Review by C.J. Bunce
Yesterday here at borg we discussed Wizards of the Coast’s new expansion book Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn (just released and available now here at Amazon). Today we’re looking at the corresponding expansion book for Dungeon Masters, Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms: Adventures of Faerûn (available here). Building on decades of stories in the Forgotten Realms, these books are for players ready to create new characters in D&D’s Fifth Edition–for anyone who loves R.A. Salvatore’s Legend of Drizzt novels, the recent Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie, and anyone looking for more exploration of the worlds and characters found in previously released Forgotten Realms adventures including Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus, Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, Tomb of Annihilation, Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, and Candlekeep Mysteries.
The wildest feature of Forgotten Realms: Adventures of Faerûn is that it includes fifty-one adventures–essentially fleshed out hooks for characters level 1 through 15, each including tools to help a DM build a campaign. These generally follow four types of game types: a deity adventure, a faction adventure, a high magic adventure, or a regional adventure. Each adventure laid out in only a single page, but it’s intended as only a starting point, with all the details to be filled in relying on the DM’s history with the Realms and all the lore included in the book. The seventh chapter includes a complete adventure, for Level 1 characters, called “The Lost Library of Lethchauntos.”
This isn’t really for brand new DMs but more experienced gamers ready to incorporate stories from various media featuring Forgotten Realms characters and locations, especially considering the breadth of Realms stories availoable to players across the years means players are likely to bring their own knowledge of its myriad tales to gameplay. It’s a neat, unique feature of focusing on this setting.
Chapters two through six are basically travelogues for each of the five key regions that are the focus of this expansion: The Dalelands, Icewind Dale, Calimshan, The Moonshae Isles, and Baldur’s Gate, each with a Gazetteer. Packed with maps, tables, and histories, a DM will find more than adequate details to create an exciting adventure for players. Journeys can be developed enveloping frigid survival horror to genie-inspired high magic to dark urban fantasy tales. Forgotten Realms: Adventures of Faerûn is by far the most exhaustive reference guide and source for creative tools for DMs since the core rulebooks.
The hefty 288-page volume features what seems to be the largest number and variety of map props of any 5E volume yet with contributions by Mike Schley, Marco Bernardini, and Damien Mammoliti. It also has more text descriptions, meaning it’s a comprehensive, exhaustive source of information DMs will be returning to for years to come.
The volume includes twelve new magic items and an expansive bestiary of 37 foes, including assassain heiress Karas Chembryl, the genie Biha Babir, the rusted berserker and wyrm, and deep dragons.
Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms: Adventures of Faerûn is available now with standard cover here at Amazon, and the alternate cover edition (shown above) available at game shops. Don’t forget to check out our discussion of Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn yesterday here at borg. For more fun pick up the add-on Laeral Silverhand’s Explorer’s Kit here at Amazon:
Also released this past year: the new Monster Manual (reviewed here), the new D&D adventure Dragon Delves (reviewed here), Welcome to the Hellfire Club board game (reviewed here), the latest Dungeons & Dragons Starter Kit (reviewed here), the Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons board game (discussed here), The Warriors and Wizards Compendium for young adventurers (reviewed here), two campaign journals (discussed here), a coloring book (discussed here), and a 50th anniversary edition of Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana (reviewed here).
