[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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[Kramodlog]

Add cultists and I see...

Cultists!

So meta! Cultist summoning nihilistic cultist demons who want to summon Dendar the World Serpent who wants to summon the end of the multiverse incarnate! Its name is Bob, Bringer of Bud.

Kill it! KILL IT!

 

[delericho]

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.

Nitpick: 3.5e didn't launch with Eberron. 3.5e was released in 2003, Eberron late 2004.

Other than that, you're right on all points, though - Eberron didn't come about because FR was played out, and FR continued to be supported in parallel.

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

For marketing reasons, it would go the other way: if they were considering a Manshoon-based story, they'd reskin him as Strahd. Because the latter has much better name recognition in the general D&D audience.

 

[CapnZapp]

Drizzt is a double-edged sword.

I thought he used two swords?




I'll see myself out...

 

[Kramodlog]

For marketing reasons, it would go the other way: if they were considering a Manshoon-based story, they'd reskin him as Strahd. Because the latter has much better name recognition in the general D&D audience.

Are they aiming for that audience?

Anyway, so far they reskinned a DragonLance adventure into a FR one and Greyhawk adventure into a FR. Maybe not Manshoon, but Strahd would be reskinned, I would bet.

For an undead themed adventure a lich would be more effective has a cult leader. Lots of those in D&D's history. Did you know Acererak and Vecna were always in the FR?

...

Vecna. Of course! Undead, lich, god, iconic artifacts, cultists, tried to do something naughty to the mutliverse before, lots of history, hasn't been used in a while. Oh, yeah. 20$ on a Vecna AP next year.

 

[SkidAce]

... or 3) Drizzt is just window dressing and doesn't figure much into the adventure; which raises the question of why include him?...

Advertising hook for more sales and money. Although I enjoyed the first three books featuring him, I stopped reading them after that.

But I am in the minority...so its a good branding move.

 

[delericho]

Are they aiming for that audience?

Anyway, so far they reskinned a DragonLance adventure into a FR one and Greyhawk adventure into a FR. Maybe not Manshoon, but Strahd would be reskinned, I would be.

He'll be moved into FR, but they'll keep his name.

(They'll probably pitch it as some sort of planar incursion - suddenly the mists have cleared and where before there was a mountain range there now stands... Castle Ravenloft! Of something of that sort.)

Vecna. Of course! Undead, lich, god, iconic artifacts, cultists, tried to do something naughty to the mutliverse before, hasn't been used in a while. Oh, yeah. 20$ on a Vecna AP next year.

Quite possibly. Though wasn't he the end boss of Scales of War, or whatever that first 4e AP was called?

 

[Irennan]

Are they aiming for that audience?

Anyway, so far they reskinned a DragonLance adventure into a FR one and Greyhawk adventure into a FR. Maybe not Manshoon, but Strahd would be reskinned, I would be.

For an undead themed adventure a lich would be more effective has a cult leader. Lots of those in D&D's history. Did you know Acererak and Vecna were always in the FR?

...

Vecna. Of course! Undead, lich, god, iconic artifacts, cultists, tried to do something naughty to the mutliverse before, hasn't been used in a while. Oh, yeah. 20$ on a Vecna AP next year.

The Realms have that likes of Szass Tam and Larloch (and Velsharoon, if you want a god) they don't have to bring in Vecna (unless the next AP isn't going to be in the Realms).

 

[SilverfireSage]

Holy crap there's a lot of negativity on this thread. Seriously, Drizzt must have done some horrible things to your mothers other than be in some mediocre books to warrant this kind of vitriol. Here's a few points that you guys should remember:

1. the D&D team has been more than willing to help people convert their games into various settings. Remember the 20 pages of conversion guides at the back of PotA? Why do you think that's suddenly going away? They know that a lot of people want to put their games in their own campaigns or in ones set in the other worlds, so I seriously doubt they're going to get rid of all of that now.

2. Forgotten Realms is the only setting that anyone outside of our hobby has any knowledge of. Anyone can go into a bookstore and see the massive shelf full of FR books, or find the dozens of video games set in it, or look at the numerous board games set in it. Despite the massive (somewhat) success of 5E, they're still on the ropes. Using their most popular setting is their only option. I hate to tell people to stop griping about it, but they have said numerous times that FR is going to be their setting of choice for the foreseeable future, and there's always at least five or six people on these threads to complain about it. So seriously, stop griping about it.

3. Is everyone forgetting that we play a modular RPG game that is completely up to the DM running it? If you don't like Drizzt, get rid of Drizzt! Nobody is putting a gun to your head and saying "you have to play this NPC that you hate." Replace him, put in a different character, excise him altogether. They didn't have any characters like that in the first or second adventure paths, so it baffles me that you guys would think they suddenly became terrible at writing and will force Drizzt-sue onto us. And for all those complaining that it's Drizzt again, our hobby would likely be 100x worse off if it wasn't for him and the success of the novels that he's in. They're the only reason a lot of people I know even know about D&D.

In short, I'm looking forward to this AP. I somewhat enjoyed ToD, I'm greatly enjoying PotA, I've really liked their core system and the UA's that they've put online. They've built up a lot of good will with me, and I'm happy to return the favor and give them some benefit of the doubt in their next storyline.

 

[delericho]

Advertising hook for more sales and money. Although I enjoyed the first three books featuring him, I stopped reading them after that.

If you enjoyed the Icewind Dale trilogy, then the Dark Elf trilogy is probably worth a read. Though I wouldn't go beyond that.

(Of course, if you didn't enjoy IWD, or your tastes have moved on, then don't bother.)

 

[Kramodlog]

He'll be moved into FR, but they'll keep his name.

(They'll probably pitch it as some sort of planar incursion - suddenly the mists have cleared and where before there was a mountain range there now stands... Castle Ravenloft! Of something of that sort.)

Could be. Ravenloft with its domaine lors and domaine barriers make for a great sand box, but I'm not sure since all is FR.

Quite possibly. Though wasn't he the end boss of Scales of War, or whatever that first 4e AP was called?

Don't know, but Tharizdun and Tiamat were used during 4e's reign...