Highlights
- Chains of Asmodeus offers a fully realized exploration of the Nine Hells, providing detailed adventure areas and monsters for players to encounter.
- The adventure incorporates unique systems such as Temptations and Corruptions, allowing players to gain powerful abilities in exchange for the progressive damnation of their souls.
- As a Level 11-20 adventure, Chains of Asmodeus can serve as a natural sequel to Descent into Avernus and offers potential for creating new campaigns and incorporating elements into existing ones.
Following the surprise success that Baldur’s Gate 3 has been enjoying this year, its Dungeons and Dragons source material has been gaining plenty of new fans as a result. With BG3 being primarily based on the 5e ruleset, players have been transitioning from a video game into the tabletop environment with more ease than ever. For players that are just getting to Dungeons and Dragons, there is no shortage of adventure modules that cater to the earlier levels. One new book from a reputable designer of the RPG genre, however, features material that is much more suited for experienced players and DMs alike.
Created by James Ohlen, a developer who served as the lead designer/creative director on some of BioWare’s most famous titles during his 22-year tenure at the studio, Chains of Asmodeus is a source book for D&D 5e that pushes the limits of what one module can include. An adventure that delves into the Nine Hells of the Forgotten Realms, Chains has set itself apart from other similar supplementary works through its sheer amount of content and depth.
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Chains of Asmodeus Features the Most Fully Realized Nine Hells Yet
Ohlen's Focus on Fleshing Out the Hells like Never Before
When it came to deciding on an area in which to set his next adventure, Ohlen wanted to develop a place in the Realms that hadn’t gotten much attention yet. Considering how the Nine Hells are often referenced but have never been truly showcased in full, it made a lot of sense to head down into the layers of D&D’s underworld. In an interview with Bell of Lost Souls, Ohlen made his commitment to the Hells clear:
“It’s a chance to see every level of hell. So you can run the adventure or make your own adventures in hell. We go all out: here’s every level. Here’s adventure areas that are even more detailed. Here are monsters you can use.”
New Systems Create Personal Stakes
Not just an adventure focused on fighting devils and demons of the Hells, Chains also incorporates its own unique systems that factor into its greater outcomes. The players are driven to explore the Nine Hells beyond just Avernus in a quest to recover lost souls belonging to loved ones, or even themselves. Alongside the Group Patrons that represent different moralities, these NPCs are set up to provide a genuine reason to seek out Asmodeus himself. The new systems of Temptations and Corruptions play off of this dynamic, offering players amazing new powers in return for the progressive damnation of their soul.
How Chains of Asmodeus Can Fit Into a Larger Campaign
The Perfect Follow-up to Descent Into Avernus
As a Level 11-20 adventure, Chains occupies the less common space of a higher level D&D module. Considering that the official Descent into Avernus module caps out around Level 13 and it primarily takes place in the first layer of the Nine Hells itself, Chains is actually capable of acting as a natural sequel that can continue with several of the same themes. Given where it sits in terms of level, Chains can serve as a solid next step upon completing many earlier modules in general.
More Than Just a D&D Adventure
While there is no doubt a quality experience to be had in following the narrative that Chains lays out by default, it was also intended to double as more of a resource. With its swathes of included monsters and different zones within the layers of the Hells, there is built-in potential for creating new adventures in the hands of creative DMs. Across its 286 pages of glorious suffering, there is more than enough to both form entirely new campaigns and incorporate elements into existing ones. With its proceeds going to the Extra Life charity and a Print on Demand edition on the way, Chains of Asmodeus is set to potentially become one of the most acclaimed unofficial modules in all of D&D 5e.
Dungeons and Dragons
Created by Gary Gygax, Dungeons & Dragons is a tabletop game in which players craft their own worlds and band together to take on adventures through mysterious realms outlined in companion materials. One of the best role-playing games ever made, it has been adapted into a variety of video games and other media.
- Franchise
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Original Release Date
- 1974-00-00
- Publisher
- Wizards of the Coast
- Designer
- E. Gary Gygax , Dave Arneson