THE WILD BEYOND THE WITCHLIGHT. A FEYWILD ADVENTURE
CREDITS ProtMt Lead: Chr•stopl·m Perkins Art Director. Kille rwm Writer$: Stacey Al,iln, Wo I Doyle, Afl Levitch. Chnstopher Perkins Additional Writing: Julien Camaraza Be'le Farmer Adam lee, Toa)moor R'hm;in, Momg;in Robbins Rules Development: Jeremy Criwford, Ben Petnsor, Taymoor Rehman Editing: Jud, Bauer, Kim Mohan, Hannah Rose Cnph ic Designer: Tflsh Yochum Story Consultant: Pair ck Rothfuss Cultural Consulunt: Sh•aw·L•ng Lai Cover lllustr-ators:: Tyler Jacobson urtograph ers: Stacey A Ian. Will Doyle Interior Illustrators: Helder Almeida, Tom Babbey, Martt Behm, Zohan Boros. Fohp Burburan, Christopher Burdell, Paul Scott Canavan Dawn Carlos, Kai Carpenter, Clint Cearley, S1dharth Chiltuniedi, Dn1d Renl! Christensen, Daarken, Alayn;i Danner, N1kk1 Axel Defo1s, Olga Drcbas, Wayne Eng!iind, Caroline Caroba Lars Cran1-West R.;ilph Horsley. Sam Keoser, )ulian Kok, Katerina ladon Olly Lawson, Titus Lunter, Andrew Mar. Marcela Medeiros, 6f}nn Metheney. Robson Michel, Chmtophc r Moeller, Scott Murphy Inna Nordso 11 Robin Olausson , Claudio Pous, Apnl Pr.me Jason Ra.n111lle Chr s Ral os, Ned Rogers, Cr;iog J Speaung . Matt Cory Trego·Erdner. Brian Valeza. Anna Veltkamp, Migali V eneuve Richard Whiners, Mark Winters, Shawn Wood Zuunna Wu:i:yk, Koeran Vanner Trish Yochum Concept Art DirKtor: Shawn Wood ON TH E COVER The Witch l1ght Carn val has come to town! On the back cover, a displacer be;ist finds &-year-old Tyler Jacobson ;ind leads him back to the carrwal, where he belongs. 620C9277000001 EN ISBN 978·0 ·7869·6728·S Forst Printing August 2021 !187654321 UK CR CE Concept Illustrators: Jedd Chevier. Daarken, Toma Feizo Gas. Titus Lunter, April Prime, llya Shkipin, Cory Trego-Erdner, Shawn Wood, K1cran Vanner Project Engineer: Cynda Callaw;iy Imaging Technician: Kevin Yee ?rep ress Specialist; Jefferson Dunlap o&o STUDIO Executive Producer. Ray Winninger Principal Designer$; Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins Design Manager. Steve Scott Design Departmen t: Sydney Adams, Judy Bauer, Maken2ie De Armas, Dan Dillon. Amanda Hamon , Ari Levitch, Ben Petnsor, Taymoor Rehman, F. Wesley Schneider, James Wyatt Art Team Manager: Richard Wh1tters Art Department : Trystan Falcone, Kale Irwin, Emi Tcanji. Shawn Wood. Tmh Yochum Se nior Producer: Dan Tovar Producers: 8111 Benham, Robert Hawkey. lea Heleotos Director of Product Managemen t: Liz Schuh Product ManagerT. Natalie Egan, Chris Lindsay, Hila!'} Ross. Chns Tulach MA RK ETIN G Director of Global Brand Marketing: Brian Perry Global Br.and Manager: Shelly Mananob le Senior Marketing Communications Manager. Greg Tito Community Man;ager: Brandy Camel I i i # . i i ON THE ALT-C OVER Hydro74 presents Star, a displacer beast kitten that loves adventuring in the Feywild. A wondrous magic item called the Witchlight vane graces the back cover. II' [!] , .. o.uro.,,,cr Dore 10 o ucp orro dor• bociwi>•d •nd 011,,,.. of ,,..,r? 1(,.,.,.. w .101d1 ofrh< Coon co•nor be llrl:J mp11111 ore f.,.11touw•o Mitt r>t r "*" 1ucord I• ttO'm. l lMC Clf.S f..- fltd llt i ,,OIS. It bl' rrtOttlhS Or'rt0f1 ych1 tcrurtt ro 1J.:L tto,.a,/J fl'JOr 1hc •dr1tttfu1c w.1'1lt '' lous, ond dcri·1 lu s1np11Kd if rou '"' '""'"' o/c*' f11t1tds ond foci from old td l•o•o l,ul'"B ""'""I lltt fer &. OltAGONS, 06.0 W 1•rd1 or1"t Cnu, 1hc d•11on P'or"I I Mo•ll tr Mon,.r. Owr1con ... 011trs GJ·dt . 111 01her W.urds of lht Coan p1od.it1 nJll"ft •'Id OllH • •• 111de,,111ki 11fW1urd1 er lht Co•ll "" 11\t USA ••d Olhtl (Ou•l••U All thJtJ<l<rS lhu dollu•Cl"• .,. p•opr•lr ol Wourds of llit Conl T°hC' ""-''" .111 dnc• "1fou' \UtC',,,t'""t l fC' vndctthc- cop1r &ht ciftht U· •tcd SUtC'\ o( Amtnca iround tJ,c world undcf 1ntC"rn01t1on1I tnlc fcc1 ... pu::.p· crtr l 1C.ll•U Ari( rtptodi.l<llOrl Of lolf\IUtP\O'•ZC'd U$C oht.c m1ICl•ith <Cflll " t d t'-t'IC'" 0' 1rt•"OU COftl• nc4 t-CfC' n ., proh b ttd w1thOU1 lhr flpfCSS \lllf1Ut'1 On o( Pun1•d n '"•USA C2021 Wtu•d1 LLC. PO Boa 707, Rrn10" WA 0101, USA .. 1 ... d br Hnb<o SA, Rue ["1 re Sot<h•I JI, zeoo Ocltmo nl CH Rtp•otnlfd by: De [•!••c j10 1101 EE N1 Hasbro UK Lid PO 101 111't.., po•I NP" 1YH UK
CONTENTS Introdu ction: Joto the Feywild ............... 4 Rules or Conduct .............. -··-····--..... 58 Mothe rhorn Loca tions ........................ 152 Adventure Summ ary .................................. 4 Children of Prismee r ............................ 60 Leav ing Von ·-········ ........ - ....................... 169 Adventure S tructu re .............................. 4 Transforming the Domain ................... 60 Ch. S: Palace ofHeart's Desire .......... 170 Chara cter Adva nccmcni. ........................ 4 Runnin g the Ad11cnturc .............................. 5 Death in Prismc cr ................................. 60 Fora ging in Prismcc r ............................ 61 Runn iug This Chapter ..................... _ ..... 171 Arrival at the Palace ............................... 172 Using the Maps ......................................... 5 Featu res or Hither ..................................... 61 Frie nds a nd Followers ........................ 173 Using the Story Tracke r ......................... 5 Tips for New Dungeon Masters ............ 6 Ar rival in Hith cr ......................................... 62 Rand om Encounters in Hithe r ........... 64 Exploring the Pa lace .............................. 173 Palace Fea tures .................................... 173 Feywild Trinkets .......................................... 7 Feywild Tr inkets table ............................ 8 Loca tions in Hither ................................... 67 Sl;:mty Tower ........................................... 68 Temporal Siasis ...... _,._ ...................... 174 Pa lace Locations ...... -·-···· ................. 174 Backgro und s ................................................. 9 Telemy Hill.. ............................................. 70 Cl:isswor k Golem (stat block) ........... 193 Feylost ......................................................... 9 Witchlil!hl Hand ..................................... l l Races ............................................................ 12 l'niry .......................................................... 12 Harengon ................................................. 13 Chara cter Traits ......................................... 14 Brigands' Tollway ................................... ii Agdon Longscnrf {stat block) .............. 73 Downfall ...................................................... 74 Where's Bovlorna? ................................ 74 The Soggy Court .... .............................. 74 Downfoll Loca tions ............................... 76 Ending the Story ...................................... 204 Zybi Ina Come s Alive ........................... 204 lggwilv (s tat block) ............................... 205 Zybilna's GiCts ....................................... 207 Appendix A: Magic Items ................... 208 Beginn ing the Adventure ......................... 15 Lost Things ............................................. 15 Warlo ck's Quest ..................................... 18 Pronu nciat ion Guide ................................ 21 Ch. l: Witcbligbt Carnival .................... 22 Running This Chap ter .............................. 23 Carn ival Owncrs_ ...................................... 24 Miste r Witch (stat block) ....................... 25 Miste r Light (sta t blo ck) ........................ 26 Witchlight Han ds ....................................... 27 Witch light Hand {stat block) ................ 27 Carnival Overvicw ..................................... 28 Bringing chc Carniva l to Ure .............. 28 Wandering Outsi ders ............................ 30 Car nival Locailons .................................. 31 Ticket Booth ............................................ 31 BigTop ...................................................... 32 Clappc rclaw (st:u block) ....................... 78 Tree Blight (stat block) .......................... 8 4 Bavlorna's Cottage ................................... 87 Couage l..ocations .... ,_ .......................... 87 From Hither to Thither ............................ 97 Cb. 3: Thither ........... - ............................... 98 Runn ing This Chapt e r .............................. 99 Featur es or Thi ther ................................... 99 Fairy Rings ............................................. 99 Wanted Posters ..... - ............................. 101 Arri\lal in Thither ..................................... 102 Random Encounters in Thither ........ 102 Loca tions in Thilher .............................. 106 Nib's Cave .............................................. 106 LittleOak ............................................... 108 Displacer Beast Kiucn (stat block) .. 108 Squirt (sta t bloek) ................................ 110 Appendix B: Factions ............................ 215 Hou rglass Cove n ..................................... 215 B:ivlorna Bligh tstraw .......................... 215 Endcl yn Moongravc ............................. 217 S kabn tha Nightshadc .......................... 2 18 League of Malevol ence ............ -······-···· 2 19 Kelek. ....................................................... 2 19 S kylla ...................................................... 220 \ Varduke ................................................. 221 Zarak ....................................................... 222 Zargash .................................................. 223 Valor's Call ................................................ 224 Elkh orn .......... _ ...................................... 224 Me rcion ................................................... 225 Mollivcr ................................................... 226 Rin gle run ............................................. -227 S tronghea rt ........................................... 228 Bubble-Pop Teapo t ............................... 33 Wayward Pool... .................................... l 10 C: Creatures ......................... 229 Calliope .................................................... 34 Loomlur eh ................................................. 113 Boggle ........................................................ 229 Ca rousel .................................................. 34 Appro;iching Loomlu rch .................... 113 Br igganock ................................................ 230 Treant Sapling (slat block) ................... 36 Where's Skabat ha? .............................. 113 Bullywugs .................................................. 23 1 Drago nfly Rides ...................................... 36 Skabatha's Minions ............................. 114 Bullywug Knight .................................. 23 1 Feasting Orchard ................................... 37 Lo t Child ren ........................................ 115 Bullywug Royal .................................... 23 1 Gondola Swans ...................................... 38 Loomlurch Locatio ns .......................... 115 C:impcstris ................................................ 232 Hall of Illusions ...................................... 38 Flying Rocking Horse (stat block) ... 12 1 Campestri .............................................. 232 Lost Property .......................................... 40 From Thithe r to Yon .............................. 130 Swnrm orCampcs tris ......................... 232 Mystery Mine ......................................... 41 Pixie Kingdom ........................................ 42 Silversong Lake ..................................... 43 Small S talls ............................................. 43 S n:iil Racing ............................................ 46 Staff Arca ................................................. 48 Carni\lal Events .......................................... 49 Meeting Witch and Light.. ................... .49 Burly's P lan ............................................. 51 Catching Ke ulcst cam ........................... 51 Ch. 4: \'on .................................................. 132 Running This Chaptcr ............................ 133 Feature s of Yon ........................................ 133 Lightning Rods ..................................... 134 Arr ival in Yon ............................................ 134 Amidor and Gleam .............................. 134 Pollenclla (:.tat blo ck) ...... _ ................. 135 Amido r {stat block) ............................... 135 Random Encounte rs in Yon ............... IJ6 Locations in Yon ...................................... 141 Darklings ....................................... - ........ 233 Dnrkling ................................................. 233 Dnrk ling Eldcr ...................................... 233 Ciani Dragonfly ........................................ 234 Gian c S nail ................................................ 234 l-lnrc ngons ................................................. 235 Ha rengon Brigan d ............................... 235 H:ircnson Snipcr .............. _ .............. 235 Jobbe rwock ................................................ 236 Korrcd ........................................................ 237 Kettlesteam (stat block) ........................ 52 Timed Eve nts .......................................... 53 Through the Lookin g Glass ................ 54 Ch. 2: fUthcr .............................................. 56 Lockbury Henge ................................... 141 Fey Beaco ns .......................................... 1'13 Brigganoek Mine ................................. 145 Mothe rhorn .............................................. 149 Living Doll ...... - ........................................ 238 Qui ck ling ................................................... 239 Redcn p ....................................................... 240 Selene ! ion Twin ....................................... 24 1 Running This Chapter .............................. 57 Entering Motherh orn .......................... 149 Appendix D: Rol eplnylng Cords ....... 242 Prismeer Overv iew ................................... 57 A Domain Divided .................................. 58 Friend ly Guide s ...................................... 58 Appro:ich ing Mo1herhorn ······-·····-·· 1•19 Appendix E: Stagefright's Lines ....... 250 Where's E11dclyn? ................................ 150 A Tragedy in the Making .... _. ............. 151 Story Tracker ........................................ 253
I N T R () D L C T I 0 N INTO THE FEYWILD Hrs Du 'GEONS & DRAGONS ADVENTURE begins 1 n a world of your choos ing-pe rhaps a world of your own creation-Lhen ( e:. ventures into the Feywild. Also known as the Plane of Faerie, the Feywild is a place of wonder and whimsy ruled by unfettered emotion. Before running this adventure, please read the MFeywild" sec tion in the Dunfieon Master's Guide. as it contains use rul inform ation about this dusky, fantastic plane of existe nce. The information in this book is intended for the DM's eyes only. If you're planning to play th rough the adven ture with someone else as your OM. stop reading now! A DVEN TUR E SU MM A RY The main antagoni sts of Lhis story are thre e hags who collectively form the Hourgla ss Coven, which is described in appendix 8. These hags are the adoptive sis ters of lggwilv. a powerf ul figure from D&D's past and a key player in the adventure 's unfolding dram a. Using an artifact called Jggwilv's Cauldron, the hags have trapped an archfey named Zybilna in temporal stasis and carved up her fey domain among them. This domain is called Prismeer. To ente r it. the characters must first visit the Witchlight Carniva l, which travels across the Materia l Plan e and appears on the chara cters' world once every eight years. The ca rnival owners are a pair of shada r-kai (elves native to the Shadowfell) name d Mister Witch and Mister Light. who can help or hinder the characters' efforts to reach Prismeer. One of the many novelties of this adventure is that the charact ers can accomplish their goals without resorti ng to violence-b ut only if they're clever. They can fight their way thro ugh 1he adventure as well, bul the odds won't always be in thei r favor. ADVENTURE STRUCTU R E The chara cters are drawn into the adve ntur e by one of two adventur e hooks. You choose which hook to use. Both hooks are described in -Beginn ing the Adventure," later in this introdu ction. Chapler I describes the Wi1chligh1 Carni val. Hidden somewhe re in the carni val is a fey cross ing to the domain of Prismcer. but the trick 10 openi ng this porial is known only 10 1he carnival's shadar-kai owne rs. Mis ter Witch a nd Mister Light. I NTRODUCTIOS I NTO THE FEYW IL D Chap ters 2, 3, and 4 describe the carved- up domain of Prismeer, which the hags of the Hourgl ass Coven have us urp ed and split into thirds. The characters can move between these splinter-realms only if they have the right fey guides to help them. Chapte r 5 describes the Palace of Hea rt's Desir e, where the archfey Zybilna and her court ace frozen in time by the magic of lgg\Vi/v's Cauldron. The palace is where the cha racte rs need to go if they hop e to thwart the Hour glass Coven by freeing Zybilna or destro ying the cauldron. The book concludes with several appendices wherein you'll find rules for new magic items, stat blocks for new creatu res, and other goodies. At the end of the book is a Story Tracker you can use to keep track of story developments as they occur. Advice on how to use the S tory Tracker appea rs later in this introduction. CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT The advent ure assumes that the characte rs sta rt at 1st level. If your players are more interested in explorati on and socia l interaction than combat, or if you want to make the characters' Feywild excursion less dan gero us, have them start at 3rd level instead . Advancement is handled the same way regardless. In this adven ture, the chara cters receive experience points for achieving milestones rather than defeating monsters: Entering a Hag's Realm. Whenever the charac - ters enter a hag's realm (Hither, Thither, or Yon) for the firs t time, everyone in the party rece ives e nough XP to adva nce 1 level. For example, when the chara cters leave the Witchlight Carnival and arrive in Hither for the first time, rhey gai n a level. En countering a Hag. After the cha racte rs encounter a hag of the Hourglass Coven for the first time, everyone in the party who survives the encount er recejves enough XP to advance 1 level. Freeing Zybiln a. If the charac ters free Zybilna from temporal stasis or destroy lggwilv's Cauldron, everyone in the party receives enoug h XP to advance I level. If you follow this method of characte r advancement, characte rs who start the adventure at 1st level might reac h 8th level by the adventure's conclusion. -
RUNNING THE ADVENTURE To ru n the adventure. you need the fifth editi on core ru lebooks (Player's Handbo ok, Duneeo n Master's Guide. and Mons ter Manual). Text that appears in a box like this is meant to be read aloud or paraphrased for the players when their characters first arrive at a location or under a specific circumstance, as described in the text. The Monster Manua l contain s s tat blocks for most of the creat ures encou ntered in 1his adventur e. When a creature's name appears in bold ty pe. that's a visual cue pointing you to its stat block as a way of saying. "Hey, OM, you'd better get this creatu re's stat block ready. You're going to need it." H the stat block is no1 from the Monster M:mval. the adve nture's text tells you whe re to find it. S pells and equipment mentioned in the adventu re a re descr ibed in the Player's Handbook . Magic items are described in the Dungeon Master's Guide unless the adventure's text directs you lo appendix A. USIN G THE M A P S This book contain s a fold-out. double-sided poster map and several interior maps. These elements a re rurlh er describ ed in the sections that follow. POSTER MAP The adventure lets you know when it's safe to show your players either s ide of the double-sided poster map. One side of the poster map show s the Witch light Carni val and a Time Tracker, to help you track the pass age of time as the charact ers explore the carnival. Certain carn ival events occur only when the Time Tracker reaches a certain point. Though it's not necessa ry, your grou p can place tokens or miniatures on the map to keep track of where the characrers a re in the ca rnival at any given time. The reverse s ide of the poster map s hows the Feywild domain of Prismee r, now divided into three splint er-rea lms called Hither, Thilh er, and Yon. Lodged between them is the Palace of Hea rt's Desire-the home of Prismeer's a rch fey ruler, Zybilna. This side of the map is mean t 10 be shared with the players once the characters reach the palace, from where they ca n lookout over the whole doma in. OM-friendly versions of this map appear in chapters 2, 3, and 4, to help you track the pa rty's progress throu gh Pris meer's splinte r-real ms . EICHT AND THREE As you run The Wild Beyond the Witchlighi. look for ways to bring the numbers eight and three to the fore. For example, characters who t;ike a long rest in the fey domain of Prismeer might. without fall, be awakened by three songbirds at the end of the eighth hour. The number elght Is symbolically important , as this adventure plays with the themes of time and nostalgia . The numeral 8 resembles an hourg lass. which measures the passage of time, and looks like the symbo l for infinity (oo) turned on Its side. Hidden within the numeral 8 itself is the numeral 3. In the D&D multiverse, there exists the Rule ofThree , which states that events of cosmic consequence often manifest in threes. Time, for instance, has a past . present , and future. The Hourglass Coven has three members. The fey doma in of Prismeer ts divided into three spllnter·realms, which adventurers explore with the help of three guides . Hidden within the adventure are numerous other mentions of the numbers eight and three. Can you find them all? INTERIOR MAPS Maps that appea r in 1his book a rc for your eyes only. As Lhe cha racte rs explore locatio ns on a give n map. you ca n redraw portions of l he map on gra ph pape r, a wet-erase ma t. or a nothe r surface to help your players vis ua lize locations that might have unus ual s ha pes or features. Your ha nd-drawn ma ps need not be faith ful to the originals. a nd you can alter a map's features as you see fit. Nor do your maps need to be pai ns taki ngly re ndered. You can omir deta ils that a re not readily vis ible (such as sec ret doors a nd other hidd en features) until che characters a re able to detect and interac t with them. Slopes and Staircas es. An a rrow on a slope or s taircase a lways points in the asce nding direction. LANDMARKS N OTTO S CALE The posler map o f Prismeer a nd the interior maps of Hither. Thither, and Yon s how importa nt land· marks that are desc ribed in the text. These landma rks are not drawn to scale. USING THE STORY TRACKER This adventur e uses a S tory Tracker, a copy of which is included a r the back of this book. The Story Tracker is a note-keeping tool to help you reme mber importam information about the cha racters and their accomplishments. At various times in the adventure, you will be advised to jot down informmion on the S tory Tracke r, as events that happe n in earlier chap1e rs can give charac rers a n advantage in later chapr ers . The Story Tracker a lso a llows you to reco rd important details. For examp le, if a character falls under a curse, noting the s pecifics of the curse on the S tory Tracker might remind you of the e ffect. I INTO TH E FEYW I LD 5
UNICORN HORN A lost unicorn horn plays an important part in the advent ure. Its location is determined random ly by rolling on the Unicorn Horn 's Location table. Once you determine where the horn is, record its location on the Story Tracker. The horn belongs to a unicorn na med Elidon, who was captured and transfo rmed into a rocking horse by the Hourg lass Coven. For more information about Elidon , s ee area L6 in chapter 3. UNICORN HORN'S LOCATION d8 Location l Offered for sale at Trinket, Bauble, and Charm's in Downfall {see area 010 in chapter 2) 2 Hidden among the coals under Bavlorna's cauldron (see area 018 in chapter 2) 3 Stolen by Will of the Feywild and kept in Little Oak {see uEncounters m Thither" in chapter 3) 4 Hidden in one of the cupboa rds of Loom lurch (see area LlO in chapter 3) S In the possess ion of A,.chillus the peryton (see "Fey Beacons" m chapter 4) 6 In the possession ofSkylla the warlock (see area Mll in chapter 4) 7 In the possess ion of Shon the librarian (see area P28 in chapter 5) 8 Tucked in a wooden chest by lggrik the quasit {see area PSl in chap ter S) 6 INTRODUCTION I l !"TO THE FEYWILD TIPS FOR NEW DUNGEON MASTERS Most of this book is for the DM's eye s only, sinc e it's full of sec rets that your players won't disc over until you run the adventure for them. That said. the adventu re contai ns a lot of infor mation that can be shared with the players at specific times, as dis - cussed below. NEW CHARACTER OPTIONS During character creation, you can allow your players to read the new backgrounds and race options that appea r in this intr odu ction, if you're comfortable with allowi ng the se options in your game. MAGIC ITEM DESCRIPTIONS When the characters acqu ire a new magic item and figure out what it does (see "Identifying a Magic Item" in the Dungeon Master's Guide), give that item's descr iption to the players. STATISTICS Creatu re stat blocks should be kept hidden from the players until circumstances warrant othe rwise , as discussed below. Armor Class. When characters make attacks agafost a creature, you compare those attacks to the creat ure's Armor Class to determine whether the attacks hit. After a certain numbe r of hits and misses , players can usually pinpoint a creature 's AC on their own. Howeve r, in the interest of speed ing up combat , you can divulge a creature's AC once the cha racters have hit the creature at least once , allowing players to know without asking if attacks made against the crearu re hit or miss. Hit Points . It's better not to tell players how many hit points a crea ture has. However, you can give the players a sense of how welJ they're doing against the creat ure by describing, in narrative terms, how hurt the creat ure is. For example, if the crea ture has fewer than half its hit points remaining , you can describe it as being badly wounded or on the ropes . Such inform atio n gives the players a sense of accomplish me nt and might spur them to press the attack. On the other hand, if the characters aren't putting much of a dent in the creature 's hit points, either because it has a lot of them or it has a trait such as Regeneration, it's a good idea to let the players know that the creatu re looks like it can take a lot more punishment. That informa tion alone might encourage the players to consider a change of plan , s uch as a tactical retreat. Damage . Players need you to tell them how much damage their cha racters take and what type of damage it is. Whenever the adventure presents damage that is variab le, it shows the average damage first, followed by a die expressio n in pa rentheses , tike this: 10 (3d6). You decide whether to use the averag e
or roll the dice. Using average damage speeds up play. but it might feel less exciting, and players can take advantage of its predictability. Rolling the dice takes more time but can yield more volatile results. In the interest of fairness, comm it to one approach or the othe r for the duration of an encounter or game' session. Abl1ities, Strengths, and Weaknesses. As thei r characte rs fight a creature. players expect to learn more about the creature's strengths, weaknesses, and abilities. H's okay to share such informalion with them as it becomes apparent. For example, you can describe a creature's wound s closing up wh en it regerrerates. Characters don't need to fight a creature to know certain facts about it. For example, a chara cter who has the Witch ligh t hand background and chose a sprite for a carniva l companio n would know a lot about sprites , includ ing Lheir ability to turn invi sible. Similarly, if a character intuits that a treant, being a creat ure made of wood. has vuln erabi lity to fire damage, just smile faintly and say, "That 's a reasonable hypothesis. " If the treant takes double damage from a fireball spell, be sure to let players know how badly the fire hurt it. Don't be afra id to dole our information to characters who have the applicab le knowled ge. If you're not sure whether the characters possess such knowl edge, have them make an Intelli gence check (see the Dungeon Master 's Guide for more guida nce about ability cnecks), and shar e the informa tion if one or more characters succeed on the check. DICE R OLLS Many DMs like to roll their dice in the open, for all the players to see, to maintain transparency. Other DMs prefer to roll dice behind a screen to maintain suspense. Either approach is fine. Even DMs who conceal their dice rolls might divulge certain results. for example, when a creature scores a critical hit against a character, it's customary to let the player know that their characte r just took a particularly nasty hit before revealing how much damage was dealt. h's okay to ask one of your players to make a die roll for you. For example, if you plan to use one of this adventure 's random encounters, you can have a player roll to determine what the cnaracters encounter, rathe r than making tile roll yourself. STORY INFORMATION Import ant inform ation that doesn't appear in boxed text is usually communicated to players through roleplaying. As the DM, you roleplay all the creatures that the characters encounter in the adventure. Many of the OM-controlled creatures (also called nonplayer characters. or NPCs) in this MAKING MISTAKES Dungeon Masters are fallible, just like everyone else, and even the most experienced DMs make mistakes. If you overlook, forget, or misrepresen t something, correct yourself and move on. This 1s a big adventure with lots of interconnecting elements ; no one expects you to internalize or memorize every aspect of it. As long as your players are having fun , everything will be just fine. adventure know info rmation that the characters can learn through inqu iry. The adventure oullin es the most likely circumstances under whi ch a creatu re will share what it knows. The adventure describes important creatures i n detail. while creatu res of little consequence get no more than a passing reference. As such. you have enough information to bring import ant creatures to life. but not so much that it becomes a chore to r emember all the details. The adventur e seldom goes so far as to describe wnat a creature sound s like. nor does it r eveal every thing that a creature might say or do. You're expected to impro vise and bring creature s to life as best you can. For example. the adventu re describes Mister Light (one of the owners of the Wit chlight Carni val) as a flamboyant figure, but you get lo decide what his voice sounds like and how he reacts to a given situ ation. based on what the adventur e says about him. You can also ignore what the text says and roleplay Mister Light or any othe r creature as you see fit. Roleplayi ng Aids. Appendix 8 contains i nformal ion that will help you roleplay a handful of i mport· ant OM-controlled characters whose actio ns prope l and shape the narrative of the advemure. The cards in appendix D serve much the same purpose but are optional; they provide roleplaying notes for several other colorful characters who aren't as pivotal. You can photocopy these cards, cut them out. and keep them in a handy stack behind your DM screen, sorted alphab etically or grouped by chapter. (The latte r option work s better if you expect the current game session to focus entirely on one chapter of the adventure.) FEYWILD TRINKETS The Feywild Trinkets table that follows offers a selection of trinkets appropriate for F'eywild -thcmcd adventures such as this one. Players whose chara cters have the feylost or Wit ch light hand background can roll on this table instead o( the Trink ets table in the Player's Handbook to determine what trink ets their characters possess. The adventure includes a few encounters thac require you to roll on the tabl e to determine what random trink ets the charact ers find in key locations. I NTlt O DUCTION I I NTO T H E FEYW I L D 7