I will be running the remix for a second time (second group) after finishing it with my primary one and moving onto Mad Mage.

I am preparing and re-doing my old notes and I can't figure out how the players are supposed to get to the eye before Jarlaxle, and even if they do, what stops Jarlaxle from just going to Trollskull and getting it back ?

In my first go-around, Jarlaxle got the eye but him and the players formed an alliance to bomb the entire lair, which was an awesome turn of events that lead to so much story going forward.
But at the same time i don't want the lair heist to feel scripted because running into Jarlaxle at any point is a recipe for disaster because a party at that level, in the Xanathar lair has no chance against him.

So what were your experiences with this, any ideas, any cool things that happened for you etc. ?

After 58 sessions, my group has finally completed Waterdeep: Dragon Heist!

I decided to use all four villains — Xanathar, Manshoon, Jarlaxle and the Cassalanters — in the same campaign, and made quite a few changes to the adventure along the way.

It was a long journey, but I'm really happy with how it turned out!

So, now that the campaign is finally over, ask me anything! I'd be happy to talk about the campaign, the changes I made, how I handled the villains, the ending, what worked (and what didn't), or just discuss the module in general.

AMA!

Dragon Heist is a tad notorious for being a skeleton of a campaign and requiring a lot of a homebrewing. That said, I love hearing about people's changes!

Here are some of mine:

• Replaced The Zhentarim/Manshoon with The Unseen + a dangerous leader tied to a PC's backstory; two of my players are changelings, and a "Doppleganger Panic" from 40 years ago has been a big plot point. Lots of characters getting replaced/impersonated, paranoia, etc.
• Added an arena arc before Xanathar's Lair, as the players went through Skullport. The winning prize was magical items and a dinner with The Xanathar Guild, giving them a way in. This was really fun to plan—a good mix of combat challenges + psychological torment, and the Zero Escape game series was a big influence here.
• Sympathetic Cassalanters (insert booing here). The plan is still 99 souls + the gold, but Ammalia intends to be one of the sacrifices out of guilt. I'm in a very gay campaign (all the players + myself are queer), so the Cassalanters are in a lavender marriage and one of the PCs is romantically entangled with Ammalia. They're certainly not innocent, but they're actively trying to leave the cult and they're the "villains" the party is most aligned with.
• Asmodeus BBEG. I have a tiefling cleric who got tricked into not one, but TWO contracts with Asmodeus, and another PC is heading towards getting tricked by him too. I'm reworking The Vault to be tied to Asmodeus and the Eyes/Stone of Golorr to amplify negative traits (ambition, violence, etc.) the holders may already have, which is why The Unseen, Xanathar, Cassalanters, etc. have been escalating. The final heist is basically going to be "turn off Asmodeus' Wi-Fi connection to Waterdeep."
• (^This change is mostly because the players don't care about the Vault money lol, which is my own fault—I'm a first-time DM and should have established the PC's needed motivation to want the money, but I'm still happy with how things panned out.)
• Lots of balls, and a big dramatic wedding that's about to pop off!
• About to start an Election Arc where Jarlaxle tries to run against Laerel for Open Lord, lmao.

Lots of changes (with many left out—I could go on and on), and I'm sure not everyone would vibe with them, but they work for my players! Very curious what changes other DMs have made. :)

Hey fellow DMs in the City of Splendors!

Whether you are running the core module by the book, mixing all four seasons, or running the full Alexandrian Remix, we all know the challenge: Waterdeep: Dragon Heist requires a massive variety of specific urban encounter maps, from foggy alleyways and sewer hideouts to sprawling noble estates.

We already have a dedicated collection of maps for the campaign available for free on FreeVTTMaps.com (covering cobblestone streets, sewers, taprooms, and noble villas).

Now, we want to expand this collection based on what you are ACTUALLY prepping for your upcoming sessions.

Which of these Dragon Heist scenes should we map/remap next? (Vote or suggest below!)

Here are the next priority packs we are preparing to build — which one would help your table the most?

• Option 1 : Detailed Villain Lairs
• (Xanathar’s underground arena & sanctum, the Cassalanter Estate & subterranean Temple of Asmodeus, Kolat Towers & Manshoon’s extradimensional sanctum, and the Sea Maiden's Faire ships/submarine)
• Option 2 : Trollskull Alley & Surrounding Shops
• (Multi-floor Trollskull Manor renovated variants, plus neighboring business interiors: Steam and Steel, The Book Wyrm’s Treasure, Tiger’s Eye, Corellon’s Crown, and Frewn’s Brews)
• Option 3 : Chapter 2 Faction Quests & Urban Missions
• (Harper secret safehouses, Force Grey watchposts, Zhentarim smuggler docks, Emerald Enclave city parks, and City Watch precinct stations)
• Option 4 : Gralhund Villa & Modular Rooftop Chases
• (The full Gralhund estate grounds, fireball massacre street scene, and modular rooftop tiles for high-speed chases across the Trades Ward)
• Option 5 : The Vault of Dragons & Deep Vaults
• (The final ancient dwarven vault chambers, Adamantine doors, bridge over the gold hoard, and Xanathar sewer conduit approaches)
• Option 6 : Alexandrian Remix Outposts
• (Dedicated faction outpost network and response team hideouts for the Grand Game)

👉 How to participate :

1. Drop a number (1-6) in the comments for what you need most right now.
2. Tell me about your campaign! Which season / main villain is your party facing, and what specific street, tavern, or encounter scene are you prepping next?

In the meantime, feel free to browse and grab our current free Waterdeep maps :
👉 https://www.freevttmaps.com/en/campaigns/waterdeep_dragon_heist

May the Open Lord smile upon your investigations!