The Talk of the Town

A
curse has befallen those who have been raised Recent News from Chult
from the dead. Victims grow thinner and weaker
each passing day, slowly but steadily sliding • The Order of the Gauntlet is a religious order dedicated to
toward the death they once denied. When they protecting the world from evil. They sailed to Chult as soon
finally succumb, they cannot be raised again. In as they found out that the The Death Curse might originate
fact, no one can. there. They set out into the jungle on a mission to purge it of
undead, last they were heard of was at a place called Camp
Righteous.
The Death Curse • The Flaming Fist is a mercenary company headquarted in
• All of Faerun is subject to the curse and none are spared. (and fierce loyal to) Baldur's Gate. The fists maintains a
• Every humanoid that has been brought back from the dead permanent stronghold in Chult at Fort Beluarian. They seem
wastes away; until they die again. to go from there out in the jungle to "pacify" territory and
• Any spell that returns life into the dead (ex: Revivify, Raise claim lost treasures. The Seven Merchant Princes are not
dead, Reincarnate, Resurrection, and True Resurrection) happy having foreign people take claim over Chult and
automatically fails. especially Port Nyanzaru.
• The death curses effects were first observed a month ago. • Several ships coming and going from Port Nyanzaru have
• Souls dissapear from the dead, as if it is sucked out of them. been victims of pirate attacks. Although, strangely, some
ships seem to have more luck avoiding the pirates than
Chult others. Some lucky survivors say that they have heard the
A breeding ground for bloodsucking, disease-bearing insects, pirates talking about selling them as slaves.
monstrous reptiles, carnivorous birds and beasts of every • Many expeditions have braved the jungle to search for the
variety, and murderous undead. The farther one moves from the origin of The Death Curse. None have succeeded. Few have
coast, the more humid, hot, and inhospitable the land becomes. returned.
Temperatures regularly climb as high as 35°C during the day
and seldom fall below 23°C at night. Syndra Silvane
The eponymous owner of Silvane's Trading Company recently
With the exception of a few coastal settlements, Chult is invited you to meet her advisor, Favor, in the historical society
untamed tropical wilderness: dense jungles and snaky rivers where she will brief you and then bring you to Silvane's
ringed by mountains, volcanoes, and sheer escarpments. Walls residence to discuss an urgent matter with Silvane herself.
of mountains to the west, south, and east shield the interior Syndra has dedicated herself to the lifting of The Death
from the sea and from the view of sailors. The rivers are so Curse. To that end, Silvane is recruiting adventurers to brave
sluggish that it can be difficult determining which direction is the dangers of Chult and triumph where others have failed.
upstream and which is down. The rivers pick up speed only Glory, wealth, and power await whomever ends the curse.
where they thunder down through steep-sided gorges.

Port Nyanzaru
The last remains of the once-mighty Chultan kingdoms is one
city. Nestled along the coast of the Bay of Chult, Port Nyanzaru
is a prosperous trading hub and the lone civilized hub on a vast
peninsula of great wealth. The port is ruled by The Seven
Merchant Princes that have grown in power and influence over
the Port since the nation of Amn was forced to relinquish the
city to the native people of Chult about 9 years ago. Local
specialties include valuable lumber, minerals and gems, and
rare medicines derived from tropical plants. Port Nyanzaru is
famous for vibrant art, music, and food. You may have heard
about the dinosaur races; they are quite famous.

Port Nyanzaru is a bastion of civilization and commerce in a

terrifying land. The amount of business that unfolds here and
the cash that moves through its counting houses would make
any merchant of Baldur's Gate or Waterdeep jealous. Enemies
surround Port Nyanzaru on all sides. The jungle teems with
ferocious reptiles and murderous undead, pirates prowl the
surrounding sea, and the mouth of the bay is home to
something... quite terrifying.

Part 1 | Background
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Travel Distances
On your map of Chult, each hex measures 10 miles across. By
moving at a normal pace you can travel 2 hex per day on foot
through coastal, jungle, mountain, swamp, or wasteland terrain.
You can travel 3 hexes per day if you're traveling by canoe on a
river or lake. You also get a +3 to your survival check when
following a river since it's harder to get lost. The rate of travel
up or down river is the same; the rivers are so sluggish that the
current is almost imperceptible. Without canoes, the normal
rate of travel along a river is the same as through the
surrounding terrain. Canoes move 2 hex per day through
swamps.
If you move at a fast pace, there is a chance that you advance
1 additional hex that day. Moving at a fast pace makes you more
likely to miss clues and walk into ambushes.
If you set a slow pace, there is a chance that you advance 1
fewer hex that day (in other words, 2 hex by canoe or 1 hex by
foot). Moving at a slow pace lets you move stealthily. As long as
you're not in the open, you can try to surprise or sneak by other
creatures you encounter.

Guides
While you may think a guide is costly and not particularly useful,
W h at t o e x p e c t ? they have the added benefit of knowing the jungle and how
things work in it. While a character's Survival modifier might be
higher than a guide's, having someone to answer your questions
J u n g l e E x p l o r at i o n a n d A d v e n t u r e or prevent you from making fatal mistakes could prove life-
saving.
Indiana Jones vs. The Army of Darkness in Jurassic Park. The
jungle is a large hex crawl and your expeditions will uncover key
locations. The campaign is a combination of free exploration Navigation
and a story arc (similar to Curse of Strahd). Expect a big, scary You must designate a single navigator each day.
and most of all, deadly dungeon at the end. At the start of each new travel day, the DM makes a Wisdom
Port Nyanzaru will be your base of operations. It has shops (Survival) check on behalf of the navigator.
that sell anything and everything. It has temples, taverns, and an Moving at a fast pace makes it harder to navigate, while
assortment of Jungle Guides to choose from. From the port you moving at a slow pace makes it easier. The faster you go, the
can travel up rivers, hike overland, or sail along the coasts of more likely you are to attract unwanted attention.
Chult.
There are multiple leads you can chase in your quest to find R e s t i ng
the source of The Death Curse. How you go about it, is entirely
in your hands. In a place that's crawling with lethal creatures and strange
phenomena, finding a secure camp site is vital to survival.
When sleeping in an area exposed to the jungle's elements,
R ac e s o f C h u l t characters don't regain hit points at the end of a long rest.
Members of every race and nationality of Faerún can be found Instead, a character can spend Hit Dice to heal at the end of a
in Port Nyanzaru, but few of them evertravel more than a few long rest, just as with a short rest. As stated, this rule does not
hundred yards beyond the city walls. Other than the native apply if the characters spend a long rest in a city, underground,
human Chultans it's not uncommon to see races like Dwarves, or in a relatively intact building. You need to use 1 charge of a
Elves, Gnomes, Aarakocras, Tabaxis, half-orcs and Healer's Kit on a short rest to be able to spend hit dice as
dragonborns. normal.

D e at h i s P e r m a n e n t This rule prolongs the amount of time that characters need to

recover from their wounds without the benefits of magical
You know of no method to return the dead to life. If a character
healing and works well for grittier, more realistic campaigns. It
dies, they can't be resurrected until The Death Curse is dealt
is a more relaxed version of Slow Natural Healing optional rule
with. You'll have to roll a new character and we'll introduce
found in the Dungeon Master's Guide, rewarding players for
them into the campaign. Any spell that returns life into the dead
sleeping in secure areas and is subject to change if the DM
(ex: Revivify, Raise dead, Reincarnate, Resurrection, and True
deems the game is too rough.
Resurrection) automatically fails.
D u r i ng e x p e d i t i o n s , p l a n f o r : Weather
• Food - Every day each character will need 1 pound of food. Chult is hot, humid, and rainy throughout the year.
Note: a days worth of Rations weights 2 pounds. Temperatures regularly climb as high as 35°C degrees during
• Water - Every day each character will need 2 gallons of the day and seldom fall below 23°C degrees at night. A day
water. without rain is rare, but rain varies from a steady mist to
drenching downpours. Visibility in rain is limited to only 50
• Pets/Mounts - Non-native animal companions and beasts of
yards. Beyond that distance, only huge objects or creatures can
burden must also be fed/watered.
be distinguished. On days that recieve rain, there is a chance of
• Navigation - It's easy to get lost in the jungle. You'll need a
a full blown tropical storm featuring sheets of rain, high wind,
guide. 5gp a day, 30 days upfront. Some might be willing to
lightning, tall waves at sea, and an immense surf along the
waive their fees in exchange for favors.
coast. Traveling by river is impossible during a tropical
• Canoe - If you're traveling along a river, it's worth buying and
storm,canoes get filled with water in less than 15 minutes. Skill
porting a canoe. Holds 6 medium creatures, 2mph (an extra
checks to avoid becoming lost are made with disadvantage on
hex of movement each day). All other stats are same as a
storm days.
rowboat: 50gp, 11AC, and 50HP (DMG 119).
• Disease - The jungle and swamps have new and awful
illnesses to contract.
Water
Chult is a hot, harsh place, and you need plenty of water to stay
• Insects - There will be bugs; many poisonous. Buy repellent.
hydrated. The water found in rivers and on the ground is
• Deathtraps - There is a reason ancient Chultan ruins still probably unfit for drinking.
hold treasure and artifacts after all these years. At the end of each day, those of you who haven’t drunk at least
• Danger - Chult is a hostile environment. Keep in mind: 2 gallons of fresh water must succeed on a Constitution saving
• Hiding is an option. throw or suffer 1 level of exhaustion. The saving throw is made
• Retreat is an option. with disadvantage if you are wearing medium armor, heavy
• Negotiation/Surrender is an option. (just not with the armor, or heavy clothing. Traveling at a fast pace instead of a
undead) normal or slow pace, induces a penalty on your saving throws
against dehydration.
Foraging for Food and/or Water
Characters can gather food and water as the party travels at a Food
normal or slow pace. A foraging character makes a Wisdom A character requires a single ration per day of adventuring, or 1
(Survival) check to find food, whether in a river the ocean or on pound of food.
land. Who knows what you will be able to catch. While the characters can forage to survive on the wilderness,
If multiple characters forage, each character makes a they also can hunt down and kill a beast to harvest the meat and
separate check. A foraging character finds nothing on a failed use it as food. The meat they yield spoils after two days if
check. On a successful check, the DM rolls 1d6 + the uneaten. Eating spoiled meat might require a Constitution
character's Wisdom modifier to determine what the character saving throw to avoid throwing up the food or getting diseased.
catches. The character making the check rolls 1d6 for gallons A character can make a Wisdom (Survival) check to try to
of water found. collect meat as food. The amount of meat harvested is
determined by the creature size, as shown in the creature food
Tr ac k i ng R e s ou r c e s yield table below.
Keep in mind that carrying a decent amount of food that isn't
You must keep track of your rations or food, along with your rations might attract unwanted attention.
water supply and use of insect repellant. You can select a single
person to keep track of these for the party, pooling your water
containers and rations together.