D&D 5E Rime of the Frostmaiden Previews Include a Scroll of Tarrasque Summoning

Some D&D designers and freelancers have been sharing previews of what's inside Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. Take a look!

When a wizard puts their brain inside a helmless horror.

David Sladek

A ring of warmth.

Claudio Pozas

And this last item... perhaps the less said the better? Ouch!

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Afraid it's going to be goofy?

Yeah, a little.

Note: I'm a big fan of light-hearted fantasy and weird themes, but for this one I was actually thrilled by the idea of a more serious and gritty adventure. I'll still get it, though, nothing changes about that.

I also hoped for a less high magic, high adventure, save-the-world campaign than what we're used to, something more local and with lower stakes. So having an magic item to summon a world-eating beast as a tactical nuke makes me hesitant a little.

 

[Jacqual]

I'm assuming it's meant to be a big nuke and a McGuffin that's not expected to be used. (I would also assume there's huge costs and conditions attached to prevent high-level adventures from turning into tarrasque summoning wars.)

Or, if it is going to be used, it's how you can beat Auril, and whatever expensive/difficult components and "stars as right" conditions go with her when she's defeated.

But this isn't "breaking the game," since DMs and players who want to do that have always been able to, whether it was tween-age munchkins using Deity and Demigods as a shopping manual of characters to defeat and treasures to plunder (Mjolnir in one hand and the Rod of Orcus in the other!) or homebrewing ridiculous content for level 200 games. (A buddy of mine keeps wanting to tell me about his campaign at that level and I always black out and am unable to process anything he says.)

DMs Guild even has a nicely selling adventure called Planet of the Tarrasques. We're a long way from the days this was a singular monster in the 1E MM2.

Or the Scroll is actually cursed and reading it causes the Tarrasque to appear next to you, and it is really pissed off as you have awoken it and it knows you did so it is extremely mad at the reader over all others.

 

[Morrus]

Beautiful and clever design work on that Ring of Warmth. I wonder if the art order describes the details, or if they let the artist run wild?

Hey @Klaus, you about?

 

[Reynard]

Yeah, a little.

Note: I'm a big fan of light-hearted fantasy and weird themes, but for this one I was actually thrilled by the idea of a more serious and gritty adventure. I'll still get it, though, nothing changes about that.

I also hoped for a less high magic, high adventure, save-the-world campaign than what we're used to, something more local and with lower stakes. So having an magic item to summon a world-eating beast as a tactical nuke makes me hesitant a little.

I think those are all owrthy but unrealistic desires. The WotC adventures are the RPG equivalent of MCU films -- they are going to appeal to the broadest demographic with a mix of action, adventure, humor and nostalgia. With only one storyline per year they can't afford to create a niche adventure. It's why you won't see one set in Dark Sun or Even Eberron until they expand the production schedule.

As to the Scroll -- it's brilliant and I love it and I think I'll drop it into my Avernus campaign.

 

[Wolfram stout]

I'm assuming it's meant to be a big nuke and a McGuffin that's not expected to be used. (I would also assume there's huge costs and conditions attached to prevent high-level adventures from turning into tarrasque summoning wars.)

Or, if it is going to be used, it's how you can beat Auril, and whatever expensive/difficult components and "stars as right" conditions go with her when she's defeated.

Agreed. I mean this is a big set up for a Kaiju fight, right? Didn't someone in some post compare Auril to a Kaiju? ( I seem to remember it but I could be wrong). Heck, maybe the PCs even get to control the Tarrasque.

 

[Remathilis]

D&D: "... Includes a Scroll of Tarasque Summoning."
Me: "Congratulations on breaking the game."

I mean it can have a great story reason and be limited to a single item, but they've created it. It will be put as an item in Roll20, D&D Beyond, etc. It's a scroll that (I'm guessing) can now be scribed during a wizard's downtime activity.

So yeah, they pretty much just broke 5e.

Its not a spell-scroll, so no scribing. No more so than a Scroll of Protection is.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I think those are all owrthy but unrealistic desires. The WotC adventures are the RPG equivalent of MCU films -- they are going to appeal to the broadest demographic with a mix of action, adventure, humor and nostalgia. With only one storyline per year they can't afford to create a niche adventure. It's why you won't see one set in Dark Sun or Even Eberron until they expand the production schedule.

As to the Scroll -- it's brilliant and I love it and I think I'll drop it into my Avernus campaign.

Right...I know...I'm usually onboard with fantasy super-heroics, but I had a desire for another taste this time around. Anyway, there's nothing blocking me to get the adventure and remove or modify the little details to fit my vision better.

I got a strange desire to run a Shadow of the Demon Lord game for my next campaign; I'm really in the mood for a gritty mix of Warhammer + Diablo + Dragon Age + Darkest Dungeon in the moment, I dont know why.

 

[agrayday]

And here i was thinking of Morbius, the time lord brain in a bowl attached to a lobster-clawed hairy monster on the planet Karn!

 

[God]

Who does God wish to?

Just talking to myself.

 

[TheCultMachine]

The only thing so far that is kinda goofy (not in a bad way) to me is the Kobolds in a Trench Coat. You have to have a LITTLE comedy in horror. Especially if you are running a huge campaign book like this. I am still waiting on what their idea of “modern horror” is.