It has now been over two years since Rime of the Frostmaiden came out, and two years--almost to the day--since I released Caul of Winter on the DM's Guild as a supplement for Rime. Writing and publishing it was an incredible experience, and I have been gratified by the positive reception.
Anyway, one of the most popular parts of the supplement was always the two maps we made to help groups navigate the Dale. In honor of the anniversary, I'd like to share them with you here!
1st, a Travel Map. This takes the travel distances complied by the Alexandrian and combines it with actual, real-world travel times for walking or sledding in tundra conditions, all depicted in a beautifully-drawn, original version of the Icewind Dale Map. (If a mode of transportation has no speed listed for a certain terrain, you can't use it there.)
Add a bit more realistic travel times with this easy reference guide
Next, we have a Quest Map, which gives a visual overview of each town, with the following information.
- Name and Icon, showing the symbol of the town
- Danger rating, rated 1-3 Snowflakes. Especially at early levels, the Ten Towns can be deadly. This helps you avoid sending your party into a TPK unexpectedly.
- Brief description of key features of the town
- The Quest(s) which can be completed in that town (and side quests, where appropriate)
- Quest Hooks which can be picked up in that town
- And Arrows showing a visual aid as to where the quest hooks you pick up in each town will send you next.
- There's also a star next to Caer-Dineval, showing that your players will miss an important part of the plot if they skip that town (the Knights of the Black Swords, who give important context for understanding the Duergar invasion of Ten Towns), and a little note next to Caer-Konig recommending you hit it early, as you pick up some quests there that will take you to Caer-Dineval and Easthaven to the south.
Use this to plan your route and make informed decisions about where to start and where to go next.
If you like these, please check out Caul of Winter on the DM's Guild! I poured a lot of dreams into writing it, and I'm quite proud of it. What you can expect inside includes...
An introduction discussing the big picture plot and what's really going on with Auril.
A new opening adventure that starts south of the mountains and has the players entering the Dale, so that they can discover conditions there rather than being given them in backstory.
A discussion of how to run the chapters in and around Ten Towns, with suggestions, advice, and some new content.
A chapter with 31 new encounters and side quests to add flavor and verisimilitude to your game.
Revised environment rules for bringing the extreme cold to life at your table. Use these to put a bit more bite and realism in your winter conditions.
Of course its on sale for Black Friday, and I'm also working on some new DMs Guild releases coming up soon, so if you enjoy this, keep an eye out for more!