D&D 5E - The Rise of Tiamat

Option 2: O utdoor Attack. An attack in a
marketplace, garden, or some other outdoor location
opens with the black dragon and one or more flying
nycaloths appearing overhead to create a panic. The
cultists are hanging on to the dragon, but they drop
down to engage the party in melee while the dragon
circles above, attacking with its breath weapon and
using its Frightful Presence on rounds when its
breath is still recharging. W hile the crowd inhibits
the characters’ movement, mezzoloths can easily and
rapidly teleport through it.
D e v e l o p m e n t s
Don’t be afraid to engage in some triumphal
monologuing by the dragonsoul cultist leading the
attack. Whether the attackers are winning or losing,
the cultist fights with cries of “The dragons rise!” and
“We are unstoppable!” At some point, the leader lets
important information slip: “The Masks are joined, the
call has sounded! Soon the Gates of the Nine Hells shall
swing wide and She shall return!”
As with the first assault on the adventurers, try to
ensure that if the attackers are defeated, at least one
escapes to report the outcome of the battle. Most easily,
the dragon can fly away if the battle turns against it.
The yugoloths were summoned by Red Wizards
and paid by the cult to kill the adventurers, but they
have no loyalty to their benefactors. If a yugoloth takes
damage from a single attack that deals more than half
its remaining hit points, it withdraws from combat on its
next turn. If it hasn’t already tried to summon another
yugoloth, it does so immediately. If it’s already used that
power, it simply flees, intending to regroup with other
survivors later.
Because the yugoloths are mercenaries, the
characters can attempt to buy them off with a better
offer—one that not only exceeds what the cult is paying
but covers the damage to reputation that comes from
changing sides in the middle of battle. A good starting
offer is 10,000 gp, or 2,000 gp per yugoloth if more than
five of them are in the fight.
In addition to damaging bystanders, this encounter
can easily destroy buildings and great landmarks.
This formidable assault should provide a sense of the
destruction that w ill wash over the Sword Coast if the
Cult of the Dragon is successful in its plans.
C o n c l u s i o n
The attackers might win this fight and kill all the
characters. However, that doesn’t need to end the
adventure. Healers in the Order of the Gauntlet, the
Harpers, and the Emerald Enclave can restore the
characters to life so they can continue waging war
for the forces of good. Surprisingly, dying in this
battle might give the characters an advantage. When
the attackers report to Severin that the meddling
adventurers are dead, they’ll be written off as a threat. If
the raised characters make an effort to keep out of sight
of the cult’s spies, their next blow against the cult could
come as a complete surprise.
The characters gain a level at the end of this event.
T h i r d A t t a c k
The second attack was meant to finish off the heroes. If
a third attack proves necessary, the cult escalates to the
highest level.
If nothing else, the second attack should impress
on the characters that the first attack wasn’t a fluke
or a one-time event. They have a price on their heads.
Additionally, the potency of the second attack should
make the characters understand that if a third strike is
even more powerful than the second, they won’t survive.
If it doesn’t occur to the players that the characters
should take steps to protect themselves, a concerned
N P C can make the suggestion.
L o c a t i o n a n d T i m i n g
This attack can occur in any settlement the characters
are staying in or passing through. Ideally, use a location
where one or more characters have homes or family.
After the second cult attack, allow the characters to
complete one or two episodes of the adventure before
the cult makes this final attempt on their lives. Because
this attack is an all-out assault, the characters should
have full access to spells, healing, and other resources.
C u l t F o r c e s
Enough chromatic dragons have responded to the
Draakhorn’s call that a full flight of young red dragons
can be dispatched to deal with the heroes once and
for all. For this final assault, the cult bolsters the red
dragons with a handful of cultists, half-dragons, and
Red W izards (mages) who are members of Rath Modar’s
splinter sect. The cultists and Red Wizards arrive on the
backs of the red dragons.
Make this a deadly encounter—and not just by the
numbers prescribed in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. By
now, the cult knows how the characters fight, and so do
you. Sometimes players can make a group of characters
tougher than their basic game statistics indicate. If
that’s the case for your group, take that into account
when selecting the attacking force.
T h i r d A t t a c k C u l t F o r c e s
Creature
Dragonwing 450
XP Value
Dragonfang 1,100
Half-red dragon gladiator* 2,300
Mage 2,300
Half-green dragon assassin** 3,900
Young red dragon 5,900
* Use the gladiator statistics but add resistance to fire damage and the
breath weapon o f a red dragon wyrmling. These changes increase the
gladiator’s challenge by 1, increasing its XP value.
** Use the assassin statistics but add the breath weapon o f a green dragon
wyrmling. This change doesn’t affect the assassin’s challenge.