<style> .phb:after { content: ""; } </style> # Waterdeep: Dragon Heist<br>Character Creation ## Character Backgrounds ### Waterdavian Noble Families Waterdeep contains well over a hundred noble families. The following noble houses are fine choices for any character with the noble background from the *Player's Handbook* or the Waterdavian noble background from the *Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide*. ***House Amcathra.*** The Amcathras are a Tethyrian family that specializes in horse breeding and training, cattle ranching, wine-making. and weaponsmithing. The family motto is "We trample our troubles." The family has a large villa in the North Ward, on the east side of the High Road between Hassantyr's Street and Tarnath Street. ***House Margaster.*** The Margasters are an Illuskan family whose business interests lie in land-based shipping and bulk goods trading. The house also has a quiet history of wizardry. The family motto is "Nothing is beyond our grasp." The Margaster family estate is situated between Stabbed Sailor Alley and Shattercrock Alley in the North Ward. ***House Phylund.*** The Phylunds are a Tashlutar family that captures and sells monsters. Monsters that can't be trained as pets or guard beasts are sold to arenas or harvested for their meat. bones, and skins. The Phylunds sponsor adventuring parties and monster-hunting expeditions, and their motto is "What you fear, we master." House Phylund has an estate on Copper Street, west of the High Road between Julthoon Street and Trader's Way in the North Ward. ***House Rosznar.*** Once banished from Waterdeep for smuggling, slavery. and other crimes, this Tethyrian house bas returned and is trying to overcome its dark past and disgraceful reputation by focusing on legitimate business ventures such as wine-making and gem trading. The family motto is "We fly high and stoop swift." Rosznar Villa is situated on Thunderstaff Way between Copper Street and Shield Street in the Sea Ward, west of the High Road. ***House Casslanter.*** The Cassalanter noble house of Waterdeep is among one of the richest families within the city, having made their fortune in banking, money-lending and rumor-mongering for the highest payer. Their motto is "At any cost." The family has an estate within the city's Sea Ward. ## Guild Membership Any characters with the guild artisan background are assumed to have free membership in one Waterdeep guild of their choice. Arcane spellcasters living in the city are required by law to register with the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors, so that they can be called on to defend the city with their magic in times of need. Waterdeep's most prominent guilds appear on the Guilds of Waterdeep list. By law, there are no active thieves' guilds in Waterdeep, and the Xanathar Guild isn't an actual guild but a faction. To join a guild, one must possess a background, a proficiency, or a status that the guild values. For example, a character with the sailor background is welcome to join the Master Mariners' Guild. One can practice a profession and not be a guild member, but such autonomy carries a cost. The guilds do everything they can to entice new members to join and pay for membership, and they go out of their way to hinder independent business owners, up to and including driving them out of business. A baker who refuses to join the Bakers' Guild might find her flour supply cut off, while a wizard who refuses to join the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors might be denied access to sages, libraries, and other useful resources. Guilds charge members monthly or yearly dues that vary. For simplicity, you can have a guild charge 1 gp per month or 10 gp for a year's dues paid in advance. A guild can expel a member for any number of reasons, not the least of which is failing to pay dues. <br><br> <div style='column-count:2' class="wide"> | Guilds of Waterdeep | |:---| | Bakers' Guild | | Carpenters', Roofers', and Plaisterers' Guild | | Cellarers' and Plumbers' Guild | | Council of Farmer-Grocers | | Council of Musicians, Instrument-makers, and Choristers | | Dungsweepers' Guild | | Fellowship of Bowyers and Fletchers | | Fellowship of Carters and Coachmen | | Fellowship of Innkeepers | | Fellowship of Salters, Packers, and joiners | | Fishmongers' Fellowship | |   | |:---| | Guild of Apothecaries and Physicians | | Guild of Butchers | | Coopers' Guild | | Guild of Chandlers and Lamplighters | | Guild of Fine Carvers | | Guild of Glassblowers, Glaziers, and Spectacle-makers | | Guild of Stonecutters, Masons, Potters, and Tile-makers | | Guild of Trusted Pewterers and Casters | | Guild of Watermen | | Jesters' Guild | | Jewelers' Guild | </div> \pagebreak <div style='column-count:2' class="wide"> | Guilds of Waterdeep, Cont. | |:---| | Launderers' Guild | | League of Basket-makers and Wickerworkers | | League of Skinners and Tanners | | Loyal Order of Street Laborers | | Master Mariners' Guild | | Most Careful Order of Skilled Smiths and Metalforgers | | Most Diligent League of Sail-makers and Cordwainers | | Most Excellent Order of Weavers and Dyers | | Order of Cobblers and Corvisers | | Order of Master Shipwrights | | Order of Master Tailors, Glovers, and Mercers | |   | |:---| | Saddlers' and Harness-makers' Guild | | Scriveners', Scribes', and Clerks' Guild | | Solemn Order of Recognized Furriers and Woolmen | | Splendid Order of Armorers, Locksmiths, and Finesmiths | | Stablemasters' and Farriers' Guild | | Stationers' Guild | | Surveyors', Map-, and Chart-makers' Guild | | Vintners', Distillers', and Brewers' Guild | | Wagon-makers' and Coach Builders' Guild | | Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors | | Wheelwrights' Guild | </div> <br> ## Factions in Waterdeep A character with the faction agent background (described in the *Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide*) must choose a faction to belong to and can choose to belong to one of the factions described below, provided the character meets the faction's prerequisites. Characters of other backgrounds will have opportunities to join a faction later in the adventure. ### Harpers Any smart, non-evil character can join the Harpers of Waterdeep. Bards and wizards are especially welcome. Harpers are altruists who work behind the scenes to keep power out of the hands of evil tyrants. Various nobles and guild masters in the city are Harper sympathizers. Harpers prefer to conduct their business in bustling inns and taverns such as the Yawning Portal, or in quiet locations such as the City of the Dead. ### Order of the Gauntlet Any non-evil character can join the Order of the Gauntlet in Waterdeep. Clerics, monks, and paladins are especially welcome, particularly if they worship Helm, Torm, or Tyr. The order's mission is to seek out and destroy evil before it gains a foothold. An individual can be a member of the faction and also a member of the clergy or a knight pledged to a specific god or temple. Members of the order act alone or in small groups. Some are Waterdavian natives; others hail from distant settlements and have come to the city on temple business. ### Emerald Enclave A character must demonstrate an interest in protecting nature or the natural order to join the Emerald Enclave. Druids and rangers are especially welcome. Waterdeep harbors a few members of the faction, which seeks to foster harmony between nature and civilization. Members living in Waterdeep help guard the city against unnatural threats, including aberrations and undead. They also watch over the City of the Dead (Waterdeep's public cemetery) and the city's parks. <br><br><br> ### Lords' Alliance To become a member of the Lords' Alliance faction in Waterdeep, a character must be a Waterdavian citizen. Those with criminal records can also join, provided they demonstrate their allegiance to the city. The Lords' Alliance is a confederation of cities and towns up and down the Sword Coast and throughout the North, including (among others) Baldur's Gate, Mirabar, Mithral Hall, Neverwinter, and Silverymoon. Members of the alliance must come to one another's aid in times of need, and the organization uses field operatives (diplomats, spies, and assassins) to safeguard its interests. Waterdeep is one of the most influential and invested members of the Lords' Alliance. ### Zhentarim The Black Network has an open recruitment policy. Anyone can join. Tenacity and loyalty are highly valued (but not essential) traits in new members. The Zhentarim is a shadow organization that trades mercenaries and goods (including weapons) for profit. It has long sought to gain political influence in Waterdeep, but the strength of the city's Masked Lords, nobility, and professional guilds makes that difficult. ### Bregan D'aerthe A character must be a drow, preferably a male, to join this faction. Bregan D'aerthe is a company of mercenaries originally made up of the much-derided and dishonorable castaways of destroyed drow houses. The group's leader, Jarlaxle Baenre, is always looking for new members to fill the ranks, and loyalty is what matters to him most. Almost all Bregan D'aertbe members are male because female drow rarely condescend to take orders from a male. A female drow can earn a place in the faction by decrying the drow matriarchy and convincing Jarlaxle that she would be an asset to the brotherhood. Jarlaxle employs non-drow operatives as well, none of whom know they're working for him; such individuals aren't considered members of the faction. \pagebreak ### Force Grey To join Force Grey, one must first become a member of the Gray Hands. An individual who has served in the City Watch or the City Guard is eligible to join, as are characters who are willing to swear oaths to defend Waterdeep, its citizens, and its laws with their lives. Adventurers who show promise might be invited to join the Gray Hands, a faction overseen by the Blackstaff, Vajra Safahr. Members of the Gray Hands complete assignments dictated by Vajra. Force Grey is an elite cadre of specialized adventurers, drawn from the ranks of the Gray Hands, whose fighting prowess is matched only by their loyalty to the city. Force Grey attracts the best of the best. Characters don't begin their adventuring careers as members of Force Grey, but they can work up to that status. Whenever Waterdeep has a problem that can't be handled by diplomats or the city's other armed forces, the Open Lord has the option to mobilize Force Grey. Such action is usually taken as a last resort, since some past members of the group have exhibited a tendency to indulge in wanton violence, causing as much damage as they ostensibly prevent. ### Xanathar Guild Anyone can join the Xanathar Guild, which, despite its name, doesn't have official guild status in Waterdeep. Before membership is granted, however, an applicant must pass a test that always involves the perpetration of a serious crime. Possibilities include murdering a guild member who has failed Xanathar in some fashion, kidnapping a Waterdavian citizen, collecting a ransom, robbing a hire-coach, or looting a warehouse. Among low-ranking guild members, rampant speculation goes on about the true nature of Xanathar. Few have any inkling that their boss is a beholder, and fewer still have seen or spoken to the eye tyrant. Given that the faction is fundamentally evil, advancement is based on one's wiles or one's ability to dispose of rivals. Competition within the organization is fierce and often deadly. Evil characters can thrive in this environment, but the risks are seldom worth the reward.