Rime of the Frostmaiden Levels| Icewind Dale Campaign Progression
The new campaign module Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden is fairly modular. You play as characters who are exploring the cold north of the Icewind Dale. As such, you are in a terrifying environment, exploring a country that recently has been released from an ice-ridden jail. Horrifying… but intriguing. What artifacts lay within the Rime of the Frostmaiden? Who is still alive, and who can you save from their frozen destiny? Check out what an Icewind Journey looks like in our Rime of the Frostmaiden Levels 5E guide.
Spoiler: This article has spoilers for the Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign. Please do not read if you plan on being a player for the Icewind Dale campaign and do not want spoilers.
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Rime of the Frostmaiden Levels
Wizards of the Coast advertises Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden as a campaign for characters level 1 though 12. While the campaign is designed to start at level 1, there are some options for starting with another module and then dipping into this story at level 4 or 5.
Icewind Dale Chapters
Icewind Dale has 7 chapters, moving the players from basic exploration of Icewind Dale to the ancient depths of the necropolis of Ythryn. These chapters could easily be replaced with a small arc that goes through the same motions. However, for the sake of the story, please follow the chapters in the given order!
Chapter 1: TenTowns (Levels 1-4)
This chapter is the only one where you may replace the module with something else. From levels 1-4, players are given relatively little motivation, and the story hasn’t begun yet. If you want a more beginner-friendly module before the Icewind Dale starts in earnest, you can put an easier module in Chapter 1’s stead.
Chapter 2: Icewind Dale (Level 4)
Your players are led to adventure locations near, but not quite on, Icewind Dale. Introduce them to environmental hazards, like the cold, as well as to new NPCs that will be useful for information. This will let players prepare for problems they will encounter in future chapters, and get them invested in the story.
Chapter 3: Sunblight (Level 4 or 5)
A duergar is building a mechanical dragon to destroy the city of Ten-Towns. Xardorok Sunblight is a brutal man, and extremely cunning. The party is led on a run-around to foil specific elements of Sunblight’s plan, but is ultimately unable to stop the dragon.
Chapter 4: Destruction’s Light (Level 6)
The dragon has been unleashed! The party must destroy it before it destroys Ten-Towns. The dragon is evil to the core, despite being a construct, so the party must be creative to bring it down. This dragon is heavily resistant to magic, due to being made of chardalyn. It will take a lot to bring it down!
Chapter 5: Auril’s Abode (Level 7)
With the dragon destroyed, it’s time to find some artifacts. Find an orb and a book within the frigid isle of Solstice. This is an island-sized dungeon where the players will never feel truly safe… And they may even meet the brutal Frostmaiden Auril, who will become an extremely painful enemy for them. Her divine cultists and clerics will be more standard enemies while on this island.
Chapter 6: Caves of Hunger (Level 8)
With the “Rime of the Frostmaiden” in hand, the party can crack open the Reghed Glacier. Inside is a dungeon of ice, long and winding, and full of ancient treasure. However, it’s far from empty; while the Frostmaiden may or may not walk the earth, her servants will continue pestering the party.
Chapter 7: Doom of Ythryn (Level 9 – 12)
After surviving the Caves of Hunger, the characters run into a necropolis. Ythryn is an ancient city, sealed in ice for a reason. Now, the players must find ancient Netherese magic, or risk a quite problematic release of necromantic magic.
And those are all the chapters in our Rime of the Frostmaiden Levels Guide! Of course, your DM can change or alter whatever chapters they please, so this is not an open-and-shut case. The actual guide is quite in-depth, and full of dungeons and random encounters, that can be altered at whim! So, be sure to try out this campaign yourself, if you’re interested! Just… watch out for avalanches. And don’t forget to check out our Break down of the Frostmaiden herself, Auril.
