Chains of Asmodeus: DnD Adventure First Look

Wizards of the Coast publishes hellish new adventure to support Extra Life charity

Among the pantheon of demonic forces in Dungeons & Dragons, there are few more feared than the dark lord Asmodeus. And while the immortal fiend has appeared in numerous DnD supplements over the years, he’s rarely had his full share of the infernal lime light. Until now.

Enter Chains of Asmodeus, an official new DnD 5e book from Wizards of the Coast that explores the depths of the Nine Hells and puts the Lord of Lies front and centre. The book comes in at almost 300 pages in length and is co-written by popular video game designer James Ohlen and Hugo award-winning science fiction author Adrian Tchaikovsky. What’s more, all of the sales proceeds go directly to Extra Life, a fundraising program of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The book is currently available as a digital-only PDF exclusive on DMsGuild.

So is this a trip to hell worth diving into? Below we take a closer look at what’s included.

What’s included in Chains of Asmodeus?

Chains of Asmodeus clocks in a hefty 286 pages, which notably is substantially bigger than recent releases like Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse (which was just 256 pages with all three books in the slipcase combined). The majority of the material is focused on a high-level adventure for Tier III characters from Levels 11 to 20, which is a welcome addition for players who have been asking for more high-level play.

That being said, the book also includes plenty of source material that be used outside the adventure, including:

• 50 new monsters with high Challenge Ratings
• Stat Blocks for Asmodeus and other major Archdevils
• 20 new Infernal-themed magic items
• A new “Item Corruption” game mechanic
• Details on all layers of the Nine Hells, with maps created by illustrator John Stevenson

What’s the adventure like?

Without giving away too much of the plot, the adventure takes place in the Forgotten Realms and (not surprisingly) the depths of the Nine Hells. It turns out that Asmodeus has been quietly targeting some of Faerûn’s most powerful figures from the ranks of nobles, wizards, clerics, heroes and adventurers.

Over the years, the dreaded demon lord has made pacts with these individuals (including the player characters), coming to their aid in times of need in exchange for their souls. Now, he’s sent an army of elite assassins throughout the Realms to kill these individuals and send their souls into his dark embrace.

When the adventure kicks off, the players find themselves in the Nine Hells. They’re forced to choose between the various factions battling with and against Asmodeus himself. Along the way, they’ll encounter powerful infernal monsters and unholy magical relics with the power to reshape the underworld itself.

How much is Chains of Asmodeus?

Currently, the PDF retails for $29.99 USD, which is actually a solid price point considering the amount of content you get in the book and just how rare it is for Wizards of the Coast to release these kinds of high-level adventures. It goes without saying that given the quality of the team working on the book, the production value (including the writing and art) is also top notch.

It’s also worth noting that on DMsGuild, Wizards of the Coast has indicated that a print-on-demand version is scheduled to be released soon. Like the digital PDF version, this will also likely only be available for purchase online (although it’s possible that it may be available from local game stores and resellers).

It’s also not clear if the product will eventually be released for Roll20 or other virtual tabletop platforms.

Who wrote Chains of Asmodeus?

Despite being an official Wizards of the Coast product, Chains of Asmodeus is actually created by Arcanum Worlds, a third-party D&D publisher that was founded by award-winning video game designer James Ohlen (who is best known for his work at BioWare on titles including Baldur’s Gate I and II, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Dragon Age: Origins).

Notably Ohlen and Arcanum Worlds are also the brains behind the DnD 5e compatible adventure Odyssey of the Dragonlords (which made our list for the best DnD campaigns of all time). Additionally, Ohlen and the Arcanum Worlds team created the popular Forgotten Realms adventures Heroes of Baldur’s Gate and Minsc and Boo’s Journal of Villainy (the latter of which was published by Wizards of the Coast in 2021, with all proceeds also going to the Extra Life charity).

In the case of Chains of Asmodeus, the material is also co-written by Hugo-award winning science fiction author Adrian Tchaikovsky (who is perhaps best known for his novel Children of Time). This book also features illustrations from a team of artists including, Sergei Sarichev, Sergey Musin, Julian Calle, Sebastion Kowoll, Paul Adams, Luis Lasahido and the Aaron Sims Company.

Final Thoughts

It’s amazing to see such a solid product with a unique setting and focus on higher-level game play. What’s odd, however, is just how little fanfare Wizards of the Coast has given to the book. In fact, Chains of Asmodeus came seemingly out of nowhere, with no prior marketing from Wizards of the Coast and very little push online when it was actually released.

Yet like the road to hell, Wizards of the Coast likely has good intentions for the book. Here’s hoping they’ll continue to release more top-notch products like this in the future.

In the meantime, the digital only PDF version of Chains of Asmodeus is available now exclusively on DMsGuild.

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