Lairs of Etharis Now Available On D&D Beyond
Ghostfire Games supplement is one of only a handful of new third-party products available on D&D Beyond
Grim Hollow remains a popular DnD 5e campaign setting that’s the brainchild of third-party publisher Ghostfire Gaming. Among the many products set in the Grim Hollow universe is Lairs of Etharis, a two volume set that presents a variety different monster lairs, along with accompanying adventures, unique monster stat blocks and new mechanics.
In a surprise move, however, Lairs of Etharis is now available in D&D Beyond, marking it one of the rare instances in which third-party content has appeared on Wizards of the Coast’s closely guarded online platform. The digital only version is available now to subscribers directly on D&D Beyond.
So are these deadly lairs worth entering? Below we break out all the details.
What is Lairs of Etharis all about?
Originally published as two softcover supplements for the Grim Hollow campaign setting for DnD 5e, Lairs of Etharis Volumes I and II feature a number of unique monsters and lairs. While the creatures included are designed for the dark fantasy world of Etharis, they could easily be ported over to just about any DnD campaign world (with their horror vibes definitely meshing well with Ravenloft and similar settings).
The monsters featured in the books, however, are far from your typical bloodthirsty creatures. Instead, the books present 20 unique adventures, each of which is associated with a particular lair and one or more monsters. The adventures, however, are most than just cliched monster hunts, instead offering rich narratives and creatures that are surprisingly complex and driven by motivations beyond simply ripping the character’s faces off. For example, one lair features a noble angel that is guarding the tomb of an ancient vampire who has information that could potentially avert a world shattering cataclysm. Players must decide whether the ends justifies the means in terms of slaying the celestial being and unleashing the evil undead from its prison in order to get the information that could save thousands of innocent lives.
The book is also fascinating in that the unique monsters included within it are a far cry from the typical fare found in the DnD 5e Monster Manual. In fact, a big part of each adventure is players uncovering clues about the monster’s identity, eventually piecing together more of its lore, strengths and weaknesses before braving their dwelling.
Additionally, Lairs of Etharis also introduced several new mechanics, including a “Monster Salvage” crafting system which allows players to combine equipment and even monster parts into useful items.
Notably, as part of the series, Ghostfire Gaming also released an accompanying PDF map pack and physical printed map pack that supplement the original Lairs of Etharis books.
What’s included in the D&D Beyond version of Lairs of Etharis?
As noted previously, the new D&D Beyond version contains both Volumes I and II of the Lairs of Etharis books. One interesting element is that the original books contained spells, monsters and rules that were unique to the Grim Hollow setting. Rather than simply leaving them (since they aren’t part of the “official” DnD 5e materials), Wizards of the Coast has ported these elements over to D&D Beyond.
The official Grim Hollow: Lairs of Etharis D&D Beyond product includes:
- 20 horror fantasy adventures designed for Level 1 to 20 characters
- Complete maps that can be integrated with the new Maps VTT system
- 75+ new monsters, with full integration with the D&D Beyond Encounter Builder
- A new Monster Salvage rules option that allows players to craft unique items
- 2 new feats, 7 spells, and 10 magic items that can be added to the D&D Beyond character builder
How Much is Lairs of Etharis on D&D Beyond?
Currently, the D&D Beyond version of Lairs of Etharis is retailing for $14.99 USD, which is actually a great deal for the amount of content you get (the physical map pack alone retails for $21.99 on the Ghostfire Games website).
Essentially, you’re getting 20 adventures, 75 new monsters, 2 new feats, 7 new spells, and 10 new magic items for just $15, which is a pretty impressive price point, especially when you look at comparable materials. It’s also great since a lot of DnD 5e players may have missed out on the original Lairs of Etharis products that were first made available on the Ghostfire Gaming website.
Why is the Book’s Release on D&D Beyond Such a Big Deal?
Since it’s inception, D&D Beyond has been notorious for excluding third-party content, instead allowing only official Wizards of the Coast DnD 5e materials. Because of the popularity of the D&D Beyond platform this means that a lot of publishers have missing out on exposure to a massive user base, instead having to publishing content on their own websites or via online platforms like DriveThruRPG and DMsGuild.
The release of the digital version of Lairs of Etharis on D&D Beyond is therefore a significant and surprising move and marks the potential beginning of a new era of third-party content. In fact, D&D Beyond has now released several other third-party DnD publications, including Critical Role’s Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn and Dungeons of Drakkenheim, another Ghostfire publication that was created by the popular YouTube due of the Dungeon Dudes
It’s not clear if Wizards of the Coast has plans to publish any other third-party materials on D&D Beyond anytime soon, but it seems likely if these new products are well received by fans.
Final Thoughts
It’s great to see Wizards of the Coast publishing third-party content on D&D Beyond, especially with an amazing product like Lairs of Etharis. While there are of course, financial implications, it’s a move that’s likely going to be well received by publishers and players alike.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on this story in the days ahead. In the meantime you can pre-order your copy now on D&D Beyond.
Below is also a trailer which first appeared on the official D&D Beyond YouTube channel.
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Cameron Nichols is a Senior Editor who lives in Boston, Massachusetts, and has been playing D&D since the early 90s, when he was introduced by his older brother and cut his teeth on AD&D 2nd Edition. Since then he’s played virtually every RPG he could get his nerdy little mitts on (including a weird Goth phase in the early 2000s when he rocked Vampire: The Masquerade pretty hard). His favorite D&D campaign setting is the Forgotten Realms and his favorite character to play was a Half-Orc Barbarian named Grug (who was unfortunately devoured by a gelatinous cube).
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