Adventure Background: Web of the Spider Queen

Long past are the days when drow ruled over Shadowdale from the Twisted Tower—or are they? Beneath the sleepy farming community, an old evil stirs. The drow and their foul Underdark minions have set eyes on the Dalelands, but to what end is anyone’s guess. Now, it’s up to an unlikely band of adventurers to defend Shadowdale from the drow threat and learn what Lolth and her villainous followers are up to. Success means a respite from danger. Failure could doom the surface world.

Session 0: Prior to the adventure, players have a sesion set aside to create 1st-level characters.

Previous Season: The Elder Elemental Eye

Long ago, the Sabrak clan of dwarves, in an effort to restore their clan’s lost power and status, meddled with dark forces in the Sunset Mountains. The dwarves succeeded only in creating their own isolation and madness. Their clan grew smaller and ever more degenerate—so that today, only the three brothers who lead the clan and a handful of other dwarves remain. Of the three brothers, Zarnak, the eldest and most powerful, is a seer whose mind shattered long ago when it came into contact with an ancient evil known as the Elder Elemental Eye... and who now plots to spread the abyssal plague throughout the world.

Final Session: The heroes have returned to Iriaebor to report success. While enjoying their rewards, the heroes met a disguised drow who warned that the threat of Tharizdun is not at an end. In the end, the heroes have the key to further adventure in their hands.

Add D&D Fortune Cards and Enhance Your Game

Dungeons & Dragons Fortune Cards, sold in booster packs of 8 cards, give players fun new ways to survive the challenges of the D&D Encounters in-store play program, as well as their home campaigns. These cards give characters fun, temporary benefits that feel different from the benefits gained from powers and feats, without adding undue complexity to the D&D game.

Twitter Buffs will allow you to do even more with your D&D Fortune Cards—follow @Wizards_DnD

How They Work

At the start of each encounter, shuffle your deck and draw a card.

You can play one card per round. It requires no action to play. The rules on each card state when you can play it and what effect it has. A card takes effect just once unless it states otherwise, and you discard the card when its effect ends.

You can have only one Fortune Card in your hand at a time. At the start of each of your turns, you can do one of the following:

• Discard the card in your hand and draw a new one.
• Draw a new card if you don’t have one in your hand.
• Keep the card that’s in your hand if you haven’t played it.

Download the rules for How to Play and to
Build Your Own Deck

Bring Your Own Hero to the Table

If you’re like most players, you’ll want to build your own 1st-level character to bring to D&D Encounters, using the standard character creation rules presented in the Rules Compendium, Heroes of the Fallen Lands, or Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms.

Of course, you can also use the D&D Character Builder to create your character as well.

Generate ability scores for your character using the standard array (method 1) or point buy (method 2.)

This season, you can choose character options from any of the following rules sources:

The Dungeon Survival Handbook

Heroes of the Fallen Lands

Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms

You may also use
Dragon Magazine articles that support the books listed.

Gaining Experience, Leveling Up, and Earning Rewards

Each week, as you face monsters and overcome obstacles, you’ll gain experience points that will enable you to eventually level up your character. If you manage to play most or all of the sessions this season, you can hit 3rd level by the conclusion of the story.

At the end of each session, your DM will award your Experience Points, as well as your Renown Points (which earn you Rewards). You can track your character’s progress from week to week by asking your organizer for a Play Tracker or by downloading one here.

Do Cool Things, Get Cool Stuff

Players, as you progress through each season, you’ll earn Renown Points you can use to get exclusive Fortune Cards. Dungeon Masters, as a way of thanking you for your invaluable work, you’ll get exclusive game aids you can’t find anywhere else.

RENOWN POINT AWARDS

Bring a New Player: These points are awarded to existing players for each new player brought to D&D Encounters that has never before participated in the program (current and past seasons included).

Moment of Greatness: These points are a discretionary award given out by the DM or through party vote to a player for doing something inventive, daring, or just plain cool during a session of play.

Dungeon Masters Wanted

D&D Encounters can’t happen without people behind the screen—the most important seat in the house. With D&D Encounters, DMing is easy. Your store organizer will have everything you need—the adventure, maps, tokens (for PCs and Monsters), as well as all the other game materials you and your players will want and need.