Written by: Alex LeFort
The fiery depths of Descent into Avernus provide a backdrop like no other. The air is thick with despair and the landscape is a testament to the endless battle between good and evil. As adventurers navigate this infernal plane, the environment itself challenges their resolve, their morality, and their very essence. So, what are the best maps to use with Descent into Avernus? Here are 10 blazing, bloody (or both!) maps from Czepeku's catalogue, each chosen to enrich your campaign.
10. Hell’s Tax Office
In the merciless economy of Avernus, Hell's Tax Office could be a crucial stop for adventurers needing soul coins. Picture a heist scenario where characters must outwit devilish clerks and break into infernal vaults, or perhaps a diplomatic mission turns sour, requiring quick thinking to navigate the bureaucracy of the Hells. This map offers a unique blend of intrigue and danger, usable for a session focused on cunning, combat, or both, where acquiring soul coins could be key to securing allies or passage through Avernus.
9. Ancient Battlefield - Hell Day
Set against the backdrop of a war that never ends, the Ancient Battlefield is ripe for a harrowing journey through the remnants of demonic and devilish forces. Use this map for a dynamic encounter where characters must navigate a minefield of magical traps left by ancient armies or engage in a running battle against a wandering Warlord’s forces. It's an opportunity to introduce legendary weapons or artifacts lost in the fray, requiring players to solve puzzles or defeat guardians that linger among the war-torn ruins.
8. Bone Dryad Ossuary - Totem
Within the cursed Bone Brambles of Avernus, the Bone Dryad Ossuary hides secrets and dangers. It could serve as the lair of Red Ruth the hag or instead be a hidden enclave to which the corrupted dryads still cling. Imagine a quest to recover a powerful necromantic artifact, leading the party into a deadly game of cat and mouse with a bone dryad who guards the ossuary. This eerie setting is suited for encounters that test the party’s resolve against undead horrors and traps that play on their fears, offering possibilities for combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving in a hauntingly beautiful landscape.
7. Court of Justice - Hell
Want to continue your Avernus campaign after an unexpected TPK? The infernal Court of Justice offers a rare opportunity for role-play-heavy sessions where the party’s fate can be argued before a devilish tribunal. Consider a scenario where the characters must defend their souls against false accusations, using evidence gathered throughout Avernus to secure their freedom or negotiate a lesser punishment. Alternatively, they are granted life once more on the condition of fulfilling a dangerous bargain for a powerful devil. This map provides a setting for tense negotiations, moral quandaries, and the chance to turn enemies into allies through wit and persuasion.
6. Mangrove Forest - Blood Grove
The Blood Grove offers a stark contrast to the fiery plains, a mangrove forest stained with the blood of battles past. This map is ripe for random encounters that highlight the ecological diversity of Avernus, possibly involving demonic plants, bloodthirsty beasts, or even treacherous terrain that bleeds. Introduce environmental challenges and monstrous predators that lurk in the grove, requiring players to use strategy and stealth to navigate the perilous terrain.
5. Oni Hideout - Blood Moon
How about adding a new NPC to your Avernus campaign? This map introduces an oni, a formidable figure drawn to Avernus by tales of the Blood War's chaos and the opportunity it presents for a cunning entity. Exiled from his native plane due to a failed coup, this oni has carved out a niche in the first layer of the Hells, leveraging his skills in deception and magic to gather secrets and artifacts of power. The adventurers might encounter him as they seek to untangle Zariel's complex machinations or find the Sword of Zariel. Though his knowledge and resources could prove invaluable, his motivations are his own. Will he aid the party as a guide and informant, or will his own ambitions lead to betrayal?
4. War Room - Interior
Before the descent into the Hells, the War Room in Candlekeep may serve as the last bastion of strategy. Use this map for a high-stakes planning session where NPCs offer quests that can sway the balance in Avernus. Maybe you introduce a spy network, secret weapon caches, or maps to hidden portals, allowing players to gather resources and allies for their journey. This setting can be the stage for dramatic reveals, betrayals, or the forging of crucial alliances, shaping the campaign's direction.
3. Slum District - Lava
As Elturel teeters on the brink of doom, its districts, now overrun with lava and fiends, become battlefields for the party’s courage and compassion. Consider designing an encounter focused on saving civilians from demonic enslavement or navigating collapsing buildings as the party makes its way to High Hall. This map offers a dramatic setting for heroism amidst despair, challenging players to make tough choices in the face of overwhelming odds.
2. Megalith Gate - Lava Plains
The Megalith Gate can serve to further illustrate the diversity in topography throughout Avernus, as well as serve as the setting for the party to meet another of Avernus’s wandering characters—Smiler the Defiler. Perhaps instead of a direct confrontation, envision a scenario where Smiler has lost a prized possession into the fissure's depths. He seeks to enlist the party's aid to retrieve it, promising valuable information or assistance in navigating Avernus. Should they refuse, however, maybe Smiler decides that the party would be more useful to him dead than alive.
1. Badger Hill - Flames
Before the party can wield the Sword of Zariel, they must be judged worthy by Yael, who pulls them into a memory of Zariel’s final battle against Yeenoghu in Idyllglen. There are several Czepeku maps you can use to serve as the backdrop for encounters within this town. Perhaps none are more appropriate to immediately introduce the memory than the burning building atop Badger Hill. Here, the party must fell a pack of gnolls before venturing further into the besieged town to meet Zariel and the demon lord of gnolls.
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