Planescape Adventure Atlas: The Mortuary (First Look)

Wizards of the Coast releases new tie-in D&D Beyond sourcebook for Planescape

After a decades long hiatus, Dungeons & Dragons has finally returned to the the popular Planescape campaign setting with their new box set, Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse. The material explores the unique city of Sigil and the surrounding areas, and features new monsters, updated fifth editions rules and an accompanying adventure.

To coincide with the launch, Wizards of the Coast has also just released a new digital-only sourcebook entitled Adventure Atlas: The Mortuary, which explores one of Sigil’s lesser known mega structures, a sprawling necropolis known as the Mortuary. The book is available exclusively on D&D Beyond and retails for $9.99 USD.

So is this new sourcebook worth picking up? Below we take a look at what’s included.

What’s included in Adventure Atlas: The Mortuary?

First, it’s important to note that you don’t actually need the new Planescape 5e materials to use this new D&D Beyond content and it could essentially be dropped into other campaign settings with a bit of tweaking. It’s also important to note that this is not an adventure, but rather is a complete sourcebook that’s designed to explore one particular location in Sigil and the various creatures and NPCs that inhabit it.

That being said, Wizards of the Coast has put together a free guide entitled Let’s Build a One-Shot With Adventure Atlas: The Mortuary. Written by D&D Beyond Editor Michael Galvis, this guide breaks out some basic ideas for a short adventure for Level 3 characters that Dungeon Masters could run using the materials presented in the Adventure Atlas. D&D Beyond has also put together an accompanying YouTube video, with some additional suggestions on how to run an adventure in the location. Notably, the creepy vibes from the setting would make an ideal Halloween one shot.

In terms of the content in Adventure Atlas: The Mortuary, the sourcebook explores the headquarters of a Planescape faction known as the Heralds of Dust (often referred to as “Dusters” by denizens of Sigil). The faction believes that all beings are all already dead, but that eventually will achieve a higher existence known as The True Death. As such, the Dusters and their legions of undead minions spend their days look after the deceased residents brought in from Sigil and other planes of existence.

The Dusters operate out of a massive structure in the heart of Sigil known as the Mortuary, where they prepare, entomb and hold funerals for the dead and the undead alike. The Mortuary itself is broken up into a series of domed towers, each of which has its own unique shape and function. Additionally, countless graves and tombs dot the base of these towers and a series of sprawling catacombs are located beneath the central structure.

The Mortuary is also overseen by the Factal, an incredibly ancient Lich in a state of advanced deterioration. In addition to managing the massive facility, the Factal is obsessed with finding the Annihilation Sublime, a source of immense power which he believes can lead to the True Death.

The book itself is about 23 pages (although with the formatting structure on D&D Beyond, it’s possible that a print version would be slightly longer). In addition to the detailed lore and background on the Mortuary and the Heralds of Dust, the book also includes:

• 3 new monsters with associated stat blocks and backgrounds
• 5 new maps that can be both printed or used digitally
• 4 encounters (designed for Levels 3-11)

Notably, all of these elements have been added to the new D&D Beyond Maps VTT (which is currently being alpha tested).

What is Adventure Atlas?

This appears to be a new brand term that Wizards of the Coast is using for the first time with The Mortuary. It’s possible that this will be a recurring content line similar to the Gazeteers which were a key part of past DnD editions, and have been included in newer 5e campaign books. Wizards of the Coast has made these available on D&D Beyond, including recently releasing a free digital version of the Baldur’s Gate Gazetter, which originally appeared in print at the end of the Descent into Avernus (which, incidentally, is also of the best DnD campaigns in recent years).

It remains to be seen if any other upcoming materials (such as the Book of Many Things) will also be releasing new materials under the Adventure Atlas umbrella. It’s also not clear how the brand (if indeed it is a brand) will fit into the upcoming 2024 Core Rule Books.

Final Thoughts

There’s a been a fair bit of griping from DnD fans about the fact that Adventure Atlas: The Mortuary is a paid product, with many feeling that it should have been included in the Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse box set. That being said, based on the amount of content that’s included, charging $10 for it doesn’t seem outrageous and in fact, it’s great to see that Wizards of the Coast supporting the setting like this (something we haven’t really seen with new 5e Spelljammer and Dragonlance products). If anything, it would be great to get even more of these types of products, particularly given that fans have been clamoring for less adventures and more lore and background material.

If you’re a D&D Beyond subscriber you can now purchase Adventure Atlas: The Mortuary. Below is also a video from Wizards of the Coast which provides a little more information on what to expect in this new digital sourcebook.

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