Heroes’ Feast: Saving the Children’s Menu DnD Adventure (First Look)
D&D Beyond releases new high level adventure from actress and actual play star Deborah Ann Woll.
Would you be willing to risk your life for the world’s greatest bowl of macaroni and cheese? That’s a question you’ll soon be able to answer if you pick up Heroes Feast: Saving the Children’s Menu, a new high-level DnD 5e adventure written by actress and popular celebrity Dungeon Master Deborah Ann Woll. The book is currently available as a digital-only exclusive on D&D Beyond.
So is this a savory dish worth digging into? Below we take a closer look at what Woll and WotC have been cooking up.
What’s included in Saving the Children’s Menu?
The adventure is designed for four to six Level 10 characters, making it a unique high level quest that we rarely get see when it comes to DnD (with the exception of recent releases like Chains of Asmodeus).
In addition to the primary adventure content, the book includes several new pieces of original artwork and accompanying maps. If you’re a Master Tier D&D Beyond subscriber, you’ll also be able to access the encounters using the new Maps VTT.
It’s worth noting that it’s heavy culinary tone directly ties into the Heroes Feast: Flavors of the Multiverse cook book and in fact, the adventure includes the recipe for Kender Stumblenoodles (a macaroni dish you can actually prepare yourself and which is featured in Flavors of the Multiverse).
While there aren’t any new magical items or monsters to be had, there is a ton of great content packed into the adventure and it can probably be wrapped up in a single session or two of gameplay, making it a great option for a high-level one shot or addition to an existing campaign.
What’s the adventure like?
Without giving away too much, the adventure takes place in the town of Daggerford in the Sword Coast region of the Forgotten Realms. The story kicks off when the players reach the River Shining Tavern, which is renowned for its unique menu and the culinary exploits of its head chef, Kaga. A key part of Kaga’s success is his fresh range of ingredients, which he orders directly from a local family of farmers known as the Holrows.
Unfortunately, the tavern’s menu is now in jeopardy as the shipments have mysteriously stopped. It’s up to the players to visit Holrow Homestead and find out what happened to the family and collect the necessary ingredients for an epic pasta dish beloved by the town’s children.
While on the surface it seems like a fairly tongue-in-cheek adventure with a foody twist, it’s actually surprisingly dark and deadly at times, but has a solid story with plenty of surprises and opportunities for roleplaying, exploration and combat. While it would have been nice to see a few original monsters and magic items included, there’s still a love to love about Saving the Children’s Menu as a simple, but satisfying high-level dish.
Notably, on the D&D Beyond blog, TTRPG commentator Mike Bernier offers a few pointers on running the adventure, including tips on addressing high-level characters.
How much is Heroes’ Feast: Saving the Children’s Menu?
Currently, the adventure retails for $4.99 USD on D&D Beyond, which is a solid price point considering the amount of content you get and just how rare it is for Wizards of the Coast to release these kinds of high-level adventures. The writing, art and design are all top notch, and it’s clear that this was a real labor of love for Deorah Ann Woll. It’s a ton of fun and a lot of action packed into a single adventure that you can snag for less than the price of a bowl of macaroni and cheese.
While it is a bit disappointing that the adventure ins’t available on DMsGuild or Roll20, with a little big of legwork you could easily port Saving the Children’s Menu into just about any VTT or in-person session (bonus XP for any DMs who actually make the macaroni dish for their players afterwards).
Who created Heroes’ Feast: Saving the Children’s Menu?
As noted above, the book is written by Deborah Ann Woll, who as an actress is perhaps best known for her role in TV series such as True Blood, Daredevil and The Punisher. Longtime DnD fans, however, will likely recognize her for her many appearances in actual play series, including Critical Roll, and for her work as a Dungeon Master in the Geek & Sundry series Relics and Rarities. More recently, Woll will be appearing in the new actual play series Faster, Purple Worm! Kill! Kill!.
It’s worth noting that the book also features original artwork from longtime Wizards of the Coast illustrator Irina Nordsol as well as Polish-based artist CoupleOfKooks.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a fan of food, high level adventures and Deborah Ann Woll, chances are you’re going to love Heroes Feast: Saving the Children’s Menu. It’s a perfect blend of action, adventure and intrigue, with plenty of cheese thrown in for good measure.
You can currently purchase the adventure now from D&D Beyond.
Below is also a brief interview with Woll which offers a little bit more insight into what to expect. Bon appétit, adventurers!
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Ollie Delano is a Staff Writer who lives in Chicago, Illinois where he majored in Journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He’s been playing Dungeons & Dragons for over 10 years and currently plays in a weekly game group where he rolls way too many natural 1s and chugs way too much Mountain Dew. His favorite D&D campaign setting is Eberron and his favorite character to play was a Tiefling rogue named Draxiss who enjoys both literal and figurative backstabbing.
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