Odyssey of the Dragonlords has been designed so that you do not need to read through the entire book before running the adventure. However, you should read through the entire Introduction chapter. We also recommend that you read through the first few chapters of the book before you begin and that you familiarize yourself with the contents of the appendices. This book assumes you have access to the three core rulebooks containing the 5th edition (2024 update) for the world’s greatest roleplaying game. Any items or monsters referenced here that are not included in this volume can be found in those core books.
Abbreviations#
The following abbreviations are used throughout this book:
DC = Difficulty Class AC = Armor Class PC = player character NPC = nonplayer character XP = Experience Points HP = Hit Points PP = Platinum Pieces GP = Gold Pieces SP = Silver Pieces CP = Copper Pieces
DM = Dungeon Master LG = Lawful Good NG = Neutral Good CG = Chaotic Good LN = Lawful Neutral TN = True Neutral CN = Chaotic Neutral LE = Lawful Evil NE = Neutral Evil CE = Chaotic Evil
Running the Epic backgrounds#
If your players are using epic backgrounds (appendix G, The Great Labors), this adventure includes callouts highlighting locations and events that are significant to them.
Character Advancement#
You may use standard XP awards for defeating monsters and other challenges. Experience points should be distributed to the heroes at the end of every session. You can also give out XP rewards for completing major story milestones. This is optional, but it provides a strong incentive for your party to stay engaged with the story. The Milestones and Ideal Levels table shows a breakdown of the ideal hero levels at different points in this adventure. It also shows suitable XP awards for accomplishing major story objectives.
