Princes of the Apocalypse
| Princes of the Apocalypse | |
 |
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| Cover art by Raymond Swanland. | |
| Type: | Adventure |
|---|---|
| Code/Abbreviation: | PotA |
| Edition: | Fifth edition |
| Author(s): | Richard Baker, lead designer |
| Editor(s): | Michele Carter, Stacy Janssen |
| Cover Artist(s): | Raymond Swanland |
| Interior Artist(s): | John-Paul Balmet, Mark Behm, Eric Belisle, Filip Burburan, Christopher Burdett, Anna Christenson, Conceptopolis, Wayne England, Jason Engle, Jon Hodgson, Justin Mayhew, Jim Nelson, Klaus Pillon, Claudio Pozas, Ned Rogers, Lee Smith, Raymond Swanland, Matias Tapia, Richard Whitters, Kieran Yanner |
| Publisher: | WotC |
| First Published: | d 07 April, 2015 |
| Pages: | 255 |
| ISBN: | 978-0786965786 |
| Class: | Officially published content |
Princes of the Apocalypse is an adventure for fifth edition. The book itself refers to the World of Greyhawk as the "classic home" and "the natural and proper home for the Elemental Evil campaign."[1] Though it is not simply a fifth edition update for The Temple of Elemental Evil adventure, it is obviously drawn from that earlier source, and "draws many inspirations from the original adventure." There are many differences, though they are similar in theme and scope.
The sourcebooik also includes the official Greyhawk conversions for the fifth edition "Factions" (see below)
Description
Factions in fifth edition for Greyhawk
While the idea of Affiliations was introduced in third edition, in fifth edition this translates to Factions. The standard faction suggested in most fifth edition sources are given conversions and suggestions on how to use them for the Elemental Evil campaign, and for continuing use in any gameplay.
- The Circle of Eight—replacing the Harpers[2]
- The Church of Saint Cuthbert—replacing the Order of the Gauntlet[2]
- The Old Faith—replacing the Emerald Enclave, along with associated groups like the Gnarley Rangers[2]
- The Knights of the Hart—replacing the Lord's Alliance[3]
- The Thieves' Guild of Greyhawk—replacing the Zhentarim[3]
Summary
Across the North of Faerûn, four different elemental cults have caused natural disasters by utilizing devastation orbs. Secretly, the cults have come together to unleash an unknown catastrophic force. These cults are devoted to the Princes of Elemental Evil and serve the Elder Elemental Eye. Each cult is led by a prophet:
- The air cult, Cult of the Howling Hatred, is led by the elf princess Aerisi Kalinoth
- The earth cult, Cult of the Black Earth, is led by the male medusa Marlos Urnrayle
- The fire cult, Cult of the Eternal Flame, is led by the tiefling Vanifer
- The water cult, Cult of the Crushing Wave, is led by the sailor Gar Shatterkeel
This campaign takes characters from level 1 through level 15 as adventurers battle the elemental cults across the North and work to uncover their true agenda.[4][5][6] It is set in the Forgotten Realms year 1491 DR.[7]
Publication history
In January 2015, Wizards of the Coast announced their new Elemental Evil storyline which included their new adventure Princes of the Apocalypse.[8] Wizards of the Coast collaborated with Sasquatch Game Studios to produce this book.[9]
Princes of the Apocalypse was published on April 7, 2015.[5] A free corresponding player's guide, Elemental Evil Player’s Companion, was released earlier as a PDF on March 10, 2015.[10][11] The spells and the genasi race from the Elemental Evil Player’s Companion are reprinted in the adventure's appendices, though the goliath and aarakocra races and the duergar subrace for dwarves are not reprinted in Princes of the Apocalypse.[10]
Reception
Jason Louv, for Boing Boing, wrote that "Princes of the Apocalypse is built as a sandbox adventure. This is a massive improvement over the Tyranny of Dragons campaign, which suffered from heavy railroading (the bane of all tabletop role-playing) and single-outcome adventures."[4]
For SLUG Magazine's review, Henry Glasheen wrote that "I've found that many of the humanoid and elemental monsters fill in the challenge gaps left in their sections in the Monster Manual, making Princes of the Apocalypse an indispensable resource for creating my custom campaigns. [...] If you run Princes of the Apocalypse well, your players are going to be telling stories about it for the rest of your natural lifetime".[12]
Shawn Ellsworth, for Tribality's review, wrote that "Elemental Evil: Princes of the Apocalypse is a flexible campaign that balances the line between a plot driven and sandbox campaign, providing exploration, investigation, temple delving and more."[13]
External links
Disclaimer:Any lore presented through the following links does not necessarily adhere to established officially published content, and the views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki.
- Wizards of the Coast product page
- Online supplement for running this adventure without the Monster Manual or Dungeon Master's Guide
- Princes of the Apocalypse Errata
References
Notes
Citations
- ↑ Princes of the Apocalypse (2015), p.246, Appendix C.
- ↑ a b c Princes of the Apocalypse (2015) , p.247.
- ↑ a b Princes of the Apocalypse (2015) , p.248.
- ↑ a b Princes of the Apocalypse is D&D's killer app / Boing Boing. boingboing.net , 15 May 2015.
- ↑ a b Princes of the Apocalypse | Dungeons & Dragons. dnd.wizards.com.
- ↑ Hall, Charlie. Dungeons & Dragons is booming online, but not in the way you think. Polygon.
- ↑ (April 7, 2015) Princes of the Apocalypse, Renton, WA⧼colon⧽ Wizards of the Coast, pp. 19 ISBN: 9780786965786. OCLC: 902659304.
- ↑ Dungeons & Dragons Announces Elemental Evil as Next Storyline, Gives Release Dates | The Escapist (in en). www.escapistmagazine.com.
- ↑ Staff, Ars. Reviewed: Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition (in en-us). Ars Technica.
- ↑ a b Wizards of the Coast Releases Dungeons & Dragons Elemental Evil Player's Companion For Free | The Escapist (in en). www.escapistmagazine.com.
- ↑ D&D Encounters: Elemental Evil Begins, Free Player's Companion Available (in en). Comicbook.com.
- ↑ Glasheen, Henry. Dungeons & Dragons: Princes of the Apocalypse Review (in en-US). SLUG Magazine.
- ↑ Elemental Evil: Princes of the Apocalypse Review (in en-US). Tribality , 2015-04-06.
Bibliography
Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index
The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.
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