D&D 5E WotC Confirms Horror-themed Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

During WotC's Comic Relief charity-supporting livestream this evening, presenters Anna Prosser and Mica Burton confirmed that the September D&D adventure is, indeed, Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. The adventure has a regular and limited edition cover. The presenters say this is the first time anybody has heard the title(?), and that this was the first time they'd seen the cover...

During WotC's Comic Relief charity-supporting livestream this evening, presenters Anna Prosser and Mica Burton confirmed that the September D&D adventure is, indeed, Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden.

The adventure has a regular and limited edition cover.

The presenters say this is the first time anybody has heard the title(?), and that this was the first time they'd seen the cover.

Chris Perkins says its a horror adventure, with these of isolation and secrecy. Levels 1-12.

SOME SECRETS ARE WORTH DYING FOR
Feel the cold touch of death in this adventure for the world’s greatest roleplaying game.

In Icewind Dale, adventure is a dish best served cold.

Beneath the unyielding night sky, you stand before a towering glacier and recite an ancient rhyme, causing a crack to form in the great wall of ice. Beyond this yawning fissure, the Caves of Hunger await. And past this icy dungeon is a secret so old and terrifying that few dare speak of it. The mad wizards of the Arcane Brotherhood long to possess that which the god of winter’s wrath has so coldly preserved—as do you! What fantastic secrets and treasures are entombed in the sunless heart of the glacier, and what will their discovery mean for the denizens of Icewind Dale? Can you save Ten-Towns from the Frostmaiden’s everlasting night?

Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden is a tale of dark terror that revisits the forlorn, flickering candlelights of civilization known as Ten-Towns and sheds light on the many bone-chilling locations that surround these frontier settlements.


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The deity antagonist, Auril, is a god who Perkins says is a lot like Hella from the Thor: Ragnarok movie. In this book, the Frostmaiden has multiple stat blocks depending on the form she takes. The book has over 50 stat blocks.

The book has lots of quests, each of which is a mini adventure. Or play through them all as an epic horror story emerges. A campaign, or slice it up.

The environment itself is a villain -- blizzards, avalanches, survival, limited food, fishing for Knucklehead Trout.

There's a number of sports and games for the characters to play. A "Goliath sport" for example.

320 pages, poster map, for levels 1-12.

For the 10 minutes or so before the stream launched, the "Coming Soon' page featured the cover art (which was leaked by D&D Beyond last week).

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Have they said when the adventure takes place? I know the leak on the Portuguese site said 1450 DR, but I'd like to have that confirmed by someone at Wizards.
I'm pretty sure they wouldn't throw casual gamers for a loop and set it in pre-Sundering times. 99% sure that is a typo or unsupported speculation by the leaker.
 

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Weiley31

Legend
Hydro74 covers are the best, I'm in for this one. I guess I should go buy Swordcoast first though, this will required FR 5e knowledge?
I mean, I Icewind Dale is HELLA north from the Sword Coast. Above Luskan and stuff.

So you can either isolate it more, make it the Sword Coast, or have it be part of Ghosts of Saltmarsh.
 


Tales and Chronicles

Jewel of the North, formerly know as vincegetorix
I mean, I Icewind Dale is HELLA north from the Sword Coast. Above Luskan and stuff.

So you can either isolate it more, make it the Sword Coast, or have it be part of Ghosts of Saltmarsh.

From what I saw in the map, it seems like the travel distances between the towns (that arent that far away) have increased a lot. With the apocalyptic winter looming over the region, I think it would be impossible to leave the region.

The foodstocks are empty, what little is left is sacrificed to Auril by desperate men and mad cultist.
The night grows longer and the beast are nowhere to be seen.
The lakes are frozen over, people cannot escape by sea, and cant sustains themselves.
Neighbors are more distant than ever, and friendly faces disappears with the hunger.

Isolation is the key to the horror theme: loneliness and lack of resources will make your players panic like no dragons can.

I would suggest putting the Dale the farthest away from the Coast.
 

If anything, for people wanting to know more about Icewind Dale, I'd say read the old Crystal Shard novel, Volo's Guide to the North, or FR5 The Savage Frontier.

I mean, I Icewind Dale is HELLA north from the Sword Coast. Above Luskan and stuff.

So you can either isolate it more, make it the Sword Coast, or have it be part of Ghosts of Saltmarsh.
 

Weiley31

Legend
I would recommend, for anybody wanting the Limited Edition Cover, Miniature Markets usually has the alternative limited edition covers on pre order/purchase sale for 39.99. I've gotten Tyranny of Dragons(2019), Rising From the Last War, and Mythic Odysseys of Theros from them. So I plan on ordering from them again for Frostmaiden as well.

This info is moot though if you have/support a local hobby shop that can order it for ya though.
 

An interesting concept, but it doesn't fit the "Rime of the Frostmaiden" title at all. I'll lay my own prediction on there being some sort of wendigo curse that's turning people into secret cannibal monsters and slowly spreading. That'd fit with Auril's portfolio and the repeated references to The Thing.
You're probably right. And I love the idea of a wendigo curse! But...Perkins was soooo cryptic that I wouldn't be entirely surprised if there was a bait-and-switch element to the story. As in, you think the villain is Auril, but it's actually someone completely different.
 


Lem23

Adventurer
I'm looking forward in general to this book, but the 3 kobolds in a trenchcoat strikes me as a very silly addition to what's supposed to be a horror adventure. I prefer my horror to be more serious, so as not to spoil the mood. If I can remove that part easily if I run it, I will do.
 

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