D&D’s latest picks up where Tales from the Yawning Portal left off. Yep, everyone’s favorite arch-lich to hate, Acererak, is back, and this time he’s brought a whole jungle of fun with him.
Tomb of Annihilation literally changes the rules. Something is draining the life from everyone who’s ever been resurrected or otherwise brought back from the dead. Spells that revive the deceased no longer work. In my 5e games, especially those with mid-level or higher PCs, that’s huge. Characters are going to die and stay dead in this campaign.
What, still not hard core enough for you? Then how about the optional “Meat Grinder Mode:” death saves have to beat a 15, not just a 10.
Beyond all the “toughest adventure yet” fireworks is a creative and atmospheric adventure with a lot to recommend it. The jungles of Chult are full of fun stuff for the PCs to interact with. They can bet on dinosaur races, make deals with a crazy necromancer who’s found a way to create zombies with personality, and even engage in political skullduggery with yuan-ti.
The whole crazy mess culminates in a dungeon tomb designed by Acererak for nine deceased-but-not-really-departed trickster gods. As you’d expect, it’s filled with death traps and fun puzzles that I’d love to spoil here but won’t.
Don’t get distracted by all the “hard core” talk around Tomb of Annihilation; yes, played by-the-book, this can in fact be a real meat-grinder of an adventure. But it’s also easy to tone down simply by ignoring the adventure’s alterations to the usual spell rules. Played under the normal rules in your Player’s Handbook, there’s still a surprising number of engaging NPCs, colorful locales, and bizarre hijinks for your PCs to get mixed up in.
Tomb of Annihilation is a 256 page hardback full-color book with a poster map inside. If you’d enjoy the challenge of playing D&D in “hard mode,” love dinosaurs and lost cities in deep jungles, or need stats for zombie t-rexes and Volo, ask for it at your local Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy® today.
