Dungeons & Dragons' next big hardcover adventure will plunge players into an everlasting winter's night. Officially titled Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, the book will be available on September 15, 2020. It will take players from levels 1-12 in the Icewind Dale setting, a location made famous through the stories of Drizzt Do’Urden and the Companions of the Hall. While marketing materials suggest these characters will appear in some fashion, the quest of Frostmaiden will rely on players' ability to survive in the harsh climate.
Rime of the Frostmaiden was unveiled at D&D Live 2020, Wizards of the Coast's annual celebration of the franchise. However, the return to Icewind Dale had been guessed at for some time. Fans uncovered art of the snowy landscape, and even the cover of the book at one point. Not all was leaked, though, as the storyline of Frostmaiden remained a mystery until the official reveal. Now, key figures behind D&D's development have shared that Frostmaiden is inspired by John Carpenter's The Thing.
In a pre-event stream, D&D 5e Lead Rules Designer Jeremy Crawford and Narrative Designer Chris Perkins discussed what themes they wanted to achieve with Frostmaiden. In bringing up The Thing, they mentioned the feelings of isolation and paranoia the movie brings. Feelings that they intend to make the players experience via new gameplay and narrative mechanics.
On the gameplay front, Crawford explained that the team looked to expand upon the rules for survival laid out in the Dungeon Master's Guide. That book already goes into how DMs can challenge players with extreme heat and cold, and maybe slow travel with adverse weather. But Frostmaiden will crank that up to 11. Ways to run camping out in a blizzard - including gathering food, staying warm, and such - will be detailed for those who like realistic elements in their campaigns. If it's action the party wants, rules for escaping an avalanche will be included.
When it comes to narrative, Perkins brought up the idea of party character secrets. He didn't go into great detail, but he said that there would be guidelines for starting Frostmaiden characters with a secret. These secrets are meant to up the paranoia factor as parties trapped in the frozen wilderness become unsure they can even trust each other. It sounds similar to the secrets found in the Descent Into Averus campaign, but with less outright sinister undertones.
Other takeaways include a general sense of understanding for DMs - Perkins and Crawford stressed that they've been listening to feedback. Frostmaiden will include "chapter summaries" that are supposed to make it easy for DMs to quickly read up and prep the next session. Monster and NPC stat blocks will also be placed in a more convenient fashion throughout the book.
Overall, Frostmaiden is billed as a culmination of everything the D&D team has learned while creating 5th edition. Those looking for a new campaign, a returned to a beloved setting, or to put some horror into their D&D should be pleased when September 15 comes along.