Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage is an awesome 5e D&D Megadungeon adventure – and it is MASSIVE! As I go through the levels of the dungeon and take in all of the information and details about each faction and monster group, it strikes me that I need to make a reference guide to each level so that I can get a better understanding of how certain aspects of the dungeon fit together.
The first part of that reference guide is what have for you now, today. The intent of this booklet is to provide you with quick, easily accessible reference tables to help you run your game. At a glance you will be able to answer the following questions:
- Which factions have agents on which levels of the dungeon?
- On which page of the Monster Manual can I find that creature?
- Where are the Arch Gates located and where do they take you?
- What type of creatures are on this level?
- What sorts of treasures can I expect my players to find if they search this level?
- How much XP is available on each level?
- How much treasure is available on each level?
And, well… you get the idea.
I hope this guide helps you as you plan to run through this adventure or as you try and determine if you want to use these levels as stand-alone dungeons in a different setting.
Here is a sample of the document – the level 1 creature list:
This is installment #1, levels 1-5. I will be adding the other levels in the next couple of weeks.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PDF OF THE REFERENCE GUIDE
As Always, until next time, I wish you good gaming!
~DMSamuel
Hey DMSamuel! Nice post, i’m going to run this adventure soon, and would be nice to count with your reference guide, can you re-up the PDF?
Hi Guilherme – thanks for reading my blog! I’m glad this helped and if I can get back to it, I fully intend to complete the levels in Dungeon of the Mad Mage.
I’m going to be running this module and it will be my first time dming. This looks like it will be extremely helpful. Was just curious on if you were going to complete it?
Hi Alex – I got waaaay sidetracked and it is, honestly, on the back burner. I would love to continue it and finish the full list, but I can’t give you a timeline or promise a specific completion date.
So, while not quite the same thing, I have a spreadsheet that has all the monsters:
Name | Quantity | CR | XP each | XP total | Notes | Have | Need | Max per Encounter | Area(s) | Written Spells By Dungeon Level | Magic Items By Dungeon Level
I don’t have page # nor faction on it, but it is decently comprehensive.
I originally made it to prep for running the campaign, then expanded to track mini totals and needs for a full in-person, immersive experience. There are tabs per level, a tab for the dungeon overall, a note tab of “special” minis for the dungeon, and a “master list” of all monsters, with the max number that can appear in the campaign as a whole, again, for mini purposes.
I was looking to publish it on DMSGuild soon in a more friendly format, if anyone is interested, please let me know!
I am def going to actually complete this task as I go through the dungeon. Upon Completion I will post it. This would be an epic resource for this dungeon.
So far, I have the basics.. all the monsters by level and am now keying it to the maps and adding MM pages for referencing.Once I have this completed I will post back here and likely have it up on a reddit somewhere.
Miridarna,
If you did end up posting that on DMs Guild, I would be ecstatic! Gonna go check now.
Also, it looks like the pdf for this level 1-5 on the article is no longer there. Is that supposed to be the case?