Dungeons of Drakkenheim is a fantastic adventure set in a gothic renaissance ruined city. The campaign is designed with four player characters in mind, so adjust accordingly for smaller or larger groups.
You can play Drakkenheim as a series of loosely-connected exploration quests or an unpredictable narrative filled with faction conflict. The material herein will challenge characters from 1st to 13th level.
EXPLORATION. Characters embark on dangerous expeditions into monster-filled ruins, haunted streets, decrepit gardens, shattered mage towers, baroque cathedrals, and ancient castles to plunder treasure and solve mysteries.
INTERACTION. Five rival factions clash over the ruins of Drakkenheim. A tangled web of secrets, subterfuge, and sabotage awaits when the factions’ opposing objectives and your characters’ personal goals come into conflict!
COMBAT. Beyond fierce warriors dispatched by the factions, all manner of otherworldly horrors inhabit Drakkenheim. Characters battle undead husks, predatory beasts, mutated monstrosities, and terrifying abominations produced by the mysterious meteor.
Broken Realm
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.
Rival Factions
Five factions have arrived in Drakkenheim to advance their ambitious agendas. Though their ideologies and methods differ, each seeks valuable resources and lost secrets within the city. However, the ruins present many confounding obstacles for their agents. As such, all the factions hope to attract talented adventurers to their cause, drawing would-be heroes into a fierce political intrigue that may boil over into violent struggle. Those who wish to decide the fate of Drakkenheim must choose their allies well and their enemies carefully! Chapter 3: Factions contains complete details for running each faction, but they are summarized below: Hooded Lanterns Queen’s Men Knights of the Silver Order Followers of the Falling Fire Amethyst Academy The Haze
Dangers of the Dark City
Finally, be warned that in Drakkenheim, characters will often stumble upon creatures and other perils far beyond what they can defeat on their own. Discretion and cunning may prevail when strength of arms fails. Adventurers must seek out like-minded allies, and be wary of making new enemies. They must have all the equipment they need before setting out on an expedition, use their resources carefully, and be prepared to retreat at a moment’s notice!
Magic Types
Divine Magic.
Anyone can develop divine magic. Divine magic is born of faith and conviction rather than gifted from gods. Divine magic users include Clerics and Paladin as well as some subclasses that have a clerical twist to them. Divine magic first appeared with who is called The First Paladin, Sol Tarna (Sol is a title equivalent to prophet, saint, or champion). It is said that Sol Tarna came up on a golden comet where she was visited by an angelic being that unlocked the potential for divine magic. This is the founding story for the world’s dominant religion, The Sacred Flame.
Arcane Magic.
Wizards, Sorcerers, Bards and Warlocks are all considered Arcane Casters. Arcane magic does not come naturally to people in this world. Some are able to achieve small magics in the form of half-casters like Eldritch Knights or Arcane Tricksters, but in order to be a full arcane caster you have to have been born as a Mageborn. Wizards Sorcerers and Bards in this world are more like sorcerers in other settings. The gift of magic is in your blood and how it presents determines which you are. Warlocks are mageborn whose potential is locked and require pacts with higher powers to unlock their full potential. Warlocks are rare though because extraplanar contact is considered an executable offense. Arcane Magic is said to be born from the Age of the Sorcerer Kings. An age of power hungry tyrants who subdued, experimented on and mixed with powerful magical beings like Dragons, Elementals, Aberrations and other extraplanar beings and passed their magical capacities down through their bloodline. However it has been so long that nowadays a Mageborn child could be born to a long family line of non-mageborn lineage and Mageborn parents can often produce non-mageborn kids.
Primal Magic.
Druid and Rangers are primal magic users. This magic is available to all like divine magic but is tied to the magics of this plane rather than external ones. It is often associated with the ‘old gods’ - religions that have fallen out of favor since the founding of The Sacred Flame.
Character Creation
In a Dungeons of Drakkenheim campaign, the player characters are the heart of the story. Their choices, conflicts, and personal goals could decide the fate of Drakkenheim, if they survive! Below are guidelines for creating a player character ready to take on the dark city. We recommend players and Game Masters collaborate closely during character creation for the best possible results.
Personal Quests
A character’s core motivation for adventuring in Drakkenheim is represented by their personal quest. This is a specific individual objective for player characters to achieve during the campaign, but players need not reveal their personal quest to each other.
When a character completes their personal quest, they choose one of the following rewards:
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Ability Score Improvement. One ability score of your choice increases by 2, as does your maximum for that score.
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New Feat. You gain a bonus feat of your choice, subject to the GM’s approval.
Player characters may select from the quests below, or work with the Game Master to design one:
Apocalyptic Vision. I have been haunted by visions of the meteor for fifteen years. Every time I sleep, I see it crashing down upon me. My personal quest is to see for myself what lies at the heart of the crater. I must overcome whatever I find there in order to stop these nightmares.
Arcane Secrets. Forbidden lore lies in Drakkenheim. Several dark wizards living in the ruins have mastered terrible and powerful new magic. The Inscrutable Tower library stands unguarded, filled with spellbooks containing secret arcana. My personal quest is to learn these spells.
Blighted Landscape. A blight on the natural order envelops Drakkenheim, but the contamination could spread beyond the city. My personal quest is to study the unnatural phenomena found within the most corrupt places in the city: Queen’s Park Garden, the underground waterways, and the Crater’s Edge. Perhaps then I can develop a way to reverse the contamination.
Claim the Throne. Though my family has fallen on hard times, we were distantly related to the royal House von Kessel. I may have a claim to the throne of Drakkenheim. My personal quest is to search the cathedral, noble estates, and the castle for sufficient evidence to conclusively prove my inheritance. Then I will take the crown for myself.
Faction Aspirant. I believe strongly in the ideals and goals of one of the five factions: either the Amethyst Academy, the Followers of the Falling Fire, the Hooded Lanterns, the Knights of the Silver Order, or the Queen’s Men. My personal quest is to join the faction, aid their mission, climb the ranks, and rise to a high leadership position within their organization.
Family Matter. One of my family members or close friends has become mixed up with one of the factions. Perhaps they have foolishly decided to join the organization. Alternatively, they’ve been taken prisoner by the faction due to some trespass or misunderstanding. Either way, my personal quest is to bring them back home.
Find a Cure. I have a friend, family member, or loved one who was contaminated by delerium and turned into a monster. They have gone mad, and are lost somewhere in Drakkenheim. My personal quest is to locate them, then discover a way to reverse their horrific transformation.
Lost Heirloom. I used to live in Drakkenheim. My personal quest is to recover a lost heirloom from my old home, which was located somewhere in the Inner City. Perhaps the item is sentimental, valuable only to members of my family. Alternatively it may have magical properties, and I wish to use these powers to aid my own ambitions.
Monster Slayer. I wish to leave behind a heroic legacy by defeating dread beasts. My personal quest is to slay three of the greatest monsters rumoured to dwell in Drakkenheim, and bring back their heads as trophies. Each must be a notable creature with a challenge rating greater than my own level when I defeat them. My allies can assist me, but I must strike the decisive blow myself!
Overwhelming Debt. I owe a tremendous debt of 10,000 gold pieces, maybe more. My personal quest is to pay it back by making a fortune in Drakkenheim collecting delerium, plunder, and completing work-for-hire. Meanwhile, I must hide from bounty hunters my creditor send to kill me.
Personal Pilgrimage. As an acolyte of the faith, my personal quest is to visit several holy places in the city and perform a sacred ritual before the remains of the martyrs interred within each: the Cathedral of Saint Vitruvio, Saint Selina’s Monastery, and the Chapel in Castle Drakken. Through these devoted acts I will understand my place in the divine order.
Score to Settle. I have come to Drakkenheim to kill one of the faction leaders: either Archwizard Eldrick Runeweaver, Knight-Captain Theodore Marshal, Lord Commander Elias Drexel, Lucretia Mathias, or the Queen of Thieves. Perhaps I seek revenge for a past wrong. Alternatively, I may covet their position and wish to replace them. Either way, my personal quest is to slay them.
Character Relationships
The campaign begins with the player characters setting out on their first foray into the ruins, but how did they meet? Consider establishing a personal connection between two or more player characters, such as one of the following:
…siblings, cousins, or childhood friends.
…a shared origin, religion, or teacher.
…former rivals turned unlikely allies.
…one saved the life of the other.
…saw each other in a dream or vision.
Four Quick Facts about the World of Drakkenheim
Appendix E: The World of Drakkenheim explains these background details further, but the setting of Drakkenheim diverges from the default assumptions of Fifth Edition in four key ways:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.