First Published 1 July 2021

Waterdeep, Dungeon Of The Mad Mage

Released 13 November 2018

Released on 13 November 2018 - a couple of months after its companion Waterdeep, Dragon Heist - this book takes adventurers in The City Of Splendors underground, focusing on the most legendary dungeon in Faerûn - Undermountain.

Unlike other adventures released to date, this book is a true sandpit in that there is no ultimate goal beyond surviving to tell your tale. Sure, there are boss fights and treasures to find, but your party can choose to totally ignore that stuff and just explore if they want. There are enough small plotlines going on to keep most parties of adventurers happy.

The book details all 20+ levels across a packed 320 pages. A separate chapter is also dedicated to Skullport, the underground home of any pirate worth anything in the region. Considering how much content and history that needed to be squeezed into the pages the D&D team have done an amazing job of capturing everything a DM would ever need, with an absolute minimum of the 'you can detail this area yourself' that is often seen in such large dungeons. There is more than enough here to keep an average weekly game rolling along for months. Having said that though, this certainly isn't a book you can expect to pick and play with little effort.  The DM will have to put a bit of work in to make this story happen. Each level of Undermountain is different to the one before, so much so each will feel almost like a new adventure, and the maps are well draw and detailed to accommodate.

In summary - buy this book if you and your players are keen to attempt the ultimate 5e dungeon crawl. Don't buy it if you are looking for a highly detailed linear plot that has defined ending.