D&D 5E Icewind Dale Preview: The Panopticon

A tidbit from the upcoming book from Chris Perkins -- "The Panopticon of Revel’s End, where the Lords’ Alliance keeps its most dangerous criminals. More info on this maximum security prison can be found in Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden."

 

[Gradine]

I mean, the actual point of a Panopticon is psychological in nature; I'm not sure how it would apply in principle to creatures that lack human-like or even any psychology

e: misread the tweet

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Based on this: Encounter of the Week: Jarlaxle’s Reversal I suspect prisoner 237 is Jarlaxle, and the players will need his help.

 

[Yenrak]

The "God Trap" in Greyhawk Castle—the prison where Zagig locked up nine demigods—was a kind of Panopticon. According to the tales, Robilar, with Riggby and his orc henchman Quij, freed Iuz. A very similar story is told in Temple of Elemental Evil, although in that version Robliar accidentally releases Iuz (or maybe Zuggtmoy, I forget which) from the Temple. Maybe Robliar did both.

 

[Rhineglade]

OK so I was chatting with some players on Roll20 about this next campaign. We were all talking about the rumors and whispers that have come out so far. One of the players suddenly had a brilliant thought! She mentioned what if Icewind Dale becomes isolated from the rest of the world as another Demiplane of Dread, similar to Barovia? This would indeed explain the fear and isolation aspect. Auril would basically be this plane's Dreadlord. I think that idea is a distinct possibility.

 

[Marandahir]

Totally. Icewind Dale, the winter is coming.

Everything I've heard and seen of this AP feels like they took the best bits of the North lands and the Lands Beyond the Wall from GoT/ASoIaF and ran with it.

The show was a major disappointment in its ending but that doesn't mean it didn't have killer visual and narrative concepts to draw on over the course of 8 seasons (and the sourcebooks are great to mine for ideas too!).

 

[Mercador]

Everything I've heard and seen of this AP feels like they took the best bits of the North lands and the Lands Beyond the Wall from GoT/ASoIaF and ran with it.

The show was a major disappointment in its ending but that doesn't mean it didn't have killer visual and narrative concepts to draw on over the course of 8 seasons (and the sourcebooks are great to mine for ideas too!).

Yeah, it's kinda sad that people will remember only the season 8. The books were great even if incompleted.

 

[Reynard]

Everything I've heard and seen of this AP feels like they took the best bits of the North lands and the Lands Beyond the Wall from GoT/ASoIaF and ran with it.

The show was a major disappointment in its ending but that doesn't mean it didn't have killer visual and narrative concepts to draw on over the course of 8 seasons (and the sourcebooks are great to mine for ideas too!).

Icewind Dale and the Savage Frontier are older than Game of Thrones. Scary Icy Northiness in fantasy is far older still.

 

[Marandahir]

Icewind Dale and the Savage Frontier are older than Game of Thrones. Scary Icy Northiness in fantasy is far older still.

Oh obviously. I didn't mean to imply that these new franchises did it first. Just that there's been a lot of it in major franchises in recent years, and it's gotten a bit tiring.

But from what I've seen of this take on Icewind Dale, it looks like a lot of fun!

 

[Ancalagon]

So erm...

Would this be what maximums security looks like for a city like Waterdeep with its powerful mages? Such a facility would be very costly to operate but still be vulnerable to attack. If these people are so dangerous... why keep them alive?

The art is cool, it's good for an adventure, but the basic concept seems unsound...

 

[Mercador]

So erm...

Would this be what maximums security looks like for a city like Waterdeep with its powerful mages? Such a facility would be very costly to operate but still be vulnerable to attack. If these people are so dangerous... why keep them alive?

The art is cool, it's good for an adventure, but the basic concept seems unsound...

Well, let's say you want to imprison immortals? Sorcerers able to cheat death? Maybe a prison with anti magic devices could be an usage. For others, prisons for 50+ years is worse than a quick death.