D&D: Waterdeep – Dungeon of the Mad Mage – Into Undermountain's Endless Depths

Descend through the Yawning Portal into Halaster Blackcloak's labyrinthine domain — the sixth Adventure System title brings character leveling, Bane/Boon cards, and the series' most ambitious campaign structure yet.

D&D: Waterdeep – Dungeon of the Mad Mage is designed by Kevin Wilson (also known for Fantasy Flight's Descent series) and inspired by the original Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying adventure of the same name. Players descend through the Yawning Portal — a gaping pit at the center of a famous Waterdeep tavern — into Undermountain, the sprawling labyrinth dungeon seeded with monsters, traps, and mysteries by the mad wizard Halaster Blackcloak.

Building directly on the campaign innovations introduced in Tomb of Annihilation, Dungeon of the Mad Mage carries forward new Trap and Spell decks while introducing its own additions: characters can now advance to level 4 (up from earlier caps), and new Environment and Bane/Boon cards add fresh layers of unpredictability as the party journeys deeper through Skullport and the surrounding caverns.

TechRaptor's review described Dungeon of the Mad Mage as "an excellent choice if you are looking to play with new players, or younger gamers who want to be involved in a campaign driven dungeon crawl," while noting the cross-compatibility with other Adventure System titles lets veteran groups mix in favorite heroes and monsters from earlier games for an even more chaotic party.

Review — Watch First

What Is Dungeon of the Mad Mage?

Dungeon of the Mad Mage is a cooperative dungeon-crawling board game for 1 to 5 players, built on WizKids' established Adventure System. Players choose from five heroes — gnome rogue Trosper, human sorcerer Marcon, human paladin Nayeli Goldflower, half-elf cleric Cormac, or tiefling fighter Atka — and venture from the Yawning Portal into Undermountain's depths, passing through Skullport and unexplored caverns as they hunt for treasure while avoiding traps and monsters.

The campaign is designed to be played in order from the included Adventure Book, with each player's hero gaining experience and unlocking new powers as the party progresses. The reach to character level 4 — higher than earlier Adventure System entries — gives heroes meaningfully more build options and power growth across a full campaign run.

The Five Heroes

What's New in This Entry?

How Does It Play?

A turn follows the established Adventure System rhythm — move, explore by revealing new dungeon or cavern tiles, resolve encounters, and activate monsters in their listed order. Tiles often spawn multiple monsters at once, and reviewers consistently flag that Dungeon of the Mad Mage skews more aggressive than earlier entries, with bosses regularly bringing companion monsters into fights and large groups of enemies appearing even outside boss encounters.

One hero in particular — Marcon, the human sorcerer — stands out as notably more powerful than his companions, capable of reusing normally single-use Daily and Utility powers up to three times before they're spent, making him a glass-cannon centerpiece that the rest of the party needs to protect. The campaign continues the narrative-driven structure introduced in Tomb of Annihilation, with adventures grouped around specific locations as the story of Halaster's domain unfolds.

Reviewers have flagged some minor misprints between card text and the rulebook/adventure booklet — an official errata is available on BoardGameGeek, and most groups report these issues are easy to work around once identified, though they can cause initial confusion for newcomers to the system.

Rating Breakdown

Pros & Cons

Who Is This Game For?