Dungeons & Dragons Session Recap: Waterdeep – Dragon Heist, Session 2
Overview
This document is a detailed transcript of a lively Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) session set in the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist campaign, capturing the chaotic and humorous interactions of a group of adventurers as they navigate the gritty streets and sewers of Waterdeep in pursuit of their quest. The session is filled with roleplay, combat, exploration, and humorous banter, showcasing the group’s dynamic as they unravel a mystery involving mistaken identities, gang rivalries, and a haunted tavern. Below is a comprehensive summary of the session, highlighting key events, character interactions, and narrative developments in vivid detail.
Session Recap
Introduction and Setup
The session begins with the players settling in, their voices filled with excitement and playful chaos, as they confirm the recording and prepare for the game. The group consists of characters like Stasis, Ilyana, Proxes, Jinx, and Dangle, with Eldarion and Raynor Neverember as notable NPCs. The session picks up where the previous one left off, with the party in the midst of their quest to find Floon Blagmaar, a friend of the famous (or self-proclaimed famous) Volo, who has gone missing in Waterdeep.
The Dungeon Master (DM) prompts a recap, and after some light-hearted bickering and a roll to determine who gives it, Jinx takes on the task. The recap sets the stage: the party started their adventure in the Yawning Portal, a famous tavern in Waterdeep, where they met Volo and witnessed a brawl involving a half-orc named Yagra. Volo hired them to find Floon, offering 10 gold dragons upfront and 100 more upon success. The party gathered clues that Floon was last seen at the Skewered Dragon, a seedy tavern in the Dock Ward, and their investigation led them to a purple shop run by a peculiar gnome named Xobwob, who provided critical information about Floon’s abduction.
The Investigation So Far
Jinx’s recap details the party’s progress:
At the Yawning Portal, they learned about Floon’s disappearance and his last known location at the Skewered Dragon.
At Xobwob’s shop, they discovered that two similar-looking men (later revealed to be Floon and Raynor Neverember) were attacked by rough men in black leather armor, one of whom bore a winged snake tattoo (associated with the Zhentarim gang). One man was dragged away, while the other was picked up by a carriage with the heraldry of the Neverember family.
At the Skewered Dragon, they confirmed Floon and Raynor were drinking together, and dwarves mentioned a noble named Raynor Neverember. The party also learned of a Zhentarim gang symbol on Candle Lane, leading them to a warehouse where they believed Floon was held.
The session resumes with the party in combat inside the warehouse, having just engaged a group of Kenku (bird-like humanoids). One Kenku is dead, another is unconscious, and the battle is ongoing as Stasis takes their turn.
Key Events in the Session
Combat in the Warehouse
The session dives into combat as Stasis takes their turn. The warehouse is cluttered with large boxes, creating obstacles and limiting visibility. Stasis moves to attack a Kenku entangled in a web (likely from a spell like Web), attempting to strike with a quarterstaff. An initial roll of 11 misses, but the Kenku’s entangled state grants advantage, allowing a second roll of 14 to hit for 11 damage. Stasis follows up with a bonus action unarmed strike, rolling a 19 to hit and knocking the Kenku unconscious, pushing it into another enemy for additional damage (1d6, rolled as 1).
Proxes, maintaining a concentration spell (possibly the Web), chooses to hold their position. Ilyana, a druid, moves into position and casts Water Bullet (a homebrew spell dealing 4d6 bludgeoning damage at 15 feet). With advantage due to the enemy’s entanglement, her roll of 15 hits, dealing 14 damage and knocking the target unconscious with a dramatic description of magenta-aura water droplets hitting like rocks. Combat ends with three unconscious Kenku and one dead.
Exploration and Discovery
Post-combat, the party investigates the warehouse. They find a gruesome scene: a dozen dead men pinned to the back wall with rapiers, a chilling display of violence. Jinx, rolling a 15 on a History check, notices that five of the bodies have winged snake tattoos (Zhentarim), and one has a black tattoo of a circle with ten spokes (later identified as the Xanathar Guild’s symbol). Jinx uses cartographer’s tools to sketch the tattoos for future reference.
The party ties up the unconscious Kenku, with varying success (rolls of 9, 15, and 23 on Sleight of Hand or Animal Handling). During this, Jinx finds a key, which they use to unlock a door, revealing two bound and gagged men. One is unconscious and resembles Floon, while the other, awake, introduces himself as Eldarian, an elf hired by Volo for the same mission. Eldarian reveals he was captured while tracking Floon to the warehouse. The party learns that the unconscious man is not Floon but Raynor Neverember, son of a former Open Lord of Waterdeep.
Raynor, once awakened, explains the mix-up: he and Floon look strikingly similar, and Floon sometimes impersonates him for fun. The Zhentarim, believing Floon was Raynor, kidnapped him, thinking he knew about a hidden cache of gold embezzled by Raynor’s father, tied to an artifact called the Stone of Galore, recently stolen from the Xanathar Guild. The kidnappers took Floon to the sewers, mistaking him for Raynor.
City Watch Encounter
As the party discusses their next steps, the City Watch bursts in, mistaking them for culprits due to the dead bodies. The situation is tense until Raynor vouches for the party, explaining they saved him. The Watch Commander, recognizing Raynor, releases the party with a warning not to leave Waterdeep until the investigation concludes. The players sign a document (with humorous banter about signatures, including thumbprints and giant Xs) and are instructed to meet an investigator later.
Into the Sewers
Determined to find Floon, the party, joined by Raynor, ventures into the sewers via a grate lifted by Stasis (Athletics check of 26). They encounter a gazer (a small beholder-like creature) and attempt to follow it stealthily, rolling high on Stealth checks. The sewer leads to a circular hub with arrow slits, which fire arrows at Stasis and Eldarian (Dexterity saves of 20 and 15 allow them to dodge). Dangle crafts a flashbang from a rock (using his rock-manipulating abilities) to create a distraction, allowing the party to move toward a stone door.
In the hallway, another arrow hits, downing Ileana (7 damage, reducing her to 0 HP). The party faces a goblin, mistaken for a “rat of unusual size,” and enters combat. Initiative rolls are high (21, 19, 11, 7), but Ilyana remains unconscious. Stasis and others stabilize her with a Medicine check (20), while combat continues against the goblin, who is quickly dispatched.
Climactic Encounter
The party rushes into a chamber where they find Floon, unconscious, pinned under a half-orc’s foot, with a mind flayer and its intellect devourer pet nearby. Eldarian attacks the half-orc, dealing damage but triggering a fiery reaction (Burning Hands, halved to 4 damage due to a successful Dexterity save). Stasis teleports to the mind flayer’s platform, striking with a quarterstaff (26 to hit, 7 damage), but the mind flayer retaliates, attempting to extract Stasis’s brain (Constitution save of 7 fails, dealing 2d10 damage). The mind flayer then flees through a portal, leaving the party to finish off the half-orc (killed with a roundhouse kick).
Jinx and others dispatch the gazer with a lightning Sorcerer’s Burst (18 to hit, 6 damage), ending combat. The party stabilizes Floon, who confirms he was mistaken for Raynor. They return to the Yawning Portal, where Volo, short on coin, rewards them with a deed to Trollskull Manor, a tavern in Trollskull Alley.
Trollskull Manor and Campaign Setup
At Trollskull Manor, the party meets Lif, a ghostly former owner who welcomes them and offers building plans for renovations. The manor is revealed to be their “bastion,” a home base they must manage as a business, complete with expenses and guild responsibilities. The session ends with the party leveling up, brainstorming ideas for the tavern (circus, animal sanctuary, aquarium), and planning to rest and regroup.
Key Characters
Stasis: A martial character (likely a monk) who uses a quarterstaff and unarmed strikes, known for quick combat decisions and dodging traps.
Ilyana: A druid who casts Water Bullet and Goodberry, with a whimsical personality rooted in her forest background.
Proxes: A spellcaster maintaining concentration spells, possibly Web, and taking a cautious approach.
Jinx: A character with cartographer’s tools and a knack for finding clues, like the key in the warehouse.
Dangle: A quirky character who manipulates rocks to create items like flashbangs, with a penchant for touting science.
Eldarian: An NPC elf hired by Volo, rescued by the party, and a huggy ally.
Raynor Neverember: An NPC noble mistaken for Floon, providing critical plot information about the Zhentarim and Xanathar Guild.
Floon Blagmaar: The quest’s target, mistaken for Raynor and rescued from the sewers.
Volo: The flamboyant quest-giver who rewards the party with a tavern deed.
Liff: The ghostly former owner of Trollskull Manor, offering assistance to the new owners.
Themes and Highlights
Humor and Banter: The session is rife with playful arguments, pop culture references (e.g., “rodents of unusual size” from The Princess Bride), and light-hearted roleplay, like debates over Volo’s hat and signatures.
Mistaken Identities: The plot hinges on the confusion between Floon and Raynor, driving the narrative and adding intrigue with the Zhentarim and Xanathar Guild.
Combat and Creativity: The party’s use of spells like Water Bullet and Dangle’s rock-based flashbangs showcases creative problem-solving, while combat is fast-paced and descriptive.
World-Building: Waterdeep comes alive with its seedy taverns, gang tattoos, and sewer dangers, setting the stage for a campaign centered on managing Trollskull Manor.
Conclusion
This session of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is a thrilling mix of investigation, combat, and roleplay, with the party successfully rescuing Floon and gaining ownership of Trollskull Manor. The introduction of guild politics, tavern management, and a ghostly ally sets up an exciting campaign arc. The players’ camaraderie and improvisational humor make this a standout session, full of memorable moments like dodging arrows, battling a mind flayer, and debating tavern renovations. As the party levels up and plans their next steps, the stage is set for a deeper dive into Waterdeep’s underbelly and the mysteries surrounding the Stone of Galore.
Next Steps: The party must decide how to renovate and run Trollskull Manor, navigate Waterdeep’s guild system, and uncover more about the Zhentarim and Xanathar Guild’s conflict over the stolen artifact. Stay tuned for more adventures in the City of Splendors!