Dragon Coast

Overview: The Dragon Coast is a collection of city-states that dot the southern shores of the Dragonmere. No single power dominates this region, for each of the city-states is an independent entity. The people of the Dragon Coast value their independence above all else. Governments are important for the provision of basic services and defense of the city, but any ruler who sticks his nose too far into the business of the citizens is asking for trouble. It is often said in these parts that a good leader is invisible.

Just as the cities of the Dragon Coast are proud and independent, so too are its people. Adventurers of the cities of the Dragon Coast do not fight for king, country, or even a particular deity. They are hard-nosed pragmatists who fight for themselves and the few associates they trust. They see the wealth passing among organized nations and cities like Waterdeep and Suzail, and it only passes through the trade routes of the Dragon Coast. They just want some of that wealth for themselves as well.

Description: Adventurers from the Dragon Coast can best be described as free-spirited individuals. This is reflected in their dress, for the only common theme among them is probably that there isn’t a common theme. Though there is no “set” appearance for these adventurers, they do take certain measures to make sure that people cannot tell much about them by simply looking at them. Lavish displays of wealth, coats of arms, and other distinguishing stamps of identity are avoided. Most scabbards are deliberately obscured, and usually many smaller weapons are hidden on the character’s person. Their capes and cloaks are voluminous, hiding well what lies under them. Dressed in this manner, a character never needs to reveal any more about herself than she deems necessary.

Role-Playing: Dragon Coasters like action, adventure, and freedom. They are often reckless in their pursuit of treasure, love, or whatever it is that attracts their attention at any given time. This frenzied approach to life results in a high death rate among young adventurers from the Dragon Coast but guarantees that those who live to attain higher levels of experience will be among the most crafty of their kind on Toril.

Adventurers of the Dragon Coast are opportunists, always looking for a way to make money, whether it be by piracy, a mercenary job, employment as guards for caravans, warehouses, or other people, or any other profitable situations. There are always strong sword-arms to be found here, like anywhere else; those from the Dragon Coast, however, aren’t as choosy over who they work for or what work they do to earn their pay. The first question from a Dragon Coaster when presented with a proposition should always be: “What’s in it for me?”

In general, Dragon Coasters are not too keen on the laws of other cities or nations. These people are suspicious of organized nations and those who profess loyalty to their home nations, cities, or towns. There are few people among the Dragon Coast cities who believe in any causes greater than their own self-interests and profit. The adventurers cynically cannot believe that anyone could put a government’s interests above their own and they believe that a group of rulers would take their interests to heart even less. This attitude, combined with the general lawlessness of the area, makes other law enforcers suspicious of folk from the Dragon Coast.

Jump to:
Elversult
The Pirate Isles
Teziir
Westgate

Elversult

Base Requirements

  • Races: Human
  • Classes: Any
  • Ability Requirements: none
  • Alignments: Any
  • Starting Cash: 2d10 x10gp
  • Bonus Languages: Telpi, Shadow Cant
  • Recommended Languages: Easting, Thorass, Thorasta, Cormanthan, Chondathian, Turmic, Northern

Proficiencies

  • Weapon Slots: By class
  • Non-weapon Slots: +1 slot
  • Available Categories: By class, plus Larceny
  • Bonus Weapon Proficiencies: Footman’s Mace or Horseman’s Mace
  • Bonus Non-weapon Proficiencies: Blind-Fighting, Jumping, Street Sense, Swimming, Tumbling
  • Required Proficiencies: none
  • Recommended Proficiencies: none

Overview: Elversult is often thought of as a den of smugglers, narcotics dealers, and assassins. Much of this is true, for the Cult of the Dragon has spent many years forging an underworld network in Elversult from which they can spin their foul web of corruption, death, and larceny. In recent years, however, the tide has begun to turn against the criminal element in this prosperous city. All able-bodied men and women of Elversult are now actively recruited into the Maces of Elversult, the city guard, militia, and the heart of its army.

Special Abilities:

  • Adventurers from Elversult start with a free suit of scale mail armor and a free mace (either footman’s or horseman’s).

Special Disadvantages:

  • All Dragon Coast characters have a 10% greater likelihood of being arrested by a city watch (justly or not!) during any disturbance (tavern brawl, public nuisance, etc). This only applies to cities outside the Dragon Coast.
  • Elversult has a reputation for smuggling. When in a non-Dragon Coast city, roll an ability check against city watch official’s Reason scores. If they make their check, they recognize the character’s accent as from Elversult. As a result, they will submit the warrior, his mount, his companions, their mounts, and all their gear to a detailed search for smuggler’s contraband. They will also be followed closely by city watch members for their entire stay in a city.
  • People of Elversult devote so much time to their daily exercises that they neglect less material pursuits. As a result, they suffer a -1 penalty when making a proficiency check on any skill that is based on Reason or Intuition.
  • Time that must be devoted to mastering the ways of traders is time that cannot be spent studying warfare or spellcraft. As a result, characters from Elversult receive only half the normal bonus to their earned experience points for having a high Intuition score (round down).

Pirate Isles

Base Requirements

  • Races: Human, Half-Elf, Bugbear, Minotaur
  • Classes: Any
  • Ability Requirements: none
  • Alignments: Evil or Chaotic
  • Starting Cash: 2d10 x10gp
  • Bonus Languages: Telpi
  • Recommended Languages: Easting, Cormanthan, Chondathian, Turmic, Aglarondan, Chessic, Sespechian, Mulhorandi, Thayan

Proficiencies

  • Weapon Slots: By class
  • Non-weapon Slots: +1 slot
  • Available Categories: By class, plus Martial
  • Bonus Proficiencies: Navigation, Rope Use, Seamanship, Swimming
  • Required Proficiencies: none
  • Recommended Proficiencies: none

Overview: The Pirate Isles are a lawless and wild place. By most accounts, only the lowest of criminals and the most dangerous of cutthroats make their homes on these rocky outcroppings. While it would be wrong to say that every inhabitant of the Pirate Isles is a thief, murderer, and corsair, it wouldn’t be completely wrong. Whether they operate out of the Dragonisle itself or are based on one of the many smaller islands that poke above the waves of the Inner Sea, the rogues of the Pirate Isles are a menace to shipping and commerce throughout the region.

Special Abilities:

  • These characters use the next larger Hit Die when rolling for hit points (d4 becomes d6, d6 becomes d8, d8 becomes d10, d10 becomes d12).
  • All characters from the Pirate Isles with a score of 18 in Muscle or Stamina, may roll percentile dice for exceptional scores as if they were Warriors. In addition, they are entitled to the increased hit point bonuses for high Fitness scores as if they were warriors.

Special Disadvantages:

  • All Dragon Coast characters have a 10% greater likelihood of being arrested by a city watch (justly or not!) during any disturbance (tavern brawl, public nuisance, etc). This only applies to cities outside the Dragon Coast.
  • While Elversult has the reputation of smuggling, the Isles have a reputation for piracy. As a result, mariners of foreign vessels and merchants from lands bordering the Sea of Fallen Stars increase their fares for any goods and services by 25% for any such “pirates”.
  • All known “pirates” are watched (very closely). Whenever a crime occurs along the southern shores of the Sea of Fallen Stars or Dragonmere, travelers from the Pirate Isles are ready suspects. It may well be that more natives of the Pirate Isles have been wrongly convicted and executed than have actually been brought to justice for the crimes they did commit.

Teziir

Base Requirements

  • Races: Human
  • Classes: Any
  • Ability Requirements: Muscle 12, Fitness 12
  • Alignments: Any
  • Starting Cash: 2d10 x10gp
  • Bonus Languages: Telpi
  • Recommended Languages: Easting, Thorass, Thorasta, Cormanthan, Chondathian, Turmic, Aglarondan

Proficiencies

  • Weapon Slots: 1/2 normal (rounded down)
  • Non-weapon Slots: +1 slot
  • Available Categories: By class, plus Spiritual
  • Bonus Proficiencies: Religion, Swimming
  • Required Proficiencies: none
  • Recommended Proficiencies: none

Overview: Teziir is a city that has never been at war, and has a vast number of religions represented within its walls. As residents of a fast-growing and prosperous town, the folk of Teziir pride themselves on the city they have built and the diversity of its citizenry. New ideas, including religions and ways of doing business, are freely considered when the many travelers that pass through this region introduce them. Those that prosper are embraced by the general population while those that falter are assumed to have been flawed to begin with.

Teziir has possibly the worst city guard in the Realms-most members are lazy, corrupt, ineffectual, overweight boors. Conversely, one of the most active and rapidly expanding groups of thieves one is likely to encounter along the Dragon Coast is the Astorians of Teziir. This group of felons specializes in protection and extortion rackets. The thugs and ruffians that compose the Astorians are not noted for subtle plans or deep thinking. Their most commonly executed scam consists of telling a shopkeeper to give them some money. If he refuses, they beat the stuffing out of him, possibly setting fire to his store in the process, and move on to the next shop. Before long, merchants are more than willing to pay this protection money.

Special Abilities:

  • Teziirites are highly skilled in unarmed combat. Whenever a character from Teziir makes an unarmed melee attack, he gains a +4 bonus to his attack roll and causes twice the normal damage indicated. This bonus applies to punching or wrestling attacks, but not to overbearing attempts.
  • A character from Teziir earn a 250 experience point bonus for every adventuring session that he survives.
  • These characters reduce the amount of time and money they must invest in training by 3% per level. Thus a 5th level Teziirite gains a 15% discount on training time and costs.

Special Disadvantages:

  • All Dragon Coast characters have a 10% greater likelihood of being arrested by a city watch (justly or not!) during any disturbance (tavern brawl, public nuisance, etc). This only applies to cities outside the Dragon Coast.
  • All characters designed with this kit suffer a -2 penalty to their starting Reason and Willpower scores (minimum 3).
  • Characters from Teziir may never have exceptional Muscle or Stamina scores (max 18), regardless of class. Characters that receive a bonus to Muscle or Stamina from their race or magic items may not exceed a score of 18.
  • Characters from Teziir tend to skip aspects of training they find dull or boring. This results in a flawed mastery of their skills. In most cases this doesn’t show, but occasionally they are stumped by things others find challenging but not impossible to overcome. This is reflected in a -1 penalty to all non-weapon proficiency checks the character makes.

Westgate

Base Requirements

  • Races: Any
  • Classes: Any
  • Ability Requirements: none
  • Alignments: Any
  • Starting Cash: 2d10 x10gp
  • Bonus Languages: Telpi
  • Recommended Languages: Easting, Thorass, Thorasta, Cormanthan, Chondathian, Turmic, Aglarondan, Chessic, Sespechian, Mulhorandi, Thayan

Proficiencies

  • Weapon Slots: By class
  • Non-weapon Slots: +1 slot
  • Available Categories: By class, plus Academic
  • Bonus Proficiencies: Arcanology, Blind-Fighting, Literacy
  • Required Proficiencies: Modern Languages (any three recommended)
  • Recommended Proficiencies: none

Overview: Westgate is the largest and probably the most powerful city on the Dragon Coast. In many parts of the world, the word “trade” is synonymous with the name Westgate. The importance of caravans and merchant shipping is known by all inhabitants of this great city, for it has served to make Westgate a powerful metropolis and has established a reasonably high standard of living for the people who live there. The great wealth of lore and legend the people of Westgate are exposed to makes them very knowledgeable individuals.

However, the city is under the grip of the Night Masks, a large band of professional assassins, criminals, enforcers, and thieves. Although the legal government of Westgate is a council of wealthy nobles and merchants, the true power in the city rests in the hands of The Faceless, an unknown individual who dominates the city’s thieves’ guild. Known as the Night Masks, this band of rogues controls every aspect of crime in the city.

Special Abilities:

  • Characters from Westgate are accustomed to dealing with the Night Masks’ intimidation tactics. Therefore, Westgaters are harder to interrogate, intimidate, or coerce than other folk. Westgate characters gain a +4 bonus (or their opponents suffer a -4 penalty) against attempts to interrogate, intimidate, cheat, con, or swindle them.
  • A Westgaters skill in matters of subtle violence imposes a -2 penalty on an opponent’s surprise roll if the character is acting alone. This stacks with similar bonuses, such as from being a Thief or an Elf.
  • Westgaters train to anticipate an opponent’s combat style. All members of this kit receive a -2 bonus to their own initiative roll in combat, in addition to any other bonuses that might apply.

Special Disadvantages:

  • All Dragon Coast characters have a 10% greater likelihood of being arrested by a city watch (justly or not!) during any disturbance (tavern brawl, public nuisance, etc). This only applies to cities outside the Dragon Coast.
  • Westgaters, regardless of class, cannot use magical scrolls (neither spell scrolls, nor protection scrolls).
  • The Night Masks feel that all Westgate natives owe them their income. Therefore, any character from Westgate always has a Night Mask thief shadowing him anywhere. This foil is always one experience level ahead of the character; the Night Mask’s job is to steal from the character, foil plans, and inevitably to kill or kidnap the character and bring him back to Westgate. The thief will send periodic reports back to the Night Masks, citing the character’s successes. If the character gets rich, the thief attempts break-ins, hires brigands for an ambush, and does whatever it takes to get the Night Masks’ “share” of the income.
  • The Faceless, the leader of the Night Masks, believes that every native of Westgate works for him. Occasionally the Faceless becomes interested in and actively reaches out to non-guild members. With the constant flow of information returning to the guild from the agents it has trailing people, any Westgate native, anywhere in the world, may be targeted by the Faceless. The percentage chance of this happening is equal to the character’s Appearance score. The DM makes this check at the start of each month to see if this happens.
    A character singled out in this way will find themselves the recipients of enigmatic instructions, orders, or tips, usually pointing them at some risky mission that will advance the Night Masks’ agendas.

Return to Homelands.

Dragon Coast

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