TEXT: Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.   Mr. Porter’s Tome of Skullduggeries   1 
   
   
   
   
  A collection of heists for characters who need some coin. 
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.   Mr. Porter’s Tome of Skullduggeries   2 
   
  Tome of Skullduggery 
   
   
   
  Dirty Deeds Done in the Dark  
   
   
  Below the fabled streets of Waterdeep, there are scoundrels who need a few jobs 
  done in the dark. For every job to be done in the dark, there are skilled and 
  desperate individuals who can do it. And for every job that needs a team, there is 
  always a middleman, a broker, a go-between.  
   
  That man is Mr. Porter. These are his jobs.  
   
   
  A collection of short adventures for 1st  7th level characters 
   
  by Benjamin Reece 
   
   
   
   
   
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, 
   D&D Adventurers 
  League, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and 
  their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or 
  unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast. 
   
  ©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 
  4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK. 
   
   
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.   Mr. Porter’s Tome of Skullduggeries   3 
   
  Table of Contents 
  Introduction
  ..
   
  Reading a Heist
  ..
  6 
   
  Modules 
   
  A Spot of Payback
  7 
    
  Collect your bounty from a very dangerous man. An adventure for 1st to 3rd level characters. 
   
  Who Watches the Wizards?......................................................................................................9 
    
  Are you brave enough to steal from a wizard? An adventure for 1st to 3rd level characters. 
   
  Wizardnapping
  12 
    
  to 3rd level characters. 
   
  Hot Kitchen
  16 
    
  Save the worst diner in Waterdeep. An adventure for 1st to 3rd level characters. 
   
  No Refunds
  .
  ..18 
    
  en, not bought. An adventure for 1st to 3rd level characters. 
  . 
  Peacekeeping 
  .
  21 
    
   
   
  All This for a Couple of Shrubs
  23 
    
  Rich men will pay big for the stupidest things. An adventure for 3rd to 5th level characters. 
   
  Friendly Fires
  26 
    
  Take advantage of a serial arsonist. An adventure for 3rd to 5th level characters. 
   
  Precious Cargo
  28 
    
   
   
  End Run
  ..31 
    
  ness. An adventure for 5th to 7th level characters. 
   
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.   Mr. Porter’s Tome of Skullduggeries   4 
   
  Appendices 
   
  Appendix A: New Magic Items
  38 
   
  Appendix B: New Monsters
  39 
   
  Credits
  .40
   
   
   
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.   Mr. Porter’s Tome of Skullduggeries   5 
  Introduction 
  You need some coin? Of course you need some 
  So how about I get you some coin? All you gotta 
  do is one small job. A favor, really. Easy as pie. 
  Then you can start rolling in dragons. 
    
   
   
  Mr. Porter 
  Sometimes, people in power need to get things 
  done without getting caught doing those 
  things. Sometimes, people in low places just 
  need a solid blade in the dark to send the right 
  message. Sometimes, a jealous merchant just 
   
   Whatever the job may be, there will always 
  be a market for desperate and skilled 
  individuals willing to risk the laws of 
  Waterdeep in order to get things done. These 
  individuals refer to ea
  duggers
  for the many types of skullduggery they get up 
  to. 
  The History of Skullduggery 
  Duggers and their complex, paranoid social 
  environment originally had their start in 
  Skullport, the nebulous halfway city between 
  Waterdeep and the Underdark. Factions 
  constantly vying for power in that multi-level 
  cauldron of criminality made certain skills 
  extremely lucrative; and when the de facto 
  rulers of your city are giant floating flaming 
  skulls, failure and open conflict were death 
  sentences.  
   Anonymity was equally valued in the 
  Skullport skullduggery market; when the 
  person hiring them could be a pirate, a slaver, 
  or even a mind flayer, duggers who valued 
  their longevity quickly learned not to ask too 
  many questions about who wanted what or 
  why. The only thing of importance was the 
  location, the target, and the payment. 
  Anything else was asking for trouble. 
  Mr. Porter 
  To facilitate this anonymity, a breed of 
  intermediaries sprang up almost immediately. 
  Keeping in line with the Skullport tradition of 
  pithy nicknames, these faceless, smiling 
  anonymizing name Mr. Porter.  
   Being more of a title than an actual name, 
  Mr. Porter could refer to anyone offering a job. 
  Male, female, dwarf, elf, drow, duergar, or even 
  faceless shadowy terror in the back corner of 
  the bar, they were all simply Mr. Porter. No 
  need to meet with the person who actually 
  wanted the job done; they might be able to 
  identify you to the authorities, and you might 
  be able to identify them. 
  Moving Up to Waterdeep 
  The first incursions of Duggers into Waterdeep 
  were exclusively on business. Skullduggeries 
  would take them up to sabotage magical 
  rivals, delay shipments, assassinate 
  troublesome adventurers, and so on. While the 
  Waterdhavian guards were ever vigilant to this 
  crime wave, they were frustrated by the honed 
  skill of the duggers.  When they finally caught 
  a few of the miscreants, they were unable to 
  uncover any leads other than a 
  whose appearance and motives could shift 
  from person to person even as they all sat 
  under a zone of truth. 
   Almost as quickly as the duggers arrived, the 
  movers and shakers of Waterdeep realized 
  their potential. The Zhentarim were the 
  quickest to adapt to this new way of doing 
  business; no sense in ruining the already-
  shaky reputation of the Black Network when 
  Mr. Porter was ready and eager to take the fall.  
   In fact, the adoption of skullduggery and all 
  its trappings was so quick and so complete 
  that many in the business assume that the 
  Masked Lords of Waterdeep did not just turn a 
  blind eye, but actively encouraged the 
  development of duggers of their own. 
   
   
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  Mr. Porter’s Tome of Skullduggeries    6 
  Reading a Heist 
  Most skullduggeries offered by Mr. Porter 
  follow a similar pattern: a Mr. Porter names a 
  target, makes an offer, then shares whatever 
  information they might know to their duggers. 
   Once the job is on, there are more moving 
  parts than any one person could possibly 
  know about, and so every job invariably comes 
  with a tense twist or two. So long as the 
  duggers can deal with that, they can make 
  good their escape and get paid. 
  The Target 
  have, and bringing it back to Mr. Porter. 
   - 
  usually enough to plan, never enough to 
  dawdle. 
   
  The Payout 
  Mr. Porter typically has a payment in gold for 
  the characters upon completion of their job, 
  although on occasion he will offer other 
  rewards such as magic items and quid pro 
  quo.  
   The characters can often negotiate for a 
  higher pay rate, and in fact Mr. Porter always 
  underbids with the expectation that his 
  duggers (the characters) will counteroffer.  
   Once a deal is decided and made, however, it 
  is considered a grave insult to quit or 
  renegotiate mid-job, no matter how distasteful 
  the details turn out to be. Failing the job 
  simply means not getting paid - quitting on the 
  job often means being the target of a dugger 
  assassination.  
  The Layout 
  Mr. Porter can usually provide his duggers 
  basic information about the target of his job, 
  characters. More information about the 
  floorplans, inhabitants, and general layout of 
  the job in question will be up to the characters 
  to discover in the limited time they have to 
  plan and prepare.  
  Obstacles 
  Nothing worth getting for Mr. Porter is ever 
  easy to get. Once again, Mr. Porter will usually 
  have some idea about the security and 
  defenses that await the characters, but as 
  always expects the characters to use their 
  skills and experience to bypass guards, locks, 
  and other defenses. 
  Twists & Turns 
  Mr. Porter, as knowledgeable as he is, cannot 
  know everything. Rich nobles falsify blueprints 
  to sneak in traps and hidden passages. 
  Surprise inspections and visitors can pop in at 
  the exact worst time. Sometimes, another Mr. 
  Porter has a different group of duggers on the 
  same job, and skullduggery explodes into 
  competition and desperate violence - after all, 
  only one group can steal a unique piece of 
  jewelry or art. 
   These unforeseen complications are just part 
  of skullduggery. Duggers are hired based on 
  their skills and ability to get the job done no 
  matter what goes wrong. Just because the 
  captain of the watch and his honor guard are 
  is off, it just means the duggers have to be 
  even more careful.   
   
  The Escape 
  New duggers relax once they have the prize in 
  hand and are on the way out. Veterans go on 
  even higher alert until cash is in hand and Mr. 
  Porter is out of sight. Screwing up the exit is 
  the easiest way to get caught and killed, and 
  even the payoff may not be safe - sometimes 
  Mr. Porter is told that his duggers know too 
  much and have to be eliminated.  
   Betrayal this extreme is rare, however. Mr. 
  Porter almost always pays out what he 
  promised - no more, no less. 
   
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  Mr. Porter’s Tome of Skullduggeries    7 
  A Spot of Payback 
  A friend of mine left a little present for me in 
  it
  someone to get it, and get a message to him: 
   
    
   
   
  Mr. Porter 
  -2 hour adventure 
  for characters of 1st  3rd level. 
  The Target 
  leave town early the next morning. The 
  characters are to make their move that night. 
   
  payment, only that they return with at least 
  500 gp or something of equal value. He knows 
   
   Mr. Porter is not forthcoming about the 
  that succeeds a DC 12 Charisma (Persuasion) 
  check can get him to admit that 
  quite a formidable fighter.  
  The Payout 
  Mr. Porter is willing to pay the characters 10 
  percent of whatever they can retrieve from his 
  missing payment, or up to 20 percent with if 
  a character succeeds a DC 16 Charisma 
  (Persuasion) check. 
  The Layout 
  -story 
  structure, with public mingling space on the 
  first floor and private meeting rooms on the 
  second floor.  
   
  have windows, but the third floor is 
  windowless for discretion. 
   Mr. Porter wants to avoid excessive  damage 
  to innocent people and property, as he and 
  Lailana do excellent business together. 
   On the bottom floor there are several 
  parties of nobles conversing and making 
  merry with numerous courtesans (also 
  nobles).  
   On the second floor, two of the private 
  rooms are occupied with nobles making 
  business deals. 
  Obstacles 
  on hand to keep patrons honest and their 
  employees safe: plainclothes security (use the 
  statistics for spies), and bouncers in tailored 
  suits (thugs). Two bouncers flank the main 
  entrance, and two more keep an eye on things 
  from inconspicuous places. 
   All doors in the building are locked. The 
  doors on the second floor feature simple 
  locks, requiring a successful DC 14 Dexterity 
  check with thieves tools to open. The doors 
  on the third floor are more difficult, requiring 
  a successful DC 16 Dexterity check with 
  thieves tools to open. There is a single 
  courtesan with a key that unlocks any given 
  room, and Lailana has a master key that 
  unlocks all doors in the building. 
   Two bouncers keep watch from the top of 
  the stairs on the second level, and two 
  plainclothes security hide in the shadows 
  behind statues. 
   Bouncers stand at the landing of the stairs 
  going up to the third floor, and at the end of 
  the hallway. 
  Twists & Turns 
  Watch Captain Johnson (a knight) is 
  with a stag party of five guards. At some point 
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  Mr. Porter’s Tome of Skullduggeries    8 
  while the party is at the brothel, two of the 
  guards go downstairs to restock on beer. 
   While none of the stag party have their 
  armor on or readily available, if combat 
  breaks out they can arm themselves and 
  strap the captain into a breastplate, coming 
  to the scene of the disturbance in 3 rounds. 
   
  underground bare-knuckle brawler Anoni 
  Jurphy (a gladiator without his armor or 
  buried beneath Anoni and his three 
  companions in a tangle of bedsheets. His 
  companions, two female and one male 
  courtesan, flee if combat breaks out and 
  summon help.  
   The payment is a bag of ten 50 gold pieces 
  in the south-east large private room. Anoni 
  has a second bag of similar gems hidden in a 
  locked chest beneath the bed, which is 
  detected if a character in the room succeeds a 
  DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check while 
  searching the room. Characters attempting to 
  retrieve the second bag have disadvantage on 
  the Dexterity (Stealth) check to do so without 
  being noticed.  
  The Escape 
  Anoni can be talked to, but he is a prideful 
  man. A character can convince him to pay up 
  with a successful DC 18 Charisma 
  (Persuasion) or (Intimidation) check. This 
  check is made with advantage if Anoni has 
  half his hit points or fewer. Characters roll a 
  22 or higher on this check convince Anoni to 
  handle the second bag of gems. 
   Of course, Anoni would prefer to fight, and 
  in fact prefers to. He even offers to give the 
  characters half the payment one of them 
  agrees to single combat and wins - a tall 
  order. Anoni will concede the fight if he is 
  brought to 50 hit points or fewer. Even if the 
  character loses the combat, Anoni will still 
  give them a single gem for the entertainment.  
   
   
   Level One 
   Level Two 
   
   Level Three 
   
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  Mr. Porter’s Tome of Skullduggeries    9 
  Who Watches the 
  Wizards? 
  I have it on good authority that the wizard 
  Bumarl just got a fancy new scrying bowl. 
  to his young new apprentice. The hells to that. 
  I can think of a hundred better uses for that 
  scrying bowl than in the hands of some grubby 
  apprentice. Get in, get it, and get out without 
  causing a fuss. 
    
   
   
  Mr. Porter 
  -2 hour 
  adventure for characters of 1st  3rd level. 
  The Target 
  Mr. Porter tells the characters that Bumarl is 
  away from his tower for the next three days. 
   chances 
  of success if the characters try to pull the job 
  with Bumarl in town. 
   The scrying bowl in question is a three-foot 
  wide silvery bowl with a shimmering clear 
  liquid inside. Mr. Porter can provide a sketch 
  of the bowl, and makes a point of saying that 
  the silvery liquid is part of the package.  
  The Payout 
  Mr. Porter has budgeted 250 gp for this job. A 
  character that succeeds a DC 15 Charisma 
  (Persuasion) check can increase that to 300 
  gp.  
   If the characters are able to retrieve the 
  mirror without raising an alarm, Mr. Porter 
  rewards them with a bag of dust of 
  disappearance, and the promise of future 
  work in which to use it. 
  The Layout 
  -foot tall stone 
  tower attached to a two-story brick building. 
  The first floor of the brick building is the 
  grand hall, and the student lab. The top two 
  study and living space. 
   A large spiral staircase is the primary 
  means of travelling from the first floor to the 
  second floor. The apprentices have a 
  teleportation circle in the workshop that leads 
  to the lab, and another set of teleportation 
  study and from the study to his personal 
  room. 
   The exterior of the tower is rough enough to 
  climb, but the windows into each floor are 
  secured with iron bars and secured with an 
  alarm spell. Characters that succeed a DC 18 
  Strength check can pry open the bars. The 
  storage room on the third floor of the tower 
  does not have windows. 
  Obstacles 
  The doors on the second floor are all locked 
  with simple locks (DC 12 Dexterity check with 
  between the workshop, the kitchen, and the 
  s are usually left ajar. The 
  doors from the storefront to the storage room 
  and workshop are left open during working 
  hours. The servants rarely lock their external 
  door, but there is always at least two of them 
  (commoners) resting on their bunks. 
   A creature can activate the apprentice 
  teleportation circle by using an action to 
  stand on the circle and speaking aloud the 
  Draconic for the bottom and top circles, 
  respectively, are inscribed in the center of 
  each circle.  
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  Mr. Porter’s Tome of Skullduggeries    10 
  Second Floor 
  The doors on the second floor have more 
  intricate locks (DC 14 Dexterity check with 
  are Cassia, a noble with the prestidigitation, 
  mage hand, and fire bolt cantrips; and Todd, 
  a commoner. During the day, Todd typically 
  works behind the counter in the storefront, 
  and Cassia creates scrolls and potions in the 
  workroom. 
   
  also warded with an alarm spell that alerts 
  the apprentice in question if the door is 
  ope
  name. This alarm can be suppressed for 1 
  minute with dispel magic. 
  Tower 
  The teleportation circles leading from the 
  name.  
   Another intricate lock and an arcane lock 
  spell secures the storage room in the study; 
  character that opens the door without 
  disabling the arcane lock or speaking the 
  keyword triggers an alarm spell that alerts 
  Bumarl to intrusion. 
   The scrying bowl is on the table in the 
  study, next to a scrap of parchment with the 
  rough notes of a graduation speech for 
  Cassia.  
   The circles leading from the study to the 
  familiar, a pseudodragon named Ireevik. 
  bossed with its 
  name, stands next to the large chair in the 
  study.  
   The password for any given teleportation 
  circle or lock can be discovered if a character 
  proficient in Arcana studies the circles for a 
  minute and succeeds a DC 15 Intelligence 
  (Arcana) check. 
  Twists & Turns 
  Two suits of animated armor guard the 
  second floor. If any of the door alarms are 
  triggered, one of them goes to investigate. 
  Once activated, they attack intruders on 
  sight. 
   The study is protected by a rug of 
  smothering. The rug attacks any character 
   
   
  helmed 
  horror 
  the wizard. It attacks intruders on sight. 
   If three alarm spells are triggered anywhere 
  in the tower within the same hour, or if one of 
  the suits of animated armor are destroyed, 
  Giles is teleported to the location to 
  investigate the disturbance. He is teleported 
  back to his post after one minute. 
   If a creature attempts to use the 
  teleportation circle from the study to the 
  bedroom and they do not use the proper 
  keyword, they are instead teleported 10 ft. 
  outside of the tower - just far enough to drop 
  40 ft. to the cobblestones below. 
   Bumarl teleports back to his bedroom one 
  minute after either Giles is destroyed or the 
  study storage room is breached. 
  Poor Todd 
  Todd the apprentice knows he is not cut out 
  for wizardry. He can provide the passwords 
  for any of the teleportation circles and doors 
  in the tower if the characters are willing to 
  help him. Provide the characters with one 
  password for each of the following tasks they 
  complete: 
  • Steal a bottle of fine wine from the pantry. 
  • 
  desk. 
  • 
   
  • 
   in 
   
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  Mr. Porter’s Tome of Skullduggeries    11 
  The Escape 
  The scrying bowl is quite heavy and quite full. 
  A character holding the bowl must succeed a 
  DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to move 
  without spilling any of the liquid. Characters 
  that move at half speed have advantage on 
  the check. Characters with a Strength score 
  of less than 12 have disadvantage on the 
  check. 
   
   
  Mr. Porter halves the reward if the characters 
  fail three or more Dexterity (Acrobatics) 
  checks while carrying the scrying bowl. 
   If the c
  to infiltrate the tower without triggering any 
  desire for subtlety; if they divulge how they 
  traveled through the tower, they will not 
  receive the additional reward.   
   
   
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  Mr. Porter’s Tome of Skullduggeries    12 
  Wizardnapping 
  Nobody in my organization can use my fancy 
  mages. The good news is, I hear one of the 
  apprentices of the wizard Bumarl is young and 
  ambitious  just my type. The bad news is, 
  Bumarl has already been robb
  playing nice. If you can get her out of his tower 
   
    
   
   
  Mr. Porter 
  -2 hour adventure for 
  characters of 1st  3rd level. 
  The Target 
  Mr. Porter wants the characters to relieve the 
  wizard Bumarl of his apprentice Cassia. Mr. 
  Porter has had agents plant the idea of 
  sure if she is completely aware she knows 
  leave the decision of if and how to inform 
  Cassia up to the characters.  
   Mr. Porter is a busy man and would prefer 
  this job finished sooner rather than later, and 
  so puts a soft one-week deadline on its 
  completion. 
  The Payout 
  Mr. Porter offers the characters 200 gp if they 
  can complete the job in the week deadline. If 
  they take longer, the reward is halved. 
   Characters that succeed on a DC 16 
  Charisma (Persuasion) check can convince 
  Mr. Porter to pay half of the 200gp up front 
  for supplies. If they exceed the time limit, 
  they do not get the second half. 
   In addition to the gold reward, Mr. Porter 
  will give the characters their choice of the 
  following magic items: a robe of useful items¸ 
  a jar of K
  with the 
  maximum number of doses, an elemental 
  gem, a pouch of dust of disappearance, and 
  an alchemy jug.  
   
  The Layout 
  -foot tall stone 
  tower attached to a two-story brick building. 
  The first floor of the brick building is the 
  grand hall, and the student lab. The top two 
  study and living space. 
   A large spiral staircase is the primary 
  means of travelling from the first floor to the 
  second floor. The apprentices have a 
  teleportation circle in the workshop that leads 
  to the lab, and another set of teleportation 
  study and from the study to his personal 
  room. 
   The exterior of the tower is rough enough to 
  climb, but the windows into each floor are 
  secured with iron bars and secured with an 
  alarm spell. Characters that succeed a DC 18 
  Strength check can pry open the bars. The 
  storage room on the third floor of the tower 
  does not have windows. 
  Obstacles 
  Bumarl has recently upgraded all the doors 
  and locks in his tower. Doors swing shut 
  immediately after a creature uses them and 
  lock as soon as they close.  
   The servants prop open the door between 
  their quarters and the kitchen during the 
  day, and the apprentices prop open the door 
  between the ground floor storage room and 
  workshop during business hours. There are 
  always at least two servants (commoners) 
  resting on their bunks. 
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  Mr. Porter’s Tome of Skullduggeries    13 
   A character can activate the apprentice 
  teleportation circle by using an action to 
  stand on the circle and speaking aloud the 
   
   A character that studies these teleportation 
  circles for 1 minute and succeeds a DC 14 
  Intelligence (Investigation) check discovers 
  were inscribed on the first and second floor 
  circles, respectively. A character that stands 
  on the teleportation circle and says the 
  removed word is immediately covered head to 
  toe in a glowing purple stain and the room is 
  filled with loud quacking for 1 minute. 
  Second Floor 
  The doors on the second floor have even more 
  intricate locks (DC 16 Dexterity check with 
  are Cassia, described later, and Todd, a 
  commoner. During the day, Todd typically 
  works behind the counter in the storefront, 
  and Cassia creates scrolls and potions in the 
  workroom. 
   
  also warded with an alarm spell that alerts 
  the apprentice in question if the door is 
  name. This alarm can be suppressed for 1 
  minute with dispel magic. 
  Tower 
  The teleportation circles leading from the 
  name.  
   Another intricate lock and an arcane lock 
  spell secures the storage room in the study; 
  character that opens the door without 
  disabling the arcane lock or speaking the 
  keyword triggers an alarm spell that alerts 
  Bumarl to intrusion. 
   The scrying bowl is on the table in the 
  study, next to a scrap of parchment with the 
  rough notes of a graduation speech for 
  Cassia.  
   The circles leading from the study to the 
  familiar, a pseudodragon named Ireevik. 
  Ireev
  name, stands next to the large chair in the 
  study.  
   The password for any given teleportation 
  circle or lock can be discovered if a character 
  proficient in Arcana studies the circles for a 
  minute and succeeds a DC 15 Intelligence 
  (Arcana) check. 
  Twists & Turns 
  Two suits of animated armor guard the 
  second floor. One patrols from the grand hall 
  to the apprentice dorms, and one patrols from 
  the apprentice dorms to the workshop. If any 
  of the door alarms are triggered, one of them 
  goes to investigate. They attack intruders on 
  sight. 
   The study is protected by a rug of 
  smothering. The rug attacks any character 
   
   
  helmed 
  horror 
  the wizard. It attacks intruders on sight. 
   If three alarm spells are triggered anywhere 
  in the tower within the same hour, or if one of 
  the suits of animated armor are destroyed, 
  Giles is teleported to the location after one 
  round. He is teleported back to his post after 
  one minute. 
   If a creature attempts to use the 
  teleportation circle from the study to the 
  bedroom and they do not use the proper 
  keyword, they are instead teleported 10 ft. 
  outside of the tower - just far enough to drop 
  40 ft. to the cobblestones below. 
   If either Giles is destroyed or the study 
  storage room is breached, Bumarl teleports to 
  the spot on initiative count 20 two rounds 
  later. 
   
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  Mr. Porter’s Tome of Skullduggeries    14 
  Cassia 
  Cassia is a noble with the following changes: 
  Spellcasting. Cassia is a 1st-level spellcaster. 
  Her spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell 
  save DC 11, +3 to hit with spell attacks). She has 
  the following wizard spells prepared: 
   
  Cantrips (at will): fire bolt, mage hand, 
  prestidigitation 
  1st level (2 slots): magic missile, shield 
   
   She has ambitions to expand past the 
  limiting and slow tutelage of Bumarl, but is 
  smart enough not to make any suggestion of 
  her ambitions while in his tower.  
   Cassia wants to expand into an altruistic or 
  proactive role; she will not agree to help or 
  accompany characters who cannot provide 
  her a suitable employer. Characters who 
  succeed a Charisma (Deception) check 
  can convince her they have a worthy patron. 
   If the characters convince Cassia to help 
  them, she tells them that Bumarl has bound 
  a hell hound to hunt down and kill anyone 
  else who steals from his tower, and to retrieve 
  know how to avoid it, but she offers to help 
  the characters in other ways. 
   Use your best judgement for determining 
  what form that help takes. She is not 
  powerful enough to disable a suit of animated 
  armor, but she might be able to trap it behind 
  a door or disable an alarm.  
   
   
   
   
  The Escape 
  On initiative count 20 after Cassia leaves the 
  tower with the characters, a hell hound 
  appears in the last square in the tower Cassia 
  occupied. It attacks the characters without 
  mercy, but avoids targeting Cassia unless it 
  can catch all the characters in its Fire Breath 
  attack. 
   If a chase ensues, use the Chase rules from 
  characters can reach the bar where Mr. 
  Porter hired them, he has several helpers on 
  hand to protect them from any pursuit. 
   
   
  
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  Hot Kitchen 
  my favorite 
  terrible restaurant in the Dock Ward  perfect 
  for a pick-me-up after a long night of drinking. 
  Problem is, a pesky city official dedicated to 
  than wall insul
  you just make sure that Darga stays in 
  business after her next visit in two days. 
    
   
   
  Mr. Porter 
  -2 hour adventure for 
  characters of 1st  3rd level. 
  The Target 
  restaurant in all of Waterdeep. What appears 
  at first to be a filthy, matted rug scatters on 
  approach and scurries into many ratholes. 
  Stains overlap stains all over the floor, walls, 
  and ceiling, and a constant haze of smoke 
  and grease fill the establishment. Adventurers 
  not used to fighting aberrations would do best 
  to avoid the kitchen. 
  The Payout 
  Mr. Porter has budgeted 250 gp for this job. A 
  character that succeeds a DC 15 Charisma 
  (Persuasion) check can increase that to 300 
  gp.  
   Almost as a joke, Mr. Porter offers each of 
  the characters a vial of antitoxin in case 
   
  The Layout 
  -room building: a 
  low-ceilinged public area, where food and 
  beverages are consumed; a narrow 
  kitchen/taproom, where food and beverages 
  are served; and a rough dirt cellar, where food 
  and beverages are stored. Darga, an ogre, 
  sleeps in a loft above the kitchen. 
   
   
  Obstacles 
  stantly see 
  that the public room is unfit to sleep, eat, 
  drink, or really even walk into. The same goes 
  for the kitchen, except that the kitchen is 
  perpetually on the brink of an all-consuming 
  grease fire. The cellar is more of a rat warren 
  than any kind o
  clear Darga roughly smacks large chunks of 
  mold off any food he intends to cook, or just 
  assumes the grease will kill anything lethal.  
  The Reviewer 
  Ram Sagord (a noble) is a barrel-chested half-
  orc with expertly-tousled and -dyed hair, a 
  intent on cleaning up the Waterdhavian 
  eateries as much as possible. He has 
  incredibly high standards for hygiene and 
  to match before he risks his own reputation 
  there.  
   Ram Sagord has an office in the Castle 
  Ward of Waterdeep watched by two guards 
  -in-command, a 
  shaven-headed and humorless veteran 
  named Scott. Open combat will attract the 
  attention of other Waterdeep guards in 1d4 
  rounds. 
  Twists & Turns 
  the drunks in their terrible bar, but to the 
  street toughs in Waterdeep it has a 
  
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  reputation for putting a spring in their step 
  and dulling the pain of a good scuffle. Darga 
   know why they keep running low on 
  the sauce, but they have to employ five 
  goblins full-time to make it in a little cavern 
  behind their cellar. 
   Needless to say, if Ram Sagord inspects the 
  kitchen and finds the goblins making illicit 
  substances, he will immediately shut the 
  place down. Darga, already struggling to 
  make it in the big city, will react violently. 
  The Escape 
  variety of ways, including but not limited to: 
  Deep Clean 
  and provide 
  Ram Sagord with an appropriate eating 
  experience. 
   It takes one character the full 2 days to 
  standards of Ram Sagord. Each additional 
  character helping halves the time needed. 
   
   completely 
  rancid, needing investment to replace or an 
  exceptional ability check using cooking tools 
  to pass off (likely DC 20). 
   With new food, new equipment, and a clean 
  kitchen, a character can impress Sagord with 
  a successful DC 14 check with cooking tools. 
  Chef Swap 
  Darga is stubborn mule and will refuse to let 
  someone else cook in their kitchen, much less 
  leave their establishment for a few days. A 
  character can convince Darga to leave if they 
  succeed a DC 16 Charisma (Persuasion) or 
  Charisma (Intimidation) check. This check is 
  made with advantage if Darga is offered a 
  bribe of at least 25 gp. 
  New Docs Who Dis 
  with his documentation requires sneaking 
  past the guards that patrol the Castle Ward 
  and past Sa
  that spends four hours and succeeds a DC 14 
  Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom 
  (Perception) check can learn the patrol 
  patterns of the city guards. 
   
  The two hired guards are around all day and 
  go home in the evening. Scott, on the other 
  hand, sleeps on a cot in the first-floor 
  operations center, in the middle of all the 
  documents and maps. He has advantage on 
  Wisdom (Perception) checks to hear creatures 
  sneaking across the floor. 
   Ram Sagord is an eagle-eyed bureaucrat 
  with a good memory. Characters wishing to 
  pass falsified documents off as his own must 
   
   
   
  
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  No Refunds 
  Your friend and mine, guard captain Indrick 
  Johnson, is about to celebrate his nuptials, 
  time. Thankfully, Captain Johnson was kind 
  enough to leave a copy of his wedding registry 
  lying around where just anyone with soft 
  shoes and a set of lockpicks could find it. What 
  better way to make sure he knows we care 
  than by picking up some of the more expensive 
  things on this list for him  without the 
  expense? 
    
   
   
  Mr. Porter 
  -2 hour adventure for 
  characters of 1st  3rd level. 
  The Target 
  Mr. Porter is a smiling, jovial halfling who 
  laughs and a portly belly. 
   Mr. Porter has a list of four specific items 
  he wants procured from the wedding registry: 
  a set of permanently prestidigitated chamber 
  pots, a large bed and fittings, a full set of 
  exotic spices, and a pair of handsome 
  comfortable chairs from the Very Good Wood 
  Shop. Mr. Porter can provide the names and 
  locations of four stores where the items in 
  Necessities, Rowanstock Fine Beddings, the 
  Bronze Bazaar, and the Very Good Wood 
  Shop. 
   There is no real time limit on this job, but 
  Mr. Porter suggests that all the robberies 
  happen on the same night to avoid any 
  increase in security. If the characters want to 
  space out the robberies to increase Captain 
  promises to find some way to reward them. 
  The Payout 
  Successfully bringing the four items to the 
  a reward of 500 gp from Mr. Porter. A 
  character that succeeds a DC 15 Charisma 
  (Persuasion) check can increase the reward to 
  750 gp. 
   If the characters space out the robberies, 
  Mr. Porter promise them an additional reward 
  on successful completion of the job, 
  The Layout 
  The shops in question are generally pretty 
  similar, featuring a storefront on the ground 
  floor, perhaps a display room and a private 
  room in the back, and living quarters on the 
  second floor. 
   The real concern with getting around for 
  this job is the city itself. While the shops 
  themselves are not spread especially far 
  apart, bringing all the purloined gifts together 
  will likely require some finagling large boxes 
  or objects along busy city streets or tight 
  alleyways. 
  Obstacles 
  Each of the four establishments features 
  some kind of security. In general, locks 
  tools to open, and valuables are often stored 
  in locked crates or chests behind locked 
  doors. 
   
  This two-story shop is attached to a four-
  story tower, where the eponymous wizard 
  likely lives. Thankfully, the store room for 
  more pedestrian goods is in the main building 
  on the second floor. A character with a rope 
  and some climbing gear that succeeds a DC 
  10 Strength (Athletics) check can climb the 
  
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  walls to the second-story windows, but doing 
  so is rather obvious and is likely to attract 
  attention from guard patrols if not from the 
  wizard himself. Inside, a suit of animated 
  armor patrols the halls, but a character that 
  succeeds a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) 
  check after studying the patrol for 10 minutes 
  can determine when it is safe to move without 
  being detected. 
   A single chamber pot weighs about 15 lbs 
  and is wide enough that a single Medium 
  character can only carry two. 
  Rowanstock Fine Beddings 
  This shop is a wide one-story affair, and 
  features relatively light security  after all, 
  who could steal an entire bed? The front door 
  and large display windows are guarded by a 
  dozy half-orc thug, and the door is secured 
  with a particularly clever lock (DC 16 
   
   Other than that, there are no protections 
  securing the bedding itself; it is bulky and 
  cumbersome enough to deter easy theft. 
   An appropriately large bed weighs 600 lbs 
  and is 8 feet on a side, making it very difficult 
  to move. Even if a character can lift the bed 
  by themselves, their speed is halved while 
  carrying the bed, and they have disadvantage 
  on Dexterity saving throws. 
  The Bronze Bazaar 
  Outwardly unguarded, the Bronze Bazaar is 
  watched over by two separate forces. First, 
  four bandits lurk in especially deep shadows. 
  Characters with a passive Wisdom 
  (Perception) score of 15 or higher, or who 
  succeed a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, 
  notice the bandits. 
   In addition, an imp is perched invisibly on 
  the countertop, keeping watch over the 
  merchandise. Roll Wisdom (Perception) 
  Dexterity (Stealth) checks. If the imp spots 
  intruders, it alerts the bandits with a screech 
  but otherwise does nothing. 
  Very Good Wood Shop 
  The doors of this shop do not have locks; 
  rather, they and the window shutters are all 
  secured with sturdy bars at night. The owner, 
  a stubborn mustachioed gentleman by the 
  name of Vaugh Ronaldson (a thug) sleeps in a 
  chair in the middle of the shop, eyes open, 
  with a heavy crossbow pointed at the door. 
   If he catches the characters trying to steal 
  chairs, Vaughn is open to negotiation. He will 
  sell the characters the chairs for 500 gp each. 
  A character that succeeds a DC 16 Charisma 
  (Persuasion) check or a DC 18 Charisma 
  (Deception) check can convince Vaughn to 
  donate the chairs to the happy couple. If the 
  check is successful, Vaughn will also give the 
  characters an odd knobby piece of polished 
  Chultan wood as a present for the married 
  couple. 
  Twists & Turns 
  Captain Indrick Johnson and his bride-to-be 
  in the chairs of the Very Good Wood Shop. 
  About a month ago, one of the strange 
  socialites that move and shape fashion in 
  Waterdeep declared that Vaughn Rona
  chairs were THE thing to have. Unfortunately 
  for her, Vaugh is completely unwilling to 
  compromise his craftsmanship for the 
  incredible demand, so the socialite has 
  resorted to more direct measures to get what 
  she wants.  
   A team of three spies led by a bandit 
  captain 
  chairs at some point during the heist. They 
  are paid well, but if the bandit captain or two 
  of the spies die, they flee. 
   
   
   
  
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  The Escape 
  If the characters choose to spread out the 
  robberies, then at each successive shop there 
  will be 1d4 additional guards keeping watch 
  over the establishment. 
   Mr. Porter pays successful characters, as 
  promised. If they were successful with a 
  spread-out spree, he will give them a rust bag 
  of tricks as a special reward. 
   
  
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  Peacekeeping 
  enforcement, but the guards out of the 10th 
  Street Watch House are too busy breaking legs 
  and heads to do any real guard work. Ernard, 
  their captain, has kept them from getting too 
  sloppy, but I know some of the 
  disappearances from the South Ward are more 
  permanent than the public has been led to 
  law. Set Ernard and his boys straight, and 
  neighborhoods can scrape together. 
    
   
   
  Mr. Porter 
  -2 hour adventure for 
  characters of 3rd  5th level. 
  The Target 
  Mr. Porter, a thin-faced gnome with a nose 
  protruding past the edge of his hood, is 
  twitchy and nervous, constantly scanning the 
  inn as he gives the characters his pitch. 
   Ernard (a veteran) and his goons (16 thugs 
  with studded leather armor and shields 
  making their AC 14) operate out of a watch 
  post that covers the southeastern corner of 
  the South Ward in Waterdeep. Ernard is 
  earning recognition from his superiors 
  because of the drop in crime rate in his 
  where he recruits from and how he gets his 
  job done. 
   
  The Payout 
  The neighborhoods under the thumb under 
  the 10th Street Watch have scraped together 
  250 gp to pay for the job, and Mr. Porter is 
  putting in an additional 250 gp. A character 
  that succeeds a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) 
  to 350 gp.  
  The Layout 
  The 10th Street Watch House is a three-story 
  building with a stone-floored basement. The 
  first floor has a booking area, kitchen, and 
  common area for the guards to mingle, eat, 
  and gamble. The second floor is where the 
  guards have their bunks, their washroom, 
  and the records room. 
   The third floor has the offices of Ernard and 
  his lieutenant, Crauz (one of the modified 
  thugs but with 50 hit points), as well as the 
  evidence locker.  
   The basement has the holding cells for the 
  10th Street Watch. One of them has been 
  converted to temporary storage. 
  Obstacles 
  The doors on the first floor of the Watch 
  House are all kept open and unlocked during 
  the day. The external doors are locked at 
  night, as are the doors to the stairwells. The 
  doors on the second floor are all unlocked, 
  except for the door to the records room. The 
  doors on the third floor are secured with 
  locks.  
   Ernard and Crauz have keys to all the 
  locked doors. A character that succeeds a DC 
  unlock the locked doors without a key. 
   The windows are all fitted with shutters 
  that can be closed with a simple lock (DC 12 
   
   
  
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  Twists & Turns 
  Two of the boxes in the basement hold sets of 
  chain mail for every guard, and full-face 
  helmets. If an alert is sounded, the 10th 
  Street Watch go down in shifts of 4 to arm 
  up, increasing their AC to 16 (18 with their 
  shields). All of the guards are armored in 1 
  minute after someone sounds the alarm. 
  House Party 
  While the characters are in the watch house, 
  the real movers and shakers of the 10th 
  Street neighborhoods surround the house 
  and put it under siege.  
  Tunnel Knives 
  A gang known as the Tunnel Knives is the 
  real reason that crime is so low in this section 
  of the South Ward; they have been killing 
  anyone who commits a crime, and 
  threatening the same to anyone who 
  complains to the watch. One person managed 
  to let Ernard know that a new gang was 
  making a foothold, and their body was found 
  hosting a nest of rats the next morning. 
  The Siege 
  Ten Tunnel Knives members (use the stats of 
  bandits) attack each of the three external 
  doors. Each group is led by a Tunnel Knife 
  leader, a wererat. They attempt to breach the 
  doors and kill everyone in the building. 
   Four snipers (use the stats of spies) are on 
  nearby rooftops, covering the windows. The 
  snipers use chimneys and windows to give 
  themselves half cover. If spotted, they move 
  position so they can make use of their Sneak 
  Attack feature. 
  Bottling Up 
  Ernard and Crauz have picked up bars for 
  the external doors. Chairs and beds can also 
  be used to brace doors, as well as block 
  attempts to break in through windows.  
   
  Tunnel Rats 
  An hour or so after the Tunnel Knives besiege 
  the 10th Street Watch House, the Tunnel Rat 
  leader (a wererat with 54 hit points) breaks 
  in to the basement from the sewers. He is 
  accompanied by 2 swarms of rats. He tries to 
  make an opening for the rest of his gang to 
  breach the building. 
  Gearing Up 
  Both sides of this conflict are ready for a fight. 
  consumable magical items that replicate first- and 
  second-level spells  can be used by either side to 
  keep things exciting and dramatic, or tip the 
  balance to either side, as you see fit.  
   You could also have a mercenary cult fanatic show 
  up to add extra firepower to the Tunnel Rats and 
  help them break in to a floor or two. 
  The Escape 
  The Tunnel Rats flee if three of the wererats 
  are killed, or if twenty or more of their 
  footsoldiers die. 
    Turns out, Mr. Porter was one of the 
  Tunnel Knives. As can be expected, payment 
  from him is not forthcoming.  
   Ernard, however, is quite grateful if the 
  players helped him and his guards, and can 
  arrange for each of the characters to get 
  suited out with up to 500 gp worth of 
  adventuring gear or services, including 
  weapons, armor, spellcasting services, 
  spellcasting materials, or one of the following 
  magic items: 
  • A bag of holding 
  • A bag of dust of disappearance 
  • A cap of water breathing 
  • A wand of magic detection 
  • A robe of useful items 
  • A pair of immovable rods 
   
   
  
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  All This for a 
  Couple of Shrubs 
  That one over there? She wants you to steal a 
  plant. That guy over there? He wants you to 
  keep it safe. And that biggun, over in the 
  corner? She wants you to kill it. Now, seeing 
  dipping, 
  that stupid. All I can say is that a very rich 
  man has the plant, and very rich men have 
  very rich enemies.  
    
   
   
  Mr. Porter 
  -2 hour 
  adventure for characters of 3rd  5th level. 
  The Target 
  A well-to-do merchant by the name of Falmas 
  Farringwray is part of a very select circle of 
  competitive rich Waterdhavians each trying to 
  discover a new piece of unique flora from 
  around Faerun. Farringwray has recently 
  been bragging that he discovered a new 
  species of fern, and he wants to capitalize on 
  his discovery as quickly as possible  possibly 
  even before the botanical experts can confirm 
  the uniqueness of his find. The inspection is 
  due to occur in one week. 
  A. 
   Mr. A. Porter, a short and relatively squat 
  elf, wants the characters to integrate 
  for the week leading up to the inspection. 
  B. 
   Mr. B. Porter, an aggressively average-
  looking human, wants the characters to 
   and steal his 
  plant.  
   
  exceptional reward if the theft happens 
  without detection, and in such a way that 
   
  C. 
   Mr. C. Porter, a half-orc with a loud laugh 
  and a dark sense of humor, simply wants the 
  concerned about how the characters do it, 
  but humiliation for Farringwray is preferable 
  to death. 
  The Payout 
  A. 
   Mr. A Porter says she can reward the 
  characters with 300 gp and establish a 
  dis
  reputable vendors of arms and armor. 
  B. 
   Mr. B. Porter will only offer 250 gp in coin, 
  but can acquire for each character a single 
  uncommon magic item from the following list: 
  • A rust bag of tricks 
  • A Mac-Fuirmidh cittern 
  • An elemental gem (Yellow Diamond) 
  • Gloves of thievery 
  • A wind fan 
   If the characters can replace the fern with a 
  common variety, so that Farringwray is 
  humiliated during the inspection, Mr. B. 
  Porter will additionally reward the characters 
  with a portable hole. 
  C. 
   Mr. C. Porter offers the characters 500 gp to 
  destroy the plant. If the characters can 
  embarrass Farringwray, she will double her 
  offer.  
    
  
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  The Layout 
  Falmas Farringwray has a two-story 
  townhome in the Sea Ward of Waterdeep. The 
  bottom floor features the lounged and great 
  hall, as well as the kitchen and servants 
  quarters. Surrounding the townhome is a 
  moderate but well-kept lawn and garden. The 
  nearest home is separated by about 20 feet of 
  grounds and a fence. 
   On the second floor is the master bedroom 
  and two spare bedrooms, once rooms for 
  office, and a billiards room. 
   Farringwray has converted his closet into a 
  secret storage room to store his plant 
  samples. The secret door is behind a massive 
  armoire that took the place of the closet. 
  Obstacles 
  The external doors of the Farringwray house 
  are kept locked at night with sturdy locks, 
  requiring either the key or a successful DC 15 
  ools to open. 
  The door to the study is similarly locked, as is 
  the door to the master bedroom and secret 
  room. Only Falmas Farringwray (a noble) has 
  the key to these locks, and his caution in the 
  week up to the inspection means he does not 
  let the key leave his person. 
  Guards, Guards! 
   Farringwray has also hired five humorless 
  guards to protect him and his estate. They 
  are four guards with 18 hit points, outfitted 
  with heavy crossbows in addition to their 
  spears, and led by a veteran. At night, two of 
  the guards patrol the grounds around the 
  house with a massive bloodhound (a wolf) 
  outfitted with hide armor, increasing its AC to 
  15. One guard keeps watch from the roof, and 
  one guard patrols the two internal floors. The 
  veteran stays close by Farringwray at all 
  times. 
  Twists & Turns 
  Unsatisfied with his first complement of 
  guards, Farringwray has also completely 
  replaced his house staff with a pack of four 
  thugs. One is always loitering on the second 
  floor, keeping an eye on the door to the 
  master bedroom.  
   In terms of personal defense, Farringwray 
  keeps a wand of magic missiles on his person 
  at all times, and is quick to use it on 
  intruders. 
  Plant 
   Storage Room 
  The hidden room where Farringwray stores 
  his plants has several layers of defense, 
  befitting its nature as the focal point of his 
  obsession. 
   The walls of the room have been reinforced 
  with steel plates, making them incredibly 
  difficult to breach. The only way to break 
  through is by attacking the wall and breaking 
  it open. The wall has AC 19 and 27 hit points. 
   The armoire that hides the secret door is 
  not only exceptionally weighted, but 
  exceptionally trapped. Before the secret door 
  can be opened, it must be discovered; a 
  character must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom 
  (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) 
  check to find the clues that the armoire can 
  be moved.  
   A separate successful DC 16 Wisdom 
  (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) 
  check is needed to detect the poison needles 
  trap covering the armoire. A character that 
  attempts to move the armoire through force 
  or with one of the hidden switches must 
  succeed a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or 
  take 1 piercing damage and 21 (6d6) poison 
  damage from the many hidden needles.  
   
   
   
   
   
    
  
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  The Competition 
  The other Mr. Porters are not about to give up 
  if the characters do not accept their offers. As 
  such, the adventurers can expect to see other 
  skilled individuals attempting the other tasks. 
  You can build your own party of rival 
  adventurers, or use or modify the suggested 
  parties below. 
  • Acquisitions Incorporated: Team Umbra: a knight with 40 
  hit points and half plate (AC 15); two halfling scouts; an 
  acolyte with 16 hit points and scale mail (AC 14) 
  • The Black Knives: a cult fanatic with a chain shirt (AC 15); 
  three cultists with 18 hit points; one spy 
  • The Dirty Dozen: one bandit captain, eight bandits with 
  studded leather armor (AC 13) 
  • Rugger’s Pack: one berserker, one druid, three tribal 
  warriors, one scout 
  • The Brothers of Steel: one knight, one veteran, one priest 
  in half plate and a shield (AC 17) 
  The Escape 
  If an alarm is raised at the Farringway house, 
  Waterdeep guards arrive in force in 5 (2d4) 
  rounds. 
   
   
  Farringwray House 
  
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  Friendly Fires 
  Some crazy-ass firebug is crazy enough to 
  earn a name in this town: the Fancy Ifrit, and 
  something really important and the mages get 
  out how they do what they do and spread the 
  love a little. I got a list of places and all the 
   
  places are all abandoned, yo
  city some breathing room for expansion.  
    
   
   
  Mr. Porter 
  -2 hour adventure for 
  characters of 3rd  5th level. 
  The Target 
  Mr. Porter, a dwarven figure who keeps 
  themselves fully wrapped and hidden under 
  clothes except for their brilliant white beard, 
  has a list of five addresses they want torched 
  in the manner of the Fancy Ifrit. 
  The Payout 
  Each building the characters burn down in 
  from Mr. Porter.  
  The Layout 
  A character can study a burned structure 
  burned by the Fancy Ifrit for ten minutes and 
  make a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) 
  check. For each ability check a character 
  succeeds, they can learn one piece of 
  information from the following list: 
  • A certain symbol has been burned into the 
  ground at each location. 
  • The fires were all started with magic. 
  • The fires were controlled to remain in a 
  certain area. 
  • Small illusory flames remain behind and 
  mock anyone who passes by. 
   
   
  Obstacles 
  All of the Fancy Ifrit locations are kept under 
  guard; two guards and a veteran keep 
  curious interlopers out. A character that 
  succeeds a DC14 Charisma (Persuasion) or 
  Charisma (Deception) check can convince the 
  guards to let them inspect the wreckage. 
  No Place for a Barbecue 
  There is a 15% chance that each location Mr. 
  Porter wants burned is inhabited by a family 
  of squatters: 2d4 adults and 1d4 - 1 children, 
  all commoners.  
  Twists & Turns 
  As the characters set their blazes, they begin 
  to attract the attention of not only the city 
  guard, but also the Fancy Ifrit.  
   Use your best judgement for dramatic 
  timing and tension for when guards should 
  arrive. A typical strike team will consist of 
  four guards led by a single knight.  
  The Fancy Ifrit 
  The Fancy Ifrit is an ostentatiously-dressed 
  mage taking a shortcut to arcane power by 
  serving Imix, the Prince of Evil Elemental 
  Fire. As such, he is slowly losing control of 
  the fires he sets, and of his mind. 
   The Fancy Ifrit will show up when it is most 
  dramatic (likely while the characters are 
  being confronted guards. A character that 
  succeeds a DC 16 Charisma (Persuasion) 
  check can temporarily convince him to not 
  kill the party. This check is made with 
  disadvantage if guards are present. 
  
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  The Escape 
  If the Fancy Ifrit confronts the characters 
  while they are being accosted by the guards 
  (which is what this author recommends, for 
  cinematic purposes), the guards are smart 
  enough to recognize the greater of two evils 
  and focus on the powerful wizard.  
   If the characters are cornered or caught by 
  the guards, a successful DC 16 Charisma 
  (Persuasion) or (Deception) check can 
  convince the guards that the characters were 
  just trying to help catch the Fancy Ifrit. If the 
  guards helped bring down the Fancy Ifrit, 
  that check is made with advantage. 
   
   
  
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  Precious Cargo 
  A bo
  arriving very late tonight. Nobody knows 
  it that way. Get it to me by whatever means 
  udes you 
   you look inside, the job is off, and I introduce 
  you into a world of hurt. Do this right, and I 
  introduce you to a whole lot of dragons. 
    
   
   
  Mr. Porter 
  -2 hour adventure for 
  characters of 3rd  5th level. 
  The Target 
  Mr. Porter keeps themselves very carefully 
  hidden in shadows and behind a veil of 
  incense smoke, a low hood and fine gloves 
  concealing all distinguishing information.  
   They describe a box about four feet wide by 
  five feet long by two feet high, and guess that 
  box is marked with a special sigil, which Mr. 
  Porter can provide a copy of. 
  The Payout 
  If the box arrives at the designated location 
  intact, unopened, and without pursuit, Mr. 
  Porter will pay the characters 3,000 gp.  
  The Layout 
  The wagon in question is scheduled to arrive 
  in about two hours  enough time to make it 
  to the gatehouse it is scheduled to be at and 
  make some minor preparations. 
   The wagon itself is a large stagecoach, filled 
  with a healthy variety of expensive trade 
  goods. Fine textiles, crates with exotic smells 
  wafting up from their slats, and sturdy locked 
  strongboxes can hold any amount of value; if 
  a character can access or view all of their 
  contents for an hour and succeeds a DC14 
  Intelligence check, they can determine that 
  the contents of the stagecoach are worth an 
  additional 5,000 gp.  
   
  thick layer of the other trade goods. 
  Obstacles 
  Unfortunately, the driver of the wagon and its 
  two guards (three thugs) do not know that 
  they are to receive help or inspections; their 
  orders are to keep the contents of their wagon 
  safe and not let anyone look inside. A 
  character that succeeds a DC 16 Charisma 
  (Persuasion) or (Intimidation) check can 
  convince the guards to let them join or 
  inspect the wagon. This check is made with 
  disadvantage if it is made while the wagon is 
  stopped at the official inspection point. 
   The gate officials (a noble backed up by a 
  knight and four guards) are suspicious of 
  any shipment that arrives at this time of 
  night, and will insist on inspecting the cart. 
  Unless the characters intervene, the wagon 
  riders will refuse, leading to their arrest and 
  the impound of the wagon. 
   
  completely hidden by the trade goods that it 
  takes one minute and a successful DC 14 
  Intelligence (Investigation) check to find. The 
  wagon guards do not know of its existence, so 
  they cannot help find it. 
  Twists & Turns 
  At some point during the heist, either during 
  a confrontation at the city gate or as the 
  characters are taking the box across the city 
  to the drop site, a team of drow attempt to 
  
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  steal the box. The drow team consists of one 
  drow elite warrior leading four drow. 
   If the characters are part of a confrontation 
  at the city gatehouse, the drow will use the 
  commotion as cover to sneak around behind 
  the wagon and steal the box. They move as a 
  loose group, and focus-fire any character who 
  gets in their way. Characters that succeed a 
  DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check or that 
  have a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 
  14 or higher notice the drow as they move. If 
  the drow are spotted, they use their Innate 
  Spellcasting abilities to assist their escape. 
   If the characters are alone with the box, the 
  drow leader will confront them openly. while 
  the others wait in the shadows with their 
  hand crossbows at the ready, and demand 
  the box be handed over. If the characters 
  refuse, the leader will question their motives, 
  and attempt to paint a horrible picture of 
  what might be in the box and the nefarious 
  ends it might be put to. If the characters 
  refuse again, the leader will angrily offer to 
  pay the characters 1,000 gp for the box. If the 
  characters refuse again, the drow attack.  
    The drow focus their fire on the characters 
  holding the box, attempting to steal it away. If 
  the drow leader is killed, the rest immediately 
  flee into the shadows. 
  The Box 
  The box is secured with a concealed internal 
  lock. A character wishing to open the box 
  carefully must first succeed a DC 16 Wisdom 
  (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) 
  check to find the retracting flap that conceals 
  the keyhole. The spring on the retracting flap 
  means that a character attempting to open 
  the lock has disadvantage on the check. 
  The Lock 
  The lock on the box is a fiendish, multi-part 
  lock. A character attempting to open it must 
  succeed three successive DC 16 Dexterity 
   
  The Trap 
  A character that fails a single check, or a 
  character that tries to open the box without 
  the proper key, must succeed on a DC 15 
  Constitution saving throw or take 27 (6d8) 
  points of poison damage and be poisoned for 
  1 hour. A character that succeeds the 
  Constitution saving throw takes half damage 
  and is not poisoned. 
  Breaking the Box 
  The box is a Medium object that weighs 250 
  lbs. Its AC is 16, and it has 18 hit points. It is 
  immune to poison and psychic damage, and 
  has resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and 
  slashing damage from nonmagical weapons.  
   If the box takes 5 or more damage, its trap 
  is triggered, and everyone within 5 feet of the 
  box is affected. After this, characters that are 
  within 5 feet of the box can hear soft rustling 
  and breathing noises coming from the box. 
   If the box takes 10 or more damage, it 
  begins to crack open. For 1 minute, any 
  character that starts its turn or moves within 
  5 feet of the box must succeed on a DC 13 
  Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 
  1 hour. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, 
  the character is also unconscious while 
  poisoned in this way. The character wakes up 
  if it takes damage or if another creature takes 
  an action to shake it awake. After this point, 
  characters can hear pleas for help in 
  Undercommon coming from the box. 
   If the box takes enough damage to reduce 
  its hit points to 0, it breaks open, and any 
  excess damage is transferred to its contents. 
   
  Inside the box are two drow children. They 
  are noncombatants with 1 hit point and no 
  effective attacks. They speak only 
  Undercommon. The drow children (named 
  were kidnapped or where they are.  
  
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  The Escape 
  Mr. Porter pays for a successful delivery, as 
  promised. If the box shows signs of 
  tampering, either from damage or failed 
  attempts at opening the lock, but is not 
  opened, he will withhold 1000 gp from the 
  payment as punishment. 
   If the box is handed over to the drow 
  ambush leader, the leader gives them 1,000 
  gp and thanks them in a strained voice. The 
  next time the characters take a long rest, they 
  have confusing and terrifying dreams 
  involving spiders. When they wake up, they 
  each have been granted a charm of heroism 
  (DMG pg. 228). 
   
   
  
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  End Run 
  attention to really make your way in this city. 
  to 
  officially make it in the big leagues and start 
  making some real dragons, and that thing is 
  relationship with is reaching the end of her 
  one to give her the 
  end she deserves. That someone is you. 
    
   
   
  Mr. Porter 
  -3 hour adventure for 
  characters of 5th  7th level. 
   
  The Target 
  Mr. Porter is a graceful, robed figure with long 
  silver hair flowing down from the sides of 
  their hood. When she speaks common, it is 
  with a noticeable Elven accent. 
   Mr. Porter wants the characters to find and 
  kill Jess the Beheader, a quasi-legendary 
  contract killer, enforcer, executioner, athlete, 
  and fixer in the criminal underground of 
  Waterdeep and Skullport. 
   Mr. Porter also informs the characters that 
  one of the conditions of this job is that Jess 
  will be told who is coming after her; after two 
  days, Jess will start hunting them down to 
  force the confrontation. 
  The Payout 
  When the characters bring Mr. Porter the 
  soulbound axe of Jess the Beheader, he will 
  know that she is dead, and will reward them 
  5,000 gp. She also insists that they bring him 
  that the characters will receive magical items 
  more appropriate to their skillset as 
  compensation. 
  The Layout 
  Jess has made her home and lair in the 
  Churlish Chultan Inn, an establishment with 
  a fearsome reputation and iron-banded 
  windows. 
   Rumor has it that Jess had some dwarven 
  friends create a dungeon of trials underneath 
  the Churlish Chultan. While the existence of 
  the dungeon is a fairly open secret, no one 
  claims to have entered it. The consensus is 
  that the way to gain access to the dungeon is 
  to impress the bartender of the Churlish 
  Chultan in some way. 
  Obstacles 
  The good news is, there are several ways to 
  impress both the bartender and the patrons 
  of the Churlish Chultan. The bad news is, 
   
   When and if the characters finally impress 
  the patrons and the bartender, the bartender 
  will show them the secret door in one of the 
  privies that leads to a trapdoor. 
  Looking for a Fight 
  will arouse instant suspicion and can quickly 
  lead to a brawl. Characters that hold their 
  own in the brawl impress everybody, but at 
  any given time there are 8 (4d4) thugs and 7 
  (2d6) spies in the Churlish Chultan, making 
  this quite a daunting prospect. 
  
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  Rigged Game 
  The patrons of the Churlish Chultan are also 
  happy to take on the characters in games of 
  chance, skill, or strength, but they have 
  heavily rigged the games to give themselves 
  the upper hand. In a given contest, patrons of 
  the Churlish Chultan have advantage on 
  associated ability checks and attack rolls, 
  and competing characters have disadvantage 
  on the same. 
   During a game, a character that succeeds a 
  DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check or has a 
  passive Wisdom (Perception) check of 16 or 
  higher notices the cheating. The patrons will 
  deny that they are cheating, and a character 
  that is insistent on evening the playing field 
  can easily start a brawl (see above). 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  The Churlish Chultan 
  
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  Twists & Turns 
  The trapdoor opens to a long ladder that 
  descends 50 feet underground. It ends at a 
  narrow passage that travels an additional 30 
  feet down and away from the ladder, ending 
  at a large unlocked bronze door. 
  Trial Dungeon General 
  Features 
  Walls, ceilings, and floors are all smooth 
  unmarked stone. Ceilings are 15 feet high 
  unless otherwise stated. Doors are all made of 
  stone and weigh 300 lbs. They retract into the 
  ceiling when opened, and slam into 2-foot-
  deep grooves in the floor when closing. 
  Light 
  Unless otherwise stated, there are no light 
  sources in the trial dungeon. 
  Locks 
  Locked doors are secured with a complex 
  lock. Characters that succeed a DC 16 
   tools unlock 
  the doors unless otherwise stated. 
  Traps 
  Traps are found on the floor, walls, and some 
  doors. There is a 50% chance that any door is 
  trapped. 
   A character that succeeds a DC 16 
  Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom 
  (Perception) check, or whose passive Wisdom 
  (Perception) score is 16 or higher, notices a 
  trap. 
   A character that triggers a trap causes a 
  gout of flame to spring 30 feet in a cone from 
  the trap. Characters in the fire must succeed 
  a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 11 
  (2d10) fire damage, or half as much damage 
  on a successful saving throw. 
   A character that spends a minute and 
  succeeds a DC 16 Intelligence (Arcana) check, 
  tools, disables a trap. 
  False Doors 
  False doors appear to be normal locked doors, 
  but no amount of skill with a lockpick will 
  open a false door. A character that specifically 
  inspects a door and succeeds a DC 16 
  Intelligence (Investigation) check can 
  determine if the door is real or not. 
   False doors are always trapped. If a 
  character attempts to open or unlock a false 
  door, they trigger the trap. 
  Secret Doors 
  Some doors are cleverly carved so that they 
  appear nearly indistinguishable from the 
  surrounding walls. A character that studies a 
  10-foot section of wall and succeeds a DC 16 
  Intelligence (Investigation) check can discern 
  the location of a secret door if one is present. 
   
   
  
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  The First Chamber 
  The room is 25 feet on a side and 25 feet tall. 
  In the center is a 15-foot tall statue of a 
  broad-shouldered woman wielding and axe 
  and pointing skyward in a gesture of triumph 
  and contempt. It is difficult to make out the 
  features of the statue from the ground, but a 
  character that succeeds a DC 15 Wisdom 
  (Perception) check notices that the 
  proportions and the general facial structure 
  do not match the description they know of 
  Jess the Beheader. A character above the 
  statue has advantage on the check. 
   Doors are centered on each of the walls. 
  The door to the north is featureless, and leads 
  up to the Churlish Chultan. If characters 
  interact with all three of the remaining doors, 
  they slide open. 
  The West Door 
  The door to the west is locked. A bronze 
  plaque on its surface reads, 
  Only the bravest springer of traps and opener of 
  secure doors can survive what lies beyond. 
  A character that succeeds a DC 15 Dexterity 
   
   This door is also trapped. A character that 
  spends a minute studying the door and 
  succeeds a DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation) 
  or Wisdom (Perception) check notices the 
  trap. A character must succeed a DC 16 
  the trap. 
   If the door is opened without disabling the 
  trap, thick poisonous gas rushes up out of 
  tiny vents in the floor and fills a 15-foot wide 
  area around the door. A creature in that area 
  must succeed a DC 15 Constitution saving 
  throw or take 22 (4d10) poison damage and 
  be poisoned for 1 hour. Characters that 
  succeed the saving throw take half damage 
  and are not poisoned. 
  The South Door 
  This door is reinforced with steel bands. A 
  bronze plaque on it reads, 
  True strength is required to bear the trials ahead. 
  The door is unlocked. A character that opens 
  the door must succeed a DC 15 Charisma 
  saving throw or be affected as though by the 
  spell suggestion. The course of action dictated 
  people that came here with you  
   
  The East Door 
  This door has had numerous runes carved 
  into its surface. A bronze plaque on it reads, 
  The ability to manipulate the world around you at 
  your whim is not only power, it is a necessity. 
  This door is magically sealed. To open it, a 
  creature must stand directly in front of it and 
  cast a spell that consumes a spell slot. As 
  soon as this happens, the door topples over 
  and collapses the creature under its weight. 
   A creature takes 14 (4d6) damage when the 
  door falls on them. At the start of each of 
  their turns, a creature trapped under the 
  door takes an additional 14 (4d6) damage 
  from the weight of the door unless it succeeds 
  a DC 15 Strength saving throw. 
   A creature can use its action on its turn to 
  make a DC 15 Strength check to lift the door 
  off a trapped creature. A creature underneath 
  the door makes this check with disadvantage. 
   
   
  
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  The Second Chamber 
  All three doors from the first chamber open 
  into short hallways that wrap around and 
  enter into a second, identical chamber. At the 
  base of the statue, there is a small folded 
  scrap of parchment. On it is a message 
  written in a rough hand: 
  i used up all the good lines 
  traps and locks to the west, mage duel to the east, 
  and a fight to the south.  
   
  show me you got what it takes and do them solo 
   
  jess 
  The West Door 
  The door on the western wall has a note 
  stuck to it that reads, 
  you sneaky types will do well here. watch your step 
  Behind the door is a twisting network of 
  tunnels, made more confusing by locked, 
  false, and secret doors. There are traps that 
  trigger on hidden pressure plates or when 
  doors are opened. 
   Normally, there are six traps in this maze. 
  For each additional person that enters the 
  maze, two  more traps activate. 
  The South Door 
  The door on the southern wall has a note 
  stuck to it that reads, 
  eless 
  Behind this door is a wight. It wears plate 
  armor, raising its AC to 18. It challenges the 
  most martial-looking character to a duel, and 
  fights to the death. If confronted with 
  multiple opponents, it attacks immediately, 
  focusing on mages first if possible. 
   entrance door snaps shut. Once the wight is 
  defeated, the secret door in the south wall of 
  the room slides open. 
  The East Door 
  The door on the eastern wall has a note stuck 
  to it that reads, 
  size. 
  Behind this door is a flameskull. It 
  challenges the most magically-inclined 
  character to a mage duel, and fights to the 
  death. If confronted with multiple opponents, 
  it uses fireball immediately, then attacks. 
   As soon as a character enters the room, the 
  entrance door snaps shut. Once the 
  flameskull is defeated, the secret door in the 
  south wall of the room slides open. 
   
   
  
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  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  Mr. Porter’s Tome of Skullduggeries    37 
  The Escape 
  All three paths eventually lead to a long 
  hallway with a single door in the center. The 
  door has been left slightly ajar. 
   The room beyond is a wide-open arena with 
  several ramps, ledges, and low walls. A thick 
  mist fills the room, lightly obscuring the 
  whole room and heavily obscuring everything 
  beyond 10 feet. Torches along the wall 
  provide dim illumination throughout the 
  room. 
   Jess the Beheader is lounging atop the 
  highest platform, eating a sandwich. When 
  the characters enter, she puts down the meal 
  and summons her soulbound axe to her hand 
  with a boom. 
  congrats, looks like you got the stuff. Now all you 
  lighting is all the warning you receive before you 
  are attacked! 
  Once Jess is defeated, all the doors in her 
  trial dungeon unlock and all the traps are 
  disabled.  
   The denizens of the Churlish Chultan are 
  dismayed by the death of the Beheader, but 
  they respect the ones who defeat her. 
   Mr. Porter is more stoic upon receiving the 
  news. If characters do not return with Jess 
  extremely upset and assume the characters 
  have kept the valuable items for their own 
  gain. She will refuse to pay the characters at 
  all, reasoning that the items they plundered 
  are payment enough. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   If the characters return all three of Jess the 
  items, Mr. Porter will still 
  pay out the reward as promised. In addition 
  to the gold, Mr. Porter offers the characters 
  each a choice of one of the following magical 
  items. You can use the suggested magical 
  items, or choose items you deem more 
  appropriate. 
  • An arrow-catching shield 
  • A belt of hill giant strength 
  • A pair of boots of speed 
  • A necklace of fireballs 
  • A ring of the ram 
  • A bag of 6 beads of force 
   
   
  
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  Appendix A: Magic 
  Items 
  The following magic items appear at various 
  places in the adventure. 
  Boots of the Fey Step 
  Wondrous item, very rare (requires 
  attunement) 
  These supple leather boots are carved with 
  flowing patterns that depict a landscape in fall, 
  winter, spring, and summer. Every time the 
  patterns are viewed, the landscape and season 
  has changed. 
   The boots have 4 charges and regain 1d4 
  charged daily at dawn. While wearing the 
  boots, you can use a bonus action to expend 1 
  of its charges to magically teleport up to 30 
  feet to an unoccupied space you can see.  
   You can spend 2 charges when you use the 
  boots. If you do, you create an additional effect 
  based on the season depicted most 
  prominently on the boots. You can use a bonus 
  action to change the season on the boots. If the 
  effect requires a saving throw, the DC equals 8 
  + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma 
  modifier. 
   
  Autumn. Immediately after you teleport, up to 
  two creatures of your choice that you can 
  see within 10 feet of you must succeed on a 
  Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you 
  for 1 minute, or until you or your companions 
  deal any damage to int. 
  Winter. When you teleport, one creature of 
  your choice that you can see within 5 feet of 
  you before you teleport must succeed on a 
  Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of 
  you until the end of your next turn. 
  Spring. When you teleport, you can touch one 
  creature within 5 feet of you. That creature 
  then teleports instead of you, appearing in 
  an unoccupied space of your choice that you 
  can see within 30 feet of you. If the target is 
  unwilling, it may make a Charisma saving 
  throw to avoid being teleported. 
  Summer. Immediately after you teleport, each 
  creature of your choice that you can see 
  within 5 feet of you takes fire damage equal 
  to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 
  damage). 
  Mask of the Jungle Hunter 
  Wondrous item, very rare (requires 
  attunement) 
  This smooth stone mask features shaped 
  crystal disks over the eyes. It clasps snugly 
  onto the face without needing straps to secure 
  it. 
   While wearing this mask, your vision is not 
  impeded by fog, mist, or foliage. As an action, 
  you can switch out the lenses in the mask. With 
  the lenses switched, you have advantage on 
  vision-based Wisdom (Perception) checks to 
  see warm-blooded creatures, and warm-
  blooded creatures have disadvantage on 
  Dexterity (Stealth) checks to hide from your 
  sight. 
   You can press a small button on the side of 
  the mask to gain advantage on Dexterity 
  (Stealth) checks made to hide and grant 
  disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks 
  made to see you. Pushing the button again 
  deactivates this effect. Pushing the button 
  requires an action. 
  Soulbound Axe 
  Weapon (battleaxe), legendary (requires 
  attunement by a person chosen by the axe) 
  Crafted by vindictive dwarven lords long ago, 
  the soulbound axe chooses its next wielder, 
  typically a dwarf or human woman. Some of 
  the names etched into its handle, however, 
  are Elven, and one is even in an Orcish script. 
   Magic Weapon. The soulbound axe is a magic 
  weapon that grants a +1 bonus to attack and 
  damage rolls made with it. The axe otherwise 
  acts as a dwarven thrower and a sword of 
  sharpness.  
   Soulbond. The person attuned to the axe can 
  spend a bonus action to call the axe into 
  their hand, provided they and the axe are on 
  the same plane of existence. 
   
   
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  Mr. Porter’s Tome of Skullduggeries    39 
  Appendix B: New 
  Monsters 
   
  Jess the Beheader 
  Medium humanoid (half-orc), chaotic neutral 
  Armor Class 16 (studded leather armor, shield) 
  Hit Points 75 (10d8 +30) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS  
  CHA 
  16 (+3) 15 (+2) 16 (+3)  10 (+0)  14 (+2)   15 (+2) 
   
  Saving Throws Str +7, Dex +5, Con +6 
  Skills Athletics +9, Intimidation +5, 
  Perception +5, Stealth +5 
  Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 11 
  Languages Common, Orc, Elvish 
  Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) 
   
  Boots of the Fey Step (4/day) As a bonus 
  action, Jess the Beheader can magically 
  teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied 
  space she can see. When she teleports, one 
  creature that she can see within 5 feet of 
  her before she teleports must succeed a DC 
  13 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of 
  her until the end of her next turn. 
   
  Brave. Jess the Beheader has advantage on 
  saving throws against being frightened. 
   
  Legendary Resistance (2/Day). If Jess the 
  Beheader fails a saving throw, she can 
  choose to succeed instead. 
   
  Jess can see through 
  concealment provided by mist and plant 
  matter. She has advantage on vision-based 
  Wisdom (Perception) checks against warm-
  blooded creatures, and warm-blooded 
  creatures have disadvantage on Dexterity 
  (Stealth) checks against Jess to move 
  without being seen. 
   
  Relentless Endurance. When Jess is reduced 
  to 0 hit points but not killed outright, she 
  can drop to 1 hit poi
  this feature again until she finishes a long 
  rest. 
   
  Savage Attacks. When Jess scores a critical 
  hit with a melee weapon attack, she can roll 
  additional time and add it to the extra 
  damage of the critical hit. 
  Actions 
  Multiattack.  Jess the Beheader makes two 
  melee or ranged attacks. 
   
  Soulbound Axe.  Melee or Ranged Weapon 
  Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft. and range 
  20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) 
  slashing damage, or 9 (1d10 + 4) slashing 
  damage if used with two hands to make a 
  melee attack, or 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing 
  damage if used to make a ranged attack. 
  Immediately after making a ranged attack, 
   
   
  Shield Bash. Melee Weapon Attack:  +6 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4 + 4) 
  bludgeoning damage. If the target is a 
  Medium or smaller creature, it must 
  succeed a DC 14 Strength saving throw or 
  be knocked prone in a square adjacent to 
  Jess the Beheader. 
   
  Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, 
  range 120/300 ft, one target. Hit: 7 (1d10 
  +2) piercing damage. 
   
  Reactions 
  Parry.  Jess adds 3 to her AC against one 
  melee attack that would hit her. To do so, 
  Jess must see the attacker and be wielding 
  a melee weapon. 
  Legendary Actions 
  Jess can take 3 legendary actions, choosing 
  from the options below. Only one 
  legendary action option can be used at a 
  time and only at the end of another 
  legendary actions at the start of its turn. 
   
  Attack. Jess makes one Soulbound Axe 
  attack or one Shield Bash attack. 
  Move. Jess moves up to half her speed. 
  Fey Step (Costs 2 Actions). Jess uses her Boots 
  of the Fey Step. 
  Traps (Costs 2 Actions). Jess activates any one 
  fire trap that she can see. 
   
   
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  Mr. Porter’s Tome of Skullduggeries    40 
  Credits 
  Author: Benjamin Reece 
  Cover Art: Lan-Anh Vo 
  Interior Art: Benjamin Reece 
  Design: Benjamin Reece, Randal Estevez 
  Cartography: Benjamin Reece 
  Playtesters: Nick Costanza, Elise Spagnuolo, 
  Lord Ziip, Vollair & company, Brandi Reece, 
  Josh Thomas, Adrian Davila, Nathan Strand 
   
  MicroDwarf Home Brew 
  To see more maps and adventures like this 
  one, visit microdwarfhb.com or support 
  MicroDwarf Home Brew on Patreon! Backers 
  get early access to a high-quality dungeon or 
  area map designed to easily fit into any 
  campaign.  
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/DMsGuild/Benjamin Reece - Mr Porter's Tome of Skullduggery.pdf