Goddesses vie for the soul of people...Halisstra Melarn, convert to the cause of the goddess Eilistraee, was sent to the deepest depths of the Outer Planes to kill the demon goddess she once worshiped, but instead was transformed into a hideous creature bent to the vengeful will of her former mistress.For the Queen of the Demonweb Pits not only survived her Silence but evolved into something greater than she was before - something that no longer needs to share the domain she calls her own.Could it be that the War of the Spider Queen has just begun?

    Then she makes a pact with a devil named Lorcan, and everything changes.You’ll have the power to do as you please.Lorcan promises all she ever dreamed of and asks for nothing in return. Her twin sister Havilar urges Farideh to resist the devil’s sway. But Farideh’s not so sure. Lorcan may be dangerous but the power he offers is exhilarating.Say you’re mine.In the ruins of Neverwinter, Farideh’s doubts get tangled up in a devilish snare six layers deep. A succubus playing human pawns against an otherworldly foe sees the twins as obstacles in her path. And Lorcan’s monstrous sisters have their eyes on the city—and on Farideh. There’s no time to question her pact with Lorcan—it will take every ounce of Farideh’s newfound powers to get out of Neverwinter alive.

    This is the Rise of the Underdark. In Iltkazar, the last subterranean kingdom of the once resplendent dwarven realm of Shanatar, King Mith Barak faces a siege of drow soldiers, spies, and assassins looking to seize the powerful city and the ancient magical artifacts hidden there.  Somewhere in the city, the Arcane Script Sphere—a mystical orb touched by Mystra, the long-dead goddess magic—calls out to heroes and adventurers, beckoning with whispers of power and knowledge. Mith Barak hears it and knows he cannot hold the artifact much longer, but fears what the drow may do with it. Enter Icelin, Ruen, and Sull, Waterdavian wanders whose desire to understand their own spellscars sets them in search of Mystran mysteries—they hope to understand magic and thus understand its plague. As they move from town to town, city to city in search of knowledge, Icelin hears the siren call of the Arcane Script Sphere, and it draws the trio deep into rocks of the Underdark where they find themselves at the center of the struggle between the dwarves and drow. Only King Mith Barak can initiate them into the mysteries they hope to illuminate. But first they must help him with a mystery of his own—a dark elf assassin, himself a seeker of the sphere, lies in Iltkazar’s dungeons shrouded in the mystery and magic of Lolth. Icelin might be the one to see past that shroud and determine the true goal of the Spider Queen’s schemes.  As the dark elves intensify their attacks, the trio realizes their quest for knowledge has taken them into a new and dangerous realm . . . a realm dictated by the whims of spider and stone.

    Historians, sages, and others who crave knowledge flock to this library fortress to peruse its vast collection of books, scribbled into which are the answers to the mysteries that bedevil them. Many of these books contain their own mysteries—each one a doorway to adventure. Dare you cross that threshold?Candlekeep Mysteries is a collection of seventeen short, stand-alone D&D adventures designed for characters of levels 1-16. Each adventure begins with the discovery of a book, and each book is the key to a door behind which danger and glory await. These adventures can be run as one-shot games, plugged into an existing Forgotten Realms campaign, or adapted for other campaign settings.This book also includes a poster map of the library fortress and detailed descriptions of Candlekeep and its inhabitants.

    This guide includes suggestions on how to prepare a campaign, running each session, dealing with problem players, how to create memorable NPCs and more.Please note that this is not a basic how-to for role-playing and is not affiliated with any particular gaming system or company.Table of ContentsForeword, by Erica LindquistChapter 1: On StorytellingChapter 2: Before Your GameChapter 3: Building Your StoryChapter 4: Running Your GameChapter 5: Players Player CharactersChapter 6: ProblemsChapter 7: Rules MechanicsChapter 8: Setting NPCsChapter 9: The EndPlease note that this is not a basic how-to for role-playing and it is not affiliated with any particular gaming company.

    But if the people are to be freed, the mismatched trio of steadfast rebels must look into the face of terror and choose between love and life.

    Yet their paths will lead them all to the most terrifying discovery in the long history of the drow, and set them on a quest to save not only Menzoberranzan but the entire dark elf race from Dissolution.The War of the Spider Queen begins here.The first novel in an epic six-part series from the fertile imaginations of R.A. Salvatore and a select group of the newest, most exciting authors in the genre. Join them as they peel back the surface of the richest fantasy world ever created, to show the dark heart beneath.

    The well-stocked pages of this book hold an impressive inventory of merchandise to get you into and out of all manner of trouble, including:A caravanload of equipment, trade goods, alchemical items, poisons, mounts, and vehicles. Over 230 magic weapons and armors, such as the flameshroud axe, lance of the unending charge, and vampire hunter armor. Over 125 magic items, including new artifacts, such as elixir armor, rings of the hive mind, the ghost rod, and the bag of endless caltrops. Rules for vehicle combat on land, sea, and air. Within these pages, players and Dungeon Masters will find what they need to outfit their characters for nearly every contingency.To use this accessory, a Dungeon Master also needs the Player's Handbook and the Dungeon Master's Guide. A player needs only the Player's Handbook.

    Answers the demand for new Dragonlance tales and reunites many of the writers of the first Tales series, including Douglas Niles, Richard A. Knaak, Nancy Varian Berberick, and others.

    In a twisted dimension outside the walls of time and space, he plots and plans.The SenatorA genasi, he has fought his way up from the gutter and will never go back. Amid the tangled streets of Innarlith, he mixes ambition with thoughts of vengeance.The ManA master builder, he walks the coast of Faerûn, and the waves whisper to him of a mighty work, a task worthy of his talents.

    All that stands between the Titans and the Winotaur is a new Dungeon Master, a rival gaming group, and their own insecurities.The world's mightiest adventurers just rolled initiative on their First Encounter! A terrible beast is plaguing the City of Haverford. Citizens are going missing nightly, the garrison is lost, and help is out of reach. Can the Table Titans put aside their pride to save the fictional town of Haverford-and in the process, their friendships?Table Titans Volume 1: First Encounters collects the first year of the hit online comic from Eisner and Harvey Award winning cartoonist, Scott Kurtz. It is a spin-off of Kurtz's other webcomic, PvP. It chronicles their adventures of playing Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). D&D publisher, Wizards of the Coast, have partnered with Kurtz so that Table Titans can feature official D&D products.

    But Fain Flinn--known in legends as Flinn the Mighty--has lost his honor and his pride. Now the land of Penhaligon faces a threat only Flinn can conquer.All seems hopeless, until a young woman recognizes the pulse of goodness that still beats in the knight's angry heart. Along with the girl, a fastidious dwarf, and a shy wildboy, Flinn sets out to regain his honor and his magical blade. Yet even Wyrmblight may not be powerful enough to cut through the intricate web of deceit spun by Verdilith, a malevolent dragon bent upon destroying the once-mighty hero.

    Original.

    Like the game itself, the narrative casts the reader into the adventure from a first person point of view, taking on the roles of the different characters in the story. Gygax was the son of immigrants who grew up in Lake Geneva, WI, in the 1950s. An imaginative misfit, he escaped into a virtual world based on science fiction novels, military history and strategic games like chess. In the mid-1970s, he co-created the wildly popular Dungeons & Dragons game. Starting out in the basement of his home, he was soon struggling to keep up with the demand. Gygax was a purist, in the sense that he was adamant that players use their imaginations and that the rules of the game remain flexible. A creative mind with no real knowledge of business, he made some strategic errors and had a falling out with the game's co-creator, his close friend and partner, David Arneson. By the late 1970s the game had become so popular among kids that parents started to worry -- so much so that a mom's group was formed to alert parents to the dangers of role play and fantasy. The backlash only fueled the fires of the young fans who continued to play the game, escaping into imaginary worlds. Before long, D&D conventions were set up around the country and the game inspired everything from movies to the first video games. With D&D, Gygax created the kind of role playing fantasy that would fuel the multibillion dollar video game industry, and become a foundation of contemporary geek culture.

    They are as ancient and infinite as the multiverse itself. Even the bottomless Abyss could not contain their malice, and so they spread out across the planes, corrupting and destroying everything in their path. No living soul is beyond their reach, and with each conquered soul their numbers grow. What can stand against such a terrifying onslaught?This supplement for the D&D® game presents the definitive treatise on demons and their unspeakable home plane. Along with information about the physiology, psychology, society, and schemes of demonkind, you’ll find feats, spells, items, and tactics commonly employed by demons and those who oppose them. This book also provides detailed information on various demons, demon lords, and Abyssal layers.For use with these Dungeons & Dragons® core booksPlayer’s Handbook™ Dungeon Master’s Guide™ Monster Manual™