Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage - An official D&D hardcover campaign! Friday 7:00 PM EDT - Beginners Welcome! Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage - An official D&D hardcover campaign! Friday 7:00 PM EDT - Beginners Welcome! Explore the mega-dungeon of Undermountain in this adventure for the world’s greatest roleplaying game. Treasures and secrets abound, but tread with care! In the city of Waterdeep rests a tavern called the Yawning Portal, named after the gaping pit in its common room. At the bottom of this crumbling shaft is a labyrinthine dungeon shunned by all but the most daring adventurers. Known as Undermountain, this dungeon is the domain of the mad wizard Halaster Blackcloak. Long has the Mad Mage dwelt in these forlorn depths, seeding his lair with monsters, traps, and mysteries—to what end is a constant source of speculation and concern... The Greatest Dungeon Of Them All More than one thousand years ago, the wizard Halaster Blackcloak journeyed from a distant land to the base of Mount Waterdeep, perhaps acceding to the whispered summons of providence. Some believe he hailed from the nearly forgotten empire known as the Cradlelands. In ages past, humanity spread from the Cradlelands across Faerûn, originating from what is now the Plains of Purple Dust, a wasteland birthed out of a conflict with the gods. Others give Halaster less ancient origins, placing him among the early wizards of Netheril, or asserting that he came from a southern nation long since buried by sand and time. Whatever his origin, scholars have recorded that Halaster brought with him seven apprentices to Mount Waterdeep. With the Seven guarding his back, Halaster tapped into his immense power to summon beings from other planes of existence to help him build a wizard's tower to dwarf all other wizard's towers. But as the seasons wore on, the Seven saw less and less of their enigmatic master. Halaster continued to use fell creatures from distant planes for tunneling and other construction beneath his tower, and the wizard kept the nature of most of his underground dealings a secret from the Seven. Eventually, Halaster's exploration broke into the Underhalls, a complex of tunnels and rooms built by the dwarves around a mithral mine beneath Mount Waterdeep. The architects of the Underhalls, the Melairkyn clan, had long ago been killed or dispersed, and warring duergar and drow had settled in the ruins. Halaster began a crusade against both the drow and the duergar, participating in wild hunts with extraplanar allies through the tunnels. The stubborn duergar dug in until the mithral was largely mined out; then they abandoned the Underhalls, leaving the drow to fight Halaster and his minions alone. The Mad Mage rounded up the remaining dark elves, trapping some of their souls for use in his dark magic, while twisting the bodies and enslaving the minds of others. Once he had wrung the drow of their usefulness, Halaster Blackcloak tunneled on, ever downward, indulging his inexplicable compulsion for delving deeper and deeper into the mountain... The Yawning Portal The Yawning Portal, a famous inn and tavern located near the eastern slope of Mount Waterdeep, derives its name from a 40-foot-diameter well that descends into the first level of Undermountain. Located in the center of the taproom, the well was once the outer shell of Halaster's mighty tower, which was demolished long ago. Its sheer walls are made of old mortared stones. Next to this gaping orifice hangs a winch with a simple rope-and-pulley mechanism that Durnan, the proprietor, uses to lower adventurers down the shaft and (sometimes) pull them up again. Durnan controls the winch himself and will transport only one adventurer at a time. The rope is stained with old blood and long enough to reach all the way to the floor of the dark room at the bottom of the 140-foot shaft... Game Details Campaign: Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage Date: Weekly sessions every Friday Time: 4:00 PM PDT / 7:00 PM EDT Place: Virtual tabletop on Roll20, voice chat on Discord Duration: Sessions last 3-4 hours Payment: $15 per player per session via PayPal This campaign will run a minimum of 6 months. Play will continue on a weekly basis until the hardcover adventure, supplemental material, and custom plotlines have been completed. Roll20's required payment disclaimer: "This game will require payment to the Game Master at a rate of $15 per session via PayPal. Roll20 is not responsible for any payment transactions and cannot enforce any private arrangements." Why Pay to Play? Practically everyone is clamoring to get into a free game online, but there aren't nearly enough experienced DMs to satisfy the demand. Most people endure disappointing experiences like this: After spending your valuable time laboriously filling out applications, you get rejected more often than not due to the scores of people applying to play each free game. When you do get accepted, players don't show up or are unprepared. Sometimes the DM doesn't show up or is unprepared. It's a frustrating grind to go through time after time, especially when all you want to do is relax and have fun playing. Here are some of the reasons why our professionally-run paid games provide a superior experience: Charging a modest per-person fee virtually eliminates player no-shows. The small fee also ensures that everyone in the group is committed to the session. The maturity level is exponentially higher in paid games. People don't abandon the group and quit the campaign when something doesn't go their way. The gaming experience provided by a professional DM is eminently more enjoyable than what you get in a free game. Material costs associated with running a top-shelf game are covered. Roll20 charges fees for the token, map, and card collections associated with each module, while the actual hardcover books and DM Guild downloads must be purchased separately. The DM's Roll20 Pro membership ensures that players have access to all of the extras, including D&D 5e Compendium integration, API scripts, and more. Custom-designed tokens for your characters are included. Extra help for beginners at no charge. An immersive experience that includes advanced role-play techniques, effects, and completely original game materials that aren't available anywhere else. About Us Dragon Hall Gaming was founded by a pair of DMs who posses over 70 years of combined D&D experience. What's more, we don't do this alone. We're proud to lead a team of dedicated and hard-working Dungeon Masters (Game Masters) who run the sessions. Players typically have access to at least one of our founders, plus their table DM, for help with things like character creation, backstory development, and mechanical Q & A. Our team works together to provide a wonderful ongoing experience to every participating player. We take our time customizing each adventure with story lines and subplots that aren't found in the officially published material. As a result, even people who have previously played or run the adventure will enjoy a unique experience that isn't found anywhere else. Our game preparation is unparalleled. We read and familiarize ourselves with every detail about a campaign before we even play the first session. We then review key points before each subsequent session, all while interweaving character backstories into the written material. Wizard of the Coast's rule master Jeremy Crawford encourages people to play D&D with RAF (Rules As Fun) in mind. So don't be surprised if we place RAF over RAW (Rules As Written). Creativity is always appreciated and rewarded. Role-playing is encouraged, but isn't required. Beginners are encouraged to apply, and will be welcomed into our gaming family with open arms. Job one for us is to ensure that every single player at the table has a good time. We take that responsibility very seriously. So if you play through a campaign with us, it will be a fun experience that you will remember and cherish well after it's over. A testament to our success is the fact that virtually every group we have ever hosted has opted to stay together and play another campaign once their initial one was completed. Beginners Welcome If you have little or no experience playing D&D online, don't worry. We will help you with your character creation prior to the first session at no additional charge. We can also provide ongoing help as you progress, also at no additional charge. Request an Invite to Play If you'd like to request an invite to play, then simply send me a private message with the following information: Your name: Your Discord ID (include the number): Campaign name/day/time: Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage, Friday, 7:00 PM EDT Briefly describe what you're looking for in a gaming experience: Your online D&D experience: none / beginner / intermediate / expert Your overall D&D experience: none / beginner / intermediate / expert Do you understand that the game costs $15 per player per session via PayPal? Provide a few details about your character such as name, class, race, and backstory. (It's OK if you haven't decided yet.) Note: If you get an error message when you try to send me a private message, then please post your application here in this thread. Don't forget to include your Discord name/number. (Remember, it's cAsE sEnSiTiVe.) <a href="https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/294940/waterdeep-dungeon-of-the-mad-mage-an-official-dandd-hardcover-campaign-run-by-a-pro-dm" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/294940/waterdeep-dungeon-of-the-mad-mage-an-official-dandd-hardcover-campaign-run-by-a-pro-dm</a>