A review copy of “Dragon Wing” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.
Support my work by using affiliate links for shopping and pledging via Patreon.
Designed by: Stuart Traynor, Benjamin Randell, and Thomas Odams
Dragon Wing is a one-shot mini-adventure with a unique premise for 10th level PCs: the exciting assault of a flying fortress.
A more apt description would be lair or encounter, as Dragon Wing takes place entirely on a flying fortress. The mini-adventure doesn’t try to offer any hooks or ties into existing campaigns, instead treating the scenario as a special one-shot where the player characters are already captains aboard a skycastle.
Another skycastle has been taken over by evil cultists. The party is tasked with jumping on the back of a pair of copper dragons, infiltrating the fortress, and bringing it down – an awesome premise for a self-contained dungeon crawl.
To get to the skycastle’s control panel we’re given two main paths: the stealthy approach or a direct assault.
The stealth approach skips the entire upper battlements of the fortress. The dragons drop off the PCs on a ledge underneath, where the party must survive a gauntlet of trapped rooms, including anti-gravity spheres and wind tunnels, before arriving at a central chamber.
The direct assault features two paths of its own: the party can proceed with reinforcements, or go in even more guns blazing (I appreciate the LEEROY JENKINS reference used here).
A d10 Aerial Combat Table is cleverly used to showcase the exciting three-dimensional battlefield on route to the fortress, including dodging fly-by breath weapon attacks, and snagging potions from helpful NPCs. When the party lands, the battlements are filled with guards and new creatures called draconic brutes.
Once inside all the paths converge in the central chamber, which leads to a hanger for the eventual daring escape (along with some guards and a captive but ornery manticore) and the control room.
In the control room the party battles more guards and brutes, eventually summoning the boss mage riding atop an adult red dragon. Yes – adult! Even for 10th level PCs that is an epic boss fight. The dragon can’t get through the pillars that surround the room, however, limiting it to its fire breath, but the party will still need to break the mage’s concentration to reveal the control panel and destroy it.
For only a 10-page lair, Dragon Wing has a lot of clever ideas and great content for a more combat-focused dungeon crawl, though I do wish some effort had been made to include it in ongoing campaigns, especially as it would fit in perfectly with existing 5E adventures such as Tyranny of Dragons and Storm King’s Thunder.
Pros:
- Well-designed dungeon with a variety of combat, puzzles, and traps.
- Offers a stealthy, trap-filled approach or more combat heavy direct assault.
- Exciting climax with a mage riding an adult red dragon.
Cons:
- Dyson Logos-style black and white maps.
- No adventure hooks for incorporating the lair into an ongoing campaign.
- Lacks role-playing opportunities.
The Verdict: Dragon Wing‘s flying fortress is one of the more interesting and well-designed lair encounters on the DMS Guild.
A review copy of “Dragon Wing” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.
Support my work by using affiliate links for shopping and pledging via Patreon.
RogueWatson 