A review copy of “Ulraunt’s Guide to the Planes: Acheron” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

Support my work by using affiliate links for shopping and pledging via Patreon.

Designed by: Marc Altfuldisch, David J Moore, Hiten Dave, JVC Parry, Sean Hendrickson

If you put a boardsword to my neck and forced me to name the different outer planes of the D&D universe, I’d be headless after about three.

I knew nothing about Acheron going into Ulraunt’s Guide to the Planes: Acheron, a gargantuan 300-page sourcebook. But now I can tell you that it resides between Mechanus and the Nine Hells, a world of giant rotating metal cubes where orcs and goblins wage endless war, and the perfect setting for an epic, high level campaign.

The massive sourcebook is divided into four parts. Part One provides over 60 pages of detailed information on the plane of Acheron and its four layers, including the many cube-worlds that occasionally crash into one another while rotating through space.

The sourcebook includes everything from navigating subterranean cube travel to Elmer the Flumph Bartender who runs the Lonely Cube inn.

A short story is told throughout Part One, starring Ulraunt as a wizard roped into an adventuring party on a mission to Acheron. Many supplements and sourcebooks go the “so-and-so’s guide to something” route, but never have I seen the in-universe author used in such a compelling and immersive way.

The short story plays out over a dozen or so pages, and serves as an effective and thematic introduction to each layer, as the adventuring party journeys deeper into Acheron.

dms guild review

Part Two covers the many deities who make their home in the outer plane, including Bane and Grummsh, who have CR 42 statblocks! If you’re adventuring in the outer planes, you’ve reached the upper echelon of standard leveling in Dungeons and Dragons. Most of the material found here is designed specifically for epic campaigns, including notes and rules for running campaigns beyond 20 all the way up to 30, which, as far as I’m aware, isn’t officially supported in Fifth Edition.

Part Three adds new player options: one new race (bladelings), one new subrace (spriggan gnomes) and 18 new subclasses, including for Artificer and Blood Hunter.

I was surprised to find player options in an otherwise DM-focused supplement, especially one geared towards high-level characters.

The subclasses look like a lot of fun. They utilize the themes of Acheron, including warmongering, metal, and electricity. The Barbarian Path of Metallurgy can coat themselves in metal a la Colossus, the Druid Circle of Warshaping can go full T-1000 with liquid metal limbs, while the Paladin Oath of Fulmination can channel lighting and thunder to emulate a certain Norse god and Marvel hero.

The dozens of new spells also reflect the metallic theme of Acheron, including Electromagnetic Polarization, Gravitational Spear, Oxidizing Blast, and Static Discharge.

Part Four, the Bestiary, is the largest section, featuring over 100 new monster statblocks that take up the entire second half of the book. Things get really wild and crazy when you’re outside the material plane. How about facing a gargantuan flying electric eel, a gnome weremole, a horde of monstrous insectoids, or a giant slithering amalgamation of dozens of faces and limbs sealed away by proto-deities?

dms guild review

You’ll also find tons of new goblins, orcs, duergar, devils, constructs, and more, and nearly every page features awesome artwork. If you like monsters, especially crazy powerful ones, Part Four alone is worth the price of admission.

The entire product is extremely well-written, well-edited, and well-organized. The bestiary includes tables by CR, by Type, by Layer, and even by their Special Characteristics. A detailed Table of Contents and a monster Index make it easy to find the information you need, and the entire book has an attractive layout that’s easy and fun to read.

Simply put: this is one of the most impressive sourcebooks on the DMs Guild, and should not be missed by anyone interested in a high-level planar campaign.

Pros:

  • Over 60 pages of detailed lore and information on Acheron’s layers and denizens.
  • Well-written and immersive short story of an ill-fated adventuring party that highlights Acheron’s mysteries and dangers.
  • Notes and rules on running epic level (20+) content, including Mythic level spells.
  • One new race, one new subrace, and 18 new subclasses, including artificer and blood hunter.
  • Over 50 new spells.
  • Over 100 monster statblocks, emphasizing high level threats found in the outer planes.

Cons:

  • None!

The Verdict: Ulraunt’s Guide to the Planes: Acheron is an astonishingly comprehensive guide with hundreds of pages of well-organized lore, detailed locations, and powerful threats to craft the ultimate high-level campaign.

A review copy of “Ulraunt’s Guide to the Planes: Acheron” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.

Support my work by using affiliate links for shopping and pledging via Patreon.