Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden is a huge adventure book filled with opportunities for characters to start their heroic (or morally ambiguous) journeys in the rough-and-tumble settlements of Ten-Towns. Even though this adventure has a plot that spans the length and breadth of Icewind Dale, this story is your own. Your characters are equipped from the very start with storytelling tools to make yourself (and your party members) the main characters of your own story, not just hangers-on in some NPC’s tale.

Read on to learn about the ways this book gives you the tools to make your own eerie destiny, and for tips about exciting character concepts you can bring to the eternal night of Icewind Dale!

Character creation

The best way to start any adventure is to create a character! Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden has a section dedicated to helping you create characters that fit into this cold and accursed land. If you’re creating a character for this adventure, ask your Dungeon Master to see this part; it’s the best place to start!

When creating your character for a new D&D campaign, your Dungeon Master might have a certain process that they want the players to use to make their characters. Some DMs want the players to build characters together so that their party is cohesive and their backstories have internal connections. Session zero is a great time to establish expectation for your campaign (including thematic and emotional boundaries, which is especially important for a campaign with horror elements like this one). And then, once your group’s expectations have been aligned, everyone can get started working on their characters together, sharing ideas and forming intra-character bonds.

On the other hand, some groups are perfectly happy to create their characters in isolation, and then have their first meeting be when the adventure begins. Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden works best when the characters begin their first quest having already met one another. They don’t need to be best friends, or even long-time traveling companions, but giving them a scene to meet and introduce themselves before they find a quest dropped in their laps will give all of the players a moment to acclimate to their friends’ brand-new characters. 

Backgrounds

Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden doesn’t include any new backgrounds, but it does give guidance on how to incorporate the backgrounds from the Player’s Handbook into the land of Icewind Dale. You may already have an idea of what you want your character’s backstory to be like, but if you need a little extra guidance, this book will help you tie your background into the setting. It might be worth looking at this section even if you have a strong idea of what your character’s backstory is like, because it could help you add nuance and setting-specific details to your story.

Icewind Dale trinkets

One of the most beloved parts of the Player’s Handbook is the random trinket table full of flavorful items your characters can start their adventures with. This book provides a brand-new trinket table specifically flavored around the eerie, icy adventures within this book. Roll on the random table of trinkets in the back of the book, and be sure to share what your trinket is with your DM—and if you’d like it to become part of the campaign’s story in some way.

Fun trinkets like this are often just flavorful and decorative, but sometimes a trinket captures your group’s imagination and derails the campaign in a wild and unusual way. Don’t try and force these moments, but revel in them when they happen!

Character secrets

The appendices of this adventure contain 17 character secrets that you can randomly choose for your character when you create them. These secrets range from benign to horrifying, and from deathly serious to comically lighthearted—no matter who you are, there’s something for everyone here. These secrets will add an element of mystery to every character in the party; who’s harboring a dangerous secret? When will each party member reveal their secret to their allies? Will they do it casually, or will the secret only burst forth in a shower of blood and viscera?

Since these secrets are determined randomly, feel free to ask your DM to redraw your secret if you get one that doesn’t interest you. If you want your secret to be dark and sinister but you draw the “Drizzt Fan” secret, you might not have much fun; likewise, if you don’t want to carry too much of an emotional burden this game but you draw the “Slaad Host” secret, you might suddenly have more burden than you bargained for. On the other hand, there are merits to suddenly finding out that you need to play against type. Weigh the pros and cons with your group and decide what’s best for you!

Interesting character classes

The simple truth is that your character can be fun to play no matter what class you choose, especially if you create a character with a fun-to-play personality and engaging story ties to the world and the other characters. However, some classes will make it easier to form those bonds with the world and the story at large than others. Here are some classes that you might enjoy playing if you want to really feel the connection to the land of Icewind Dale and the sinister tale of Rime of the Frostmaiden.

Barbarian: Path of the Storm Herald

This tempestuous primal path from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything is perfect for a Reghed warrior of the Tiger tribe who feels the primordial magic of the storm in their blood.

Bard: College of Valor

Bards whose brave tales and braver deeds earn them fame in the College of Valor are well-suited to exploring the wastes of Icewind Dale. They’re even better suited to returning to the warm hearths of Bryn Shander and telling tall tales of exaggerated heroism to an enthralled audience!

Cleric: Light Domain

Light is a precious commodity in a land without sun, and where the only fuel is whale oil. Clerics of the light gods Lathander and Amaunator will almost always find a warm welcome in Ten-Towns, and their fiery magic will certainly aid them in the icy wastes.

Druid: Circle of the Land

Druids of frost devoted to Auril the Frostmaiden stalk the snow, spreading her grim power wherever they go. What better power to fight a druid at home in the ice than another druid?

Fighter: Eldritch Knight

Only the strong of heart and body survive in the ice, but those who wield magic are more likely to survive the monstrous beasts that lurk beneath the snow. The Eldritch Knight is a warrior through and through, but armed with just enough magical tricks to overcome Icewind Dale’s supernatural horrors when they arise.

Monk: Way of the Four Elements

In a land where the elements are ruthless, one way to survive is to become attuned to the elements themselves. A monk of the Way of the Four Elements wield fire to ward away deadly cold, shape the stone of the mountains, shape the frigid water, and ride upon the biting wind.

Paladin: Oath of the Ancients

Paladins who swear the Oath of the Ancients uphold the primal tenets of the natural world, and Auril’s upheaval of the natural fly in the face of all you stand for. You may see it as your sacred duty to thwart this cruel goddess’s ambitions.

Ranger: Hunter

Countless Ten-Towners and Reghed nomads take up hunting to support their communities. A ranger skilled in tracking and hunting beasts would possess the skills needed to navigate their treacherous homeland, and to apply their hunting skills to ever-more dangerous prey.

Rogue: Inquisitive

There’s more to survival than power and cold-weather clothing. This roguish archetype from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything brings the sharp senses and curious mind required for any party that wishes to delve into the lost secrets buried beneath Icewind Dale.

Sorcerer: Draconic Bloodline

White and silver dragons are known to inhabit the frigid regions of Faerûn. It comes as no surprise that some sorcerers who live in such lands often draw their magical abilities from a drop of draconic blood that burns within their veins with magical power. The resistance to cold this bloodline grants you may keep you safe against the biting winds.

Wizard: School of Illusion

Icewind Dale is an excellent place for any wizard hungry for knowledge, as ancient relics of the long-fallen Empire of Netheril can be found buried in the snow. Wizards who specialize in illusions may be able to avoid life-threatening encounters while exploring the indifferent fields of ice and snow.

Warlock: The Fiend

Countless archdevils vie for the attention of mortal supplicants. Warlocks who throw their lot in with an archdevil such as Asmodeus or Levistus may find valuable allies in the ice, as well as powers that help them endure the harsh environments their adventures send them to.

What kind of character will you make for this adventure? Let us know in the comments!

James Haeck (@jamesjhaeck) is a former writer for D&D Beyond, the co-author of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus, and the Critical Role Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, a member of the Guild Adepts, and a freelance writer for Wizards of the Coast, the D&D Adventurers League, and other RPG companies. He lives in Seattle, Washington with his fiancée Hannah and their animal companions Mei and Marzipan.