D&D 5E Chains of Asmodeus: Official 286-Page Nine Hells Book & Adventure Released!

For Extra Life, the children's hospital charity, Wizards of the Coast just released Chains of Asmodeus on DMsGuild in PDF format. Written by James Ohlen and Adrian Tchaikovsky, this book includes an adventure for levels 11-20, stat blocks for Asmodeus and the other archdevils, a corruption mechanic, and more.

Arcanum Worlds Presents: Chains of Asmodeus
Chains of Asmodeus is a 286-page source book and adventure for the Nine Hells written by legendary game designer James Ohlen (Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age: Origins) and award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky (Children of Time, The Tiger and the Wolf, The Doors of Eden). This book is beautifully illustrated with haunting art from Sergei Sarichev, Sergey Musin, Julian Calle, Sebastion Kowoll, Paul Adams, Luis Lasahido, and the Aaron Sims Company.

Travel through the Nine Hells to save your soul in this tome that includes:

• 50+ High Challenge Monsters
• Stat Blocks for Asmodeus, Lord of the Nine, and all major Archdevils
• 20+ Infernal Magic Items
• New Item Corruption Mechanic
• Details on all Layers of the Nine Hells, with Beautifully Illustrated Maps created by John Stevenson
• A Fiendish Adventure for Levels 11-20

The book includes full stat blocks for Asmodeus (CR30), Beelzebub, Belial, Dispater, Fierna, Glasya, Levistus, Mammon, Mephistopheles, and more including Bel, Zariel, and a ton of monsters and NPCs.

You can pick it up for $29.99 on DMsGuild.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I looked at Level Up's monsters, immediately went, "Ew, too complex" for even the simplest monsters, and never looked back. Someone's complexity is not, in itself, a virtue. Sometimes the DM and players just want simplicity.

Works the other way too. Someone's simplicity is not, in itself, a virtue.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

So it can make decisions on what resource to use, just like the PCs do? Simplifying the statblocks makes the creature less a creature that exists in the setting (very important to me), and more a rules widget.

That is a point of view but to me the stat block is not the creature, it is a tool to run the creature in combat. I would equally not feel obliged to be limited by the statblock or listed spells in terms of what resources the creature might have out of combat.

 

[Zaukrie]

That is a point of view but to me the stat block is not the creature, it is a tool to run the creature in combat. I would equally not feel obliged to be limited by the statblock or listed spells in terms of what resources the creature might have out of combat.

this.

 

[Micah Sweet]

That is a point of view but to me the stat block is not the creature, it is a tool to run the creature in combat. I would equally not feel obliged to be limited by the statblock or listed spells in terms of what resources the creature might have out of combat.

I feel very differently. IMO, the mechanical expression of a thing should represent how that thing exists, what it is, in the world. That's what I want out if an RPG ruleset. Much of design has moved farther and farther away from this ideal, and it displeases me. This is why I want nothing to do with WotC's version of D&D any longer.

 

[Micah Sweet]

this.

Not this. Strong disagree. See above.

 

[Zaukrie]

Not this. Strong disagree. See above.

Why the need to repeat yourself? We got it. You said it. We disagree. No biggie.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Why the need to repeat yourself? We got it. You said it. We disagree. No biggie.

You're the one who responded with a one word post instead of just a like. My post had six words.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I feel very differently. IMO, the mechanical expression of a thing should represent how that thing exists, what it is, in the world. That's what I want out if an RPG ruleset. Much of design has moved farther and farther away from this ideal, and it displeases me. This is why I want nothing to do with WotC's version of D&D any longer.

I am well aware of your views and at one time I felt the same, so I rejected D&D and played other games but I found that no game could do a good job of this for me.
I thought about what I wanted and decided that the best way to proceed is to view the game as a game and the mechanics as an interface to what i really want. An interesting story in a fantasy world.

 

[dave2008]

Fair enough. I don't like it, and I don't think it is helpful. I never found 5e monsters hard to run, and consider the loss of nuance and the feeling that the creature is part of the world not worth any gain made for "ease of use".

I didn't buy that argument in 4e and I don't but it now either. Whether a monster is or is not a part of the world is not, IMO, up to the statblock (which should be fairly generic). What makes it a part fo the world is the DM, and to a lesser extent the lore of the monster entry.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I am well aware of your views and at one time I felt the same, so I rejected D&D and played other games but I found that no game could do a good job of this for me.
I thought about what I wanted and decided that the best way to proceed is to view the game as a game and the mechanics as an interface to what i really want. An interesting story in a fantasy world.

Fair enough. I want a fantasy world in which an interesting story could happen.