D&D 5E - The Rise of Tiamat

Red W izards must use an action to perform the ritual
in order for it to be successfully focused for that round,
helping guide Tiamat across the planes.
At the end of the Red W izards’ turn, if fewer than five
Red W izards used an action to perform the ritual, the
portal floating in the great apse (area 7) wavers and no
progress in the ritual is made. If fewer than five Red
W izards perform the ritual for 2 rounds in succession,
the portal collapses and the count of successfully
focused rounds is reset to 0.
The Mask o f the Dragon Queen is essential to the
ritual, and Severin cannot leave the sanctuary. His
levitate spell w ill last the duration of the ritual, and
it keeps him floating in the sanctuary even if he is
incapacitated or killed. Severin can attack and defend
himself while he wears the Mask o f the Dragon Queen.
He need not even be alive for the ritual to continue,
as long as his body wears the mask and remains in
the sanctuary.
E n e m i e s a n d A l l i e s
By consulting the scorecard filled out during the four
sessions of the Council of Waterdeep (see appendix C),
you can assess the strength of the forces brought to bear
against the Cult of the Dragon. The alliances forged by
the characters during the adventure are essential to
stopping the cult.
The Final Battle Assets table lists the creatures and
forces fighting on both sides. “Factional Assets” covers
the main possibilities for alliances created during
the adventure, but you can modify the list as needed
depending on events in your campaign.
A s s i g n i n g A s s e ts
When you’ve noted which assets are fighting against
the cult, it’s time to decide how those forces of good
attack. The characters are key figures in the allied force
marching on the Well of Dragons, and their voices carry
tremendous weight. As such, make sure the players
know they have a key role to play in planning the battle.
The simplest approach is a one-to-one matchup, with
specific good assets canceling out cult assets. Give the
players free reign on matching assets, but weigh in on
whether a specific plan has merit if you feel the need.
For example, the players might decide that assassins
provided by the Zhentarim should counter the sacrificial
prisoners by infiltrating the cult complex and escorting
those prisoners to freedom. In that case, you might
remind the players that the Black Network’s expert
killers can be put to better use against the cult leaders
of Severin’s inner circle, while Harper agents or forces
of the Lords’ Alliance help in the tunnels beneath
the caldera.
Certain matchups are obvious. The metallic dragons
are instinctive foes of the chromatic dragons, and
those two forces can be expected to keep each other
occupied during the battle. More importantly, the
metallic dragons w ill keep the chromatic dragons from
interfering with the adventurers’ plans.
F i n a l B a t t l e A s s e t s
Cult Assets
Severin
Rath Modar
Cult leaders*
Cultist troops
Chromatic dragons
Devils
Giants
Evil mercenaries
Temple of Tiamat
Red Wizards
Mask o f the Dragon Queen
Factional Assets
Order o f the Gauntlet
Emerald Enclave
Zhentarim assassins
Harper agents
Metallic dragons
Devils
Giants
Lords’ Alliance army
Skyreach Castle**
Arcane Brotherhood
* Including any free wyrmspeakers the adventurers have interacted with.
** If it survived the previous adventure and remains in control of the player
characters or was returned to the giants.
C u l t A s s e t s
Severin. The head of the cult remains in the temple
sanctuary (area 13), wearing the Mask o f the Dragon
Queen while the Red Wizards weave their magic. He
can fight defensively or offensively as needed, and rankand-file
cultists fight to the death as long as they know
Severin is alive. See appendix A for Severin’s statistics.
Rath Modar. Rath Modar leads the ritual of guidance,
but any Red Wizard can take on that role. When the
temple is attacked, he hands over his part in the ritual
and leads the attack against the adventurers. See
appendix A for Rath Modar’s statistics.
Cult Leaders. Wearers of Purple are venerated
leaders among the cultists, and most of them are
powerful combatants in their own right.
Cultist Troops. The Cult of the Dragon has thousands
of combatants at the Well of Dragons, all armed and
dedicated to the glory of the Dragon Queen.
Chromatic Dragons. The exact number of chromatic
dragons present at the Well of Dragons is up to you, and
could range from a few dozen to a hundred or more.
Devils. Devils fighting for the cult have been
summoned by the Red Wizards, and serve fiendish
masters dedicated to seeing Tiamat leave Avernus.
Giants. The few giants who fight for the cult believe
that Tiamat’s return is inevitable, but they are sullen and
uncooperative. They fight when they see easy victory but
withdraw when they sense defeat.
Evil Mercenaries. Mercenary companies form the
backbone of the cult’s army. Better trained than the
cultists, these mercenaries are capable of standing
against the best warriors in Faerun.
Temple o f Tiamat. The temple is necessary as the site
of the ritual. Damaging it can help weaken Tiamat if the
ritual is successful.
Red Wizards. Red W izards not performing the ritual
are embedded with mercenary units and troops of
armed cultists to provide extra firepower.
Mask o f the Dragon Queen. The magic of the mask
is central to the ritual’s success. If it is claimed or
destroyed, the ritual fails, but Severin uses all the power
of the mask to keep it in his possession.