Skullport: Shadow of Waterdeep
As you walk the twisted tunnels of Shadow Pass¸ the light of your lantern illuminating the fog heavy in the air around you¸ a silhouette ahead catches your eye. A skull. It floats toward you¸ grinning. A voice¸ eerie and creaking like a rusted door hinge¸ issues forth from its empty¸ clacking mouth. "This be safe haven to all traders and customers. Keep your weapons and your uncivil tongue sheathed¸ lest ye find the grinning skull of Death smiling in your face." You ready your weapons¸ but it makes no further move toward you¸ floating away as though it has spoken its piece. As you turn a corner¸ the fog clears¸ and you enter into a massive cavern webbed with crisscrossing bridges of rope and rigging¸ connecting buildings made from the wreckage of old ships¸ stacked atop one another haphazardly. An emerald-green light hovers high above¸ outlining a skull which lazily drifts through¸ seeming to watch over the town. Welcome to Skullport. For centuries¸ Waterdhavians have treated Skullport as a taboo subject. Even Volo himself was barred from writing a guide to Skullport¸ for fear that knowledge of this terrifying town deep beneath the City of Splendors would lead to widespread panic. But now¸ in this 86-page guide¸ experience Skullport laid bare: a place of pirates¸ scoundrels¸ slavers¸ and all other manner of unseemly folk. This book can serve as a companion to Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage ¸ or as a standalone setting for a campaign in the Port of Shadows. Included within are: Detailed information and maps for over 50 locations in Skullport¸ as well as a further 50+ in adjacent areas such as the Promenade of the Dark Maiden¸ Xanathar Guild Lair¸ Sewers¸ and Dungeons¸ and numerous different pathways by which to reach Skullport. Information on over a dozen different factions¸ from the powerful¸ tyrannical Xanathar Guild¸ to the benevolent¸ kind-hearted Protectors of the Song¸ to the murderous¸ sadistic Muses of Misery. Simple¸ accessible descriptions of the history and idiosyncracies of Skullport. An adventure set in Skullport¸ The Mage of Rags ¸ which gives characters an opportunity to dethrone the Xanathar Guild by making a bargain with one of Skullport's most notorious and dangerous mythical boogeymen--the Rag Mage. Five new subclasses: the College of Hymns for Bards¸ the Abomination Domain and Song Domain for Clerics¸ the Oath of Liberty for Paladins¸ and the Mantrapper Conclave for Rangers. A new Skulker background¸ for players who wish to play a character whose origins are in the Port of Shadows. Seven new weapons¸ including the Barbed Net¸ Lasso¸ Catch Pole¸ and Bolas¸ for those who would prefer to take their quarry prisoner¸ and the Smokepowder Pistol for those who don't mind either way. Seven unique new spells to enable your players to learn the weird magic of Undermountain-or have it used against them. Random events and encounters to add flavour and savour¸ or serve as plot hooks¸ within Skullport. Two new conditions to add extra horror to your games: Haunted¸ for when a character has contact with something supernaturally terrifying that scars them more than mere fright¸ and Addicted¸ for those characters who enjoy partaking in life vice's to excess. Complete with several example addictive substances¸ and haunting locales. CONTENT WARNING: addiction¸ alcohol¸ animal cruelty¸ disease¸ drugs¸ mental compulsion¸ mental illness¸ parasites¸ self-harm¸ sex work¸ slavery¸ suicide¸ torture. THIS SUPPLEMENT CONTAINS ADULT CONTENT¸ AND ELEMENTS INAPPROPRIATE FOR PLAYERS UNDER THE AGE OF 18. Cover art by Patrick E. Puller. Find more of his work here. For more information or to submit feedback or discus