Vault of the Dracolich (2013)

From the back of the book
Deep in the forest of Cormanthor lies the hoard of the dracolich Dretchroyaster, the prize of which is a diamond staff rumored to unlock the secrets of an ancient elven kingdom. The sage Imani is seeking dozens of adventurers to launch an all-out assault on the undead dragon's lair. The dracolich is a powerful foe- too great for even several parties to conquer- so it's going to take all of the heroes' courage, cunning, and speed to survive the dracolich's deadly vault.

Vault of the Dracolich ran on June 15, 2013, as a Dungeons & Dragons gameday. It ran only in stores affiliated with the WPN (Wizards Play Network) program. The adventure was designed as a multi-table interactive event and was the first time such an event ran in gaming stores. The authors used as inspiration the battle interactives common to organized play campaigns such as Living Greyhawk, Living Forgotten Realms, and Living Arcanis.

The adventure's goal was the recovery of the Diamond Staff of Chomylla, held within the underground lair of the dracolich Dretchroyaster (the staff and dracolich are both described in Cult of the Dragon). During the gameday, each table (consisting of one DM and 4-6 players with 4th-level PCs) entered through separate entrances and explored a portion of the lair, seeking an idol. The central chamber containing the staff could only be accessed once all the idols were recovered.

During their exploration, each group could find information or resources to share with the other tables. Portals allowed rapid transit across large distances. In addition, the discovery of the first idol triggered the appearance of simulacra of Dretchroyaster. These dracolich simulacra harried one adventuring group at a time briefly before losing form, adding to the pressure of the event. A multitude of traps and terrible creatures, including Cult of the Dragon members, undead, troglodytes, lizardfolk, and other horrors, all added to the peril. Adventurers took on different tasks in the final chamber, including holding back mummies or Dretchroyaster himself, while others disabled the wards protecting the staff.

The kit for stores included copies of the adventure (each containing a double-sided poster map), illustrations of the NPCs in the adventure, and one large poster map with color clings to mark the position of Dretchroyaster and the different adventuring groups as they moved around the lair. The gameday served as the introduction to the Search for the Diamond Staff D&D Encounters season.