Dungeons & Dragons Reveals Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
Dungeons & Dragons has officially announced their upcoming Icewind Dale adventure: Rime of the Frostmaiden. The new long-running campaign book will launch on September 15 and will be located in the Forgotten Realms location of Icewind Dale, an area made famous by a series of novels starring the famous drow ranger Drizzt Do’Urden written by RA Salvatore As the title suggests, the villain of the story is the winter goddess Auril (also known as the Frost Maiden) who has placed Icewind Dale under an eternal winter. Players will have to solve the mystery surrounding this eternal winter, while tackling themes of paranoia, isolation and an ever-present threat from the cold.
Speaking to the media ahead of today’s announcement, D&D designers Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins explained that this year’s campaign was inspired by John Carpenter’s The Thing, and that players won’t just have to deal with a lot of Ice-themed monsters but also environmental hazards. well. The new book will feature mechanisms for dealing with snowstorms and avalanches, along with most of the monsters featured in any D&D adventure to date. Many of these, like the Snowy Owlbird, are re-themed versions of classic D&D monsters, while others are new or updates from past additions. Crawford and Perkins also noted that there are rules for games in the game, such as goliath sports or rules of chance. Rime of the Frostmaiden will also bring back the Raghed Nomads and feature Goliaths; in fact, the rules for playing as Goliath will also be reprinted in the adventure book. The book will also contain a geographic dictionary on Icewind Dale, similar to those found in Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus or Waterdeep: Dragon Heist.
While Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden will serve as D&D’s annual adventure, the book itself features some notable design changes designed to make the DM’s job a little easier. Speaking to members of the media prior to the event, D&D designers Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins explained that each chapter in the book comes with a “How to run the chapter” section to help the Dungeon Masters prepare. Also, the design will be a bit more modular in nature to make it easier for a DM to run parts of the adventure and cut others for time purposes or because players aren’t interested in that particular story thread.
Dungeons & Dragons has revealed more details about the plot of their next adventure, with jokes from a family antagonist and links to a historical part of the Forgotten Realms tradition. Yesterday, Dungeons & Dragons announced their upcoming Icewind Dale adventure: Rime of the Frostmaiden. This adventure takes place in the frozen place of Icewind Dale and presents the goddess Auril as a great antagonist as she travels the region with an eternal winter. However, a new description posted on the Dungeons & Dragons website has provided new clues that Frostmaiden is not the only villain players will face. In the description, D&D notes that players will compete against the Arcane Brotherhood to find an “ancient and terrifying” secret in the Hunger Caves.
The Arcane Brotherhood has appeared in multiple D&D adventures, and its members appear as NPCs or minor villains. Players hunted down Maccath the Crimson in Rise of Tiamat, fought the Horned Sisters in Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage, and saw the Arcane Brotherhood in action against the invading giants in Storm King’s Thunder. This is the first time that the Arcane Brotherhood organization will play a direct role as an antagonist in a fifth edition of D&D Adventure.
The Hunger Caves could also house some of Netherese’s treasures, at least if the recent miniatures provide a direct clue. Both Gale Force 9 and WizKids have revealed a “Black Ice Dragon” miniature that appears to be a massive build. During a live broadcast yesterday, WizKids representatives noted that the creature was made from Chardalyn, a substance used by the Netherese to store magic. Additionally, WizKids revealed figures for the Tomb Tapper, a living type of construction that were also created by the Netherese.
The Netherese were the powerful magicians who ruled Netheril, a former Empire of Magic that once spread across the Sword Coast. Some of the strangest monsters and concepts from the Forgotten Realms are linked to Netheril, such as the Phaerimm from another world and the amorphous Sharn.
Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden was designed by Chris Perkins, with the help of a team of writers including Stacey Allan, HHCarlan, Celeste Conowitch, Will Doyle, Anne Gregersen, Mikayla Ebel, Morrigan Robbins, Chad Quandt, and Ashley Warren . The book will be released on September 15 with a standard cover and an alternative cover (available only at hobby game stores) by Hydro74. The standard retail price is $ 49.99 and you can reserve it here on Amazon now. When the inevitable pre-order discount arrives, you’ll get it automatically. A set of accessories is also available from Amazon for $ 29.99.