RJD20

One of the most vicious varieties of villain are archdevils. These manipulative fiends also serve as warlock patrons in countless Dungeons & Dragons settings, plots, and campaigns. But what is an archdevil, exactly? In many worlds, it’s an immensely powerful entity able to shape reality and command legions of devils in the Nine Hells of Baator. Most archdevils rule over a single layer of the Nine Hells, from Avernus to Nessus and answer only to the god of devils and Archduke of Baator: Asmodeus. As a villain, a patron, or an ally, how should you play these conniving and thoroughly evil masterminds?
Outlined below are how I play archdevils in my world, and how I think you can bring them to life in yours. This article covers everything from the pillars of archdevils to advice on how to forge a unique one. Prepare to embody an archdevil.Defining ArchdevilsTo play an archdevil, you need to define what a devil is. Generally, a devil is a denizen of a plane of existence who is law-abidin…

Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden hit the shelves on September 15, 2020. Wizards of the Coast’s summer 2020 adventure module encompasses the rise of a sinister threat around Faerun’s frozen northland civilization: Ten-Towns. Over the course of a Frostmaiden campaign, adventurers overcome burying blizzards, hunt a magical moose, and rid the snowy region of Auril the Frostmaiden and Goddess of Winter. Alongside the published module, a plethora of content creators have released and are continuing to release supplements to assist players and Dungeon Masters exploring Icewind Dale.
Abominable Adventures - An Encounter Guidebook in the Frozen Tundra is one such supplement.

Its creators kindly provided me with a review copy which I had a splendid time reading; outlined below is my review of it. This review includes a broad overview of the supplement, what I see as its best bit, and an area where it could be improved upon.

Before you make your decision on the buy, please take your time and …

It's Tuesday night. The companions of the Caught in Galen campaign are split across the community of Vorici’s Rest. My notes are laid bare before me for tonight’s session. Luna walks the stone halls of a temple, unknowingly moving closer to a beholder-like beast. Flux jogs toward the Azure Graveyard, the bloodstone he needed to dispose of tossed in a nearby alley. Roy stalks toward the Faded Ember Inn with Skraw before coming face-to-face with a humanoid made of twinkling stars and eyes like radiant suns. 
Meanwhile, Jason and Ignis harry two warforged desperate to detonate the necrombombs in the cemetery. From the shadows, Jason expertly twirls bolas at one of the warforged’s feet! I roll to save: 4! The table cheers. With his pact-formed longbow, Ignis rains eldritch blasts on the other warforged. The disabled warforged attempts to remove the bolas: 1! The table cheers. Jason rushes to the fleeing warforged, stepping between Ignis’s booming blasts. The on-the-ground warforged tri…

A cry of anguish echoes through the streets of the small town. Immediately, armored guards rush to the east gate where a woman lays beside a child. His face is pale and his mother’s tears stream down his puffy cheeks. The guards pull the woman away; she struggles — she’s strong — but not strong enough to shake them. One of the guards splits from his companions and kneels near the child’s...corpse, his face a grimace. He reaches his hand into the boy’s swollen mouth as the gathered crowd looks on and the woman wails. The guard pulls his hand out, a bloody rock in his palm. “The Rockeaters,” the guard murmurs. Another guard steps up and begins to take the child from the gateway as the wailing continues. “The goblins will be no more. This is the last child I’ll bury,” the guard whispers, a tear curling down his cheek.
Typically, goblins are the go-to enemy during the early levels of Dungeons & Dragons. When players first start out, they’ll likely battle spear-wielding goblins and thei…