DriveThruRPG.com
Browse Categories
$ to $















Back
pixel_trans.gif
Frozen Castle - Expanding Tyranny of Dragons $2.99
Average Rating:4.4 / 5
Ratings Reviews Total
37 8
19 8
10 0
1 0
0 0
Frozen Castle - Expanding Tyranny of Dragons
Click to view
You must be logged in to rate this
pixel_trans.gif
Frozen Castle - Expanding Tyranny of Dragons
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Paul M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/21/2023 05:16:39

Just ran it with my party as part of Tyranny of Dragons and it's been one of the highlights thus far.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Frozen Castle - Expanding Tyranny of Dragons
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Michael C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/20/2021 22:44:45

A great addition to your Tyranny of Dragons campaign! If the castle adventure in Hoard of the Dragon Queen doesn't go extremely well, there could be a lot of loose ends. This packet does a great job of turning those into a fun wrap-up adventure before you launch into Rise of Tiamat!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Frozen Castle - Expanding Tyranny of Dragons
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Greg T. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/04/2020 03:55:04

Better than any of the actual chapters in Tyranny of Dragons: Look, I'm not knocking Tyranny of Dragons. I enjoyed it. But Frozen Castle is better than any chapter of the hardback. Heck, it's better than either of the two books of the hardback. There's enough here for a full (short) campaign set in the frozen north.

This is everything that Tyranny of Dragons was missing - memorable characters whose fates the players can affect; multiple paths to victory; a wide sandbox that players can tackle however they choose; exciting set-piece encounters; a finale that recognises and rewards the specific actions of the players up to that point. I cannot recommend this highly enough for anyone who is playing Tyranny of Dragons - or for that matter, anyone who wants a good mini-campaign set in the Savage Frontier. The amount it does with a quite limited number of pages is truly impressive.

Five stars. Highly recommended.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Frozen Castle - Expanding Tyranny of Dragons
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Ben R. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/04/2020 14:08:54

A fantastic add-on to Tyranny of Dragons, that frankly should have been included in the recent omnibus reprint of the campaign! If you've read Hoard of the Dragon Queen and ever got confused about the way it promises more about giants and Skyreach Castle in Rise of Tiamat -- well, this is where that stuff went. A great way to bridge the gap between the two or add a new side-quest, fits right into the existing material. My only caveat would be that I wish there was slightly more instruction on how best to integrate it into the printed material, but there's enough that any bright DM should be able to figure it out.

(Note: This expansion assumes that Skyreach Castle ended up crashed in the Miklos Glacier in the Spine of the World, as detailed at the end of HotDQ - if Blagothus took it there without crashing it you'll need to revise the adventure to take that into account, and if the PCs managed to just get it and keep it then this adventure is superfluous)



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Frozen Castle - Expanding Tyranny of Dragons
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Karthik N. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/30/2018 13:06:01

Love this expansion to Hoard of the Dragon Queen, great mini-adventure in the midst of the Rise of Tiamat!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Frozen Castle - Expanding Tyranny of Dragons
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by kévin c. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/03/2018 10:37:27

I bought it several time ago, and I'm actually running it right now, as part as a chapter of Tyranny Of Dragons, and it is actally one of the best moment of the campaign as far as I'm concern.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Frozen Castle - Expanding Tyranny of Dragons
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by A customer [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/03/2017 09:45:48

I bought this on sale, which upped the rating some. It is good, but I am un-sure how much of it I will end up using in the long run. It certainly makes the transition from HotDQ to RoT better and not as dis-jointed.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Frozen Castle - Expanding Tyranny of Dragons
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Jenny G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/16/2016 08:01:35

I've very much enjoyed this expansion so far. Big thanks to Kobold Press! With some customization to suit the circumstances of our game, it's working well as the basis of an arc for my group.

This assumes the castle crashed, full of treasure from HotDQ. I know that's the most likely outcome, but in my game, the party successfully got the treasure but not the castle. Blagothkust flew away.

So, since I still needed a crashed castle for this to work, I had Blagothkus proceed to the Misty Forest to pick up Neronvain's shipment, before the cult caught wind of losing the other pile of treasure. Then they sent Arveiturace (Arauthator's now-angry mate) and some cultists to attack the castle, successfully crashing it into the glacier.

From there we're proceeding as usual. Fun times!



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Frozen Castle - Expanding Tyranny of Dragons
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by A customer [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/07/2016 23:58:51

I've run this adventure and done a video review. It's got 9 locations, details on NPC's, an area map, enough material to allow players to convince the giants to aid them. It can be run as a stand alone adventure, but works great with the Rise of Tiamat.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Frozen Castle - Expanding Tyranny of Dragons
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Michael T. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/26/2016 06:28:50

Our tenth-level heroes include dwarven cleric of life Tobias Ironaxe (my character), halfling ranger beastmaster/druid Lektra Alderleaf (my five-year-old daughter's character), and gnome arcane trickster Elec Alderleaf (my eight-year-old son's character). Having driven off Arauthator from his lair in Oyaviggaton they head straight for the crash site of Skyreach Castle. To their dismay it is not a simple trek!

They wisely chose to go straight to Uldoveld, mead hall of Brunvild the frost giant jarl. They were received by Brunvild with much humor, who found Elec's lie about working for the orcs to be absurdly comedic. When Elec bragged that he had driven off Arauthator -- the same white dragon that had killed Brunvild's brother, Storvirk, the jarl took him much more seriously. Being a sneaky sort, Brunvild gave Elec the option of stealing a remorhaz egg or taking a dream quest. Lektra decided on the dream quest, leaving Elec and Tobias to go after a remorhaz in her lair.

Lektra's dream quest branded her with an ancient giant rune meaning "rebirth" and she was declared the spirit-heir of the long-dead giant warrior Salakko. Meanwhile, Tobias got eaten by a remorhaz while Elec sneak attacked it from behind -- only to discover remorhazes are immune to fire. They eventually defeated it thanks to Tobias' protective spells, with spirit guardians saving the day once more by tearing the remorhaz up from within.

Convinced that these are worthy allies, Brunvild and his frost giants set off. It's not really clear how many frost giants come with Brunvild -- he has "nearly a hundred" at his disposal, not counting his personal retinue of a dozen. If Brunvild even commits 50 giants to the castle, he could easily wipe out the opposing forces. I went with just Brunvild retinue to keep things interesting.

Upon reaching Skyreach Castle the PCs resolved several mysteries. Glahzael really was dead, his soul trapped in the nine lives stealer named Hunger. Rezmir had exploded, destroying the black dragon mask with her and much of Glahzael -- they found Hunger still stuck in Glahzael's claw a hundred feet away. With Hunger in his possession, Tobias restores Sir Isteval and Gog (the marble frog) to life. Alas, the cloud giant Esclarotta has died, but our heroes discover that her soul now pilots Skyreach Castle.

The giants set to work repairing the place, but Brunvild's absence leaves him vulnerable. The current Gru-Nar orc leader is secretly in league with Talis the White, who is determined to reclaim Rezmir's body and the treasure promised to Tiamat. Spying on them the whole time is Sandesyl Morgia, who long since moved her coffin out of the castle and bides her time for the perfect moment to strike.

That moment comes just as the castle is ready to take off. Gru-Nar commits his forces in a wave of 20 orcs to test the castle's defenses. They learn the hard way about Tobias' glyphs of warding, including two dragonwings who attempt to fly up to the tower to engage the heroes. Morgia surprises the PCs by charming Tobias and keeping him from acting. She then tears into the other two PCs, but the combined attacks of Elec and Lektra drive her off. By the time the battle in the tower is over, the second wave of orcs has begun.

The second wave lights the walls on fire with seal blubber and flaming arrows. The three dragonwings and dragonsouls keep the PCs busy, with the dragonwings getting off one devastating attack before falling to spirit guardians, spiritual weapon, and guardian of faith. The dragonsouls fire bolts of acid and are brought down by arrows from Elec and Lektra.

The orcs retreat with no frost giants left but Brunvild himself. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief...until they see the last wave come over the mountains. Over 160 orcs, backed by 16 dragonwings, with Talis the White and Gru-Nar himself astride Arauthator.

Tobias falls to his knees and prays. A storm brews overhead.

Arauthator strafes the tower with his breath weapon, but this time the heroes are ready. Tobias wears a ring of frost resistance and Elec dodges the attack completely. As Brunvild and Sir Isteval wade into the melee with the draongwings and orcs, Talis unleashes her wand of frost on the heroes while Gru-Nar throws handaxes. Arauthator drops Tlias and Gru-Nar off, casting cold spells from a distance while his breath weapon recharges.

Gru-Nar tears into the heroes with glee, headbutting Lektra and nearly knocking her out. Tobias spends all of his time keeping everyone healed. Occupied with the battle in the tower, the acid rain that falls from the skies is largely unnoticed but it is deadly to the orcs on the ground.

Lektra rallies and strikes back at Gru-Nar who knocks her to the ground. The orc leader raises his axe overhead with a roar of triumph -- and is promptly struck by a bolt of lightning. He falls over, dead, his corpse bouncing off the side of the tower.

Talis is luckier. Elec sneak attacks her into unconsciousness but Tobias heals her -- she has important information, and Talis has negotiated in the past.

The storm is too much for Arauthator. Lektra sends arrows into the white dragon, but he is well and truly defeated this time. He disappears into the haze as Skyreach Castle rises triumphantly above the storm. The orcs flee, beset by hailstones and freezing rain.

Tobias gives thanks to Moradin for his grace. Brunvild claims the castle for the giants. Isteval is restored to the Council. Elec and Lektra return some of the treasure to Phandelin (Elec decides 5,000 is appropriate). Tobias tithes much of his share to the church in thanks and Lektra likewise tithes to the Emerald Enclave. Thanks to Talis' information, the PCs know about the whereabouts of the white dragon mask. Skyreach Castle drops them off in the Serpent Hills to pursue Varram the White.

This adventure was a lot of fun to play out, although some of the details that were crucial to the battle seemed to be missing (like how many frost giants participate). The combat felt epic, with hordes of orcs and frost giants battling below while the heroes fought the dragonwings and dragonsouls from their tower. I particularly liked the opportunity to give three villains a second chance at the PCs: Morgia (determined to kill Tobias), Arauthator (unnerved by his defeat and willing to let his allies take the brunt of the conflict), and Talis (desperate to get a leg up on the cultist competition).

You can find more of my reviews on Patreon.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Frozen Castle - Expanding Tyranny of Dragons
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Georg K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/04/2016 12:21:24

I bought and quickly read it and it looks like a great expansion to use in between Hoard of the Dragon Queen and Rise of Tiamat. Some interesting possibilities for roleplaying, negotiation, and strategic combat. Five stars.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Frozen Castle - Expanding Tyranny of Dragons
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by A customer [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/03/2016 07:45:00

A well written expansion for the Tyranny of Dragons campaign. Lots of opportunities for role play and it really adds just a bit more to the overall story. Looking forward to more items like this hitting the DM Guild. Worth the money for sure.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Frozen Castle - Expanding Tyranny of Dragons
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Matthew M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/01/2016 16:00:29

A very well presented and written suppliment for the continuation of the Tyranny of Dragons! Focusing on story details over encounter specifics, what it does present is clear and easy to follow and/or expand upon for your own games. Well done!



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Frozen Castle - Expanding Tyranny of Dragons
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Jonathan S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/01/2016 13:34:22

An impressive release that shows the potential of this platform. An excellent piece of work worth every dime.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Frozen Castle - Expanding Tyranny of Dragons
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by James H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/01/2016 01:43:40

An excellent sandbox! This section of the Forgotten Realms isn't often detailed, and Alexander Winter does it with style. The different factions in this adventure are all well-presented, with clear motivations and methods to achieve them. The final showdown is an excellent battle, and is presented with just enough detail to give a DM creative control over the combat. I wish the Skyreach Castle map were reprinted here so I didn't have to refer back to Hoard of the Dragon Queen to run this battle, and I also wish the castle's "control panel" had appeared in Hoard of the Dragon Queen or Rise of Tiamat, but these are minor complaints at most.

If anyone from Kobold Press is reading this, there are a few small editing/formatting errors inside!

  • pg. 6 "If the cloud giant Blagothkus...". "Cloud giant" shouldn't be italicized here.
  • pg. 6 "...his remains and the matching bracelet can be found in Arauthator's iceberg in the Tyranny of Dragons: Hoard of the Dragon Queen episode "The Sea of Moving Ice." This one's a little confusing, as the "Tyranny of Dragons" heading isn't applied to Hoard of the Dragon Queen elsewhere in the text. Also, Arauthator's iceberg is in Rise of Tiamat, not Dragon Queen!

Pedantic quibbles aside, this adventure is a welcome addition to DMs Guild, and is a MUST-BUY for anyone playing Tyranny of Dragons.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Displaying 1 to 15 (of 16 reviews) Result Pages:  1  2  [Next >>] 
pixel_trans.gif
pixel_trans.gif Back pixel_trans.gif
0 items
 Gift Certificates