D&D Essentials Is Only The Beginning
Newly announced followup adventures to the Dragon of Icespire Peak promise to turn the Essentials Kit up to eleven.
In the D&D Essentials Kit, players have a chance to dive headfirst into roleplaying games, with a new intro adventure that has them creating characters, leveling up, and making choices. The included adventure Dragon of Icespire Peak is fantastic (at least we think so) and introduces new players AND new DMs to playing and running the game. Including taking them on a mini-campaign in a lengthy adventure that will see players go from level one all the way to level six.
But soon, players will be able to get the whole hog experience, going to eleven, according to recent news from D&D Beyond. A series of new adventures will take players who have become involved in Phandalin and its surrounding environs into more adventure and danger. These three adventures will challenge 7th, 9th, and 11th level characters, respectively–and it’ll be interesting to see what this does for the overall D&D experience. Most games peter out before hitting 10th level, could this be the precedent to change that? These are interconnected adventures, but it’s not the same as a big campaign, looking more like episodic adventures tied to a single location and set of characters. It seems more likely to hook players in, especially with the renewed emphasis on creating and playing a character in the Essentials Kit. We’ll have to see what actually happens though. In the meantime, let’s take a look.
via D&D Beyond
The D&D Essentials Kit is a new introductory product meant to bring D&D to audiences interested in jumping into a fantasy story. This box contains the essentials you need to run a D&D game with one Dungeon Master and one to five adventurers. A newly designed rulebook on-boards players by teaching them how to make characters, and the included adventure, Dragon of Icespire Peak, introduces a new 1-on-1 rules variant.
After your group completes the challenges in Dragon of Icespire Peak (or another starter adventure), continue with new adventures that are coming soon to D&D Beyond. These adventures will be written by Shawn Merwin, James Introcaso, and Will Doyle—stay tuned for the announcement once they are available.
Storm Lord’s Wrath
Abandoned for many years, Leilon was once a fortified settlement midway along the High Road from Waterdeep to Neverwinter. Under the paid service of the Lord Protector Dagult Neverember, citizens of Neverwinter have returned, intent on reestablishing Leilon as a safe waypoint once more. Unfortunately, followers of Talos have also arrived, and they’ve brought the weather with them.
A D&D adventure for 7th-level characters
Sleeping Dragon’s Wake
Despite the depredations of those in the service of the Stormlord Talos, citizens of Neverwinter continue their work to rebuild the town of Leilon and reestablish it as a fortified waypoint on the High Road betwixt Neverwinter and Waterdeep. However, to make matters worse, a cadre of villains devoted to both Myrkul, god of death and the Cult of the Dragon, have risen from the Mere of Dead Men to strike out as well.
A D&D adventure for 9th-level characters
Divine Contention
The ghosts of the Swords of Leilon have returned to bring warning so you might protect their beloved town and prevent two great evils, both competing for the same prize, from wiping it from the Sword Coast once more. You must enter the Ethereal Plane, prevent the followers of Talos and Myrkul from gaining possession of an artifact of great evil, and put down the forces of not one, but two vile deities.
A D&D adventure for 11th-level characters
These adventures will be released “soon” and you can bet we’ll be covering them as more news develops.
Happy Adventuring!
