Odyssey of the Dragon Lords is the most epic adventure for D&D

Odyssey of the Dragon Lords is the most epic adventure for D&

Any storytelling expert will tell you that all the stories we read, see and play today refer to two stories: the Iliad and the Odyssey. The stories of role-playing games, especially the adventure ones, in the same way evoke distant tales, and Odyssey of the Dragon Lords is probably the most interesting crasis between the classic narrative and the more modern, shared one, that every day we players of role we create at the table.

The manual, published by Need Games for Italy, is the result of yet another successful Kickstarter for an accessory product related to the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons Dungeons & Dragons. A very special project, because the authors are James Ohlen and Jesse Sky, former creative directors of BioWare.

Thus, talented writers and artists from all over the world have worked within Odyssey of the Dragon Lords, people whose portfolio includes some of the best role-playing video games that history has ever given us. An adventure for Dungeons & Dragons that is influenced by videogame works such as Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Dragon Age: Origins, the first two Mass Effect and Star Wars: the Old Republic.

Can you ask for more?

Odyssey of the Dragon Lords: setting

At the dawn of time, a war between Gods and Titans changed Thylea's face forever. Millennia later the first mortals arrived, aboard ships and riding dragons. The Dragon Lords were the champions who defeated the Titans 500 years ago and obtained the Oath of Peace. But the power of the Oath is waning, and now the Titans are demanding revenge.

This is the opening words of Odyssey of the Dragon Lords, in which adventurers will be called by a prophecy, in a fully epic spirit, with the aim of ending the conflict once and for all.




Giocoforza if you don't love myths too much Greeks, which have actually been used and abused in many entertainment mediums for ages, you might find this campaign a bit indigestible.


The world of Thylea is full of divinities fighting each other, prophecies and oaths, which become narrative elements and, of course, ideas for the characters' backgrounds and adventures.

All this is explained in great detail, with some chapters dedicated to meticulously illustrating all the worldly and divine details of the world. At the same time, the authors put a lot of advice and suggestions on how to stage game situations worthy of Greek mythology, so that even those who are not well versed in classical literature can make the most of all the suggestions that are provided.

Campaign Structure

Odyssey of the Dragon Lords is an epic campaign in every sense, because it is designed for characters ranging from 1st to 15th level. A railroad adventure, which the authors have delimited through the use of some stakes: narrative triggers that allow the development of the most important nodes over six chapters.

Until the players reach the aforementioned nodes, some events that allow the story to continue, obviously the DM has the full freedom to let the players explore the world, perhaps going to develop their own subplots. It is the authors themselves who signal when it is necessary to go towards the epic ending, closing everything that was pending before the two final chapters and the related pitched battles.

As for the creation of the group of adventurers they are provided two main options. The characters can be sent by the Gods, destined for greatness, coming from another land destined to save it. Or they may come from Thylea and, in the most classic of calls to action, they will have to embark on their "hero's journey" to save their land.

With these simple hooks, which are obviously not mandatory but allow you to immediately give a clear idea of ​​what kind of characters to play, you have the opportunity to start Odyssey of the Dragon Lords in the way you prefer. With a little imagination in your own Dungeons & Dragons multiverse too, if you like.

Fantasy odyssey: races and options

Like any D&D module , this adventure also offers new options for players. Which can be used within Odyssey of the Dragon Lords but also in any of your games of the fifth edition of the most famous role-playing game in the world.

Fame is one of them. When characters perform great feats in history, they are rewarded with fame. It makes the hero's name immortal, and is the surest way to immortality. In practical terms, characters gain fame every time they do something out of the ordinary, and the more they get, the more famous they are. They can be from 1 to 20, and it is no coincidence that they correspond with the levels of the character.

With a single point, for example, the name of the character is known in the taverns of the area. Advancing with the points the benefits are not only narrative, but also practical. With nine points, for example, when he bows to the audience at the end of a theatrical performance, the character is showered with 1d100 silver coins. Up to 17 points, where the character has shrines to his name scattered throughout the kingdom, which are stormed by pilgrims and whose offerings can go directly to the character.

The characters, moreover, they may have Epic Paths in stages of creation. They are designed to give heroes mythical archetypes, which make them figures touched by the divine. They can be chosen in addition to the classic background, to give an additional nuance and a much stronger purpose.



Imagine a sort of reworking of the 7th Sea Stories, where the characters have some intermediate goals in their story, and as they reach them, they gain in-game benefits. In Odyssey of the Dragon Lords it is a great way to give the characters a very precise dimension in the world, as well as a mood and a purpose, and to incentivize the players by obtaining some bonuses.

Finally the playable races, obviously themed with the setting but which, as always, can be used in any story. These are in addition to those in the D&D Player's Handbook, which are perfectly contextualized within Thylea.

During character creation, players can choose six other unreleased races: Centaur, Medusa, Minotaur , Nymph, Satyr, Siren. All very elaborate races, from a narrative and game point of view, with very interesting and unpublished playful elements.

Finally, there is no shortage of new class archetypes, each for the basic ones presented in the Player's Handbook, and a nice set of new monsters and very dangerous creatures that live in Thylea and, by now you know it, also in each of your worlds.