By: u/cordialgerm

Art Credit: Midjourney

The Falling Fire, Expanded
he Followers of the Falling Fire are a religious sect who believe the meteor signalled a celestial

T
prophecy, and consider delerium a holy sacrament. Called to pilgrimage by the prescient testament of
their leader, Lucretia Mathias, zealous masses of devout common-folk now journey to the crater’s edge to
take their place in a divine plan.
This document expands upon the Followers of the Falling Fire faction as outlined in the Dungeons of
Drakkenheim campaign setting book. It includes bespoke statblocks, encounters, tactics, sayings and
scriptures, items, and a discussion of faction alliances.
Design Goals
Expanded content for a Dungeons of Drakkenheim campaign
Create a unifying trait that represents the sanctification and the willingness for the Falling Fire members to sacrifice their lives
Create a little more variety than the french-vanilla Cultist, Cult Fanatic, and Berserker SRD statblocks referenced by the book
Create spellcaster statblocks with the good parts of design from Monsters of the Multiverse (simplified spell lists, no spell slots,
powerful attacks and multiattacks, spellcasting mixed with multiattack) but that still have interesting signature spells to cast
Create a Lucretia Matthias statblock that is easier for DMs to run at her full potential (she’s crazy hard to run!)

Sanctified
The devout members of the Falling Fire have been Sanctified by undergoing the dangerous Sacrament of the Falling
Fire, a spell outlined in Dungeons of Drakkenheim.

Sanctified. The sanctified gains advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened, resistance to necrotic and radiant
daamge, and immunity to Contamination.

I also wanted members of this faction have unique mechanics that really emphasize the importance of santification
and the nature of the ultimate sacrifice that true believers are willing to make - their own death for the cause. Many
Falling Fire statblocks have features or reactions that trigger based on the presence or death of a sanctified ally.
Minions
This supplement utilizes the Minion rules from Flee Moratls! The MCDM Monster Book. You can find these rules
outlined in the Flee Mortals! Preview Packet.
Sanctified Acolyte
The Sanctified Acolyte has found new spiritual powers awakening within themselves after completing their pilgrimage
to the crater. In combat, the acolyte fights zealously. They often start combat with Hold Person or Blindness/Deafness
on the target they consider the most unrighteous and will fight at range with Holy Bolt and Sacred Flame.
radiant damage, and immunity to Contamination.
Sanctified Acolyte
Medium Humanoid(Human), Neutral Good Innate Spellcasting. The acolyte’s innate spellcasting ability is
Wisdom (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). The
Armor Class 11 (Unarmored) acolyte can innately cast the following spells, requiring no
Hit Points 36 (8d8) materials components:
Speed 30ft.
1/day each: Cure Wounds (2nd), Hold Person, Blindness/Deafness
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
Actions
10 (+0) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 12 (+1)
Multiattack. The acolyte makes two Holy Bolt attacks
Skills Insight +5, Persuasion +3, Religion +2
Damage Resistances necrotic, radiant Holy Bolt. Ranged Spell Attack: +5 to hit, range 60 ft., one target.
Senses passive Perception 13 Hit: 8 (1d8 + 3) radiant damage.
Languages Common
Sacred Flame. A target within 30 ft. that the acolyte can see
Challenge 1 (200 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, it
takes 14 (4d6) radiant damage and is Blinded until the end of
Sanctified. The sanctified gains advantage on saving throws its next turn. On a success, it takes half as much damage and
against being charmed or frightened, resistance to necrotic and isn’t blinded.
By: u/cordialgerm
Art Credit: Midjourney
Sanctified Zealot
The Sanctified Zealot is a dedicated and fervant warrior for the cause. Often, these individuals have no formal combat
experience or prior martial training, but after performing sacrament they have found that their unwavering faith has
manifested in renewed vigor and fanatical strength. The zealot is a close-combat brute and tank and is perfect for
charging headlong into battle. The exception to this rule is if the zealot is tasked with protecting a key member such as
Lucretia Matthias, or a Sanctified Chaplain such as Nathanial Flint. In such cases, the zealot remains nearby and
physically interposes their body to provide protection. The zealot utilizes the Slam attack against enemies that appear
like they would rather prefer to not be engaged in close combat. Otherwise, they attack with their Greataxe.
Sanctified Zealot Zealous. The zealot makes all attacks with advantage, and
attacks against the zealot have advantage. The zealot has
Medium Humanoid(Human), Chaotic Good
resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
Armor Class 12 (Hide) Actions
Hit Points 60 (8d8 + 24)
Speed 30ft. Multiattack. The zealot makes two Greataxe attacks, or one
Greataxe and one Slam attack.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
Greataxe. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
16 (+3) 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 9 (-1) 11 (+0) 9 (-1) Hit: 9 (1d12 + 3) slashing damage plus 2 (1d4) radiant
damage.
Skills Athletics +5
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, slashing, necrotic, Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
radiant Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage. If the target is Large or
Senses passive Perception 10 smaller, it is Grappled (escape DC 13). The Zealot can only have
Languages Common one target grappled at a time.
Challenge 3 (700 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Reactions
Sanctified. The sanctified gains advantage on saving throws Faith Beyond Death. When reduced to 0 hp and not
against being charmed or frightened, resistance to necrotic and incapacitated, the zealot makes a Greataxe attack with
radiant damage, and immunity to Contamination. advantage against a hostile target within 5 ft. If it hits, the
attack deals an additional 5 (2d4) radiant damage.

Falling Fire Cultist

The Falling Fire Cultist is a Minion (see Flee Mortals! Preview Packet) and always comes in groups of 5 (CR 1/2 for 5).
The typical cultist is a poor penniless peasant and is not trained in combat. Nevertheless, they fight bravely and
fanatically for their cause. These individuals have not yet completed the sanctification, but their Faithful Prayers
empower their sanctified brethren. In combat, the cultists swarm whichever target their sanctified brethren are
focusing on in order to boost their damage with Faithful Prayers.
Falling Fire Cultist (Minion) dies in one hit, overkill damage can kill adjacent minions, and
the minions perform a special group attack.
Medium Humanoid(Human), Neutral Good
Faithful Prayers. When a hostile creature within 15 ft of one or
Armor Class 12 more cultist takes radiant damage from a spell or attack
Hit Points 6 originating from a Sanctified ally, then that creature takes an
Speed 30ft. additional X radiant damage, up to 5 total, where X is the
number of cultists within 15 ft. of the creature. This ability only
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA triggers once per turn and once per such group of cultists.
12 (+1) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 14 (+2)
Actions
Senses passive Perception 11 Fanatical Frenze (Group Attack). Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit,
Languages Common reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage for each
Challenge 1/2 (20 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2 participating minion. When performing a Group Attack, add +1
to hit for each minion participating in the attack.
Minion. This creature is a Minion and follows the MCDM Minion
rules. To summarize, 5 of this unit represent CR 1/2, each one
Sanctified Champion
The Sanctified Champion is an elite knight that has sworn themselves into the service of the Falling Fire. Many are
former knights or paladins of the Silver Order who have become disillusioned with the corruption of the church and its
strict hierarchy. These champions are few in number and often protect key faction locations, act as bodyguards to
Lucretia Matthias, and are occasionally sent on important faction missions. In combat, the champion moves quickly to
engage the enemy front line and protect fellow casters. It uses Abjure the Wicked on the target it perceives as the most
evil.
Sanctified Champion Actions
Medium Humanoid(Human), Neutral Good Multiattack. The champion makes two Greatsword attacks. If
both attacks hit the same target, the target must make a DC 15
Armor Class 18 (plate) Strength saving throw or be knocked Prone.
Hit Points 90 (12d8 + 36)
Speed 30ft. Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage plus 3 (1d6) radiant
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA damage.
18 (+4) 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 14 (+2)
Bonus Actions
Saving Throws WIS +4, CHA +5 Abjure the Wicked (Recharge 6). The champion calls upon the
Skills Athletics +7, Perception +4 wicked to repent. One target of the Knight’s choice within 30 ft.
Damage Resistances necrotic, radiant that can see or hear the knight must make a DC 13 Wisdom
Senses passive Perception 14 save. On a failure, the target is Frightened for 1 minute (save
Languages Common ends at end of turn). If the target fails the save by 5 or more, it
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3 is also Paralyzed while frightened in this way.
Reactions
Sanctified. The sanctified gains advantage on saving throws
against being charmed or frightened, resistance to necrotic and Faith Beyond Death. When reduced to 0 hp and not
radiant damage, and immunity to Contamination. incapacitated, the champion makes a Greatsword attack with
advantage against a hostile target within 5 ft. If it hits, the
attack deals an additional 7 (2d6) radiant damage.

By: u/cordialgerm
Art Credit: Midjourney
Sanctified Chaplain
The Sanctified Chaplain channels powerful divine magics within themselves. Many are former Flamekeepers, but
some are male Pyre Priests who, now unburdened by the restrictions of the tradtional clerical structures, have awoken
their inner divine magics. The chplain is a powerful ranged controller and support caster who channels the might of
the sacred flame. In combat, the chaplain attemps to stay at 60 ft range and tries to open the fight with a Flame Strike.
As the enemies close in, it attempts to control enemies with Fear. As allies die, it uses Gather the Faithful to replenish
its temporary hp as well as bolster the most powerful sanctified melee combatant in range. It uses its Holy Bolt to push
back enemies that are getting close to it to threaten it
Sanctified Chaplain Sanctified. The sanctified gains advantage on saving throws
Medium Humanoid(Human), Neutral Good against being charmed or frightened, resistance to necrotic and
radiant damage, and immunity to Contamination.
Armor Class 14 (Armor of Faith)
Hit Points 72 (11d8 + 22) Actions
Speed 30ft. Multiattack. The chaplain makes two Holy Bolt attacks, or one
Holy Bolt attack and uses its Spellcasting or Sacred Flame.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 11 (+0) 18 (+4) 13 (+1) Holy Bolt. Ranged Spell Attack: +7 to hit, range 60 ft., one target.
Hit: 18 (4d6 + 4) radiant damage. If the target is Large or
Saving Throws WIS +7, CHA +4 smaller, it is pushed up to 10 ft away.
Skills Insight +7, Persuasion +4, Religion +3
Damage Resistances necrotic, radiant Sacred Flame. A target within 30 ft. that the chaplain can see
Senses passive Perception 14 must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, it
Languages Common, Celestial takes 21 (6d6) radiant damage and is Blinded until the end of
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3 its next turn. On a success, it takes half as much damage and
isn’t blinded.

Innate Spellcasting. The chaplain’s innate spellcasting ability is Reactions

Wisdom (spell save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks). The Gather the Faithful. When a Sanctified ally dies within 60 ft., the
chaplain can innately cast the following spells, requiring no Chaplain harnesses the strength of their conviction from within
materials components: their Golden Delerium and increases the resolve of the nearby
faithful. The Chaplain chooses one other Sanctified ally within
3/day each: Lesser Restoration, Daylight 60 ft. Both the Chaplain and the chosen Sanctified ally gain 11
2/day each: Dispel Magic, Blindness/Deafness (2d10) temporary hp.
1/day each: Flame Strike, Fear

By: u/cordialgerm
Art Credit: Midjourney
Lucretia Matthias
Lucretia Matthias * is, in my opinion, the most powerful of the faction leaders presented in Dungeons of Drakkenheim.
I think she is also the most difficult to run to her full potential. Here are some suggestions for how to play her statblock
to its maximum effect.
Play Wisely
Lucretia is intelligent and extremely wise. She does not fall for common mistakes that spellcasters encounter, such as
being too close to an enemy caster and getting Counterspelled. Assume Lucretia knows all of her enemies’ spells and
abilities and plays to counter them. She has discovered this over time with Scrying and Commune and her
accumulated wisdom. Common threats to deal with:
Countermeasures against Common PC Tactics
Counterspell - Lucretia should stay more than 60 ft away from any enemy spellcaster. If that is not possible, she should move out
of line of sight of the caster before casting her spell so that it cannot be countered. If she is countered, her spell is still at 9th level
and requires a DC 19 spellcasting ability check to counter
Grappling - Lucretia is susceptible to being grappled. In her wisdom, she has cast Freedom of Movement upon herself (see below)
Silence or Surrounded by Enemies - her celestial ally can always dash, fly in and pick her up, and fly her to safety
Feeblemind - a Divine Intervention can get her out of this one
Being Surrounded - Lucretia’s celestial ally can always pick her up and fly her into the air
Wall of Force, Forcecage, and Maze - Lucretia can counter these with Word of Recall or by using Divine Intervention to activate a
concentration-free Antimagic Field on herself and disable the spell

Pre-Cast Buffs
Lucretia is perhaps the most prescient individual alive on the Continent. With an unheard of Wisdom of 24,
Intelligence of 19, Charisma of 19, passive Insight of 27, and passive Religion of 24, you can assume that she is not
easily caught unaware or unprepared. Indeed, the Prescient ability specifically states she cannot be caught by surprise.
To play this up, you can assume that Lucretia is always aware on which days she may face mortal danger. On top of
her mental ability scores, she also has Commune and Scrying to help her ascertain this knowledge.
Pre-Cast Buffs

Whenever Lucretia faces combat, she has already cast Aid, Death Ward, and Freedom of Movement upon herself, granting her:

+45 HP, to a total of 135 HP (from Aid at 9th level)

The first time she is reduced to 0 HP, she is instead reduced to 1 HP (from Death Ward)
She is immune to Grappled, Paralyzed, and Restrained conditions (simplified from Freedom of Movement)

Maximize Divine Grace

Lucretia’s Divine Grace ability is extremely powerful. Many characters will find it difficult to consistently make DC 20
Wisdom saves whenever they wish to target Lucretia. However, this ability only functions if Lucretia does not make
attacks or effect enemies with spells. Importantly, she can still cast spells, just as long as they don’t effect enemies!
Lucretia should utilize this ability to its fullest and use her first actions to improve her odds in combat by casting spells
that do not negate her Divine Grace ability. The best uses of this are Gate, Holy Aura, Heal and Divine Intervention.
Use Gate Early
Gate is Lucretia’s combat-oriented 9th level spell. On a day when she may face mortal peril, you can assume she
foregoes casting the Sacrament of the Falling Fire and reserves her 9th level spell slot for Gate. She is described as
wearing a Delerium necklace on a chain around her neck. This can act as the material component for the Gate spell.
She should use this as soon as possible to summon a Planetar or a Deva. Her celestial ally can use its Healing Touch
on her to keep her alive, if needed. Once the Gate is activated and the Celestial has come through, she can cast a
different concentration spell such as Spirit Guardians, Hold Person, Banishment, or Holy Aura.
Crowd Control
A 9th level Hold Person or Banishment can be devastating on PCs as it can target the entire party. Lucretia should
bust this out once the Gate has opened. She uses Banishment if there are any summoned creatures or if she is
outnumbered, and prefers Hold Person if she has allies nearby so that they can get in the critical hits.
Encounters
These are designed to be hard bordering on deadly encounters for 4 PCs of the corresponding level.
Outer City Pilgrimages
lv2, CR1.5: 5 with 1
Falling Fire Cultists Sanctified Acolyte
lv3, CR3: 10 with 2
Falling Fire Cultists Sanctified Acolyte
lv4, CR4: 10 with 1
Falling Fire Cultist Sanctified Zealot
Inner City Pilgrimages
lv5, CR8: 20 accompanied by either 1
Falling Fire Cultist Sanctified Zealot and 3
Sanctified Acolyte (Hard)
or 1 Sanctified Chaplain (could be Deadly)
lv6, CR11: 20 ,1 ,1
Falling Fire Cultist Sanctified Zealot Sanctified Chaplain
lv7, CR13: 20 ,1 ,1
Falling Fire Cultist Sanctified Champion Sanctified Chaplain
lv8, CR15: 20 ,2 ,1 ,1
Falling Fire Cultist Sanctified Acolyte Sanctified Champion Sanctified Chaplain
lv9, CR18: 20 ,2 ,1 ,1
Falling Fire Cultist Sanctified Acolyte Sanctified Zealot Sanctified Champion ,1
Sanctified Chaplain
Strike Forces
lv5: CR10: 2 ,1 ,1
Sanctified Acolyte Sanctified Zealot Sanctified Champion
lv10, CR21: 4 ,2 ,1 ,1
Sanctified Acolyte Sanctified Zealot Sanctified Champion Sanctified Chaplain

Tactics
Falling Fire Cultists operate in groups of 5 and engage the nearest enemy. They fight fanatically and do not run
away, even as they are cut down. Their Faithful Prayers ability will increase the damage output of any more elite
Falling Fire units that attack the swarmed target
Falling Fire Acolytes attempt to stay at 60 ft range and will open combat with a Hold Person. If targets begin
closing to within 30 ft it will use Sacred Flame or Blindness/Deafness. Cure Wounds is mostly reserved to support
more elite units.
Sanctified Zealot rushes headlong at the closest enemy threat and engages it, using a Slam to grapple the target if
it appears to be physically weak. Zealots never flee.
Sanctified Champion will move quickly to engage the enemy front line and protect fellow casters. It uses Abjure the
Wicked on the target it perceives as the most evil
Sanctified Chaplain attemps to stay at 60 ft range and tries to open the fight with a Flame Strike. As the enemies
close in, it attempts to control enemies with Fear. As allies die, it uses Gather the Faithful to replenish its
temporary hp as well as bolster the most powerful sanctified melee combatant in range. It uses its Holy Bolt to
push back enemies that are getting close to it to threaten it

By: u/cordialgerm
Art Credit: Midjourney
Sayings and Scripture
One of the most challenging parts of running the Falling Fire is creating appropriate sayings, prayers, and other
religious sayings for Lucretia Matthias or her followers. These can be difficult to improvise on the spot. This table
provides some quotations that can be used.
D20 Saying
1 “For the Sacred Charcoal shall light the purifying flames of the Falling Fire, and the faithful shall be
sanctified by its power. And in this holy union, our souls shall be made as one”
2 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall find a shard of the Sacred Charcoal that doth match their souls.
And they shall take it in upon themselves, and be reborn in the light of the Sacred Flame”
3 “The Sacrament of the Falling Fire is our most precious rite, and only those pure of heart and soul and
purpose may partake. The Sanctified shall be filled with the grace of the flame and shine like beacons of light
in the darkness”
4 “And the faithful shall be transformed by the Flame, and they shall be lifted upon wings of blessed fire to
soar above the tribulations of this broken mortal coil. For they have been blessed by the Sacred Charcoal,
and their souls are one with the Sacred Flame itself”
5 “The end of this world is nigh, but I say do not despair, for we alone can fix this broken world by uniting
together in the light of the Falling Fire”
6 “Faith is a living, daring confidence that a woman could stake her life on it a thousand times and never
flinch”
7 “In times of darkness and despair, it is easy to lose hope. But remember, the light of the Sacred Fire burns
within us all, and when the hour is darkest, that light burns brightly”
8 “The church in Ellyria has become corrupted by its own dogma. It is time for us to cast off these shackles
and renew our commitment to the guiding principles of the Sacred Flame that are second to no mortal
hierarchy”
9 “The light of the Flame has been smothered by the weight of tradition. We, the Falling Fire, will rekindle that
flame and let it burn bright once again”
10 “The Matriarch is content to passively observe the flame from a distance. We, the Falling Fire, walk amongst
the flames unharmed and emerge stronger”
11 “The Ellyrians are afraid of change and the truth that the Falling Fire foretells. We welcome it, for only by
embracing the new can we truly honor the legacy of the Sacred Flame”
12 “The Sacred Flame is not a possession of the Church. It belongs to no woman, but instead gives itself freely
to all who seek its truths.”
13 “The pilgrimage will not be easy, but I promise you there is no worthier task. Through our sacrifice, we can
reforge this broken world”
14 “Brothers and sisters, I know that the journey before us is long and perilous. But though we walk upon a
knife’s edge path, we have the light of the Flame to guide us and we do not falter”
15 “The Sacred Charcoal is the seed to a new Age of Heroes, and we are its incubators. There is no charge
more sacred”
16 “The Sacred Charcoal burns brightly like the stars in the sky, each one a beacon of hope and wonder against
the darkness. Together, we form constellations of blinding light that can guide this world towards a brighter
future”
17 “A New Age of Heroes is nigh. It will not just be a new chapter, but an wholly new book, written in the
language of the Sacred Flame itself”
18 “The stars themselves have sent us a holy sign. The way forward is clear. We must simply have the resolve to
do what is right”
19 “A new Age of Heroes, she did see // A world reborn, from darkness free, // and all did know the power of
the Sacred Fire, // and saw the light it doth inspire”
20 “She saw a world consumed by blight, // covered in darkness, ruled by night. // But lo behold, a meteor did
By: u/cordialgerm
fall, // and from its heart, we hear the Sacred Charcoal’s call.” Art Credit: Midjourney
Reliquaries of the Falling Fire
These items may be gifted as part of Faction Boons to players assisting the Falling Fire.
Crystal of Foresight
Trinket, Rare

Lucretia herself anointed this Delerium crystal in the great communal bonfire at St. Selina’s. Peering inside, you can see flickering flames
and shadows.

This crystal has 3 charges. You may expend 1 charge as an action and speak the name of a person (living or dead), or a place. Make a
Religion check. Based on the roll, you experience a vision, guided by the flickering light of the Sacred Flame, showing you one of that
person or place’s possible futures or possible pasts.

Scroll of Divine Rejuvenation

Scroll, Very Rare

Using your action over the course of 1 minute, you may read the contents of this divinely inspired scroll penned by the hand of
Lucretia Matthias herself. Reading the scroll requires concentration. If your concentration is broken while reading the scroll, the
divine energy within dissipates and there is no effect.

Upon completion of reading the scroll, up to six creatures of your choice that you can see within 30 feet immediately gain 2d8 + 7 hit
points.

Make a DC 20 Religion check. If you are sincere in your conviction to the Falling Fire, you automatically succeed on this check. On a
success, the creatures also immediately gain the benefits of a short rest (including the ability to roll hit dice).

The divine energy of the scroll dissipates and the scroll is consumed after use.

By: u/cordialgerm
Art Credit: Midjourney
Faction Alliances Conversion of Hooded Lanterns will go a long way to
This material is a summary of the Drakkenheim Faction building trust with the Falling Fire.
Alliance cheat sheet, focusing on just the Falling Fire. Hooded Lanterns Demands
Alliance Difficulty Summary Find the Heir : The Hooded Lanterns will ask Lucretia
Matthias to use her unsurpassed divination abilities to
An Easy alliance is one where the goals between the locate the rightful heir.
Support of the Faith: The Hooded Lanterns will ask for
factions align well and potential conflicts could be healing, aid, purge contamination, resurrection of key
easily handled by PCs soldiers, and other support to keep the troops fresh,
A Moderate alliance is one where the PCs will need morale high, and fight off the effects of contamination.
to overcome several challenges to forge the alliance
A Hard alliance is one where the PCs will need to do Potential Conflicts
serious lifting to forge the alliance Delerium Sales (Short) - the Hooded Lanterns rely to
A Temporary Only / Very Hard alliance seems like it some degree on sales of harvested Delerium, or
would only form in response to a threat from the Delerium tariffs, to fund operations. The Falling Fire
other factions. But who knows, players come up with will not approve of these sales. The PCs will need to
all sorts of crazy ideas! secure alternative funding for the Hooded Lanterns.
The Difficulty to Establish is a measure of how much Future of the City (Long) - the Hooded Lanterns want to
upfront work the PCs will need to do to bring the rebuild the city, while the Falling Fire wants it to remain
factions to the table. This includes dealing with a holy site for pilgrimages. The PCs will need to work
historical baggage or prejudice as well as smoothing out hard to create a long-term compromise, or the alliance
conflicting goals and negotiating compromises. is doomed in the long term
The Difficulty to Maintain is a measure of how likely Faction Responses
the alliance is to survive into the lategame of the The Silver Order will drive a wedge in the alliance by
campaign. Several faction pairings seem quite threatening to blockade the city and offering to help the
promising at first, but have a very different end-game for Hooded Lanterns retake the Cathedral in the Battle of
Drakkenheim in mind. This measures how much work Temple Gate if they abandon the Falling Fire. The
the PCs will need to do to resolve those differences to Amethyst Academy and Queen’s Men will pit the
try and keep the alliance together. alliance in a head-to-head conflict with the Silver Order
Falling Fire Alliance Partners to weaken all sides and pursue their own objectives.
Alliance Partner Difficulty to Establish Difficulty to Maintain Falling Fire + Queen’s Men
Hooded Lanterns Easy Hard
:
Difficulty Moderate to establish in the short term
Queen’s Men Moderate Hard
because it requires some compromise from the Falling
Amethyst Academy Hard Moderate
Fire, Hard to maintain long-term due to backstabbing by
Silver Order Temporary Only Very Hard
the Queen of Thieves.
Falling Fire + Hooded Lanterns Shared Ideals
: to establish as it only requires a small
Difficulty Easy The Perfect City - Drakkenheim is perfect as-is. Nothing
amount of compromise at first. Hard to maintain long- can change that!
term due to disagreements over the future of the city. Freedom in the Ruins - We can’t allow others to impose
their rules on us
Shared Ideals
Falling Fire Demands
Protect the Ruins from Outsiders: We cannot allow - the Queen’s Men must refrain from
foreigners and thieves to meddle in the affairs of this Protection
pillaging helpless penniless pilgrims and should turn
city. We must drive out the lawlessness of the Queen’s their attention to more lucrative targets.
Men and protect our holy city from foreign attack! Repentance - the sincere conversion of a couple of high-
Retake the Cathedral and Castle: We must recover the profile bandits would demonstrate that it’s never too
Seals and Relics to have a chance of protecting the city. late to find the path of righteousness
To do so, we must retake the Cathedral of St. Vitruvio
and Castle Drakken
Falling Fire Demands
Protection for defenseless pilgrims against Queen’s
Men harassment and Silver Order attacks.
Legitimacy - the monarch or heir apparent must support
the Falling Fire.
By: u/cordialgerm
Art Credit: Midjourney
Queen’s Men Demands collaboration.
Outer City “Free Trade” Zone - the Queen’s Men would Prejudice - there is a history of conflict between the
demand that Delerium recovered from the outer city be faith and the arcane to overcome.
fair game for them. The pilgrims can keep the inner city Faction Responses
in exchange. The Silver Order would push for an alliance with the
Find the Seals - the Queen of Thieves would, very
carefully, try to manipulate Lucretia into locating the Hooded Lanterns to accomplish their joint goals of
remaining seals. This would be challenging to pull off. getting Delerium out of the city. The Queen’s Men
would attempt to weaken the alliance from within
Potential Conflicts through subterfuge.
Repentance (Short) - the Falling Fire would need to be Falling Fire + Silver Order
convinced that there is hope some of the Queen’s Men
will see the error of their ways. At the start of the campaign, these two factions are very
Manipulation (Long) - the Queen of Thieves would most close to outright hostilities. They do have a lot of
likely abandon the alliance after using Lucretia to locate common ground in their shared beliefs in the Sacred
the seals Flame, but it would take something truly big to align
these two factions.
Faction Responses This alliance seems almost impossible to establish at
The Amethyst Academy would push the Silver Order the start of the campaign due to fundamental
and Hooded Lanterns into headlong conflict with the incompatibilities in beliefs. It would be very difficult for
alliance to weaken the competition while continuing to these factions to proactively work together. There are
buy Delerium from the Queen’s Men. The Silver Order some situations where an alliance of these factions
and Hooded Lanterns would seek out an alliance to could occur:
retake Temple Gate, drive out the lawless rabble, and
reclaim the seals. As a temporary response against a powerful PC-led
alliance
Falling Fire + Amethyst Academy PCs take over the faction and replace its leadership
: to establish in the short term because it
Difficulty Hard structure
requires both factions to compromise on the use of PCs re-engineer the core beliefs or goals of the
Delerium. Moderate to maintain long-term if PCs can factions somehow
enforce compromise. PCs infiltrate the faction as “puppet-masters”
PCs dismantle the faction and absorb the pieces into
Shared Ideals their own
Delerium is Key - Delerium is the most important
substance on this planet. We can’t allow others to
foolishly destroy this divine gift.
Expel the Silver Order - we must send the Silver Order
back to Elyria. Their dangerous ideas have no business
in Westemar
Falling Fire Demands
Expel the Silver Order - the Amethyst Academy must
use its influence to sabotage the Silver Order’s attempts
at gaining a foothold in Temple Gate.
Conversion - the sincere sanctification of a couple of
high-profile Academy members would demonstrate that
it’s never too late to find the path of righteousness.
Amethyst Academy Demands
Retake the Tower - the Academy demands assistance
from elite sanctified Falling Fire members in scouting
out and retaking the tower
Potential Conflicts
Sharing Delerium - both factions need to be convinced
by the PCs to allow the other to utilize Delerium and to
not walk away from the table unless they get 100% of
the Delerium they want. This should be difficult to
overcome, but once overcome, could set up a fruitful
By: u/cordialgerm
Art Credit: Midjourney
Art Credits
Midjourney

Design Credits
Written Content: u/cordialgerm

The wonderful Dungeons of Drakkenheim sourcebook by The Dungeon Dudes from Ghostfire Games is the source of
inspiration for all of these monsters.
The monster building guidelines from Level Up Advanced 5e Monstrous Menagerie by Paul Hughes were used as a
starting point for these statblocks
Changelog
5/22/23 - v1.2 - added Lucretia Matthias statblock and reorganized content slightly
5/4/23 - v1.1 - added Cover Page and Items
v1.0 - Initial version
Other Drakkenheim Homebrew from cordialgerm
Falling Fire Expanded
Hooded Lanterns Expanded
Silver Order Expanded
Amethyst Academy Expanded
Queen’s Men Expanded
Drakkenheim Encounters Expanded

Other Homebrew from cordialgerm

Dogs of War - Mercs Expanded

By: u/cordialgerm
Art Credit: Midjourney