A Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting originally published in 1994, Planescape saw a 5e revival with the release of Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse in October 2023. As with most major Wizards of the Coast releases for D&D, Beadle & Grimm’s has put out one of their deluxe boxed sets for Planescape. But rather than a large release like they did for Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk, Beadle & Grimm’s has opted to publish their second DM Vault, following last year’s for Keys From the Golden Vault.
The DM Vaults are scaled-back sets that don’t have quite the same bells and whistles as many of their boxed sets but do come in at a lower price point. Most notably, they don’t include the actual Wizards of the Coast books but instead serve as a companion for running adventures in the setting. But as you’re about to see, the DM Vault for Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse is still bursting with goodies.
What Is the DM Vault for Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse?
The DM Vault for Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse is a toolkit for Dungeon Masters looking to run the D&D 5e adventure Turn of Fortune’s Wheel, or their own adventures in the Planescape setting. The DM Vault does not contain any of the three books that come in the Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse Wizards of the Coast release, and so must be purchased separately.
The DM Vault for Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse costs $195 and is available at the Beadle & Grimm’s webstore. It contains the following:
- TWO durable canvas Poster Maps: Sigil and the Outlands
- TEN Battle Maps of important battles, including an original multi-purpose Sigil Street battle map
- FORTY Encounter Cards of monsters in the adventure from Morte’s Planar Parade
- THREE Gold Razorleaf Coins and ONE Platinum Razorleaf Coin, all in a Fortune’s Wheel pouch
- SIX In-world handouts to give your players as they go through the adventure
- Plenty of DM and Player Aids like the Esoteric & Planar Field Reporting Notebook and a stack of art broken out from the book
- A 2-part bonus adventure that can tie in with the level 17 jump
Additionally, the contents of the DM Vault are packaged inside a sturdy, embossed tin.
Note: This is not a review of Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse but a review of Beadle & Grimm’s DM Vault for that release. Also, be warned that, if you intend to play the Turn of Fortune’s Wheel adventure from the set, spoilers may follow.
Morte’s Folder
When you open up the tin, you’ll first find a thick folder containing all sorts of handouts and player aids. There’s even a helpful blurb from Morte, the popular talking skull from the Planescape: Torment video game. Morte makes a 5e reappearance in Morte’s Planar Parade, the bestiary in the Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse Wizards of the Coast set.
One of the most invaluable things you’ll find inside the folder is the DM Vault Elements. This is a guide to where each of the items inside the Planescape tin is used in the adventure Turn of Fortune’s Wheel. This makes it easy to organize the adventure for the Dungeon Master. It’s a more recent inclusion in Beadle & Grimm’s sets and a very welcome one.
The Esoteric & Planar Field Reporting Notebook is for players to communally write down descriptions of each of the gate towns they visit in the adventure.
There are 5 pieces of artwork reproduced from the book in an 8 1/2″ x 11″ size.
As with all Beadle & Grimm’s sets, there are several letter-sized area maps of key locations. The reverse side of the maps has an area for the DM to take notes.
Another staple of Beadle & Grimm’s sets, there are numerous handouts, printed in a variety of styles and using many different types of paper. Here’s a thick card tourist brochure for the City of Sigil, for use in the second chapter of the adventure:
And here’s the inside of the brochure:
There are 5 Margie’s Memory Trackers included so that players can track their progress in recovering their memories:
Finally, the folder contains several additional letters and documents, including no less than 10 Death Certificates, to give to each of your players in chapter 1 of Turn of Fortune’s Wheel.
Maps
There are not just one but two canvas poster-sized maps included with the DM Vault. First is a map of The Outlands:
And then there’s a canvas map of Sigil:
Beadle & Grimm’s has also included 10 reversible Battlemaps, printed on heavy-duty paper. These maps are ready to spread out on your table and lay down miniatures for several of the encounters from Turn of Fortune’s Wheel. There’s even an original Sigil street map included, for random battles that might break out in the city streets.
But Wait, There’s More!
We’re not done yet! Beadle & Grimm’s always includes a booklet of bonus encounters, and Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse is no different. In this case, Charlie Rehor has written The Wandering Bottle, a two-part adventure that takes place first at 3rd level, and later when they make a jump to 17th level.
They may not have provided any artifacts for the DM Vault for Keys From the Golden Vault, but Beadle & Grimm’s has included four metal coins in this release. These coins can be found in Sigil: three gold razorleafs and one platinum razorleaf. They come in a bag from Fortune’s Wheel, Sigil’s casino.
I also wanted to show off the backs of the coins, as you’ll see that the platinum razorleaf has an embossed image of the iconic Lady of Pain on its reverse side.
Also missing from their previous DM Vault, but found here, are Encounter and Artwork Cards, which can be hung over the DM screen. For the first time, Beadle & Grimm’s has also put cardstock bands around those cards, to help keep them organized.
The Artwork cards all feature artwork pulled directly from the Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse books.
Meanwhile, there are Encounter cards for 40 Planescape-specific creatures. The front of the cards features the artwork, so the players can visualize what they’re encountering:
While the back side of the cards are the stat blocks necessary for the DM to run the encounter:
DM Vault for Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse — The Verdict
My friend Mike was very excited to hear that not only was Wizards of the Coast publishing Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse but that Beadle & Grimm’s would be putting out a set to go along with it. He’d already gotten a chance to experience the Legendary Edition of Curse of Strahd firsthand in our campaign, and he has long loved the Planescape setting.
Well, I have some bad news for Mike. After reading this review, he’s going to really, really want to play the new Planescape adventure with the Beadle & Grimm’s set. The DM Vault for Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse is jam-packed with a surprisingly voluminous amount of content, especially when compared with the DM Vault for Keys From the Golden Vault. Despite not including the published adventure, this DM Vault has roughly the same volume of goodies you’ll find in one of Beadle & Grimm’s Silver Edition boxed sets, such as the one they did for Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden.
Of course, the DM Vault for Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse is also $195, putting it more in line with the Silver Edition boxed sets than the much less expensive, but also far less comprehensive, DM Vault for Keys From the Golden Vault. And speaking as an experienced Dungeon Master, I’d much rather spend more money and get a greater assortment of content. All of the maps, cards, and handouts that you’ll find in any Beadle & Grimm’s set are invaluable. They save time in prepping an adventure, and the quality and care put into their creation really shine on the tabletop.
Beadle & Grimm’s continues to not only put out great content but to improve it with each new set. It may seem like such a simple thing to wrap the Encounter and Artwork cards with cardstock bands. Not only is this visually appealing, but it replaces the plastic wrap that B&G used in previous sets to keep all the cards from shifting during shipment. Any environmentally friendly change like that is definitely to be applauded.
If you’re looking to run the Turn of Fortune’s Wheel adventure, or your own homebrew adventure set in Planescape, then you’ll find the DM Vault for Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse to be a welcome addition to your DM toolkit. It’s full of lovely, time-saving material to bring your campaign to life… not to mention that the container tin makes a nice display piece on your shelf.
For more information or to make a purchase, visit Beadle & Grimm’s website!
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Disclosure: GeekDad received a copy of this game for review purposes.
