Session 0

General Summary

DRAKKENHEIM IS NO MORE.

An eldritch storm of falling stars devastated the city on that woeful eve, leaving behind a meteorite that would have lasting effects. Fifteen years later, Drakkenheim is a dismal urban wasteland contaminated by otherworldly magic and haunted by hideous monsters. Fantastic wealth, lost knowledge, and powerful artifacts lie ready for the taking by adventurers brave or foolish enough to venture into the ruins. However, even those who survive the dangers of Drakkenheim may not return unmarked by its terrors!

Welcome to Drakkenheim

Drakkenheim was the cosmopolitan capital of Westemär, ruled by the imperious House von Kessel. A decade of bloody civil war erupted after the city’s destruction. The realm was left shattered and the royal line broken. Now, the political order of the wider world lies in shambles, torn apart by religious schism and military conflict, and only a faint hope remains that the city can be rebuilt, and the nation restored.

Campaign Overview

Dungeons of Drakkenheim is an adventure set in a gothic renaissance ruined city. It is Dark fantasy/cosmic horror character driven campaign. This means that player character choices and actions will have consequences. You will be able to choose who you ally with and threw your choices will dictate who your enemies are. This means that there may not be a "right" answer as you try to navigate the political landscape. Alignment is a moot point as Drakkenheim is very much a place where good intentioned people have to do bad things to get the outcomes they want or need. Conversely Bad people will do good things if in the end it serves them.
Because of the moral ambiguity it will not be possible to make everyone happy. This in turn means that at some point, you will make an enemy of one of the factions. Be careful of the decisions you make as they will affect each of the factions differently.
As this is a character driven/open ended campaign the encounters are not balanced. Between the monsters and the special rules for Contamination/The Haze you may wonder into more trouble than what you are able to handle. Running away, hiding, obtaining powerful magical items, leveling or getting reinforcements are some of the options you will need to come up with to navigate Drakkenheim.

Delerium

Found throughout Drakkenheim and left behind after the disastrous meteor shower are these iridescent crystals of vast magical potential. Known as delerium, these stones radiate unnatural energies that induce madness and monstrous transformations. Despite these dangers, delerium is ideally suited to crafting magic items and fueling mighty new spells. Sorcerers, warlocks, wizards, and all manner of occult magicians crave its supernatural power, thus delerium commands a high price within arcane circles and underground markets alike. Many prospectors risk everything to collect a few fragments, but the true origins of the strange mineral remain unknown. The rival factions stand divided over whether the crystals should be destroyed, harnessed, or worshipped, and their simmering disagreements threaten outright war

The Haze

There are more hazards in Drakkenheim than monsters and rival factions. A billowing mist filled with glinting multi-coloured motes has settled over the entire city, which adventurers call the Haze. It’s like the dust never really settled after the meteor fell.

• Players cannot take a long rest in the haze
• Spending too much time in the haze risks contamination
• Deep haze- Some areas the haze is more concentrated and dangerous

The haze penetrates all creatures, all substances, all spells, all things. See The Haze for more information.

Contamination

With Delerium and The Haze comes a risk of Contamination. Abilities, equipment, and spells that protect against diseases, magic, or poisons do not work against contamination. It cannot be healed naturally, nor readily removed with low-level spells. Player characters will need to work with the factions and find creative solutions to manage these problems during their adventures
A contaminated creature suffers the symptoms from its current level as well as all lower levels.

1. None.
2. Hit points regained by expending hit dice halved.
3. No hit points regained at the end of a long rest.
4. Damage dealt by weapon attacks and spells halved.
5. Incapacitated.
6. Monstrous Transformation!

Personal Quests

Start to think about your characters and what the driving force for them to come to Drakkenheim is. Look through the Personal Quests available for ideas. Every character will need to have a personal quest that drove them to Drakkenheim. If you do not find something amenable in the Personal Quests you can work with the DM to create your own. You do not have to let other players know your quest as it may run counter to there.
The custom backgrounds for Drakkenheim can help direct you in choosing your personal quest as well as give you character a personal connection to Drakkenheim. Do not feel obligated to use them if one of the standard backgrounds will work better. There are added tools, feats and tool feats that will are directly related to Drakkenheim that you can choose as well.
You can see the specifics here. New Tool Kits Tool Kit Feats Feats available at Level 1

Character creation

For stats please use 17, 15, 13, 12, 10, 8.
You may select a Feats available at Level 1 or a Tool Kit Feats
If one of those feats does not work for your character a standard feat may be used, pending GM approval.
If you would like proficiency with one of the new tool sets that is not in, your background it may be added pending GM approval

The Factions

Amethyst Acadamy
The Amethyst Academy is a magical school for sorcerers and wizards, where students learn magic in remote castles and secluded universities. Directed by a shadowy cabal of powerful archmages, the Academy also operates an enterprising mage guild that controls the manufacture of magical wares, and orchestrates an influential arcane syndicate that provides occult counsel to the nobility of the continent. However, the Academy was dealt a terrible blow following Drakkenheim’s destruction, as the city was home to their greatest stronghold: the Inscrutable Tower. Archwizard Eldrick Runeweaver leads the Academy’s efforts to access the tower and safeguard the secret lore within. Meanwhile, their survey teams conduct ongoing research regarding delerium’s supernatural qualities and unknown dangers. The mages plan to harness the crystals’ vast energies to craft magical items and power new arcane spells.
Followers of the Falling Fire
The annihilation of Drakkenheim incited a serious religious schism within the Faith of the Sacred Flame. A new sect has emerged known as the Followers of the Falling Fire, who adhere to the prophecies of former Flamekeeper Lucretia Mathias. She attests that delerium is a divine gift, not a blight, and that these sacred stones will offer salvation against a greater darkness yet to come. The mainstream clergy have excommunicated Lucretia Mathias and branded her followers as an insane cult with heretical beliefs and blasphemous practices. Even still, masses of devout commonfolk now embark on a dangerouspilgrimage to Drakkenheim to take their place in a divine plan.
Hooded Lanterns
Formally known as the 4th Provisional Expeditionary Force to Reclaim the Capital, the Hooded Lanterns are an irregular military drawn up from veterans of the Civil War and remnants of the old Drakkenheim City Watch. Led by the dour Lord Commander Elias Drexel, they wage a guerrilla war against the monsters, bandits, and scavengers who have taken root in their nation’s capital. Each has pledged their swords and lives to rebuild Drakkenheim and restore the Realm of Westemär. Several noble houses have set aside their feuds to support the Hooded Lanterns’ efforts. These families believe once the city is restored, evidence will emerge revealing the true heir to the throne of Drakkenheim... or enable a cunning house to seize the crown.
Knights of the Silver Order
The Knights of the Silver Order are an organization of oathbound paladins and devout warriors sworn to combat supernatural evil, dark magic, and otherworldly incursions. The questing knights normally travel the realms in small bands and companies, and adhere to the Faith of the Sacred Flame, the dominant religion across the continent. They believe delerium is a contaminating blight borne of the darkest chaos, and have resolved to annihilate the corrupted crystals, slay every monster it has created, and hunt down diabolical mages who would wield its power to work evil magic. Now an entire regiment has been dispatched to Drakkenheim to carry out this righteous task, led by Knight-Captain Theodore Marshal
Queen's Men
The Queen’s Men are a loose affiliation between a hundred gangs of brigands, outlaws, and scoundrels, all of whom owe fealty to the enigmatic Queen of Thieves. These reprobates prey upon the pilgrims, prospectors, and explorers drawn to the city, extort and rob adventurers, smuggle delerium to disreputable clients in distant lands, and plunder the fantastic treasures and incredible wealth left behind in the city. The Queen of Thieves dreams of building an influential and powerful criminal empire forged in the anarchy and lawlessness of the ruins, and conspires against the other factions at every turn

Four Quick Rules

The gods are silent and distant. They don’t manifest physically nor speak with worshippers, and do not interfere in earthly matters. Planar cosmology is mysterious and unknowable, but sages have still developed many conflicting (and wildly incorrect) theories.
Divine spellcasting powers aren’t granted by gods. Instead, clerics, druids, and paladins tap into sacred energies through devotion, meditation, and resolve. Violating one’s religious tenets won’t result in a loss of this ability, but a crisis of faith might.
Individuals can’t become wizards through study alone. The arcane magic of both sorcerers and wizards alike is borne in the blood, which may be harnessed via practice and study. The laws of the land bar arcane spellcasters from holding noble titles.
High-level NPCs and spellcasters are exceptionally rare in the wider world. Despite their few numbers, such people still have a profound impact on society. However, Drakkenheim has attracted an uncommonly high concentration of such individuals.

Report Date

08 Dec 2022