Join the Drakeguard!

Player Guide

Welcome to the Drakeguard!

You have joined an elite company of problem solvers, fixers, soldiers, and investigators. From the Spine of the World to the Forest of Tethir, and from the Sea of Swords to as far inland as the Storm Horns, the Drakeguard is there.

The Drakeguard was founded to solve the problem that kings and nobility were unable or unwilling to handle. We protect the Sword Coast from all manner of threats, whether a monster is menacing a village or a ruler is abusing their power. We are guided by a single charter: Leave the world a better place than you found it.

You’ve met our founder, and you’ve heard her singular vision. You know she seeks individuals who share her mission to make the world a more stable place, and you’ve been invited to join because she sees your potential.

The Job Board

An ever-changing roster of potential assignments can be found on the job board in any field office. Your squad is encouraged to choose jobs that are well-suited to your experience level and skill set. Each completed job will offer a number of rank points, which will be used to increase your rank and also to level up your bracer’s special abilities.

Non-Lethal Bonus. Some jobs will offer a bonus for completing the assignment without killing any sentient creatures.

Code of Ethics

Fieldwork is challenging, and we trust our operatives to exercise their best judgement in difficult situations, while striving to honor the following principles. Gratuitous or repeated violations may result in demotion or expulsion.

• Serve the community
• Safeguard lives and property
• Protect the innocent against deception
• Guard the weak against oppression
• Shield the peaceful against violence
• Apply the law with equality and justice
• Treat prisoners with respect
• Prefer non-lethal solutions

With Rank Comes Privileges

Our founder invests a bit of her power in every Drakeguard operative. The more you demonstrate your alignment with the organization’s goals, the more she will invest in you. As such, we use a ranking system. With each completed mission, you gain a rank, and your field office’s quartermaster can align your bracer to your new rank and unlock one of the following special abilities. At level one, you gain the ability to cast one ability per day. At level six, this will increase to two per day.

1. Haste. You go first in initiative order, or grant all allies +2 to their initiative roll.
2. Insightful Riposte. You predict how the enemy will react to your strike and account for it. (You may convert a miss to a hit for you or an ally.)
3. That’s a Good Point, Actually. You or any ally automatically succeed on your next charisma check.
4. Sneaky Fucker. You may choose to gain +10 to your own stealth checks, or focus your efforts on helping your team, so you and all allies gain +5. Lasts for one hour.
5. Guided Shot. You channel the Founder’s will to briefly focus your mind and body on making a perfect shot. (Before rolling, turn you or an ally’s ranged attack into an automatic critical hit.)
6. Founder’s Shield. The Founder’s power shields you from all harm, or grants you and all your allies resistance to all damage types. Lasts until the end of your next turn.
7. Shake it Off. grant yourself or any ally an immediate saving throw, healing surge (spend up to half their hit dice + Con), and action (without changing their initiative order).
8. Need for Speed. Your body crackles with energy and you can move with incredible speed. For the duration of the effect, double the number of actions you can take in a turn, and your AC is increased by 5. At the end of each turn, make a constitution check of 10 + the number of turns the effect has been active. When the effect wears off, you become Exhausted (DM determines exhaustion level). (requires Drakeguard level 2)
9. Titanic Growth. You instantly grow to giant size. You deal double damage with all melee attacks, but your AC is reduced by 5. You can persist the effect as a bonus action, but after 1 minute, you must succeed on a DC 15 constitution check as well. After the effect ends, you are gripped by a severe and dramatic hunger. If you cannot eat enough, you become Exhausted until your next long rest (DM determines exhaustion level). (requires Drakeguard level 2)
10. Summon Succubus. You conjure a blazing sex demon in an unoccupied space within 15ft of you. When the demon appears, one target within 15ft of the demon is stunned. The demon lasts until the end of your next turn, but can be persisted with a bonus action. While the demon persists, you can use a standard action to command it to choose a new target or a move action to move it up to 30ft. (required Drakeguard level 3)
11. Command Zed. You channel the power of the Founder to rewind time itself. If you choose to target only yourself, then time rewinds for 30 seconds, undoing any actions you took and any actions that affected only you. If you choose to target your group, then time rewinds for 6 seconds, undoing everyone’s actions. (requires Drakeguard level 4)
12. Lightning Bolt. A stroke of lightning forming a line 100 feet long and 5 feet wide blasts out from you in a direction you choose. Each creature in the line must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 8d6 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The lightning ignites flammable objects in the area that aren’t being worn or carried. (requires Drakeguard level 5)

Your Bracer

TODO: replace with tattoo. Must feature Drakeguard logo. Can be anywhere, but it's useful to keep somewhere that can be easily shown to other operatives.

Every member of the Drakeguard receives a special magic item. Typically, this takes the form of a bracer, but you can request other forms such as a ring, amulet, or belt buckle. This item provides three benefits: First, it acts as a stone of far-speech for your squad. Second, it can be used to teleport you to your next assignment, and home again when the job is complete. Finally, it grants access to powerful abilities as you increase rank.

Note that the teleportation function has a limited charge and a fixed destination. Upon accepting an assignment, it can teleport you to the location (typically depositing you on the outskirts of the nearest settlement). Then it can be used once more to return you to your field office. It cannot send you to a destination of your choosing, and once used it requires time to recharge. Note also that abandoning an assignment by teleporting home before the job is complete will result in demotion.

Spellcasting Services

As part of your benefits package, we are pleased to offer spellcasting services at a discount. You can access these services from our field offices in Neverwinter, Waterdeep, and Baldur’s Gate. Services generally available include healing and recovery spells, as well as information-gathering.

DM Guide

Enlists the group in the Drakeguard, an elite group of fixers

• Group is given badges that act as communicators
• Group is given ability to teleport directly to problem spots across the realm, but only once every two weeks
• Group uses downtime activities between missions
• Drakeguard are given a leveling item that grants access to a daily power, similar to Cleric ability, and uses a skill tree to invest points earned from completed missions.

Recurring villains

• Big bad, four horsemen (see MCVFD Season Five)

Drakeguard Initiation

Part One — Meeting with Q

The gang is summoned by Q with “big news” — He is being promoted, and they are being pardoned.

Part Two —The Pardon Ceremony

The gang is invited to court for a public pardon ceremony conducted by the King before the full court.

Describe the throne room and five members of the court

Slip each player a note explaining that the Queen is making eyes at them

Part Three — The Queen’s Summons

Each character is summoned to the Queen’s private quarters after hours.

Describe the sitting room

Separate the players, and roleplay a quick scene with each where the Queen’s handmaid comes to their room after hours to invite them to a private audience with the Queen. Then deposit them one at a time into the Queen’s sitting room.

Part Four — A Job Offer

The Queen reveals her true nature and offers the gang a role in the Drakeguard.

Describe the Queen’s transformation and her command center

Department Heads

Director of Covert Operations: Quinumum "Um" Ebraldeth

Um trains recruits in the ways of stealth, and helps plan tactical operations that are meant to go unnoticed.

During downtime, Um can train rogues (TODO in what?)

Director of Overt Operations: Kanye Cantaliber, Esq.

Kanye gleefully trains recruits for combat, and helps plan combat operations.

He is accompanied at all times by his long-suffering manservant

During downtime, Kanye can train fighters in some special maneuvers he's developed over the years.

Director of Research: Nissa Atlock

Nissa is in charge of anything involving gathering information, whether it's recovering long-lost tomes and maps, to gathering intel on targets of interest.

During downtime, a character can spend time in Nissa's library to gain advantage on a knowledge or history check.

Director of Recruiting: Averlyth Cai

Averlyth finds new members for the Drakeguard. She has a network of informants across the region who alert her when they find someone she might make use of. She'll tail them for awhile and if they seem promising, she may introduce herself and offer an invitation.

There are many dark rumors swirling around about Averlyth. No doubt, she spread many of them herself. The biggest rumor is that she worships a dark god. But surely the founder wouldn't allow that… would she?

Services

Spellcasting: Polly (TODO: better name)

Polly is a beholder who offers spellcasting services at the Drakeguard.

Quartermaster: Quincy

Quincy is short and loud with a large beard and wild, unkempt hair. He is excitable, and eager to share his latest inventions. He can also sell the party any basic supplies they need.