D&D 5E Rage of Demons more details.

[Nebulous]

I'm not sure how many NPC badasses there are in the Realms at present, actually. Drizzt is a great fighter, but nowhere near the power needed to take on a demon prince singlehandedly. Elminster may be less powerful than he was (and has his own problems), and after that the Realms are really in a different state from during the 3E era.

There's also the problem of these NPCs actually leaving their homes: it leaves them undefended, and they have enemies that are happy to take advantage of it!

I'm currently reading through the Companions Codex trilogy, set in the period between the Sundering and Tyranny of Dragons. An orc horde (sponsored by the drow) attacks the Silver Marches: Nesme falls, and other places are besieged for *months*. This is in the same area of the world as Out of the Abyss, and no Elminster is coming to aid them.

Who's the best wizard nearby? Probably Laeral Silverhand in Waterdeep, Open Lord of the City. Is she going to leave Waterdeep undefended to travel into the Underdark on mere rumours of trouble there? (Menzoberranzan has been a major source of worry for the surface people for centuries, but it's not being attacked...) No, she's going to send agents to find out what's really going on. That'd be the PCs.

The question is what happens next, when the threat is identified. In The Rise of Tiamat, cities all over the Sword Coast sent armies to confront the Cult of the Dragon (and were kept busy throughout with the destruction caused by the cult). It's one of the reasons that The Rise of Tiamat is one my favourite adventures of all time: it really displays the world working in response to a threat, rather than just letting the PCs handle it. Sure, the PCs are the major agents working against the cult, but that's fine.

I still haven't really pinned down Princes of the Apocalypse, despite having now run it for many sessions. I don't really get the same sense of the Elemental Cults proceeding towards a goal. What they're doing affects the valley and little else - so it isn't that surprising that the other powers in the region aren't involved. (Once they do find out, well, they probably feel the PCs can handle it...)

There's a lot of unanswered questions about the structure of Out of the Abyss, so it's impossible to properly discuss it at present.

Cheers!

That's a good point, given the nature of the Realms, there's always a lot of bad CRAP happening everywhere! You could easily say that Tyranny of Dragons with Tiamat, the coming Princes of Elemental Evil, and the wandering demon lords of Out of the Abyss were all happening nearly concurrently, and that doesn't include rampaging orc hordes, or aboleth conspiracies, or any of the other dozens or hundreds of earth shattering bad things waiting to happen if high level NPCs don't deal with them.

And with all the forces in Tyranny rushing to help the events there, it's easy to see how rumors of evil in the Sumber Hills and Underdark could easily, easily be overlooked and ignored.

 

[Mercule]

I do not like that the description of the tabletop adventure is so intermingled with a video game product. Please, guys, just stop with the "branding" already.

From what I can sort out of the module, though, it sounds slightly goofy, but in a fun way. Maybe. Although I hate the Realms, hate the Underdark, hate drow, and hate Driz'zt, I may pick this one up and run it as-is for my group, once we're done with Princes of the Apocalypse. Since we can only get together for about 4 hours every other week, that'll be long enough for actual play reviews to come in. Bonus points if someone converts to Eberron, even though there aren't any drow in Khyber.

There's also a pretty big chance that this is going to be too absurd to handle, even with much beer at the table. It happens and is far less concerning, to me, than the mash-up between video game and TTRPG.

 

[Ristamar]

Companions Codex trilogy features quite a bit of Gromph. Also Hunter's Blade Trilogy was pretty good what was your problem with them?

It's been a long time since I read them (nearly 10 years), but as best as I can recall, I thought the secondary characters were dull and the pace of the main story was tediously slow. Even the main cast felt a bit shallow.

But the thing that really grated me? The names. Ugh... so awful, particularly the dwarves. Dagnabbit? Seriously? I was shocked there wasn't an elf named Dubbayu Te'ef.

 

[Chocolategravy]

Demogorgon is rampaging around Menzobaranzan for example,

So he's dead is what you're saying. He is either god level power and flattens the place, or he gets smoked by dozens of arch mages, high priestesses and blade masters in seconds flat. Godzilla can't spend weeks stomping on Tokyo waiting for adventurers to deal with other problems.

This sounds like how the Spider Man and most other superhero movies get ruined. Too many villains.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

So he's dead is what you're saying. He is either god level power and flattens the place, or he gets smoked by dozens of arch mages, high priestesses and blade masters in seconds flat. Godzilla can't spend weeks stomping on Tokyo waiting for adventurers to deal with other problems.

This sounds like how the Spider Man and most other superhero movies get ruined. Too many villains.

Demogorgon is god level in power. Added on Gromph the most powerful Drow in Menzobaranzan is the only one piror to 5e that was above level 20 and from the sound of the books he abandoned the City once Demogorgon was summoned . The rest of the Drow in the city are not nearly as powerful. Any drow with a weapon is going to get stomped and most of the mages and priestess in the city are not powerful enough to effect him.

Plus he is not alone. Quenthal the current highest ranking Matron Mother has been letting Demons into the City and they are going to rally behind their Prince now that he has shown up.

Also their is a new rule as of 5e. Being in the Presence of a Demon Lord now mean you have to making a saving throw or be affected by madness. As the rules in the DMG. So lots of the weak drow are going to be going insane and ripping each other apart.

Also Godzillia could indeed spend weeks stomping on Tokyo.

 

[BB Shockwave]

It's been a long time since I read them (nearly 10 years), but as best as I can recall, I thought the secondary characters were dull and the pace of the main story was tediously slow. Even the main cast felt a bit shallow.

But the thing that really grated me? The names. Ugh... so awful, particularly the dwarves. Dagnabbit? Seriously? I was shocked there wasn't an elf named Dubbayu Te'ef.

There is a dwarf by that name? LOL.
Me, I was rather more annoyed by how easily these guys beat wizards - and often how they used spells that frankly, never existed in D&D. But still, the books were enjoyable - until that one which was about nothing but Wulfgar moping at an inn and then making off with some girl or such. Then Drizzt and co. came up against some pirates - which I found hilarious, after dragons, demons, crystal shards, drow matrons and assassins, really, PIRATES? That's like if they went to fight a bunch of orcs... oh wait, they DID that later. It was almost as if Salvatore realized the party was overpowered and hit them with some level drain until they got demoted to first level. Things only got a bit more interesting after Crenshinibon had to be destroyed, but the road leading there led through a boring Jarlaxle/Entreri, best buds novel.
Then he pretty much abandoned the characters to instead give a sob story origin to Enteri (making that guy uninteresting too) and do a pointless arc about Jarlaxle getting some "insta-dracolich/gargoyle/mummy"-creating portable castle to conquer some kingdom - which he quickly abandons on a whim. This story also featured two copper dragon sisters who live in a city in disguise, help Entreri and co. and one actually has sex with him. Umm, yeah, NO. I care nothing for 4E and its alignment system, but Salvatore, please READ a bestiary once in a while, Coppers are nothing like that, they'd have probably made Enteri THINK they found him attractive, let him strip out of his clothes and then teleport him naked into the middle of a town guard building just to mess with an obviously evil character.

I just read now a short comic too that he wrote with his wife(? - Gina Salvatore, or daughter?) caled Cutter. It is a weeeird unexplained-origin story about some ancient drow dude with a sentient and evil two-handed sword, who oddly (and again, without explanation) is living on the surface with some grey-skinned elves (moon elves?) He has a son and daughter, and to inherit the sword he manipulates his dauighter to kill her brother, then escape, taken over by the sword - through Obould's orc territory, into the underdark, where the old dude sacrifices his own wife to escape and somehow convince the daughter to try and control the sword... and then they are welcomed with open arms into some newly built drow city - The End. WUT? What was THAT about?

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I just read now a short comic too that he wrote with his wife(? - Gina Salvatore, or daughter?) caled Cutter. It is a weeeird unexplained-origin story about some ancient drow dude with a sentient and evil two-handed sword, who oddly (and again, without explanation) is living on the surface with some grey-skinned elves (moon elves?) He has a son and daughter, and to inherit the sword he manipulates his dauighter to kill her brother, then escape, taken over by the sword - through Obould's orc territory, into the underdark, where the old dude sacrifices his own wife to escape and somehow convince the daughter to try and control the sword... and then they are welcomed with open arms into some newly built drow city - The End. WUT? What was THAT about?

There is a good deal of story behind this.

The Drow is Tos'un Del'Armgo. One of the Rogue Drow who helped the original Obould get his war started in the Hunter's Blade trilogy. Before they realized that Obould was more then they could handle, (A point that came across Tos'un hard when Obould tore out his priestess consort's throat with his teeth.)

Tos'un found Khazid'hea (AKA Cutter) the Sentient Sword while escaping from Obould. Cutter had previously belonged to the Weapon Master of the Drow House Baenre. Who was defeated by Drizzt, who took the Sword and gave it to Catti-Brie. During the battle with Obould's orcs Wulgar's wife at the time stole the Sword while Catti was sleeping having been dominated by it. The Sword made her attack a group of Orc's on her own were she died, and ended up in the Hands of a Random Orc. The Sword detected Drizzt after having retreated from a losing battle with Obould and attacked him with the Orc. Drizzt recovered the Sword and knowing it's cutting power figured it would give him the Upper Hand in a Rematch with Obould. Despite the Sword Drizzt was not able to beat Obould. (Even though Obould also had to take remove all of his armor because the Drow priestess he later killed cursed it.) Obould disarmed Drizzt at a point and took the Sword from him. Disliking the attitude of the Sword once he got his hand on it. Obould through it off a Cliff. The Tos'un stumbled upon on it.

In the Book the Orc King. Tos'un now out of allies sort of just ran around avoiding everyone. Eventually meeting the Moon Elf leader and falling in love with her. He eventually started allying with the Good guys and in the end helped end the War with Obould. Eventually Marrying and settling down with the Moon Elf Leader having two kids.

Then the events of Cutter happen 100 years later. Here is what actually happened in the Story. His daughter Doum'wielle is curious about the Evil Sword and it eventually dominates her and convinces her to murder her brother. Upon which she decides to run. Her Mother and Father go after her but she runs into Many Arrows territory. Were they encounter a Orc patrol led by the current Obould's Eldest Son. Tos'un wanting to catch up with his daughter and not wanting to die, hobbles his wife so she would be caught by the Orc's but he would escape. After catching his daughter he relizes they can't go back to the Moon Elves so they decide to join up with the Drow as Tos'un is a member of the 2nd highest Ranking House in Menzobaranzan. (Despite what the End of the Book may say the Companions Codex series makes it clear it was not easy to get in the good graces of the Drow.)

This interestingly Event was also the cause for the 2nd war with the Orcs Many Arrows. Tos'un wife fought the Orc's and killed a few before being captured. The Leader of the Orc Band was Lorgu son of Obould XVII. Lorgu in order to show off his leadership skills decided not to have the hated leader of the Moon elves that have harassed them for a century killed and instead returned her to her people as a show of good faith. This pissed off a bunch of the more militant Orcs who's Leader Hartusk who was eventually aided by the Drow in a coup to take over Many Arrows and start a huge war. (Which ended with Hartusk's death and Lorgu taking the Throne of Many Arrows back from the Usurper.)

Tos'un mean While as of the Latest book is literally on Ice. He was riding a White Dragon that got knocked out of the Sky and broke his spine in the fall. Then the White Dragon starting fighting with a Monk. Tos'un not being able to move grabbed the Monks legs to keep him still so the Dragon could bite him. Then he died with some surprise as the Dragon used it's cold breath instead of a bite and the Monk used Evasion to avoid the Cold Breath. His daughter has no Idea what to do as her father was the only one that could protect a half Drow like her from the others. She is currently allied with Tiago a Drow that is trying to show himself to be better then Drizzt.

 

[Chocolategravy]

Any drow with a weapon is going to get stomped

Several hundred level 10+ fighters will drop him in a round from range. If he has stats, he will die instantly. If he doesn't have stats, he's powerful enough to flatten the city in seconds as I said. This simply does not work.

 

[Prism]

Several hundred level 10+ fighters will drop him in a round from range. If he has stats, he will die instantly. If he doesn't have stats, he's powerful enough to flatten the city in seconds as I said. This simply does not work.

Good job you are not writing the novel then...sounds boring.

I am assuming that this part will be the Drizzt (Salvatore) story and the players will be doing other stuff

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Several hundred level 10+ fighters will drop him in a round from range. If he has stats, he will die instantly. If he doesn't have stats, he's powerful enough to flatten the city in seconds as I said. This simply does not work.

There is not several hundred Level 10 fighters.

The Drow Elite Warrior from the Monster Manual is the closest thing. Lets say there are 500 of them in the city. Next to none of them will be in the same place and will instead be at the houses which can be quite a distance from each other that employ them. Of these lets say only 50 of them have magic items. These are the only these 50 will be able to hurt him, and by default magic short swords are the only magic weapons they have access to. Meaning they will be divided even further, as very few of them will be able to hurt him and they have to get close to him to hurt him. The few magic bows they have will be taken out quickly when they show up as Demogorgon will just focus on things they can actually hurt him over things that can't. Combined with Regeneration. And the self serving nature of the Drow to defend their holdings over going to help a rival house that's being attacked, they won't be beating him anytime soon.