Keys from the Golden Vault Review
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Can Wizards of the Coast pull off the ultimate heist and steal back fans with this new D&D adventure anthology?
Back in August of 2022 Wizards of the Coast announced their slate of new game books for the coming year, which they referred to as their “2023 Roadmap”. This included the release of titles like Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants (which will introduce a number of new materials from the world of giants) The Book of Many Things (which will feature new magic items, classes and spells inspired by the legendary Deck of Many Things), Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk (a reworking of the classic Lost Mines of Phandelver adventure) and the D&D 5e reboot Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse.
The first book to hit in 2023, however, is Keys from the Golden Vault, which has an early release as a D&D Beyond digital exclusive on February 7th, 2023 with the print version available on February 21st, 2023. They also released a free version of one of the adventures, entitled Prisoner 13, to all D&D Beyond subscribers.
The timing, of course, isn’t great, given that Wizards of the Coast is still reeling from backlash surrounding the OGL controversy. But they’ve decided to go all in and released the book with a blast of publicity.
So can Keys from the Golden Vault pull off the impossible and win back fans or is it one con job gone horribly wrong? Read our review to find out.
Table of Contents
What is Keys from the Golden Vault about?
What’s included in Keys from the Golden Vault? (SPOILERS!)
What other game mechanics are included?
What’s the art and design like?
What are the different covers to Keys of the Golden Vault?
When is Keys from the Golden Vault being released?
How much is Keys from the Golden Vault?
Should you buy Keys from the Golden Vault?
What is Keys from the Golden Vault about?
Keys from the Golden Vault is an anthology of 13 short, standalone heist-themed adventures for Dungeons & Dungeons fifth edition that’s designed for characters from levels 1-11. The adventures can be placed in any campaign world (including homebrew settings), run as individual one-shots or linked together to form a larger campaign. In this sense the book is similar to other D&D adventure books, including Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel and Candlekeep Mysteries.
The book also introduces some new game mechanics that offer a bit more of a sandbox experience than a typical adventure and in many ways borrow from classic stealth video games like Thief and Dishonored. Players can choose to go in quick and quietly, or they can oft to charge in spells blazing. The environments are really open-ended set pieces for the DM, and it’s up to the players to review the maps and intel and formulate a plan to get in and out, with multiple ways to achieve their goals. It’s a refreshing change for Wizards of the Coast, which has often been accused of railroading players when it comes to adventures.
What’s included in Keys from the Golden Vault
The book comes in at 208 pages total, which is a little on the light side compared to other D&D 5e products. Each of the 13 adventures focuses on one particular aspect of a heist, which is something that Wizards of the Coast hasn’t really explored before (ironically, despite its name, Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, actually had very little heisting going on).
As you’d expect from an adventure anthology there’s also a number of in-world maps to help players plan their jobs, plus advice for Dungeon Masters on running nontraditional games that balance risks and rewards. The book also introduces the Golden Vault, a mysterious new organization that player characters can work for as operatives.
The specific heists themselves are as follows (as a head’s up, there are a few minor spoilers, so if you’re a player you might want to skip ahead).
— SPOILERS AHEAD —
- The Murkmire Malevolence: Retrieve a mysterious egg ensconced in a museum to avert disaster.
- The Stygian Gambit: Rob a Nine Hells—themed casino built with stolen money.
- Reach for the Stars: Search for The Celestial Codex in a mansion warped by the Far Realm.
- Prisoner 13: Obtain the key to a vault from a spymaster imprisoned in Revel’s End.
- Tockworth’s Clockworks: Liberate a svirfneblin town besieged by clockwork automatons.
- Masterpiece Imbroglio: Infiltrate a thieves’ guild to retrieve a stolen painting.
- Axe from the Grave: Recover a stolen mandolin to lay a dead bard’s spirit to rest.
- Vidorant’s Vault: Retrieve a stolen diadem from the vault of a notorious thief.
- Shard of the Accursed: Use a magical shard to mend a giant’s broken heart and save a town from destruction.
- Heart of Ashes: Retrieve a king’s heart to save his kingdom from a terrible fate.
- Affair on the Concordant Express: Obtain information from a stranger traveling aboard an interplanar train.
- Party at Paliset Hall: Snatch a diamond from an archmage in the Feywild.
- Fire and Darkness: Wrest the Book of Vile Darkness from an efreeti and his lackeys.
— END OF SPOILERS —
What are other game mechanics are included?
Keys from the Golden Vault also introduces the new “Suspicion” mechanic, which is a score measured from 1 to 6. The higher the level of suspicion the more likely players are to encounter patrols and the higher the DC when trying to persuade, threaten or bribe NPCs and creatures.
It’s an interesting (albeit not particularly deep) new game mechanic that adds a bit more urgency to missions, and is again not unlike video game mechanics we’ve seen from popular stealth-action titles over the years.
Who are the Golden Vault?
The book also introduces the The Golden Vault, an inter-planar organization dedicated to battling injustice – even if they have to bend the law once in a while to do it (think a kind of shadowy group of Robin Hoods who steal from the rich and give to the poor). If players can want they can choose to ally with the Golden Vault, at which point they’re given a handler who will provide players with an ornate music box that gives them their mission details (think the Mission Impossible self-destructing tape record).
It’s an intriguing concept, but surprisingly the book is a little light on details when it comes to the organization. There’s no real mention of who their leaders are, their history or even their headquarters. Besides some vague mention of a connection to metallic dragons and operating across numerous planes and campaign worlds, there really isn’t much on them. Which seems odd given that their name is on the cover of the book.
Of course, players can skip working for the Golden Vault altogether and just take part in the heists, either individually or as part of larger DnD 5e campaigns.
What’s the art and design like?
Not surprisingly the book looks great. The art and design are incredibly well done, which is what we’ve come to expect from Wizards of the Coast. Everything from the layout to the interior art is all top notch.
One of the most unique aspects is also the inclusion of player maps. These handouts offer a really unique dynamic in that they allow players to get more strategic when planning each heist. They’re also deliberately imperfect and often missing key information that only DMs will know. It’s a nice touch that really brings the whole heist concept to life.
What are the different covers for Keys from the Golden Vault?
Currently, Wizards of the Coast has two different versions of the book: a standard cover and a special edition cover. There’s also a special edition from Beadle & Grimms that will be available sometime in April 2023.
When is the Keys from the Golden Vault coming out?
The early release version was available on February 7th, 2023 as digital exclusive on D&D Beyond. The print version, however, will be released on February 21st, 2023. As mentioned previously, Wizards of the Coast also released a free copy of the adventure “Prisoner 13,” which is a heist for Level 4 characters set in the icy prison of Revel’s End in the Forgotten Realms (and which will also be featured in the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves film).
How much is Keys from the Golden Vault?
On Amazon the book is currently listed as $49.95 (with a discount on early orders in the US). On D&D Beyond the Keys from the Golden Vault digital and physical bundle is going for $59.95, while the digital only version is going for $29.95.
Should You Buy Keys from the Golden Vault?
There’s a lot to love with this new anthology, although it’s hard to say if fans will have much of an interest given the fallout from the OGL. And that’s a shame, because if Wizards of the Coast had played their cards right, chances are fans would be all over this book. It’s well done, polished and really unique and, for those who are willing to look past WotC’s transgressions, it’s definitely worth picking up.
You’ll Like This Book If…
- You’re interested in heist-themed adventures
- You’re willing to give Wizards of the Coast another chance
You Won’t Like This Book If…
- You’re not interested in heist-themed adventures
- You don’t plan to support Wizards of the Coast after the OGL debacle
You can order Keys from the Golden from your local game store, book store or directly from Amazon.
Final Rating
18 out of 20.
Below you can also check out the official promotional video released by Wizards of the Coast.
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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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