D&D 5E - The Rise of Tiamat

C u l t F o r c e s
The assailants the cult throws against the characters
should be adjusted for the strength of the party. Using
foes from the First Attack Cult Forces table, construct
this first attack as a hard encounter using the guidelines
in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
F i r s t A t t a c k C u l t F o r c e s
Creature
Dragonclaw 200
Dragonwing 450
XP Value
Dragonfang 1,100
Half-blue dragon gladiator* 1,800
Young blue dragon 5,000
*Use the gladiator statistics but add resistance to lightning damage and the
breath weapon of a blue dragon wyrmling.
P l a n o f A t t a c k
The cultists try to attack with surprise, using one of two
different plans outlined below. Feel free to adapt one
of these plans or devise a plan of your own. Assume
that the cultists have either observed the characters for
a few days or have been briefed about their targets by
other spies.
O p tio n 1: A tta c k a t an Inn. If the characters are
staying at an inn, the cultists might opt for a direct
assault, crashing through the front door. A more subtle
approach sees them enter the inn a few at a time
disguised as customers, then attacking when they have
the characters outnumbered and surrounded. The
dragon is unlikely to enter the inn building, opting to use
its breath weapon through the windows or attacking any
characters or bystanders who step outside.
O p tio n 2: A tta c k on the R oad. As the characters
are traveling, the cultists can get ahead of them and
lay an ambush. Alternatively, cultists might follow the
party at a distance by day, then move closer when the
characters stop to rest for the night. A surprise attack in
the dark or at dawn is particularly dangerous, granting
the dragon complete freedom of movement and creating
the possibility that some party members w ill be asleep
or unarmored.
C o n c l u s i o n
Because the cult has underestimated the heroes’
strength, this first assault is doomed to fail. However, try
to ensure that at least one cultist escapes to report what
happened. If no one gets away alive, leave signs that
other cultists were hanging back as reinforcements, but
fled when the original force was overwhelmed.
Make sure the characters understand what this attack
was about. If it makes sense for the circumstances of
the attack, the cultists w ill be dressed in full regalia,
complete with masks and dragon-wing capes. With their
last breaths, dying cultists should curse the characters
and exclaim, “The dragons rise! You cannot stop us!”
The characters gain a level at the end of this episode.
Se c o n d A t t a c k
The first attack established that the heroes are an even
more dangerous threat than the cult believed. In this
second encounter, a stronger cult force attacks to kill.
L o c a t i o n a n d T i m i n g
Place this encounter at a point when the characters are
not at their strongest or most well prepared. Wait until
they are scattered, their spells and features are depleted
by previous fighting, or they are injured and low on
healing. In particular, if the attack comes during a long
rest but before the characters have finished that rest,
they won’t yet have recovered full hit points, spells, and
other resources. Such an attack puts the characters at
a huge disadvantage, but reinforces that the Cult of the
Dragon wants the adventurers dead.
A dramatic location works best for this attack. The
cultists not only want to eliminate a threat, they want
to send a message to all others who oppose them.
Attacking at an important public building such as a
major temple or a palace declares that no place is safe
from the cult, while an assault at a large marketplace
or a royal garden guarantees a maximum number
of witnesses.
C u l t F o r c e s
The second attack force comprises a team led by a
dragonsoul cultist (see appendix A). If this is an isolated
fight with the characters at or near full strength, choose
adversaries that create a deadly encounter. If the
adventurers are weakened from earlier encounters, aim
for a hard encounter instead.
Don’t be reluctant to use forces that are likely to
kill one or more characters. The destruction of the
heroes is the goal of this attack, and if the risk of death
doesn’t feel real, the players won’t take the threat of the
cult seriously.
S e c o n d A t t a c k C u l t F o r c e s
Creature
Dragonwing 450
XP Value
Dragonsoul 1,800
Mezzoloth 1,800
Nycaloth 5,000
Adult black dragon 11,500
P l a n o f A t t a c k
These attackers know more about their targets than the
first group did, thanks to the survivors from that battle.
O p tio n 1: In d o o r A tta ck. The attackers launch their
assault while the characters are visiting an important
location crowded with innocent bystanders. The black
dragon begins by tearing off a section of the roof to
incite as much terror as possible. W hile the characters
are distracted by that assault, invisible nycaloths
move in and attack with surprise. The mezzoloths use
cloudkill to surround the characters, unconcerned about
N P C s caught up in the attack.