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Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus — Complete DM Resource Guide

Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus (2019), levels 1–13. Chapter 1 is solid city intrigue — the Vanthampur family, the Dead Three tunnels, the corruption threading through the Flaming Fist. Chapter 2 drops your group into fallen Elturel with the Companion countdown already running, and the module's pacing guidance for that clock is nearly nonexistent. Chapter 3 opens the hexcrawl and hands your group the infernal war machines — the chase rules are functional, but how war machines integrate with overland exploration isn't explained well enough for most tables to use as-written. Chapters 4–5 are the Zariel/Bel betrayal ladder: the endgame motivation holds if you prep the NPC dynamics carefully, and falls apart if you don't. This page collects 125+ resources sorted by what they actually fix.

Levels 1–13 Infernal Campaign Hexcrawl + City ~40 sessions

Reviewed by Derek Ashworth · DMing since 2002 · Currently running Storm King's Thunder

Official D&D Content

Core adventure

Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus (hardcover)

Official 5e adventure, Sept 2019, levels 1–13

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Digital

Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus (D&D Beyond digital)

Full digital source with integrated rules and stat blocks

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Accessory

Descent into Avernus DM Screen

Landscape 4-panel DM screen with Avernus-specific tables by Gale Force Nine. (Note: Vendor website is no longer accessible; may be available from third-party retailers.)

Video

D&D Live 2019: The Descent (one-shot)

Jeremy Crawford DMs the official launch one-shot; excellent tone reference

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The Alexandrian Remix — Descent into Avernus Hexcrawl Overhaul

The primary structural fix for DiA. Justin Alexander's Remixing Avernus series rebuilds Chapter 3 as a proper hexcrawl with keyed exploration, replaces the as-written warlord interactions with a fuller faction set (using the Warlords of Avernus and Forges of Avernus supplements listed in the DMsGuild section below), and opens up the Chapter 4–5 plot tunnels with open faction nodes instead of a railroad. If you are planning to run DiA and you are willing to do serious prep, read the Master Index before you read the official text.

Guide series index

Remixing Avernus — Master Index

Full index of all remix articles

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Guide

Addendum: Soul Coins

Soul coin economy fix — widely cited community solution

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Map

Addendum: Avernus Players' Map

Free corrected player-facing Avernus map

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Reference

Addendum: 3rd Party Resources

Curated list of all 3rd party supplements used in remix

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Sly Flourish Guides

Guide

Running Chapter 1

Session zero advice; character ties to Reya/Elturel/Hellriders

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Guide

Running The Fall of Elturel

Using the AL intro one-shot as campaign opener

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Bob World Builder YouTube Series

Video series

DM's Guide to DiA (full playlist)

Complete chapter-by-chapter guide playlist

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Other DM Blogs & Video Guides

Blog series

Merric's DiA Series (all parts)

11+ parts covering every chapter

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Free Guide

Guide to BG:DiA (free blog)

Free chapter-by-chapter blog guide with NPC index and module analysis. One of the few free resources that covers the full module without shortcutting Chapters 4–5.

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Review

Encounters in Avernus Review

Review of the DMsGuild Adepts supplement

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Guide

10 Things to Know Before Running DiA

Practical pre-campaign DM checklist

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Review/analysis

Diabolic Dissection of DiA

Critical analysis of module strengths and weaknesses

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Notes

Tim Saucer's DiA DM Notes

Merged official + Alexandrian + Lazy DM notes; session-by-session

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Forum thread

Enhancing BG:DiA megathread

Active community mods, fixes, resource links

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Blog

Avernus as a Sandbox Pt 1

Blog series on turning Ch3 into an open hexcrawl

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Guide

Running After Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

Transition tips from WDH to DiA

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Video

How To Make DiA Work

Community guide to fixing DiA's structural issues

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DMsGuild: Complete Bundles

Bundle

The Ultimate Descent into Avernus [BUNDLE]

Multi-title bundle; best entry-point value

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⭐ Bestseller Bundle

Eventyr Games Complete DM's Bundle

Eventyr's all-in-one pack: maps, DM cheatsheets, and chapter-by-chapter advice across all five chapters. The Ch3 Path of Demons/Devils cheatsheet is the component most DMs use independently even if they don't buy the full bundle.

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DMsGuild: Eventyr Games DM's Resource Series

Maps + advice

A Tale of Two Cities — DM's Resource (Ch1)

Chapter 1 maps, handouts, advice (Baldur's Gate + Elturel)

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Maps + cheatsheet

Avernus — DM's Resource (Ch3)

Ch3 advice, encounter maps, Path of Demons/Devils cheatsheet

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Maps + advice

Sword of Zariel — DM's Resource (Ch4)

Tower of Urm, Arkhan's Tower, Flying Fortress maps

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Maps + advice

Escape from Avernus — DM's Resource (Ch5)

Finale content and maps for the last push

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Side adventure

Bitter Rivals — Eventyr side adventure

Eventyr side adventure that slots between the Chapter 3 climax and the Zariel endgame. Involves a rival adventuring party and gives your group a motivation reset before the betrayal arc begins.

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Free Encounter

Infernal Bounty — free encounter

Free stand-alone Avernus encounter

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Free Reference

Infernal War Machine Cheat Sheet

Quick reference for war machine combat; widely recommended

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Free Maps

Free Maps Collection

Colorized versions of official B&W maps; free for personal use

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DMsGuild: Encounter Supplements

Encounters

Encounters in Avernus

60+ encounters for Avernus wasteland, River Styx, and Elturel; DMsGuild Adepts

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Encounters + maps

Deeper Descent into Avernus

21 new encounters with revamped official maps

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Encounters

Extra Encounters

Additional encounter tables for BG city and Avernus

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Encounter tables

Avernus Encounters (PWYW)

Random encounter tables keyed to the official module

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AL encounters

DDAL00-12 Infernal Encounters

70+ random encounters across all Nine Hells; official AL

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DMsGuild: Baldur's Gate City Content

⭐ Bestseller Side quests

Baldur's Gate Notice Boards

16 quests, 9 original maps, 8 bounty hunts, 57 encounters; Bestseller

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Encounters

Baldur's Gate: City Encounters

40 encounters keyed to tension levels in the city

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Intro adventure

Baldur's Gate: The Fall of Elturel

1st-level one-shot; players experience Elturel's fall directly

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Adventure

Hellturel

4 new adventure locations in fallen Elturel, levels 5–6

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Side adventure

Smiler's Heist

Heist involving Smiler the Defiler; runs between Ch3 climax and endgame

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DMsGuild: Avernus Hexcrawl & Warlord Supplements

NPC supplement

Warlords of Avernus

4 new warlords with stat blocks; Alexandrian-recommended

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Supplement

Forges of Avernus

Warlord warbands, infernal weapons, forge master NPCs; Alexandrian-recommended

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NPC supplement

Warlords of Avernus: The Organist

Additional warlord type; expansion

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Encounter

Dance of Deathless Frost

Avernian hexcrawl resource; Alexandrian-recommended *(search fallback)*

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Adventure

Tyrants of the Purple City

AL-adjacent hexcrawl resource *(search fallback)*

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Adventure

Abyssal Incursion

Demon invasion; Blood War content *(search fallback)*

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Adventure

Temple of the Broken Prince

Hexcrawl dungeon location *(search fallback)*

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Monster/lore reference

Emirikol's Guide to Devils

246-page deep-dive on all devils + archdevils inc. Zariel

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Supplement

Scientific Secrets of Avernus

Creature lore supplement for Avernus

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Guide

Vysianter's Guide to the Red Wastes of Avernus

Hexcrawl lore for the Red Wastes (DriveThruRPG; no affiliate)

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Maps for Descent into Avernus (DMsGuild)

Maps

Tessa Presents: 90 Maps for DiA (PDF)

90 maps covering every chapter; UVT with walls/lighting

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Maps (FG)

Avernus Premium Map Pack (Fantasy Grounds)

Fantasy Grounds format

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DMsGuild: Infernal War Machines & Tokens

The infernal war machines are DiA's most divisive element. Run them as written and Chapter 3 gains a vehicular-combat layer that some groups love. Skip them and you need replacement content for the hexcrawl pacing. The Eventyr War Machine Cheat Sheet (in the Eventyr section above) is what most DMs reach for first regardless of which direction they go — it clarifies the rules faster than the module does.

Tokens

Descent into Avernus War Machines (tokens)

Detailed top-down war machine tokens for VTT

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Guide

Balancing Encounters: Descent into Avernus

Scaling notes for every named encounter in DiA. Useful if you are running with three players or fewer — the module's CR assumptions break down faster here than in most WotC products, particularly in the Chapter 2 Elturel siege encounters.

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Sidekicks

Adventure Sidekicks: Descent into Avernus

6 ready-to-play sidekicks (levels 1–13)

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DMsGuild: Guides, Prep & Loot Tables

⭐ Bestseller DM guide

A Guide to BG:DiA (Power Score RPG PDF)

Power Score's DiA guide in PDF format, bestseller on DMsGuild. Chapter-by-chapter with NPC notes. More session-prep focused than the Alexandrian Remix — useful if you want a running commentary on the module without committing to a full structural rewrite.

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Loot tables

The Loot Goblin's Guide to BG:DiA

Individual loot tables for every DiA monster

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Player options

Backgrounds: Descent into Avernus

New character backgrounds tied to BG and Avernus

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Prop

Descent into Avernus Character Sheet

Thematic campaign character sheet

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DMsGuild: Handouts & Props

Handouts

A Tale of Two Cities DM's Resource — Handouts

Chapter 1 handouts: Elturel documents, city notices

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Handouts

BG:DiA 60+ Handouts & Assets (RPG Printables)

60+ printable handouts: letters, notices, invitations, map props

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Handouts

DiA 60+ Handouts Set (Ko-fi)

Printer-friendly B&W version of the 60+ handout set

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DMsGuild: Adventurers League Official Content

AL adventure

DDAL00-12 Infernal Encounters

70+ encounters across all Nine Hells; official AL

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AL adventure

Avernus Rising: Fang & Claw

AL Season 9 encounter supplement *(search fallback)*

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Battle Maps: Czepeku / Cze and Peku

Blog/guide

Top 10 Czepeku Maps for DiA (blog)

Czepeku's own top-10 list for DiA: Hell's Tax Office, Megalith Gate, Idyllglen, Ancient Battlefield, Bone Dryad Ossuary. All appropriate for Chapter 3 hexcrawl locations. Good starting point before browsing the full shop.

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Maps

Czepeku main shop / Patreon

Premium illustrated battlemaps; many Avernus-appropriate hellscapes

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Battle Maps: Dyson Logos

Maps

Dyson Logos — DiA post

Dyson drew official book cartography; blog post

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Free Maps

Dyson's free maps archive

1000+ free maps; many dungeon maps usable for DiA locations

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Battle Maps: Caeora

Map

Caeora's Map of Avernus

Custom illustrated Avernus overworld map; player-facing version available. (Note: This product is no longer available from the original vendor.)

VTT: Roll20

VTT module

Official Roll20 Bundle

Official WotC bundle; 28 adventure maps, Dynamic Lighting

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Tokens

Avernus War Machines tokens

Hell Bikes, Hunters, Demon Harvesters, Recyclers

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Tokens

Mountable Infernal War Machines

Grid-aligned tokens with crew stations

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Free Free tokens

Pretzel Lectern — Better War Machine Tokens (free)

Free PNG import tokens for all war machines

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Foundry VTT Modules for Descent into Avernus

Module

Avernus Ch1 Animated Map Pack (dransky)

Animated battlemaps for Ch1; lights/walls pre-configured

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Module

Avernus Ch2 Animated Map Pack (dransky)

Animated battlemaps for Ch2; Elturel fallen city maps

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Module

Avernus Landing Page (dransky)

Campaign landing page + Travis Savoie music integration

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Module

Michael Ghelfi Audio Pack (Foundry)

Wires Michael Ghelfi audio into Foundry VTT

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Patreon module

dransky Full Foundry Module (Patreon)

Complete Foundry VTT module via Patreon

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Music & Ambience: Syrinscape (Official WotC-Licensed)

Sound

DiA MegaPack (all chapters)

All chapters bundled; official WotC-licensed

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Music & Ambience: Michael Ghelfi Studios

Audio

Michael Ghelfi Studios (main site)

World's largest RPG audio library; 500+ ambiences/songs

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Playlist

Ambiences: Descent Into Avernus (YouTube playlist)

Complete Avernus playlist

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Ambience

Hell — Avernus Hellish Ambience (1hr)

General Avernus hellscape soundscape

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Ambience

Hellish Warmachines Ambience (3hr)

War machine / chase sequence audio

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Music & Ambience: Tabletop Audio & YouTube

Audio

Tabletop Audio (main site)

Free 10-min professionally produced ambiences

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YouTube

Sword Coast Soundscapes (YouTube channel)

Long-form ambient music; Nine Hells and infernal scenes

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Ambience

D&D Ambience — Hell / Avernus (1hr)

1-hour hell ambience with demon/devil audio

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Music

Tabletop Orchestral — Nine Hells of Baator

Orchestral RPG music for Nine Hells

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Music

Atmospheric Music of the Nine Hells

Dark fantasy soundtrack for infernal settings

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Actual Play & Video Series

Actual play

Roll20 Presents: BG:DiA (Adam Koebel)

Official Roll20 actual play; strong DM technique

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One-shot

D&D Live 2019: The Descent (Jeremy Crawford)

Official WotC launch event

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Actual play

Descent into Avernus: Blood War (Guy Sclanders)

Community actual play series

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Actual play

BG:DiA Full Campaign (Foundry VTT playlist)

Foundry VTT actual play; visual reference

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Community Hubs & Forums

Community

r/DescentintoAvernus

Dedicated subreddit; DM resource posts, homebrew, session reports

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Forum

EN World — Enhancing DiA megathread

Active thread: mods, fixes, resource links

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Forum

D&D Beyond — Everything About DiA thread

General DM advice megathread

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DM notes

Tim Saucer's Avernus Notes (GitHub Pages)

Merged official + Alexandrian + Lazy DM; session-by-session reference

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