ubtao, the guardian of chult

16 Pages·2017·0.9 MB·English

D&D College of Lore Adventure Path
DUNGEON MASTER’S GUIDE
Version 1.1
EXPEDITION TO
Chult

CREDITS
College of Lore: Matthew Lee Myers (Seamus the Bard)
WHO IS THE COLLEGE OF LORE?
The College of Lore is a website that collects homebrew mechanics in a format that is accessible and easy to use.
All of our material is open to public comment and subject to review and revision, ensuring that the rules infor-
mation is clear and understandable, as well as balanced. We operate based entirely on customer donations, and
all of the material on our site is completely free.
WHAT IS THE COLLEGE OF LORE ADVENTURE
PATH?
Our adventure path contains a number of linked adventures with an overarching story and a unique mechanic
that ties the adventure together with the overall theme. While the adventure path can be played in a game store
setting, it is best played with a steady group of players. That is because your actions have real consequences,
and therefore different groups may end up with a wildly different experience in the end. In fact, decisions you
make early in the campaign may result in playing completely different adventures later on.
Expedition to Chult - Explorer’s Guide 2
Chapter 1:
ExpEdition to Chult
In Expedition to Chult, the adventurers have been Monster Manual, and the Dungeon Master’s
called upon by the city of Baldur’s Gate to rebuild Guide. While our adventures try to be as com-
Fort Beluarian, a small outpost originally settled by plete as possible, those books will make running
members of the Flaming Fist over a century ago. the adventures significantly easier
Expedition to Chult features a tracking sheet that • An Expedition to Chult logsheet for the adven-
will allow you to lead the settlement effort, establish- ture, which is found at the back of each adven-
ing the priorities of the other settlers, constructing ture pdf. You’ll use this to record each session
housing and fortifications, and sending for experts of play and make quick notes to remind you of
to assist in your efforts. These choices will have con- important decisions that may come up later. It
crete effects on the adventures and story, and careful also has a brief summary of important NPCs,
planning will be the key to succeeding in the harsh and space for you to make some notes (handy for
jungles of Chult. remembering voices and accents).
• An Expedition to Chult ship sheet to manage the
Character Options character’s ship, the Porpoise. You only need to
keep one of these records for the group, and you
It is up to the DM to determine what character may find it useful to share the pages of the sheet
options they feel comfortable allowing at their table. among various members of the group during
With that in mind, the adventure has been designed play.
to accommodate all of the player options found in
The group will also need an Expedition to Chult
the Player’s Handbook, the Sword Coast Adventur-
settlement sheet to track the progress of your settle-
er’s Guide, Volo’s Guide to Monsters, and the Un-
ment, as well as the various ongoing projects being
earthed Arcana articles on the Wizards of the Coast
undertaken by settlers. You do not need to maintain
website, as well any material from our Explorer’s
this sheet, and you may find it useful to pass off this
Guide to Chult. Additional material is also available
record keeping to the players. Some players may
on our website, collegeoflore.com, but as it is not
jump at the chance, others may not like it. Use what-
designed specifically for the Forgotten Realms, some
ever method works best for your group and their
races or classes may not be entirely appropriate.
preferences.
Player Deaths and New
Preparing Adventures
Characters
Before you Dungeon Master each adventure you
Once you are on the island of Chult your options may find it useful to do some minor preparation:
for replacement characters and new PCs are limit-
• Read through the adventure, taking notes of
ed. To represent this, we recommend limiting such
anything you’d like to remind yourself while run-
characters to the options in the Player’s Handbook,
ning the adventure, such as the way you’d like to
unless they have met certain conditions stipulated
portray an NPC or a tactic you’d like to use in a
throughout the adventures. This adds an extra layer
combat.
of complexity, but also an extra layer of rewards that
can make the adventure path more engaging. • Review any unusual rules that may come up in
the course of the adventure. These will typically
be called out in the adventure’s introduction.
What You Need to Play
• Get familiar with the monster statistics in the
In order to play the College of Lore Adventure Path,
Appendix. You may find it useful to assemble
you’ll need the following:
spellcards or spell sheets for encounters with
• The D&D fifth edition Player’s Handbook, the creatures that have magical abilities.
EExxppeeddiittiioonn ttoo CChhuulltt -- EExxpplloorreerr’’ss GGuuiiddee 33
• Gather any resources you’d like to use to aid you Very Strong Party
in running this adventure - such as notecards, a
A very strong party is one with 6-7 character of
DM screen, miniatures, and battlemaps.
greater than optimal level.
• If you know the composition of the group be-
forehand, you can make adjustments as noted
throughout the adventure.
Before Play at the Table
You may find it helpful to make a note of the follow-
ing character information:
• Character name and race
• Class levels
• Passive Wisdom (Perception)
ADJUSTING THE
ADVENTURE
Throughout each adventure, sidebars provide in-
formation to assist you in making adjustments for
groups more or less powerful than intended, most
notably for combat encounters.
Each adventure will clearly state the level it is in-
tended for, and all adventures assume a group of 5
player characters. To figure out whether you need
to adjust the adventure, find the average party level
(add up the total levels of characters, and divide by
the number of characters).
Very Weak Party
A very weak party is one consisting of 3-4 char-
acters, with an Average Party Level less than the
optimal level.
Weak Party
A weak party is one with 3-4 characters of the op-
timal level, or a party of five characters of less than
optimal level.
Average Party
An average party is one with 5 characters of the
optimal level, 3-4 characters of a greater level, or 6-7
character of a less than optimal level.
Strong Party
A strong party is one with 5 characters of greater
than optimal level, or 6-7 characters of optimal level.
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Chapter 2:
RulEs and systEms
The following are some less common systems that will be featured in this campaign. Dungeon Masters
should familiarize themselves with the following rules. As always, you are the DM so it is up to you if you
wish to use the rules as is, modify them, or use a variant rule. You know your group better than anyone, so
find the right balance for you.
Heat Naval Combat
Chult is a tropical jungle with sweltering tempera- Several adventures in the Expedition to Chult
tures typically above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The adventure path take place aboard a ship. While the
rules for handling extreme heat are found in the rules found in Chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s
Dungeon Master’s Guide on page 110. It is worth Guide are more than adequate for running such
keeping in mind that medium and heavy armor im- an adventure, we have developed more advanced
poses disadvantage on saving throws to resist these rules for seabound combat, found in the Seafarer’s
types of temperatures, something you may want to Handbook, which is included in both the Dungeon
discuss with your players before they create their Master’s Guide and Explorer’s Guide, as well as in
characters (or not, if you’re a super mean DM… we a standalone PDF. The document from all three
don’t judge). sources is identical; we’ve simply packaged it with
each packet for ease of use and downloading. These
advanced rules are entirely optional, and presented
Disease
simply as an alternative for those wishing to make
naval combat a more integral part of their game.
While the wildlife of Chult is considered by many
to be the most deadly factor of surviving the island,
those who have been there know that the real danger Mass Combat
is in the many diseases that spread rapidly through
any town of sufficient size and without adequate Befitting a story of a struggling outpost standing
standards of living. The Settlement System contains against the forces of nature, there will be times
rules for outbreaks. when Fort Beluaran is attacked, whether by na-
tives, dinosaurs, pirates, or other armies. Though
Characters will also be exposed to diseases through-
in many cases, these encounters will center around
out the course of the campaign. The individual ad-
the characters overcoming specific challenges, some
ventures will have the relevant rules for the diseases
DMs may enjoy running a mass combat, allowing
in question. Diseases don’t follow a standardized
the characters to command their settlers in de-
format for contracting or healing them the way that
fense of their city. The Settlement System has basic
poisons do, so there are no general rules that you
rules for handling these events as a series of simple
need to remember, but it is worth reviewing the
background rolls for narrative description, but the
sample diseases on pages 256 and 257 of the Dun-
Unearthed Arcana series of articles (on the Wizards
geon Master’s Guide to refresh your memory.
of the Coast website) includes more complete rules
for running large scale mass combat encounters. As
Poison always, use whatever system feels like the best fit for
your group.
There are a number of poisons harvested by the
natives of Chult. The complete rules for each poison
Settlement System
will be found in the adventure where the poison is
encountered. Because poisons are fairly prominent
The Expedition to Chult adventure path makes
in the adventure path, we recommend reviewing
extensive use of a new Settlement System. It covers
the general rules for poisons on page 257-258 of the
the recruitment of settlers, harvesting of resources,
Dungeon Master’s Guide.
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and construction of buildings, as well as the benefits
derived for each and rolls for events that can befall
your settlement. Additionally, it presents a simple
set of rules for handling attacks against your settle-
ment. These rules are optional, and the main plo-
tline of the Expedition to Chult can be run without
bothering with the Settlement System at all and sim-
ply describing the growing Fort Beluarian in narra-
tive fashion. That said, we find it to be an immense-
ly fun and unique addition to the campaign, and
beyond a small bit of additional bookkeeping, have
crafted the rules to be as easy to use as possible.
Followers
With a whole settlement full of loyal citizens, it is
only natural that the players may want to bring one
of them along to assist in their adventures. If you
wish to allow it, any citizen not engaged in a task
may be recruited to join the adventurers, using the
rules on page 92 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
The stats for important followers will be included in
adventures as those followers are recruited, though
many citizens simply use one of the NPC statblocks
found in Appendix B of the Monster Manual.
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Chapter 3:

thE island of Chult
Chult has long been shrouded in mystery and few, if any, explorers truly know all of it’s many secrets. What
follows is a brief overview of the history, peoples, and important locations on Chult.
where an uneasy border was formed. The couatl
UBTAO, THE GUARDIAN
would remain as Ubtao’s guardians in Chult for
OF CHULT thousands of years, protecting from a resurgence of
the yuan-ti.
During the Blue Age, when the gods and primordials
fought for dominance of Toril, Ubtao turned on the
THE DWARVEN
other primordials and assisted the Elder Gods in
their fight. This act of deception turned the tides of
MIGRATION
the war, enabling the Faerunian pantheon to assert
their dominance and cast down the primordials. In - 9000 DR the dwarven settlement of Bhaerynden
was overrun by the drow, scattering the surviving
After the war was won, Ubtao made an agreement
dwarves throughout the underdark. One of these
with the rest of the Faerunian pantheon. He would
tribes eventually made their way to Chult, where
guard the Peaks of Flame for the day when Dendar
they divided into small family groupings and tribes.
the Night Serpent would return to eat the sun and
end the world. And in exchange, he would have sole
control over Chult. The other deities would leave
HUMANS IN CHULT
his lands alone. They would not establish churches.
They would not send their followers. The dead of Most of the humans native to Chult emigrated from
Chult would belong to Ubtao. Katashaka, the “Dark Continent”, thousands of years
ago. In their native lands, these tribes had been
And so, Ubtao became the Guardian of Chult. Over
worshippers of Olurobo and his children, the nya-
time, he would splinter off pieces of his essence to
ma-nummo. The greatest of these tribes was known
create great nature spirits that would spread across
as the Tabaxi, and they worshipped the nyama-nun-
the jungled peninsula and enforce his will.
no called the Sleeper, a nigh-immortal monstrosity
known to modern scholars as a tarrasque. Ubtao
THE SERPENT KINGDOM
sent emissaries in the form of couatls to teach them
language and bring them back to Chult. To a chosen
The first kingdom in Chult was the Sarrukh, cre-
few, the couatls taught the secrets of magic. When
ator race of the sauroids. Their realm was known as
the Sleeper awoke, Ubtao blessed one of the sacrific-
Mhairshaulk (established ~33500 DR) and consist-
es with great power, enough even to slay the tar-
ed not only of the Sarrukh but the numerous races
rasque. This woman, Negus Negusti, then gathered
created as servants and slaves of their empire: na-
her tribe and made the long journey across the sea
gas, pterafolk, troglodytes, yuan-ti, and others who
to Chult.
have since gone extinct. By -24000 DR the empire
While the Tabaxi were the first and largest tribe to
has all but collapsed due to repeated invasions by
arrive in Chult, they were soon joined by numerous
the great wyrms to the south of Chult and an army
families from Katashaka: the Eshowe, Thinguth, and
of couatls, themselves once Sarrukh transformed by
others. For nearly three thousand years, the Chul-
a fragment of the World Serpent known as Jazirian.
tans lived in relative peace and prosperity with one
This army of winged serpents had been called by
another worshipping Ubtao and the many nature
Ubtao to destroy the empire of Mhairshaulk and
spirits formed from his essence, and replacing the
drive them, and their evil god Sseth, from Chult.
couatl in their duty of defending their land from the
The couatls battled for centuries, gradually push-
yuan-ti. It was during this time that Ubtao himself
ing the yuan-ti back beyond the Hazur Mountains,
formed the great city of Mezro, surrounding it with
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magical wards and protections and appointing six comes an increasingly wild and uncivilized place.
barae, immortal champions, to rule and protect the Many explorers come to Chult seeking the lost city,
city. During this time they would also have their first but all such expeditions are disastrous. Avatars of
contact with the outside world, establishing trade the gods Ubtao and Sseth occasionally battle for su-
with the nation of Calimshan. premacy of the peninsula, taking the forms of a giant
dinosaur and a serpent respectively. The populations
This time of relative peace was eventually shattered
of Batari tribes explode, and they quickly spread
when the Eshowe waged a bloody war against the
across the jungles like locusts.
Tabaxi that lasted nearly 300 years. In the final days
of the war, the Eshowe summoned one of the islands
primordial spirits, an enormous being of shadow THE RING OF WINTER
known as the Eshowdow. This giant decimated the
Tabaxi, until it was finally stopped as it pushed to Artus Cimber, an explorer and former Harper agent,
conquer the city of Mezro. Defeated, the Eshowdow comes to Chult seeking the powerful artifact known
turned against the Eshowe, annihilating the tribe’s as the Ring of Winter. He discovers Mezro, hidden
warriors before disappearing into the jungles. The behind divine wards that render the city invisible
Eshowe who managed to survive their god’s wrath and cause confusion among any who approach too
were hunted down and killed by Ras Nsi, one of the near to its walls. He inadvertently exposes the city’s
barae of Mezro. location to the nefarious Cult of Winter, who gathers
an army of bloodthirsty Batiri and pterafolk to in-
vade the city. The city is saved when Cimber uncov-
ARRIVAL OF OUTSIDERS
ers the Ring of Winter, previously in possession of
one of Mezro’s barae, and uses it to defeat the leader
After the war, the remaining tribes assimilated
of the Cult of Winter.
with the Tabaxi and became collectively known as
Chultans. Slowly, other nations began establishing After the battle, Chult enters a sort of golden age.
themselves in Chult. Tashultan merchants founded Mezro once again opens its gates to all of the Chul-
the city of Narubel, and establish a monopoly on tan tribes, as well as outsiders. Trade is established
trade entering or leaving Chult. They purchase their with foreign nations, and both Amn and Baldur’s
goods from Ras Nsi, now in exile for his slaughter of Gate establish port cities on the northwestern shores
the Eshowe, who grows extraordinarily wealthy from of Chult.
the trade. This region on the southern coast of Chult
becomes known as Thindol, and gradually assimi-
POST-SPELLPLAGUE
lates many Tabaxi and Thingugh into their midst.
In the year 605 DR, the people of Thindol come During the Spellplague, chult was changed drastical-
across a yuan-ti plot to infiltrate and conquer their ly. Much of Thindol and Samarach sunk into the sea,
nation. They send for aid from Lord Samar of Nim- making Chult an island. The city of Mezro collapsed
bral, who sends powerful illusionists to help drive into the earth, leaving behind a massive sinkhole
off the yuan-ti and protect their land with a cloak of and scattering its population. Floating sky-islands
illusions and other arcane wards. In time, the peo- known as junglemotes inhabited by creatures from
ple of western Thindol adopt the name Samarach in Abeir filled the skies. Red dragons descended from
honor of the Lord of Nimbral, and consider them- the Peaks of Flame for the first time in centuries.
selves to be a vassal state of the Nimbral.
As the spellplague subsided, the remains of Thindol
It was also during this time, with the old strongholds and Samrach rose from the sea. Thindol is now in-
of the Eshowe now vacant, that the first of the Batiri fested with yuan-ti, though Samarach stands, con-
goblins migrated into the interior of the island. cealed behind its ancient illusions.
Great Mezro lies in ruin, its ancient foundations
THE WILD AGE infested with strange undead. Many still seek its
secrets, though few return from the ruins to tell the
In 863 DR, the city of Mezro disappears entirely and tale.
Ubtao withdraws from his mortal followers, forcing
Port Nyranzaru became the largest hub of civili-
them to fend for themselves against the wilderness
zation after the spellplague, a defensible fortress
of Chult. For the next thousand years, Chult be-
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surrounded by high stone walls, giving Amn almost
complete control of trade to and from Chult. Their
yearly hunting contests drew massive crowds of
adventurers seeking to compete to bring back the
biggest prize, and regular trade in exotic plants
that are valuable in crafting poisons, perfumes, and
medicines have made the trading companies in Port
Nyranzaru very powerful indeed.
Fort Beluarian fared significantly worse during this
time. It was destroyed by the natives twice, but was
twice rebuilt. Its walls not as high as Nyranzaru’s
and its port less secure, it has had trouble maintain-
ing a foothold. However, the lower taxes have made
it a favorite for daring adventurers and traders.
Amn has a standing offer to purchase the rights to
the fort, hoping to establish a monopoly on trade,
but thus far those offers have been rejected. Many
suspect that if Amn were to purchase the small fort
their only priority would be shutting it down so as to
force all trade through Nyranzaru.

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Chapter 4:

lifE in Chult
Chult is a rugged wilderness, covered in a verdant rainforest with jagged cliffs along much of the coastline,
soaring mountains cutting the peninsula off from the mainland, and a volatile volcanic region. Fierce preda-
tors stalk much of the island’s interior, and massive herd animals roam the plains and rivers.
Tabaxi villages typically consist of small family units
PEOPLES OF CHULT
of ten to twenty individuals. Their huts are simple
constructions made of saplings with a roof of woven
The people of Chult, whether human, dwarven,
leaves, as tabaxi typically only stay in one place for
lizardfolk, or goblin, live in tight knit tribes, often
a year or two before moving on to another location
without much communication or cooperation be-
within their tribal area. The center of the village
tween them.
are the family huts, surrounded by the warrior huts
and other auxiliary buildings like the clan meeting
THE TABAXI house, smithy, and tannery. Tabaxi own few posses-
sions: all that they own must be able to be packed
Most humans native to Chult consider themselves up and carried to a new village site at a moment’s
to be Tabaxi, though in truth many smaller tribes notice.
have become Tabaxi over the years by adopting their
In general, Tabaxi distrust magic, particularly ar-
predominant culture, language, and customs. The
cane magic. Only those who have been initiated as
Tabaxi have, at times, been friendly with outsiders,
shaman are permitted to practice magic, and some
but they are generally suspicious of strangers and
Tabaxi have trained as mage hunters whose purpose
can be intolerant of people who violate their customs
is to hunt down any who use magic without the per-
through ignorance. This distrust is more prevalent
mission of the village elders.
now than ever, particularly among the tribes who
live on the coast, as slave traders have done a brisk The Tabaxi are dark skinned. Those that live in
trade of kidnapping Tabaxi children and spiriting larger, more civilized cities wear loose white robes
them away to markets in Amn. Travelers who speak (called tobes). They are typically unarmed except
the language and know the customs of the people, for small knives or daggers. Tabaxi warriors wear
particularly the tenants of Ubtao, are received more purple tobes under finely crafted breastplates and
warmly. helmets made of dinosaur hide and decorated with
vibrant plumage. They also wield a type of oblong
There has been some confusion as to the similarity
shield made of hide stretched across a wooden frame
in names between the Tabaxi tribes of Chult and the
(called hlang) and fight using broad-bladed obsidian
cat people, also known as “Tabaxi”. The confusion
spears (called yklwa) and clubs with a long haft and
is generally attributed to a greenhorn explorer from
round head (called kerrie). The tribes that dwell in
Cormyr who was unfamiliar with Chultan culture
the jungle often forgo the impractical tobe in favor
and mistook the name of the Chultan tribe with the
of simple loincloths, and carry smaller shields con-
name for the cat-pelt that the tribesman wore.
structed of palm fronds or hide woven into a circu-
While Tabaxi worship Ubtao, they also revere his lar wooden frame. Tabaxi tribes are donated with
primal avatars, known to scholars in Faerun as distinctive earrings.
dinosaurs. Each type of dinosaur holds a special
Ubtao
place in Tabaxi mythology and encounters with the
great beasts are often taken as omen, for good or for
Ubtao was once a personal god, that walked the
ill. Despite this reverence for dinosaurs, the Tabaxi
Chultan jungle and the streets of Mezro, guiding
do hunt the beasts, though they are respectful and
each and every one of his followers. Ubtao’s philos-
careful to use all parts of their kills, eating the meat,
ophy was that of the maze: each person’s life was a
incorporating hide into their armor and shields, and
unique labyrinth, that only they could navigate. Each
using bones and teeth as adornments or tools.
trial and tribulation revealed something about the
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