4. HOTDQ – Greenest in Flames – The Dragon Attack

LiquidAnalog
4. HOTDQ – Greenest in Flames – The Dragon Attack

This is part 4 of my guide for Hoard of the Dragon’s Queen campaign. You can read all chapters of this guide here:

Episode 1 – The Dragon Attack

The opening chapter of this campaign, where a newbie level 1 characters find themselves in a village as it is assaulted by a lightning blasting dragon from above and a blood-thirsty raider army all around – and then need to survive the night, confront the dragon and then the army general – is so much pure gold, that it is the main reason I picked this module over many other modules as an introductory story for level 1 characters. This is so much better then many other level 1 adventures (like Lost Mines of Phandelver), and is so strong that if done well has enough velocity to propel the entire campaign forward.

To make it work I think it is essential that the characters start at Greenest, instead of arriving to it just to discover it is under attack. This subtle change makes a huge impact on the trajectory of the opening scene – it removes any obstacles the players might have to freely react. I would argue that any sensible level 1 character, played by a wise player, would flee as far as possible from the sight of a town under attack by a dragon – and I think getting your players into a town under attack might be a needless challenge.

However if the players are at the epicenter of the attack? Have at it. Experience the battle from ground zero. Avoid dragon fear and lightnings. Hide. Fight kobolds, mercenaries and maybe a cultist. Escape at the last minute.

If it’s not clear – the opening scene (and the rest of the night in Greenest) is meant to be overwhelming and a shock for the level 1 characters. My experienced players thought I was crazy. But it went very well.

Note that even the opening scene requires careful build-up of the tension and stakes.

Here is my recommended sequence of events for the opening episode.

  1. The characters are at the inn in Greenest. They have a fun relaxed roleplay with the attractive innkeeper over dinner, resing after a week-long cart ride from the south west.
  2. Sudden remote sounds of lightning, torches through the window, screams, shouts
  3. As they get to the door to investigate, a wounded villager stumbles through the door and falls, as 4 Kobolds are knifing him. Fighting erupts
  4. A torch is thrown into the room, smoke starts to build up
  5. A lightning again – now closer, then a huge blinding lightning blasts diagonally through the wooden walls and blows a portion of the ceiling. Fire and smoke choke the room
  6. The party flees the smoke to the street
  7. Kobolds across the street are looting a house. What are kobolds doing here so boldly?
  8. They raise their gaze just in time to see a huge blue dragon pass low overhead and blast another structure. they are shocked and frightened
  9. A wounded family is rushing to the street chased by mercenaries — they rush to their aid and succeed to help them
  10. The family shouts that the keep is the safest place, run towards the keep
  11. They see the keep up on the hill. Decide to advance to the keep, although the dragon flow this way
  12. They find a symbol of the red sun mercenaries on one of the bandits
  13. They see tens of bandits and kobolds looting houses in the main square, pulling wagons, singing
  14. The mob in the square notices them, starts to rush towards them — they run to the keep with the family
  15. They reach the open gates of the keep at the last minute – just as the army closes in, and succeed to get in just as the gates close behind them.

You can also add this wonderful description as a backdrop to the escape sequence – I found on one of the forums but I don’t have the link anymore: As the party runs through the smoke filled streets, an old figure in robes stands on the roof of a small chapel, raises a staff at the sky and sends a ray after ray of scorching white-green light onto the dragon as it descents (its a Sunbeam spell). The beast screeches in pain and breaths lightning at the tower – which then collapses to rubble in a big pile of dust and smoke, hurling the ancient figure and entombing him under tons of black stones. The dragon rises up in the air surveying the area, searching for more victims.

Next: 5. HOTDQ – Episode 1 – Greenest in Flames, part II – The Long Night

LiquidAnalog Avatar
LiquidAnalog

Liquid Analog

Its me again.

Categories

Featured Posts