[UPDATED] RAGE OF DEMONS! New D&D Storyline Features Drizzt, Underdark, & Demon Lords!

Following Elemental Evil this fall, Rage of Demons will launch a new storyline featuring Drizzt Do'Urden, the Underdark, and various demon lords from the Abyss including old favourites like Demogorgon, Orcus and Graz’zt. This will feature on tabletop, console, and PC. "The demon lords have been summoned from the Abyss and players must descend into the Underdark with the iconic hero Drizzt Do’Urden to stop the chaos before it threatens the surface." It begins with the adventure Out of the Abyss, which releases on September 15th for $49.95, and is being designed for WotC by Green Ronin Publishing. (Thanks to Charles Akins for that last scoop!)

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Drizzt? WotC's Chris Perkins says: "Drizzt's role in the RoD story varies depending on the platform. In the TRPG adventure, the PCs are the stars."

Inspiration: "My inspirations for RAGE OF DEMONS were Lewis Carroll's Wonderland stories and EXILE, by R.A. Salvatore." [Perkins] So this is the Alice in Wonderland inspired story that's been previously alluded to.

Here's the full announcement.

"Today, Wizards of the Coast announced Rage of Demons, the new storyline for Dungeons & Dragons fans coming in Fall 2015. The demon lords have been summoned from the Abyss and players must descend into the Underdark with the iconic hero Drizzt Do’Urden to stop the chaos before it threatens the surface. Rage of Demons is the story all D&D gamers will be excited to play this fall, whether they prefer consoles, PCs or rolling dice with friends.

Following on the critically-acclaimed Tyranny of Dragons and Elemental Evil stories, Rage of Demons will transport characters to the deadly and insane underworld. Rumors of powerful demon lords such as Demogorgon, Orcus and Graz’zt terrorizing the denizens of the Underdark have begun to filter up to the cities of the Sword Coast. The already dangerous caverns below the surface are thrown into ultimate chaos, madness and discord. The renegade drow Drizzt Do’Urden is sent to investigate but it will be up to you to aid in his fight against the demons before he succumbs to his darker temptations.

Dungeons & Dragons fans will have more options than ever to enjoy the Rage of Demons storyline. The themes of treachery and discord in the Underdark are in Sword Coast Legends, the new CRPG (computer role-playing game) coming this fall on PC from n-Space and Digital Extremes. The epic campaign that drives Sword Coast Legends' story forces players deep into the Underdark and continues well after launch with legendary adventurer Drizzt Do'Urden.

For fans of Neverwinter, the popular Dungeons & Dragons-based MMORPG will bring a new expansion – tentatively titled Neverwinter: Underdark – in 2015. The update will see adventurers travel with Drizzt to the drow city of Menzoberranzan during its demonic assault as well as experience a unique set of quests written by the creator of Drizzt, R.A. Salvatore. The expansion will initially be released on PC and will come out on the Xbox One at a later date.

Players of the tabletop roleplaying game can descend into the Underdark in Out of the Abyss, a new adventure which provides details on the demon lords rampaging through the Underdark. Partners such as WizKids, GaleForce 9 and Smiteworks will all support Rage of Demons with new products to help bring your tabletop game to life. To really get in the mind of Drizzt, fans will have to check out Archmage, the new novel by R.A. Salvatore, scheduled for release in early September.

“Rage of Demons is a huge storyline involving all expressions of Dungeons & Dragons, and we’re excited to bring players this story in concert with all of our partners,” said Nathan Stewart, Brand Director at Wizards of the Coast. “I can’t wait to see everyone interact with one of the world’s most recognizable fantasy characters: Drizzt Do’Urden. Descending into the depths won’t exactly be easy for him, and D&D fans will get their mettle tested just like Drizzt when they come face-to-face with all the demon lords.”

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[Irennan]

Let's see. The Crystal Shard (and the debut of Drizzt) was released in 1988. Twenty-seven years ago. Most of the so-called Mary-Sueisms of him occurred twenty to twenty-five years ago, when all those players who did it were kids. It's now been a quarter-century later and people are *still* hung up on it? Drizzt is *still* the Antichrist to them? Jeez. Ordinarily I'd say "You know, it's been 25 years... maybe you should just let it go already, you'd probably feel better"... but I'm pretty sure that'd just fall on deaf ears.

Your annoying friend from high school insisted on playing a dual-wielding ranger dark elf, and you've held onto that anger and resentment of him and the character for a quarter-century. Yeah... that sounds about right for the average D&D fan.

I don't think that people hate the character, rather his excessive prominence in most D&D stuff. I get that he is their icon, but we now are at like 40 novels revolving about him, and even after that, they alone still take up 2 of the 4 yearly novel releases that WotC appears to have set. I quite like him, but seriously, lets give other stuff more space.

 

[Kramodlog]

Nah.

In the first one, there's a summoning going on that you can stop.

In the second one, there's several summonings going on, you can stop some of them, but at least one will complete.

In the third one, all the summonings have already been completed.

See? Completely different!

Well, I stand corrected.

In all seriousness, cause D&D is serious business, what other themes are there left? Right now we got draconic, elemental, and soon demons/drows. The undead theme comes to mind. Giants/titans too. Any suggestions?

 

[Baumi]

Well, I stand corrected.

In all seriousness, cause D&D is serious business, what other themes are there left? Right now we got draconic, elemental, and soon demons/drows. The undead theme comes to mind. Giants/titans too. Any suggestions?

The Orc-Horde would be a classic.

 

[Osgood]

But in my campaign while back-flipping off a ship into Baldur's Gate, Drizzt slipped on some horse poop and was paralyzed from the neck down... he was last seen whimpering softly as a shady figure dragged his limp body towards a discount butcher shop... guess I can't run Rage of Demons! Bummer...

 

[delericho]

In all seriousness, cause D&D is serious business, what other themes are there left?

I would expect to see Strahd make an appearance soon, probably in a Castle Ravenloft re-tooled to be in the FR. There's also Slavers to redo.

Perhaps Ashardalon/the Bastion of Broken Souls? Something to do with Tharizdun? Dead Gods?

 

[CapnZapp]

My guess is that they won't be accompanying Drizzt directly. More that he'll be in the background and have a sort of "quest-giver" status for various missions.

I'm hoping the Drizzter hands out quests, and, at the first sight of trouble appears to make it perfectly clear he could do the quest much faster and better himself.

No, wait

 

[Xavian Starsider]

Based on 3e and 3.5e release schedules (and my failing memory) didn't they release tons of information on the Forgotten Realms setting prior to going into Eberron and all the associated books?

Not exactly. The Realms were of course heavily covered in 3rd edition as the most popular, best known and best detailed campaign setting D&D has, but when 3.5 launched, it launched with a new campaign setting that was birthed in 3.5. That was Eberron. They didn't do it because they ran out of Forgotten Realms material. Forgotten Realms continued to be updated in 3.5 right alongside Eberron. Not to mention many one-shots like Oriental Adventures and Ghostwalk.

The one thing we can be certain of is that the business model for product releases in 5th edition has no relationship to the business model for product releases in 3/3.5

 

[hbarsquared]

I hope they follow the same model as PotA with the light conversion suggestions. I did have a cool flash of "inspiration" (as in, nothing new at all but still a cool idea) with Eberron and an expedition to Khyber through the Demon Wastes and battling the daelkyr and/or the Overlords.

 

[Kramodlog]

I would expect to see Strahd make an appearance soon, probably in a Castle Ravenloft re-tooled to be in the FR. There's also Slavers to redo.

Perhaps Ashardalon/the Bastion of Broken Souls? Something to do with Tharizdun? Dead Gods?

If Strahd makes an appearence, he will be called Manshoon. A gothic-ish adventure with Manshoon as the final cultist.

I'm not even joking.

 

[CapnZapp]

Where can I get hold of the critically acclaimed version of Tyranny of Dragons?

+1

(don't know how to thank from tapatalk)