The Dragon Armies march across Ansalon, bringing fire and ruin to the Free Peoples. In the world of Krynn, where the true gods abandoned mortals generations ago, a new age of war has dawned. As Dragon Highlords command vast legions of draconians and chromatic dragons, your party must rally scattered defenders, rediscover lost divine magic, and turn the tide of a war that threatens to enslave the entire continent.
Story Arcs
The Gathering Storm
Rumors of war reach the frontier town of Vogler. The party witnesses the first signs of the Dragon Army's advance and must help the town prepare for what is coming.
The War Begins
The Dragon Army attacks. The party fights in desperate battles, evacuates civilians, and searches for allies and weapons that can turn the tide. Faith and divine magic begin to return to Krynn.
The Dragonlance
Ancient weapons capable of slaying dragons are discovered. The party must recover them and rally a final defense against the Dragon Highlord's ultimate assault.
Session Outlines
These outlines are for planning reference only. Actual sessions are not created by the template.
Prelude in Vogler
The party is in the frontier town of Vogler during a harvest festival. They participate in festival games and meet key NPCs. Refugees arrive from the east, telling of armies of strange reptilian soldiers and dragons. The town elders debate what to do.
Scouts and Shadows
The party is sent to scout the approaching threat. They encounter draconian forward scouts — reptilian soldiers created from corrupted dragon eggs. A skirmish reveals the enemy's discipline and ferocity. They return with dire news: a full army approaches.
The Defense of Vogler
The Dragon Army vanguard reaches Vogler. The party helps organize the town's defense — building barricades, training militia, and setting traps. The battle is fierce but the town holds temporarily. A chromatic dragon makes a terrifying flyover, demonstrating the true scale of the threat.
Retreat and Refugees
Vogler cannot hold against the full army. The party leads a desperate evacuation, fighting rear-guard actions while protecting civilians. They must choose between defensible routes and faster but exposed paths. Losses are inevitable.
The Ruins of Faith
The refugees reach an abandoned temple where the party discovers that the true gods did not abandon Krynn — they were driven away. A divine artifact within the temple awakens, granting one party member access to divine magic. The return of faith becomes a beacon of hope.
The Resistance
The party connects with an organized resistance movement fighting the Dragon Armies. They undertake a sabotage mission against a Dragon Army supply depot, freeing prisoners and destroying war materials. Intelligence gathered reveals the existence of an ancient weapon: the Dragonlance.
War Council
Leaders from multiple resistance cells gather for a war council. The party must help mediate disputes between factions with different priorities. A strategy is formed: find the Dragonlances while the resistance delays the Dragon Army's advance.
Journey to the Forge
The party travels to a hidden dwarven forge where Dragonlances were once crafted. The journey takes them through occupied territory, requiring stealth, disguise, and desperate combat. A Dragon Army patrol nearly discovers them.
The Silver Dragon
At the forge, the party encounters a silver dragon who has been hiding since the gods departed. The dragon agrees to help reforge the Dragonlances but requires a rare metal from a mine now controlled by the Dragon Army. The party must raid the mine.
Forging the Lance
With materials gathered, the Dragonlances are reforged. The party trains with the weapons and bonds with the silver dragon. But the Dragon Army has tracked them — a strike force attacks the forge, and the party must defend while the final lances are completed.
Rally the Free Peoples
Armed with Dragonlances, the party must rally scattered resistance forces for a decisive battle. They visit elven, dwarven, and human settlements, each requiring a different appeal. Time is running out — the Dragon Highlord prepares a final offensive.
The Battle of the Plains
The allied forces meet the Dragon Army on an open plain. A massive battle unfolds with the party taking key roles — leading charges, dueling Dragon Army commanders, and ultimately facing the chromatic dragons with their Dragonlances.
The Highlord's Gambit
The Dragon Highlord deploys their trump card — a devastating attack that threatens to turn the tide. The party must undertake a daring strike behind enemy lines to neutralize the threat while the allied army holds.
Dawn Over Ansalon
The final confrontation with the Dragon Highlord. The party faces them in their command tent with their personal guard and a chromatic dragon champion. Victory breaks the Dragon Army's assault and signals the beginning of the end for the invasion. But the war is not over — only this battle is won.
NPCs
Becklin the Elder
Human · Mayor of Vogler
An elderly farmer-turned-mayor who never wanted responsibility but accepts it because no one else will. His common sense and stubbornness hold the town together during the crisis. He trusts the party because they are willing to fight when others run.
Darrett Highwater
Human · Young Knight
An idealistic young warrior who yearns for the age of heroes. He becomes the party's most loyal ally, growing from a naive youth into a capable leader through the trials of war. His faith in the gods is rewarded when divine magic returns.
Ispin Greenshield
Gnome · Historian and Sage
A gnomish scholar obsessed with the history of the Dragonlances. He knows where the ancient forge is located and the recipe for forging the weapons. Physically frail but intellectually brilliant, he provides crucial knowledge at every turn.
Silvara
Elf · Silver Dragon in Disguise
A silver dragon who has lived among mortals in elven form since the gods departed. She reveals her true nature at the forge and becomes a powerful ally. Her dragon form can carry Dragonlance-wielding riders into battle against chromatic dragons.
Dragon Highlord Verethax
Human · Commander of the Red Wing
The campaign's primary antagonist — a brilliant military strategist who commands a wing of the Dragon Army. She rides a fearsome red dragon and demands absolute loyalty from her troops. Once a mercenary captain who joined the Dragon Army for power, she has come to believe in their mission of conquest.
Claren Uth Matar
Human · Resistance Leader
A former knight of Solamnia who leads the largest resistance cell. Battle-hardened and pragmatic, she has kept her people alive through guerrilla warfare. Distrusts the party initially but comes to respect their resolve. Her tactical expertise is essential for the final battle.
Kansaldi Fire-Eyes
Half-Orc · Dragon Army Priestess
A fanatical servant of the Dark Queen who serves as Highlord Verethax's spiritual advisor. She wields corrupted divine magic and creates draconians from stolen dragon eggs. Her zealotry makes her unpredictable and dangerous.
Locations
Vogler
A modest frontier town surrounded by farmland, known for its annual harvest festival. Simple but well-built wooden structures cluster around a central green. The town has no walls or military garrison — it was never meant to withstand a siege.
The Abandoned Temple of Mishakal
A crumbling temple to the goddess of healing, overgrown and forgotten. Despite years of neglect, a faint warmth pervades the interior. The altar still glows faintly when approached by the faithful. A divine artifact awaits the worthy.
The Dragon Army Camp
A vast military encampment of black and red tents stretching across the plains. Thousands of draconians drill in formation while chromatic dragons circle overhead. Supply wagons, siege engines, and war beasts are organized with brutal efficiency.
Zhakar Forge
A hidden dwarven forge deep in the mountains where Dragonlances were originally crafted. The forge is cold but intact, its magical anvil waiting for the right wielder. Ancient dwarven traps protect the approach, and the forge itself requires dragon fire to activate.
The Occupied Silverstone Mine
A mine containing the rare silver-steel alloy needed for Dragonlances, now controlled by the Dragon Army. Slave laborers work under draconian overseers. The mine's tunnels are narrow and dangerous, but provide excellent terrain for ambushes.
The Plains of Kalaman
A vast grassland where the decisive battle takes place. Rolling hills provide tactical positions, and a river bisects the plain. The terrain favors neither side equally, making leadership and strategy decisive factors.
Quests
Defend Vogler
Prepare the frontier town for the Dragon Army's assault. Build defenses, train militia, and plan an evacuation route for when the town inevitably falls.
Rediscover the Gods
The true gods of Krynn did not abandon their people — they were driven away. Find proof of their continued existence and restore divine magic to the world. The abandoned temple of Mishakal holds the key.
Reforge the Dragonlances
Find the hidden dwarven forge, gather rare materials, and reforge the legendary weapons capable of slaying dragons. Without them, the Dragon Army's aerial superiority is insurmountable.
Free the Silverstone Miners
The Dragon Army forces slaves to mine silver-steel for their own weapons. Free the prisoners and secure the ore needed for the Dragonlances.
Rally the Free Peoples
Unite the scattered resistance cells, elven communities, and dwarven holds into a single army capable of challenging the Dragon Armies on the field of battle.
Encounters
Draconian Scout Patrol
A patrol of draconians encountered during scouting. These reptilian soldiers are disciplined and fight in formation, using their wings for tactical advantage.
Defense of Vogler
The Dragon Army vanguard assaults the town. Waves of enemies attack barricades while a dragon strafes from above. The party must hold key positions and protect civilians.
Supply Depot Raid
The party attacks a Dragon Army supply depot, fighting guards while freeing prisoners and setting fires.
Mine Infiltration
Sneaking into or fighting through the occupied mine to recover silver-steel ore. Narrow tunnels make large-scale combat impossible.
Dragon Highlord Verethax
The final battle against the Dragon Highlord and her personal guard. She fights from dragonback initially before being forced to the ground.
Factions
The Free Peoples' Resistance
Neutral Good
A loose coalition of resistance fighters from across Ansalon. They lack the numbers and equipment to face the Dragon Army directly but excel at sabotage, intelligence, and guerrilla warfare. Led by veteran knight Claren Uth Matar.
The Dragon Armies
Lawful Evil
A vast military force of draconians, mercenaries, ogres, and chromatic dragons united under the Dragon Highlords. Disciplined, well-equipped, and backed by dark divine power. Their goal is the complete conquest of Ansalon.
The Knights of Solamnia
Lawful Good
The remnants of Krynn's greatest knightly order, diminished by centuries of declining faith and political marginalization. Those who remain are honorable but too few to fight alone. The party's actions may inspire them to ride to war once more.
The Metallic Dragons
Neutral Good
Good-aligned dragons who have hidden since the gods departed. Silvara is the first to reveal herself, but others may follow if the tide of war can be turned. Their participation would be decisive but they fear the consequences of open war between dragonkind.
Recommended Characters
Pre-built characters designed for this campaign setting. Create them separately from the character templates page.
Pyraxis of the Platinum Flame
Dragonborn · Cleric · Level 3
A gold dragonborn war cleric devoted to Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon. As the Dragon Armies of Takhisis ravage Krynn, Pyraxis answers with holy fire and the unyielding conviction that good dragons and their allies will prevail.
Sir Dareth Brightblade
Human · Fighter · Level 3
A Knight of Solamnia who wields both sword and spell in the fight against the Dragon Armies. Dareth upholds the Oath and the Measure even as Krynn's darkest hour approaches, believing that honor is the weapon Takhisis fears most.
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