With the release of the new 5e Dungeons & Dragons comes new look and feel to D&D public play. D&D Encounters as we know it is changing as it becomes part of the broader public play program known as the D&D Adventure League.

The first adventure in the Tyranny of Dragons story arc is Hoard of the Dragon Queen. The D&D Encounters adventure, which your FLGS can download for free, provides enough material to advance PCs from levels 1-4. The story continues for PCs of level 5 and above in the for-sale product of the same name, Hoard of the Dragon Queen, on sale August 19.

As part of the new 5e public play kick off game shops everywhere will be receiving Tyranny of Dragons Kits full of great free stuff for DMs and players. Today we’re going to share everything that you can expect to find inside including Faction Packs for players, and DM packs that include magic item certificates. Read on.

Faction Packs (Player Kits)

During character development players can choose a faction that their PC is affiliated with. Being a part of a faction gives you in-game benefits and can help you create a more memorable character. The Tyranny of Dragons Kit provides everything players need to become part of a faction.

There are five factions: Emerald Enclave, Harpers, Lords’ Alliance, Order of the Gauntlet, and Zhentarim. Each Tyranny of Dragons Kit comes with 20 factions packs. Four copies of each faction pack are provided. Each faction pack comes with the following materials for players.

• Folder (with the faction’s logo & colours)
• Faction welcome letter
• Faction membership certificate with Certificate Identification Code on the back
• Faction Sticker
• Tent card: Name on the front, Faction Ranks * Requirements * Benefits on the back
• Regalia of Bahamut certificate: Scale of Bahamut (item) on the front / Neverwinter MMORPG certification code on the back
• Blank Character Sheet
• Blank Adventure Log Sheet

I’ve scanned all the materials for each faction and provided images of what’s in each faction pack below. Click on images to enlarge.

Emerald Enclave

Harpers

Kings’ Alliance

Order of the Gauntlet

Zhentarim

The Dungeon Master’s Pack

The players aren’t the only ones who get great free swag this season. There are four DM packs and inside each one DMs will find the following items:

• Folder (tyranny of dragons logo)
• Letter
• Special Starting Item for the DM / Certificate Identification Code
• Sticker
• Name card / Faction Quick Guide
• D&D Encounters instructions (see below)
• Magic Item certifications (see below)
• Tear of Bahamut item card: Regalia of Bahamut / Neverwinter MMORPG code (see below). The DMs kit comes with six of these, and each players kit comes with one.

Magic Items

One of the most significant changes with the new 5e public play is that magic items are going to be hard to come by. Magical items used during public play will now require item certificates. This Tyranny of Dragons Kit comes with magic item certificates for all the magic items you can find in the Hoard of the Dragon Queen (the D&D Encounters part and the part you need to purchase) and for all the magic items you can find in Lost Mines of Phandelver, the adventure found in the D&D Starter Set.

There are four item sets in the kit, one set for each DM. Each item has the name and description on the front and a Certificate Identification Code on the back. See an example sheet below.

Now if you’re like me you DM a lot and play only occasionally. I’ve always felt cheated that despite my involvement with public play behind the screen I get short changed when I finally get a chance to play. Well, Wizards has taken a big step in the right direction to remedy that problem. Included with the DM kit is a Special Starting Item for the DM. When the DM final gets to play they can begin with one of five special items, some of which are magical. Thank you Wizards of the Coast.

Instructions

Looking over the instructions we see that D&D Encounters is running every Wednesday from August 20, 2014 through February 11, 2015. It’s still unclear what’s going to happen after February 11. I guess we’ll wait and see. In the mean time this looks like a fantastic start to 5e public play. Be sure to visit your FLGS on August 20. Be early as supplies are limited.

Visit the Dungeon’s Master D&D Encounters Archive for all of our ongoing weekly coverage as well as other great D&D Encounters articles and resources.

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