Descent into the Demonplague Dungeon

Guess who’s on another podcast? That’s right! This guy!

I have been super busy working on some secret RPG-related projects. I can’t say too much about most of them other than they all involve adventure design and use the fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons rules. There is one project I can write and talk about quite a bit! I’m working hard with Johnn Four of Roleplaying Tips to bring you a dynamic, engaging story – Descent into the Demonplague Dungeon.

The Product

Descent into the Demonplague Dungeon is a four-part adventure path from the mind of Johnn Four produced by an amazing team he put together. Each adventure can be played individually or as a series that will take player characters from level 1 to level 20 in a tale of disaster, politics, intrigue, and demons. The adventures are modular can be easily broken into pieces and dropped into your favorite published or homebrew campaign setting.

The first adventure takes characters from level 1 to 4, introduces them to a town that’s at the center of the campaign’s story, takes them through three small dungeons, and gets them involved in local politics. The second adventure is designed sandbox style. The characters explore a greater area outside the town, dive into dungeons, interact with creatures in the wild, and begin to unravel the campaign’s big mystery. The third part of Descent into the Demonplague Dungeon is a hex crawl. Characters are forced into unknown lands, changed by a recent disaster, full of new monsters, hazards, and dangers. The final adventure sees players make their way into the storyline’s namesake. It’s a massive dungeon crawl full of challenges meant to put high level characters to the test.

My favorite part about the Descent into the Demonplage Dungeon is that the adventures are designed to react to the actions (and inactions) of the PCs. The characters have a chance to shape the world around them. As the world reacts characters reap the benefits or suffer the consequences of their actions. Descent into the Demonplague Dungeon has replay value. Each time you play through it, you and your friends can tell a very different story than you did last time.

Another cool piece of the adventure is that there’s going to be all sorts of great extras, previews, digital generators, and more that go with it. The biggest of these is a bunch of super helpful advice that will guide you through creating your own adventures.

What’s the Story?

Warning! MINOR spoilers for Descent into the Demonplague Dungeon ahead.

A comet struck the Luna Valley. The Ice Tongue Glacier, which once filled the entire vale, melted after days of quaking and endless heat following the impact. Entire cities were covered in mud, animals starved, and the survivors crowd the only small village left in the valley. Tomar’s Crossing, a small village built on a hill that poked above the glacier, is packed with refugees, low on food, plagued by hungry beasts, and about to elect a new Village Council.

Meanwhile the melt has uncovered forgotten civilizations, buried beneath the Ice Tongue Glacier. Four-millennia of forgotten ruins, treasure hoards, and dangers are ripe for exploration. Where many see disaster, others see profit. Those brave enough to venture out into the transformed Luna Valley can find untold wealth… if death does not find them first.

The comet has unleashed something else, trapped deep beneath the glacier and far below the earth. Something locked away long ago for the good of the world. Something that just woke up… and is trying to get free.

The Podcast

So to promote our first adventure in the Descent into the Demonplague Dungeon series, Johnn started the Roleplaying Tips Podcast! Every other week we’ll talk about how the adventure design is going and give you some insight into creating your own! Guess what? The first one is up! Take a listen to Johnn and I dishing on the ideas and inspiration behind the adventure and use our advice to craft your own stories (and get excited about ours)!

Take a listen!

Let me know what you think about the adventure and the podcast in the comments below!

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