Zariel and Zariel Angel tokens for VTT. I hope you enjoy!

(Art is owned by Wizards of the Coast)

I’ve been DMing an in person Decent into Avernus campaign for the past few months. My players just got into Avernus.

One of my players is moving out of state so we’re moving to Roll20 for the online tabletop map. Is it worth it to buy the campaign on D20? I already have some battle maps that I got from the Descent into Avernus Complete DM’s Bundle on DM’s Guild.

Is it worth buying the Roll20 campaign for additional resources and combat tokens, or should I just let it ride with what I have?

We're excited to announce the release of BLOOD WAR the third installment of our Doomed Underdark adventure path. It takes characters from levels 11 through 15.

The adventure takes place in the demon-infested Underdark. However, it allows the characters to team up with an alternate version of the Hellriders, led by Ulder Ravengard, that specialize in infernal vehicles. The characters also have multiple opportunities to team up with Lulu, the unhollyphant! And although Yeenoghu features as the primary antagonist the final arc of the adventure has the characters bartering with Zariel over the fate of a Doomed Baldur's Gate that has been claimed by the Hells!

We worked really hard on it and it would mean a lot to us if you'd check it out.

[https://site.dmsguild.com/.../Blood-War--Doomed-Forgotten...]

Lulu art by the supremely talented Jimmy Nijs

Hi, this is a map I made for when my players were getting down to Avernus. I left the right side of the map open, so there is a space for aerial encounters, as I was pretty sure they'll be using the fly spell. But in the end, we used theater of mind, as DnD isn't the best system for dogfights with spinagons.
Anyway, if you have a creative use for the edge of the Elturel map with an infernal chain, please have fun.

Hi r/DescentintoAvernus,

I'm Arthur, a composer & music producer from the UK, currently DMing Descent into Avernus for my regular group. I've always used music mixes to set the mood at the table, but this time I wrote my own... An unofficial soundtrack for the campaign: 8 original (no AI) tracks that I loop in the background during our sessions.

I also commissioned an illustrator friend of mine to do the album artwork (https://www.instagram.com/lottiedotts/).

Track Listing

They're all vague, so no spoilers, simply inspired by the themeatic material in the book.

1. A Ruinous World (Overture) - Intro / recap... grand, epic, heavy
2. Last Breath of Clean Air - Mysterious overworld exploration (chapter 1)
3. First Steps in a Burning World - Dark, sinister underworld exploration (chapters 2-4)
4. Tavern Pints - A playful but mature tavern tune
5. Ambush Under Red Skies - Combat that keeps building
6. Hellfire Reckoning - Epic, cinematic boss battle
7. Depravity Rave (Sins on the Styx) - Dark techno for devilish revelry, entirely inspired by this exact comment
8. Respite (Ad Lib) - Campfire guitar and cello, unscripted

My players have loved having their own soundtrack, and I'd love to share it with everyone. It can be streamed on Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming services, but if you want the audio files for a VTT or to support directly, they're on Bandcamp.

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5z6KwAVQsQ07z9NnzA6GsO
• Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-ruinous-world/6817714278
• Bandcamp: https://arthurrigley.bandcamp.com/album/a-ruinous-world

Have had loads of great info and resources from this sub, I'd love to hear what you think!

Hi, I made a map for an encounter in Hellturel. One of my players was extracting his family to lead them into the High Hall. It's on the edge of the map, so there's some lava to match the book poster map. But I guess it could be used for any random encounter you want to. I am sure clever DMs will know how to put it to use. For us, this battle is over, and there's no use in letting it rot on my drive.

After asking for some act 1 adventures, I took bits and pieces for each recommendation to make one for myself from scratch. I'm posting it here in case someone else gets use from it. Fair warning: I haven't used this myself yet, since we're still finishing Waterdeep Dragon Heist, so I'm open to suggestions and modifications.

Right now only the first half is (mostly) ready, so I'm posting it now. If this post is helpful, let me know and I'll be sure to post the s

Also, this is my first time with a large post, so I apologize if the formatting isn't the greatest.

Overview

It's 1492 DR, the Companion's light is fading, and with it the protection from undead it provided. Undead attacks are plaguing Elturgard, and Elturel is packed full of refugees. The attacks also stranded High Duke Ulder Ravengard and his delegation of Flaming Fists inside the city, unable to return to Baldur's Gate after some diplomatic meetings. After High Observer Thavius Krieg decrees a State of Calamity, the players are conscripted (forcibly if needed) by one of the "Peacekeeping Factions" in Elturel at the time - the Order Resolute (what I call the Order of the Companion), the Hellriders and the Flaming Fists.

Act I can be split in Parts One and Two.

In Act I, Part 1, they'll meet the villain, rescue a cute little golden cat called Lulu, go on a few quests and search an old hellrider library. They'll learn:

1. The identity of the Act One villain, "Lucius the Oathbreaker, Scion of Orcus";
2. That the undead army is so massive that they need to rekindle the Companion to have a chance
3. To rekindle the Companion they need to find the "High Rider's Oath", a physical representation of the Oath sworn by Naja Bellandi that gave Elturel the Companion on the first place.
4. The Oath was buried with Naja under Fort Morninglord. The fort is Lucius' Headquarters right now.

In Act I, Part 2, they'll get three "holy relics", one related to each quest they did in part 1, and march on Fort Morninglord. At the fort they'll fight Lucius and his legions of undead in the catacombs, open Naja's stone coffin and retrieve a small puzzlebox - the Oath. When they return to Elturel, the puzzlebox opens, yes, rekindling the Companion, but also forfeiting the city to Zariel. Act I ends with the players being dragged along with the city to Hell.

Lore Background

Lucius was a Hellrider during the battle against High Observer Ikaia after he was exposed, and during the fighting he was turned into a spawn. When Ikaia was destroyed by the Companion he became free, but not cured. Naja tried to kill him, giving him a "clean honorable death", but he survived as a vampire spawn, and spent the years prowling the shadows of Elturgard, avoiding the Companion's Light and waiting for an opportunity.

During those years of exile, he became a servant of Orcus, Demon Lord of Undeath, who decided to favor him with the tools to get revenge. Orcus has passing familiarity with Zariel's story, and thinks that corrupting a Hellrider and destroying Elturel would piss her enemy off. He's a VERY downscaled Death Knight, sort of a Blackguard or a Oathbreaker Paladin/Fiend Warlock multi-class.

Lucius' opportunity for revenge came when the Companion's light started to dim - allowing him to attack the very small villages and settlements around Elturgard, and, with Orcus' power, bring them back as undead servants. Think of the Night King tactics on ASOIAF/GOT.

Adventure Structure

PART 1:

1.1. First Mission.

Goal: Deliver a message to a Hellrider in Tempus' Tears.

• Zevlor, a tiefling hellrider lieutenant of Elturel, gives the party their first mission. Alternatively, you could do either Reya Mantlemorne or another NPC as the questgiver.
• "There's a nearby settlement called Tempus' Tears. The Hellriders have a high ranking officer stationed there, but we haven't been able to talk to him. Your mission is to go to Tempus' Tears, deliver this message and find out why he hasn't responded to base"
• When they get there, the whole village is in flames, and most if not all the denizens are dead. They go to the high ranking officer house and find not only his corpse but a winged golden cat laying on top of him. The "tressym" will act scared of the players at first, then hide inside their coats/bags. If one of the players has Speak With Animals, she introduces herself as Lulu (wink wink)
• On their way out they meet Lucius waiting for them on top of his Nightmare. His goal here is to aura farm and put the fear of God in the PCs. Depending if your players fight him, or try to talk him down you'll need to adapt.
  • Personally, I'm a great fan of killing two PCs, throwing the cleric a diamond and telling them to "pick one", but your mileage may vary.
• After he's done mogging the party, he raises his hand, and with an unholy command, the players watch as all the slaughtered citizes come back as undead servants.
• He tells the party "not to worry, I won't kill you right now. I have bigger uses for you. Go back to Elturel, little rats. And tell Reya that Lucius is coming"
• When they return to Elturel and report to Reya, they level up to level 2. They should also have Lulu as a party pet.

1.2. Investigations and Missions

After reporting to Reya what they saw, the High Rider will tell them that she has no idea about who Lucius is, but she'll look into it on the Hellrider Archives. On the meantime, she has some ways they could help.

Reya then gives them three quests, of which they can pick freely. Once they complete 2/3 they get to level 3 and the place they didn't choose get destroyed by Lucius.

• Quest: Gnomengarde.
  • Ripped straight from Dragon of Icespire Peak
  • "The gnomes and dwarves of Tempus' Tears are originally from a fortress near the village. Maybe there are some survivors there that can give us more information about what happened. They're also skilled blacksmiths and inventors. Go to the fortress, and if there are any survivors, bring them back to Elturel."
  • The small races of Gnomengarde were historically allies of the Hellriders, forging them weapons and magic items. The survivors, if any, recall Lucius boasting about this being his revenge against Elturel.
  • If the players help the gnomes with their mimic problems, they are willing to go back with them to Elturel as well as reward them with minor magic items, such as one piece of +1 Equipment, or the ones described in the original adventure
• Quest: Umbrage Hill
  • Also ripped straight from DoIP
  • "Adabra Gwynneth is an old lady that lives on a nearby windmill, the surviving matriarch of a long, long line of Hellriders, supposedly tracing back to the Ride. She knows a lot of Hellrider unwritten history, so saving her could be useful. She's also a sweet old lady that raised me during my teenage years, so I, personally, would like that she lived"
  • When the players get to the windmill, it's being surrounded by undead that are pounding at her door. Adabra is shooting them from the second floor with an old crossbow, hitting one out of every 5 shots.
  • If she is saved, she tells the players that she's unwilling to leave this hill because all of her family, including her nephews and grandchildren that died for Elturel, are buried here. She heard there is a necromancer out and about and she wouldn't be able to live with herself if her family got raised.
  • If the players convince her to go back to Elturel, she'll supply the players with potions of healing and home cooked meals. If asked about Lucius, she'll tell them that she heard one of her dead sons mention him, a member of his squad during the Night of the Red Coup. She has no idea what happened to him though.
• Quest: Necromancer Cabal
  • "We've known for some time that there is a small necromancer cabal acting near Elturel, but were unable to act due to short resources. They're small fish, so hardly responsible for the crisis, but still worth smiting. Maybe they know something about this Lucius, since he's also a necromancer. Maybe we should smite them down before they join him. Worst case scenario, we destroy them and make sure they don't join the army of the dead"
  • The cabal of necromancers is made up of Cultists of Myrkul in the same way that your edgy cousin was a Zealot of the Devil during his death metal phase. They call themselves the Shadow Lords of Cruel Destruction.
  • Alternatively, you can take out the comedy angle, and play them straight as Myrkulites.
  • They're holed up on an abandoned Temple of Kelemvor, that they defaced with symbols of Myrkul.
  • Those necromancers, though not the strongest, possess and worship a powerful artifact: A Bronze Sentient Shield, that grants them dark powers.
  • The Cultists have taking orders from the Shield of the Hidden Lord. Do your best to tempt your players into taking the shield, specially if you have a warlock or similar.

1.3. The House of Thallivar

After the players complete 2/3 of the quests, Reya comes to find them when they return to Elturel. She lets them know that the third place was razed and raised as undead. She also tells the party that, after rummaging around the Hellrider Archives, she didn't found anything about an Lucius, but she found a clue that might help:

• "Years ago, there was a Scribe and Mage of the Hellriders called Thallivar, that lived on the outskirts of Elturel. Much of the books and records of the Archive were moved to his tower to aid in his research, so maybe there's something in there that may help us. But be careful ! No one has heard from Thalivar in a long time, and without the Companion's protection, who knows what wicked monstrosity might have taken over the tower !"
• We're using the map/concept of the House of Thalivar from Storm Lord's Wrath in the Starter Set. Alternatively, you could also use a modified Van Richten's Tower from CoS or the Tower of Storms from DoIP.

The important thing is that, on the library of the old tower, the players find, spread among multiple books, information enough to conclude/learn

• Hellrider basic history
  • In the ~1330s a part of the Order Resolute was chosen by the angel Alustriel due to their great valor and bravery.
  • In the ~1350s the Celestial Vanguard or "The Chosen of the Angel" ride into Hell, destroy a Demon Lord and come back victorious. After this great victory they're called Hellriders.
  • In 1452 DR, High Observer Ikaia is exposed as a vampire lord and in the Night of the Red Cup (originally Red Coup) purges most of the higher echelons of Elturel's factions.
  • Naja Bellandi, after weeks of fighting, through means she refused to ellaborate, manifested the Companion, and burned away the vampire and his minions.
• The identity of the Oathbreaker Knight.
  • Lucius fought against Ikaia in the Night of the Red Cup and became a vampire.
  • The Hellriders (maybe Naja) tried to get him out of his misery. He got pissed, felt betrayed, fled to the dark and swore vengeance.
• The Origins of the Companion
  • The Companion was created after High Rider Naja Bellandi swore a vow to the Angel of Elturel or the Celestial General of the Hellriders. Some sources call her Alustriel, Alastiel or even Zarastriel
• The Companion can be rekindled with the Oath of the High Rider
• The Oath was buried along with Naja under Fort Morninglord.
• There are very powerful Hellrider relics that may help them. The idea is to follow-up on the people they chose to save on the open part.
  • The gnomes of Gnomengarde once built an artificial sun, called the Summer Star, to help the Hellriders in an campaign in the Forest of Sharp Teeth
  • The Gwynneth family has a magic sword they've passed from generation to generation, supposedly since the Ride. It's able to turn and destroy undead.
  • The Libram of Souls is an old profane spellbook that allows a spellcaster to control the dead, as well as cast some necromancy spells. It was aprehended by the Hellriders around 100 years ago, after they destroyed a Cult of Myrkul.
  • NOTE: If the party didn't fight the Necromancer Cabal, use this opportunity to make them get the Shield of the Hidden Lord.
• NOTE: You dont need to dump all this now at the players. Just reveal what you find essential and what the players don't know yet. Alternatively, write a few PDFs and send it to them, let them do their own research.

2.1. The Quest for The Relics

TBD.

When I played DiA my character (not really a good guy, but I swear it wasn't intentional...) dropped the Shield of the Hidden Lord in the Styx as soon as he could (aka - as soon as the attuned paladin was unconscious and couldn't stop me from stealing his cursed buddy). Gargauth vanished and the paladin, having sold his soul to him, died instantly. (almost) No one complained, and we moved on.

It was only at the end of the adventure that I learned the full potential of this character and regret my actions: Gargauth is a hell of a wasted potential in not freed and properly used. So when some other friends asked for a campaign I yeeted them in Avernus and was ready to play a long game of gaslighting and corrupting here and there until the party eventually would have released Gargauth from the shield.

No need to do that, the paladin (why always paladins..?) couldn't wait and convinced the reluctant group to head to Bel's Forge and sneak the shield in the furnace, dissolving it and freeing the essence of Gargauth, who prompltly bribed Bel ("If my servants take out Zariel, Avernus will be yours again. Me? Nah, I'm good, I will take a looong trip to Faerun after this. I have cultists to enroll and rich dudes to corrupt, you know...").

Gargauth became the patron of the party and it was a blast. Trust me: you have to do this.

As such, being the awesome dude he is, I could'n force myselt ot use a mere Pit Fiend statblock as suggested in the book: it doesn't reflect Gagauth's character AT ALL. This statblock represents Gargauth following his release from the Shield of the Hidden Lord. The goal of this design was to translate the character’s canonical lore into a mechanically coherent high-tier fiend while preserving the narrative identity of one of the Forgotten Realms’ most manipulative archdevils. The resulting creature is not intended to function purely as a boss monster, but rather as a powerful narrative entity that can oscillate between antagonist, uneasy ally, and manipulative patron.

Ability Scores and Power Profile

The ability scores deliberately emphasize Gargauth’s defining traits: supernatural intellect, manipulative wisdom, and overwhelming force of personality. His Charisma of 28 reflects his historic role as the “Hidden Lord,” a master corrupter whose greatest weapon is persuasion rather than idiotic brute strength (you heard, Pit Fiend?). In the Forgotten Realms lore, Gargauth is not merely a battlefield commander but a political architect within the infernal hierarchy. His mental attributes therefore rival — and in some cases exceed — those of typical archdevils, reinforcing the idea that his true battlefield is influence rather than warfare. Obviously he would need some time before regaining all his power and influence as a demigod, so this is to be considered as a "weak" statblock for a weakened archdevil who passed the last centuries imprisoned and forgotten by most.

His spell list emphasizes control, corruption, and manipulation over destructive spectacle, reinforcing his identity as a tempter and conspirator. As a devil whose entire mythology revolves around manipulation and cunning, limited-range teleportation reinforces the idea that Gargauth rarely allows himself to be cornered.

Legendary Actions and Serpentine Imagery

The serpentine motif present in Gargauth’s 3 points legendary action is a deliberate nod to his iconography in Forgotten Realms lore. Gargauth is frequently associated with serpents and subtle corruption — a symbolic representation of temptation, betrayal, and hidden influence. Even in older editions he likes to keep serpents in his sleeves and cloak and throwing them at people... what a silly guy! i Thought that integrating serpentine elements into his legendary abilities reflects this thematic lineage while providing flavorful mechanical effects that distinguish him from other archdevils.

Post-Imprisonment State

This statblock specifically depicts Gargauth shortly after regaining physical form following centuries of imprisonment within the Shield of the Hidden Lord. While still extremely powerful, he is not necessarily operating at the full height of his ancient influence. This narrative framing gives the Dungeon Master flexibility: Gargauth can appear as a formidable but not unstoppable entity whose long-term ambitions extend far beyond the immediate conflict in Avernus.

Why Gargauth Works as a Patron in Descent into Avernus

I strongly encourage other DMs to treat Gargauth as more than a temporary plot device. Allowing the party to cultivate a working relationship with him can dramatically enrich the campaign’s political and moral complexity:

- Gargauth possesses extensive knowledge of infernal geography, politics, and the rivalries between archdevils. Unlike many devils who operate as blunt instruments of hierarchy, Gargauth has historically navigated infernal politics through manipulation and strategic alliances. This makes him a uniquely credible source of guidance for mortal adventurers navigating Avernus.

- Gargauth benefits from empowering capable agents. A group of powerful mortals moving through the Nine Hells represents an opportunity — one he would eagerly exploit. By subtly aiding the party at key moments, he can advance his own long-term agenda while presenting himself as an indispensable ally.

- Gargauth embodies one of the central themes of Descent into Avernus: the seductive nature of infernal bargains. Encouraging the party to rely on him places them in an increasingly uncomfortable moral position. The more they benefit from his guidance and protection, the more entangled they become in the schemes of a devil whose defining trait is patient corruption.

- Gargauth becomes not just a monster or NPC, but a narrative engine — a patron whose help is always useful, always tempting, and never truly free. Also, if taken to the end, it could generate the basis for future conflicts. He is now free to roam Faerun and rebuild his cult, gaining power to retake his demigod status.

Anyway, here's the statblock:

I thought this might be a particularly fitting weapon for a Descent into Avernus campaign! Heavensfall is a sacred warhammer that grows from Uncommon to Legendary, becoming increasingly powerful against fiends and undead as its wielder progresses.

Besides dealing additional radiant damage, it can temporarily prevent slain fiends from reforming, and eventually grants access to powerful divine spells.

I can imagine this being a pretty interesting weapon for a paladin or cleric venturing into the Nine Hells. Would you give something like this to your players?

This entry comes from my compendium for D&D5E and 5.5E: The Vault of Ascending Items! This manual features:

• 50 Ascending Items, including a series of rules, guidelines, and balance considerations are included within the compendium to scale these items depending on the intended power level of your campaign;
• 12 Premade Ascension Quests, each meant to be used to ascend the items within the compendium or to be employed as additional quests and short adventures to include within your games;
• 30 New Creatures and Monsters, all used within the quests included in the manual or summoned by certain Ascending Items. All these creatures are multi-tiered, offering varied levels of challenge and complexity to shape your quests and encounters;
• A Table with 100 Additional Ascending Items Concepts, providing the name and a brief overview for each without providing mechanical rules. This is designed to provide GMs with ideas to create their own scaling items without having to come up with new concepts on their own.

The compendium just received a v2.0 update, featuring brand-new artwork and illustrations, expanded compatibility with both 5E and 5.5E, balance adjustments, several new spells, general layout improvements, and more! or the occasion, you can find it discounted either on DriveThruRPG or my Patreon, alongside a vast collection of previews for this and all my other titles! I'm currently working on updated version of all my older manuals, so there's a lot to uncover.

You can also find this manual (and many more) discounted on my 300+ Mythological Items for 5E and 5.5E Kickstarter! This project brings weapons, treasures, and relics from Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Asian, Mesoamerican, and many other mythologies to 5E and 5.5E, including scaling items that grow alongside your characters. If you’d like to bring a piece of these legends to your table, check out the campaign!

Running the war machine fights in Avernus was the part of the module I dreaded most: tracking who's at which station, what each station can do, distance and scale changes, and the mishap table on top of normal initiative. So I built a tool for just that phase.

VVTT (Vehicular Virtual Table Top): https://vvtt.lukantan.com

• All five war machines with stations, upgrades, gadgets, and the mishap table
• A battlefield map with tokens scaled to real size, firing arcs, range, and cover
• Seat PCs and NPCs at stations; the current-turn panel shows what they can do from that seat
• Click any dice expression to roll it
• Player view on a second screen, synced live
• Free, sign in with Google so encounters sync

It's meant to run alongside whatever you use for the rest of the session (Roll20, Foundry, paper).

I'd love to hear what breaks or what's missing. Ships from Ghosts of Saltmarsh are in there too if you're running that.

Hi fellow adventurers,

Today we are excited to share the Odontotyrannos Horn Spike and Gallu General’s Horned Visage, two fiendish relics from our latest project, Mythological Items - now live on Kickstarter!

This is our new D&D 5E and 2024-compatible manual dedicated entirely to magic items inspired by myths, legends, and ancient stories from around the world.

Inside the book, you will find 300+ mythological magic items, including weapons, armor, wondrous items, and scaling items designed to grow alongside your characters and campaigns.

Our goal with Mythological Items is to create more than a simple collection of treasure. Each item is designed to feel like part of a myth: something that can serve as a reward, a quest hook, or even the center of an entire adventure.

The book includes items inspired by many different mythological traditions, including Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Asian, American, Roman, Mesopotamian, African, and other mythologies from across the world. Whether you want divine weapons, cursed artifacts, heroic relics, monster-themed treasures, or legendary items tied to ancient stories, this book is built to bring myth directly to your table.

The Kickstarter page includes a full presentation of the project, several previews, and a free 30-page PDF preview showing a sample of the content from the book.

You can also find many of our other manuals in PDF and high-quality print editions, with special prices currently available both for Mythological Items and for all our other releases.

You can visit the Kickstarter page here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mythoschronicles/300-mythological-items-for-5e-and-2024

Thank you again for your support. We hope to see you on our journey!