and final time this happens the portal opens large enough so that the characters can actually see the dead pirate captain and as she stares at each of the characters they are drawn into a memory of hers. *The world around you suddenly warps as you find yourself somewhere else. You're gazing out on a ship feeling incredibly proud. As you look beyond the ship you see the deep blue surface of... The Bay of Chult? Your mind moves below deck as you seem ot have some innate knowledge that you just pulled off a huge heist. "Thank you Jack" you think to yourself. Suddenly a loud CRACK flies through your head as people begin running around screaming, as you're yelling as well. It is then when water begins to rush into the boat. You rush across the deck and it is there when you see it: a green spiked shell... Aremag. How did he know you would be here? Suddenly it clicks, Jack sold you ou-. The illusion then is replaced with the ruins of a sinking ship and a single waterlogged pirate hat, the torn remnants of which sit upon the marred face of the dead pirate captain in front of you, and then, with a scream, she vanishes back into the portal.*

\page ### Repurcussions and Reprimands Having defeated the pirates the adventurers can now return to Nyanzaru. However, it is possible that they retrieved the *Sending Stone* connected to Liara Portyr. If they decide to say anything into it and she's heard the players before she will realize the pirates have been compromised and stay silent. If she has not interacted with the characters before she assumes that they are subordinates of the captains. Finally if they don't say anything for some time, Liara will eventually speak up wondering where the captains went. It'll be up to you to decide what happens next. Nevertheless, word gets out that the PCs stopped the pirates by the time they get back to Port Nyanzaru (because magic) and thus they find that there is a bounty on their head by Liara (through Jessamine). The Merchant Princes will, however, vote on whether or not to honor this bounty in Port Nyanzaru. 1. O'Tamu will automatically vote on helping the PCs. 2. Kwayothe will automatically vote on burning their bodies after they've gone through the executioner's run (or what's left of them). 3. If the players have gotten past the Deinonychus' at this point on the egg quest Tal'Roa will support them, but otherwise he'll vote for a nice executioner's run event. 4. If more than half of the party has won a dino race, or if they have the Winner Winner Chicken Dinner award from DDAL07-03 A Day at the Races Ekene-Afa will vote against killing prime competitors, otherwise it would certainly be an interesting show. 5. If the characters have picked up at least one and kept all of Jobal's guides alive (of the ones they've taken). Jobal will vote to keep them alive, they are good for business after all. 6. Zhanthi abstains unless there is a Lord's Alliance member who has come into contact with Klevin Van Sheran, not wanting to condemn an innocent, but not wanting to save a guilty member either. In the case of a LA member, she will vote for their innocence, with Klevin speaking up for the group. 7. Jessamine honors the contract that Liara bought. ### Crime and Punishment If the players are thrown into Executioner's Run I would recommend using one of the following six encounters: 1. Five Velociraptors (good against single target ranged/spellcasters) 2. Five Swarms of Nemicolepterus (BoJR) (good against single target melee) 3. Two Reduced-Threat Deinonychi (good against somewhat multi-target ranged) 4. Two Reduced-Threat Troodons (BoJR) (good against somewhat multi-target melee) 5. Two Reduced-Threat Dilophosauruses (BoJR) (good against somewhat multi-target spellcasters) 6. One Allosaurus (good against multi-target characters) However if none of these really fit, feel free to design your own encounters. They should be deadly for a level 4 character (as the characters should be 4 by this point). ``` ``` ## Visions, Liches, and Jungles Oh My! ### A Vision Quest After the character's brush with the executioner's run (or death to it) they are immediately interrupted by a young acolyte of Savras who asks for the aid. The encounter then runs pretty much exactly like the book as the adventurers are then sent off back into the jungle, with the added bonus that you can run Monkey See, Monkey Do as they travel! ### A Cold Hearted Reception Eventually the players should come across the Heart of Ubtao, if they feel like they need to head back, have it lazily drift into their vision as they head away. Once they're brought up (and it should *only* be the PCs, which they might find a bit strange... but whatver) Valindra should somehow impart the following information upon the characters: - Valindra offers to take the characters' coats (and subtly planting a scrying item on them). - The Death Curse is due to something called *The Soulmonger* (so they finally have a name instead of just "An Artifact") - It is hidden below a lost city within the southernmost reaches of Chult, however the true location of the city is unknown, as it seems to be blocked by powerful magic. - There are more groups than just the PCs in play. This one should not be explicitly stated, instead Valindra should purposefully note: "Hmmm... They'd want to know that, wouldn't they." This is in order to subtly influence the characters to move faster, and from Valindra's perspective, increase the chances that they could find the lost city. - Finally she informs the characters that there has been a great shift in the balance of the universe, something, or someone has entered this world (the Atropal). Also this should be done while taking a nice sip of tea. ##### Otyugh's Wish can be run normally ## Tier 1 Completed

\page ## Over the Edge ### Twenty Days Travel? I Can't Do That! It should only take half a day to travel towards each location, not twenty days. That way the adventurers can head to and back from a location in one day. ### Undeserved Punishment In between the third and forth missions, when the group heads back to Port Nyanzaru they happen to enter via the Old City and pass by the Executioner's Run only to hear shouts as the event begins as per the module (except the Thug starts 90 ft. away). ### Werefriend Once the adventurers aid the Weretigers in their defense of their citadel, Azaka greets them and informs the adventurers that should be willing to serve as their guide should they bring the *Mask of the Beast* found at Firefinger to the citadel. This sets up a scenario where the heroes have to question whether or not they can sacrifice the extra time in order to go on a mission like this. ## Ruins of Matolo ### Pls Hlp - Rich Dude

\page ## Changelog ### V. 0.5.5 (Current Version) Completed the Tier 1 storyline ### V. 0.5.0 Added Camp Vengeance, Righteous, and more to the In-Depth Storyline Worked around with the traveling mechanics some more ### V. 0.4.9 Added DDAL07-05 to the In-Depth Storyline ### V. 0.4.4 Added the first of the Ruins of Mezro adventures, Path to Omu, to the In-Depth storyline ### V. 0.4.1 Added DDAL07-04 to the In-Depth Storyline Added the second wave of Guild Adept titles to the Storyline Summary ### V. 0.3.6 Added Crate Number Seven to the In-Depth Storyline Connected Crate Number Seven directly to DDAL07-03 ### V. 0.3.5 Revised Yuan-Ti Ambush In-Depth Storyline to connect to DDAL07-03 ### V. 0.3.4 Added DDAL07-03 to the In-Depth Storyline and the ways it can be revised to make more sense and be more themeatic with the rest of the modules. ### V. 0.3.2 Added the Cellar of Death aspect of the intro to the In-Depth Storyline Added an introduction to the In-Depth storyline ### V. 0.3.1 Began In-Depth Storyline off with DDAL07-01 and its weaving of certain other encounters ### V. 0.2.9 Added in Jungle Treks and Encounters in the Jungles of Chult to the storyline summary ### V. 0.2.5 Edited Dinosuar Racing to account for Beasts of Jungle Rot Added Egg Challenge ### V. 0.2.4 Added Dinosaur Racing section ``` ``` ### V 0.2.2 Edited guides based on when they should appear given that some create a power spike in the parties (plus removed Faroul & Gondolo's ability to guide) ### V 0.2.1 Added Guide Abilities section, Random Encounters section, and Weather and Travel section Revised storyline to be more on par with companions ### V. 0.1.4 Added Guild Adept content to Storyline Summary ### V. 0.1.2 Added higher level content, both HC & AL mods ### V. 0.1.1 Added Storyline summary (level 1-10 including side quests + AL mods)

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