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Dungeons & Dragons Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus Hardcover Book (D&D Adventure)

4.8 out of 5 stars 4,873
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From the manufacturer

Paladan

Forge Your Fate In Hellfire

Welcome to Baldur’s Gate, a city of ambition and corruption situated at the crossroads of the Sword Coast. You’ve just started your adventuring career, but already find yourself embroiled in a plot that sprawls from the shadows of Baldur’s Gate to the front lines of the planes-spanning Blood War! Do you have what it takes to turn infernal war machines and nefarious contracts against the archdevil Zariel and her diabolical hordes? And can you ever hope to find your way home safely when pitted against the infinite evils of the Nine Hells?

Inside Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus

Elves in Hell Avernus

Save Baldur’s Gate from being dragged into Avernus and its citizens from becoming fodder in the vicious battle between demons and devils known as the Blood War.

Set in an unforgiving plane and packed full of fresh adventures, chilling monsters, and brand-new mechanics, Descent into Avernus gives Dungeon Masters all they need to lead their adventurers into the Nine Hells.

War Machine

Introducing Infernal War Machines—vicious vehicles made of infernal iron, guarded by spikes, blades, chains, and siege weapons. Roar into battle in your own customized War Machine!

Carry small raiding parties or crush entire hordes of your enemies with stat blocks and variations for four different Infernal War Machines, plus tables for dangerous mishaps and deadly chases.

Devils

Devils lurk in Avernus, ready to lure adventurers with ultimate temptations of power and treasure—for a price.

Dungeon Masters have the tools to bargain for their players’ souls in exchange for their greatest wishes. Rules for the hierarchy of devils, what they can offer, what they expect in exchange, and how to form contracts are all included. Will your party resist temptation or give in to their desires?

D&D

An innovator in providing fantasy entertainment, Dungeons & Dragons is the wellspring for the entire modern game industry, digital as well as tabletop. Fifth edition D&D draws from every prior edition to create a universally compelling play experience, and exemplifies the true spirit of a game that holds captive the hearts and minds of millions of players worldwide. The core rulebook series consists of three books: the Player’s Handbook, the Monster Manual, and the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

Description

Diabolical dangers await in this adventure for the world’s greatest roleplaying game. 
 
Welcome to Baldur’s Gate, a city of ambition and corruption. You’ve just started your adventuring career, but already find yourself embroiled in a plot that sprawls from the shadows of Baldur’s Gate to the front lines of the planes-spanning Blood War! Do you have what it takes to turn infernal war machines and nefarious contracts against the archdevil Zariel and her diabolical hordes? And can you ever hope to find your way home safely when pitted against the infinite evils of the Nine Hells?
 
• This heroic Dungeons & Dragons adventure book takes players from levels 1 to 13 as they journey through Baldur’s Gate and into Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells.
 
• Baldur's Gate is among the most iconic locations in fantasy culture. A mist-cloaked metropolis on the Sword Coast, it’s a place of history and a home to heroes.
 
• The book introduces the infernal war machines to fifth edition D&D—battle-ready vehicles, which you can customize as you blast off into the Blood War.
 
• Dungeon Masters will entice their heroes with devils’ deals, designed to lure adventurers with the ultimate temptations of power and treasure.
 
• Created in 1974, D&D transformed gaming culture by blending traditional fantasy with miniatures and wargaming. Fifth edition D&D draws from every prior edition to create a universally compelling play experience

Features & details

Features

  • Save Baldur’s Gate from being dragged into Avernus and its citizens from becoming fodder in the vicious battle between demons and devils known as the Blood War.
  • Set in an unforgiving plane and packed full of fresh adventures, chilling monsters, and brand-new mechanics, Descent into Avernus gives Dungeon Masters all they need to lead their adventurers into the Nine Hells.
  • Introduces mechanics such as devils deals and the epic Infernal War Machines.
  • This adventure takes players from levels 1 to 13.

Product Details

  • Language: English
  • Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.7 x 11.1 inches; 2.13 Pounds
  • Manufacturer recommended age: 13 years and up
  • Item model number: WTCC62980000
  • Date First Available: May 12, 2019
  • Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
  • ASIN: 0786966769
  • Country of Origin: USA
  • Average Customer Review : 4.8 out of 5 stars 4,873
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank
    #26,272 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
    #61 in Dungeons & Dragons Game
    #574 in Dragons & Mythical Creatures Fantasy (Books)
    #911 in Sword & Sorcery Fantasy (Books)
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4 stars and above

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars4.8 out of 5
4,873 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the storyline fascinating and interesting, with great NPCs. They also appreciate the content, saying it has amazing details, fun new mechanics, and new ideas for campaigns. Readers also appreciate beautiful artwork and the writing style, saying the book is really well written and easy to follow. They say the book has great adventures and a great campaign.

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StorylineContentArtworkWriting styleCampaignReadabilityBook binding
StorylineContentArtworkWriting styleCampaignReadabilityBook binding
49Customers mention
45Positive
4Negative

Customers find the storyline fascinating, with good plot hooks and useful for adapting to any adventure. They also like the path and challenges, saying the group is having a lot of fun. Customers also say the book contains many dungeons and source material to keep the campaign going.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

"Descent Into Avernus is a fully fleshed out adventure starting in the famous city of Baldur's Gate and leading the party into the first layer of hell..." Read more

"...Many of these quests are atmospherically interesting (e.g., retrieve something from a crashed flying fortress) but don't require any real ingenuity..." Read more

"The book is like new and I am beyond happy. I was amazed at how fast the book arrived. Wonderful experience all around." Read more

"...Overall good adventure with some polish both figuratively with the story and the physical book...." Read more

32Customers mention
26Positive
6Negative

Customers find the book has amazing details, cool concepts, locations, mechanics, and characters. They also say it's engaging, has good descriptions of how politics in a corrupt city work, and provides great setting information for Avernus. Readers also mention the module features a full campaign that's great for urban-based campaigns.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

"The beginning of the module is great for urban-based campaigns...." Read more

"...no major beef here with this, the writing is succinct, the story very understandable with plenty of unique configuration/flavoring that can be added..." Read more

"...Verdict: Avernus is described in loving detail and also succeeds as a broad canvas; it is as vivid as a trip to hell should be...." Read more

"...The writers have done a good job fleshing out Avernus, giving a good amount of detail but leaving room for the DM to be creative...." Read more

15Customers mention
15Positive
0Negative

Customers find the artwork in the book beautiful and a nice change of scenery from the standard campaign books.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

"I can't wait to get into this campaign. It's a beautiful book. Absolute gem of a printing job, as usual...." Read more

"...The artwork is stunning, and they even include a section of concept art, a few great but spoiler-y touches, an a large fold-out map of Elturel..." Read more

"...reviews are about since mine came with full colored maps and a phenomenal artwork...." Read more

"...mechanics, and characters all represented with some deviously delicious art...." Read more

10Customers mention
10Positive
0Negative

Customers find the writing style well-written, well-laid out, and easy to follow. They also mention that the book is fun.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

"...There's no major beef here with this, the writing is succinct, the story very understandable with plenty of unique configuration/flavoring that can..." Read more

"...The adventure writing is good but not excellent (definitely one of the top five adventures)...." Read more

"I’ve only read a couple dozen pages but it’s really well written with interesting NPCs with their own agendas...." Read more

"...Reading it cover to cover, it’s the best written and most well-structured book WotC has written for 5E. Not only this, but the story doesn’t..." Read more

6Customers mention
6Positive
0Negative

Customers find the book's campaign great.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

"...Good writing and a good campaign. My group enjoyed running it." Read more

"...Wealth of information and ideas not to mention a great campaign!" Read more

"Great campaign book!..." Read more

"Great Campaign! Would recommend..." Read more

6Customers mention
6Positive
0Negative

Customers find the book well-laid out, easy to follow, and fun. They also say the story has a good balance of story and difficult challenge, and it's easy to mod the campaign. Readers also mention that the book has an incredible set-up with a really good background.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

"...So, I guess, my review would be Avernus has an incredible set-up with a really good background story and lore...." Read more

"...difficult but fair...." Read more

"...It's a good story that's so far really easy to follow for me as a dm. My players are about a 1/4 of the way in and having a blast so far...." Read more

"...ive modified the campaign drastically and its easy to mod this campaign. obv if ur a dm you know everything is up for change...." Read more

5Customers mention
0Positive
5Negative

Customers find the book binding horrible.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

"...First off the binding job on mine is really bad...." Read more

"...placed on my bookshelf, sits on the pages, not the cover, the binding is extremely off...." Read more

"...I don't know if it was never glued, or if the glue was just defective, but I'm very worried that the entire thing is going to all apart on me...." Read more

"...complaint is the same complaint I have with every 5E book: the binding is horrible! Binding is already about dead after my initial read through...." Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

John Thomas Mohler
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Great Adventure!
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2024
Style: Physical Book
Had such a great time being the Dungeon Master with this! All my fellow Gamers really enjoyed it
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zunami
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
One of my favorite modules to date
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2024
Style: Physical Book
The beginning of the module is great for urban-based campaigns. The ending of the module works well for mid to high-tier campaigns and you can even strip the plot away and just use this for an Avernus sandbox. The detailed Baldur's Gate material is great for any campaign... See more
The beginning of the module is great for urban-based campaigns. The ending of the module works well for mid to high-tier campaigns and you can even strip the plot away and just use this for an Avernus sandbox. The detailed Baldur's Gate material is great for any campaign that ends up taking the players to Baldur's Gate - which is certainly a popular destination these days.
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Christopher A. Durel
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Great campaign book!
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2020
Style: Physical Book
Descent Into Avernus is a fully fleshed out adventure starting in the famous city of Baldur's Gate and leading the party into the first layer of hell. There's a lot of cool lore to unlock, enemies to fight, and discoveries to be made. My only complaint is that there are... See more
Descent Into Avernus is a fully fleshed out adventure starting in the famous city of Baldur's Gate and leading the party into the first layer of hell. There's a lot of cool lore to unlock, enemies to fight, and discoveries to be made. My only complaint is that there are some uneven bits and parts that aren't outlined well enough, but the thing I discovered while running this is that I think that was intentional because it gives the DM this giant canvas in which they can paint their own custom parts to the campaign.

It works as a really good balance between 100% in-the-book and the DM getting to get creative with the world and scenario. My players had a lot of fun and did some insanely unexpected things (that the book didn't explicitly allow, but had enough background information for me to imagine how these things would work).

So, I guess, my review would be Avernus has an incredible set-up with a really good background story and lore. Some of its quests are a little rough around the edges but there is so much content in the book that the DM can very easily adapt and create new things for the players to do that fall in line with the overall story.

Definitely my favorite of the 5e adventures, we had a ton of fun! Highly recommend!
3 people found this helpful
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Shoppy McShopperson
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Brand new, in perfect condition and sending you to Hell!
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2024
Style: Physical Book
I can't wait to get into this campaign. It's a beautiful book. Absolute gem of a printing job, as usual. Everything is high quality and there's a pull out something in the back I've not removed yet. I hope it's a map.
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Douglas Snazel
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Super fun, a little campy
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2020
Style: Physical Book
One day, a prominent producer at Wizards of the Coast read Faust and then watched Mad Max. The resulting inspiration afterward was Descent in Avernus. The module features a full campaign, rushing the characters along quickly at first (level 1-4 go VERY fast in... See more
One day, a prominent producer at Wizards of the Coast read Faust and then watched Mad Max. The resulting inspiration afterward was Descent in Avernus.

The module features a full campaign, rushing the characters along quickly at first (level 1-4 go VERY fast in this module) but then settling down to a normal pace/cadence by the middle of the adventure.

There's a fine line between lethal monsters, treacherous locations and pure camp. This module does NOT take itself too seriously, which allows the DM to keep it fluid and easy when they run it. So if you are looking for GRIT, this module is not it. If you are looking to hit the accelerator while driving away from a flying Erinyes, you've hit the jackpot.

The module starts out as a conveyor belt to start, but opens up to less linear exploration and advancement. DMs have plenty of room to customize the experience.

Power gamers will love the plethora of items, gear and power that can be accumulated (warning you may lose your soul in the process, the theme of TEMPTATION and CORRUPTION rings throughout the module).

RPers will dig the creative NPCs and the unraveling story, that reveals cool snippets of lore and secrets as you advance. And what RPer would not want to give their LG War Priest a spin on the first level of Hell.

If you are a fan of the old Planescape game, you'll love the heavy reliance on the lore of the The Blood War and the endless battle between Demons and Devils, a central tenant to the module's story.

There's no major beef here with this, the writing is succinct, the story very understandable with plenty of unique configuration/flavoring that can be added by savvy DMs.

The only thing that will stop you from liking this module is the tone. This module's tone is a juxtaposition of evil, war, blood, lust, temptation and corruption blended with tiny flying elephants full of glitter and huge raging, heavy metal vehicles lifted right out Mad Max.

Think of this way, you can call the rock band "KISS" a metal band, but it's so dressed up with makeup, feather boas, latex and clown makeup that it's sometimes easy to forget it's a metal concert. Descent in Avernus is the "KISS Destroyer" of D&D modules.
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Anonymous
4.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Super imaginative, but with some uneven bits and a few creaky plot devices
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2019
Style: Physical Book
I have read only about 2/3 of Descent into Avernus so far, but I can already tell that the book creates a really imaginative alternate world (like the Underdark in Out of the Abyss, Barovia in Curse of Strahd, Waterdeep in Dragonheist), peopled with compelling characters... See more
I have read only about 2/3 of Descent into Avernus so far, but I can already tell that the book creates a really imaginative alternate world (like the Underdark in Out of the Abyss, Barovia in Curse of Strahd, Waterdeep in Dragonheist), peopled with compelling characters the PCs want to help and details that provide the right mix of dread and humor. Since this is the factor I care about most in these adventures, I'm going to give 4 stars, even though it probably deserves 4.5. The adventure is probably not quite as good as Out of the Abyss and Strahd (my favorites), but probably a little better than Storm King's Thunder (more imaginative than SKT, but with similarly creaky plot mechanics).

Spoilers are included from this point forward: The basic story is that a city named Elturel is being dragged literally down into hell as a result of an infernal bargain between its mayor and a fallen angel/archdevil named Zariel. Huge chains are gradually winching it down into the area around the River Styx, and the PCs are trying to stop this from being finally accomplished. To do this, they must travel around a plane of hell, Avernus, and find a magical Sword of Zariel. They can use the sword to save the city in various ways. Interestingly, the ultimate outcome is much more open-ended than in other big 5e adventures: e.g., the PCs can try to persuade Zariel to renounce evil (DC 25 check reduced if certain NPCs are present), or they can sacrifice one of their souls in an infernal bargain to save Elturel, or they can try to enlist any of Zariel's several enemies (demonic or celestial) to destroy the physical chains holding the city down. I'm not sure yet how to present all these possibilities to my players, but the authors are definitely giving me and my players a lot of really interesting material to work with.

Pros: Avernus is brought to life as a hellish place, peopled with really cool NPCs and tons of atmospheric detail. Example #1: there is a snuggly mini-elephant named Lulu with wings and Styx-induced amnesia, who can help the PCs as she recovers her memories as Zariel's sidekick back before Zariel's fall. Example #2: the PCs meet a hag who runs a kind of junkyard in hell, and who can give the PCs a Mad Max style war machine to drive across hell. She has a flameskull who might become friendly toward the PCs if they can recover one of his teeth, which has been pilfered by some mischievous devils who also work for the hag. Another really great thing about the story is that the possibility of redeeming Zariel or finding some other way to save Elturel seems like a pretty great overall objective. I also appreciate that the conclusion of the story is going to be up to the players, potentially with lots of negotiating with devilishly cunning adversaries. And the whole idea of a city being slowly dragged down into hell is great.

Cons: 1) the PCs are often moved around the story by some pretty weak plot devices. For example, they are told to get the Sword of Zariel without being told how this helps save Elturel. I think the DM ideally would change these features. 2) the intro chapter in Baldur's Gate is kind of ho hum, and Baldur's Gate is such a bleak place that the PCs are unlikely to develop a connection to the city that is in any way similar to the love my players developed for Waterdeep in Dragonheist. (I may try to use Murder in Baldur's Gate, an older low-level D&D adventure available on DMs Guild, as a way to introduce my players to the city.) Similarly, the players are told they must save Elturel before they have ever visited that place or developed a connection to it, which might feel kind of artificial. A little homebrew prologue in Elturel before disaster befalls it might be a good way to avoid this.

Verdict: Avernus is described in loving detail and also succeeds as a broad canvas; it is as vivid as a trip to hell should be. There are some weaknesses in the story, esp before the PCs arrive in hell. But I still think the good far outweighs the bad, and puts this in the top tier of published D&D adventures, just below Abyss, Strahd and Waterdeep, but above Storm King's Thunder and well above Princes of the Apocalypse and Rise of Tiamat. After I've actually run it with my players, I may revisit this review, and I suspect that if anything I'll be giving it a higher rating.

UPDATE 7/3/2020: I finished running Avernus with my players and found that the experience mostly confirmed my initial impressions. A few additional/expanded criticisms: (1) The heart of the action in Avernus is asking monster X where the Sword of Zariel is, and the end result is this supposedly knowledgeable creature requires the PCs to perform a quest but then sends the PCs to someone ELSE supposedly in the know, who does the SAME thing. This eventually leads to the sword and the confrontation with Zariel, but the runaround leading up to this point feels artificial. Many of these quests are atmospherically interesting (e.g., retrieve something from a crashed flying fortress) but don't require any real ingenuity to perform. They feel like filler to get the PCs up to 12th level or whatever. (2) There is a section on "other locations" in Avernus (p. 122) where the PCs can happen upon some little random encounters at the DM's discretion. A few of these are really good and the best part of the adventure -- e.g., a devil who wants the PCs to go down in a barely functioning diving bell to retrieve something from the bottom of the river Styx. I tried to work these in as required steps toward getting the Sword of Zariel. (3) The final encounter with Zariel is hard to DM and again feels underwritten and artificial. Where does it take place? It seems to occur on a giant battlefield where Z's army is battling demons to take control of Elturel. But if the PCs start fighting her, what's to stop Z's army of thousands from coming to help her out? I just kind of hand waved that. (4) Still believe that the adventure works better if it is Baldur's Gate getting dragged down to hell rather than Elturel. (5) The lack of a defined geography in Avernus (e.g., this location is here, 3 days' travel from this other spot) makes the adventure feel a little thin, unless the DM adds these details.

Overall I still feel comfortable comparing DIA to Storm King's Thunder, which like this adventure has some excellent bits but can also be a bit creaky in its plot mechanics. I would actually say SKT is slightly better, and less work for the DM, but for what it's worth my players told me DIA was slightly better, probably because of the more exotic environment. So think four stars is still about right.
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DesireeSouth
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Super great experience
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2023
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The book is like new and I am beyond happy. I was amazed at how fast the book arrived. Wonderful experience all around.
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R.flewellen
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Great gift
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2024
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I purchased this as a gift and they love it!
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Marcos Miotti
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Muito legal, excelente suplemento
Reviewed in Brazil on July 21, 2023
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PB
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Reise in die Hölle!
Reviewed in Germany on September 4, 2023
"Dungeons & Dragons Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus" bietet zweifellos ein aufregendes und komplexes Abenteuer, das die Spieler in die Hölle von Avernus führt. Die Geschichte, die sich im Verlauf des Abenteuers entfaltet, ist gut durchdacht und bietet eine Vielzahl von...See more
"Dungeons & Dragons Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus" bietet zweifellos ein aufregendes und komplexes Abenteuer, das die Spieler in die Hölle von Avernus führt. Die Geschichte, die sich im Verlauf des Abenteuers entfaltet, ist gut durchdacht und bietet eine Vielzahl von Herausforderungen und Wendungen. Ein bedauerlicher Aspekt dieses Abenteuerbuchs ist jedoch, dass der Einsatz von Baldur's Gate, das im Titel prominent erwähnt wird, vergleichsweise begrenzt ist. Die Anfangssequenz in Baldur's Gate bietet zwar eine interessante Einführung, aber das eigentliche Abenteuer verlagert sich relativ schnell in die Hölle von Avernus. Dies könnte enttäuschend sein für Spieler und Dungeon Masters, die sich mehr Interaktionen und Abenteuer in Baldur's Gate gewünscht hätten. Abgesehen von dieser Kritikpunkt bietet das Buch dennoch eine Fülle von kreativen Ideen, moralischen Dilemmata und aufregenden Herausforderungen, die es zu einem lohnenswerten Erlebnis machen. Dungeon Masters haben auch die Möglichkeit, die Handlung anzupassen, um mehr Raum für Aktivitäten in Baldur's Gate zu schaffen, wenn dies gewünscht wird.
"Dungeons & Dragons Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus" bietet zweifellos ein aufregendes und komplexes Abenteuer, das die Spieler in die Hölle von Avernus führt. Die Geschichte, die sich im Verlauf des Abenteuers entfaltet, ist gut durchdacht und bietet eine Vielzahl von Herausforderungen und Wendungen.

Ein bedauerlicher Aspekt dieses Abenteuerbuchs ist jedoch, dass der Einsatz von Baldur's Gate, das im Titel prominent erwähnt wird, vergleichsweise begrenzt ist. Die Anfangssequenz in Baldur's Gate bietet zwar eine interessante Einführung, aber das eigentliche Abenteuer verlagert sich relativ schnell in die Hölle von Avernus. Dies könnte enttäuschend sein für Spieler und Dungeon Masters, die sich mehr Interaktionen und Abenteuer in Baldur's Gate gewünscht hätten.

Abgesehen von dieser Kritikpunkt bietet das Buch dennoch eine Fülle von kreativen Ideen, moralischen Dilemmata und aufregenden Herausforderungen, die es zu einem lohnenswerten Erlebnis machen. Dungeon Masters haben auch die Möglichkeit, die Handlung anzupassen, um mehr Raum für Aktivitäten in Baldur's Gate zu schaffen, wenn dies gewünscht wird.
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Devonian cameraman
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
A really fun adventure, look forward to running it
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 2, 2023
Having read through this, I can't wait to run it. It's quite varied and there are some fun NPC's I want to play
Having read through this, I can't wait to run it.
It's quite varied and there are some fun NPC's I want to play
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Great Adventure
Reviewed in India on February 25, 2023
Multiple ending, nice magic items and lore is pretty cool.
Multiple ending, nice magic items and lore is pretty cool.
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Michel Bidault Valle
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Aventura de alta calidad
Reviewed in Mexico on September 8, 2020
Una aventura excelente para novatos o experimentados, historia en el mismísimo averno, autos estilo madmax, que más puedes pedir ??
Una aventura excelente para novatos o experimentados, historia en el mismísimo averno, autos estilo madmax, que más puedes pedir ??
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