The world of tabletop roleplaying games is vast and filled with imaginative adaptations, reinterpretations, and customizations. Among the more creative community-driven efforts, The Alexandrian Descent into Avernus stands out as a unique reworking of the official Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus campaign by Wizards of the Coast. This version is shaped by the analytical and narrative philosophies of Justin Alexander, a noted figure in RPG theory and design. Players and Dungeon Masters who are searching for a deeper, more interconnected adventure often explore The Alexandrian’s contributions as a way to improve structure, flow, and engagement in their campaigns. Understanding what makes The Alexandrian Descent into Avernus special means examining how it differs from the original and what value it brings to a Dungeons & Dragons experience.
The Foundations of Descent into Avernus
Official Module Overview
Descent into Avernus is a Fifth Edition D&D campaign that begins in the troubled city of Baldur’s Gate and transitions into the hellish first layer of the Nine Hells, known as Avernus. It’s a high-stakes adventure where characters may start at low levels and eventually find themselves battling devils, dealing with infernal contracts, and attempting to save the fallen city of Elturel. The original module is cinematic in scope, but often criticized for its abrupt transitions, unclear motivations, and underdeveloped story threads.
Common Critiques
Some Dungeon Masters have noted that players feel railroaded by the module’s structure, with too few opportunities for meaningful choices early in the campaign. Others highlight that the motivation for the player characters to journey into Avernus is sometimes thin, making the shift from Baldur’s Gate to Hell feel unearned or jarring. These criticisms are part of what led The Alexandrian to produce his own overhaul of the adventure.
What Is The Alexandrian Descent into Avernus?
Reworking for Depth and Player Agency
Justin Alexander’s version of Descent into Avernus retools the campaign to create stronger narrative cohesion, deeper worldbuilding, and more robust player choice. His work is built on principles like the Three Clue Rule, meaningful scenario structure, and ensuring that players can take agency-driven paths through the story. Rather than creating entirely new content, he reshapes existing material to enhance coherence and fun.
Key Changes and Features
- Expanded Factions: The faction game in Baldur’s Gate is more fully developed, giving players ties to different organizations and making the early chapters feel more grounded and political.
- The Dungeon of the Dead Three: This section is made more dynamic, with better connections to the city’s larger power struggles and multiple entry points based on player decisions.
- Infiltration of Vanthampur Manor: Instead of being a straightforward dungeon crawl, the Alexandrian’s version includes political intrigue and branching outcomes.
- Stronger Hooks into Avernus: New or expanded character connections to Elturel, Zariel, or the Hellriders help justify why the party would risk everything to descend into the Nine Hells.
- Pointcrawl Exploration: Once in Avernus, the geography becomes a pointcrawl (a web of connected locations rather than a linear path), which supports player exploration and choice.
The Pointcrawl in Avernus
What Is a Pointcrawl?
A pointcrawl is a map-based exploration tool where players move between key locations connected by travel paths, rather than following a railroaded narrative. In Avernus, which is described as a chaotic and changing landscape, a pointcrawl helps capture the unsettling nature of Hell while giving players freedom to explore, trade, fight, and manipulate events as they see fit.
The Alexandrian’s version maps out locations like warlords’ camps, crashed celestial fortresses, infernal markets, and Zariel’s warfront. Each location is tied to quests, NPCs, and story revelations, making exploration feel rewarding. The Infernal War Machines from the original campaign are also given more purpose, becoming essential tools for navigating the terrain and pursuing objectives.
Improved NPCs and Motivations
Fleshing Out the Cast
Another hallmark of The Alexandrian’s style is deepening NPC motivations and backgrounds. Instead of cardboard villains, characters like Thavius Kreeg, Amrik Vanthampur, and Zariel become more complex and interconnected. This helps players feel like they are part of a living world where actions have weight and relationships matter.
In particular, Zariel’s backstory as a fallen angel who once sought to defeat evil but ultimately became corrupted is given more room to breathe. Her relationships with Lulu the hollyphant, the Hellriders of Elturel, and even the player characters can drive meaningful decisions, especially if the party is presented with opportunities to redeem or defeat her based on their values.
Better Use of Lulu
Lulu, a small elephant-like celestial being, is often seen as comic relief in the original adventure. The Alexandrian turns her into a more meaningful companion, whose memory loss becomes a key story mechanic. As players explore Avernus, Lulu slowly regains her memories, which function as flashback-based clues to the events leading to Zariel’s fall and Elturel’s damnation. This turns Lulu into a vital narrative driver rather than a simple mascot.
Benefits of Using The Alexandrian’s Version
Dungeon Masters and players alike benefit from the restructured campaign in several ways:
- More Player Choice: Players can approach problems in multiple ways, creating a sandbox-style feeling within both Baldur’s Gate and Avernus.
- Stronger Narrative Threads: Character motivations are clearer, and story arcs develop more organically over time.
- Replayability: Different paths and decisions can lead to new outcomes, making repeat playthroughs more engaging.
- Immersive Exploration: The pointcrawl allows for non-linear progress and encourages parties to explore and interact with the setting.
- Emotional Payoff: Moments of character growth, redemption, or tragedy hit harder due to the investment in NPCs and backstory.
Running The Alexandrian Descent into Avernus
Preparation and Resources
Running this version of the campaign requires a bit more preparation, especially when mapping out faction connections, tracking clues, and organizing the pointcrawl system. Dungeon Masters should be ready to adapt, improvise, and let players shape the story. Tools like flowcharts, NPC relationship maps, and travel logs become especially helpful.
Roleplaying and Themes
Roleplaying is central to the Alexandrian’s vision. Moral dilemmas, choices with consequences, and thematic depth are emphasized. The descent into Avernus isn’t just physical it’s symbolic of the temptations and trials the characters must endure. Themes of corruption, redemption, sacrifice, and personal strength permeate the adventure. Running this campaign with those ideas in mind elevates the entire experience.
The Alexandrian Descent into Avernus transforms a good campaign into a great one. Through thoughtful revision, expanded narrative hooks, and meaningful player agency, it becomes a journey that challenges players not only in battle but in their ideals and decisions. For Dungeon Masters looking to elevate their Dungeons & Dragons game with a campaign that rewards exploration, storytelling, and moral choice, this adaptation provides all the tools needed to descend into hell and maybe come back changed.