One of the most iconic villains in Dungeons & Dragons will appear as an antagonist in the upcoming Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen book, as Lord Soth will be facing adventuring parties in the campaign. D&D's Shadow of the Dragon Queen is an upcoming campaign book that will bring the Dragonlance setting into the D&D 5e rules, with players tasked with defending the lands of Solamnia during the opening stages of the War of the Lance. The book will also launch alongside a board game, called Dragonlance: Warriors of Krynn, which can be combined with Shadow of the Dragon Queen as a way to play out mass battles.
Lord Soth is a Death Knight, which are among the most powerful undead in D&D. He actually had his own section in the Death Knight entry in the D&D 5e Monster Manual, where his history is explained. Lord Soth was once a proud knight of Solamnia, but he fell in love with an elven priestess, despite already being married, leading to him murdering his wife and becoming an outcast. The gods gave Lord Soth a chance at redemption, as he was tasked with stopping the upcoming Cataclysm that would decimate the world of Krynn. He underwent this journey, but he was accosted by agents of the goddess Takhisis (one of the aspects of D&D's Tiamat, the goddess of chromatic dragons), who convinced him that his new wife was unfaithful, causing him to return to his keep and confront her in a rage. The Cataclysm occurred, leading to an accident that killed Lord Soth's new wife and child, and she cursed him as she died, transforming him into a Death Knight.
The Dragonlance campaign setting is coming to D&D on December 6, with Shadow of the Dragon Queen involving the players battling the dragon armies of Takhisis as they attack Solamnia. Wizards of the Coast has revealed that the alternate cover artwork for Shadow of the Dragon Queen features the blackened helmet of Lord Soth, with his red eyes staring out at the reader. This wasn't a purely aesthetic choice, as Lord Soth will be appearing in the Dragonlance campaign book & board game combo.
Lord Soth Will Appear In Dragonlance: Shadows Of The Dragon Queen
Wizards of the Coast revealed in a private press event that Lord Soth will appear as a villain in Shadow of the Dragon Queen. It's not surprising that he would take up arms against the people of Solamnia, considering his bloody history with his homeland. Lord Soth is likely a CR 18 creature, but that's not even the scariest part about him, as he will be mounted on a death dragon, which is a brand new undead dragon that will appear in Shadow of the Dragon Queen.
The fact that one of D&D's most powerful villains is appearing as an enemy in a campaign might ring alarm bells, but this is a case where the players won't be fighting alone. Shadows of the Dragon Queen will give the players access to an army, which will be a key component of the Warriors of Krynn board game. This means that the party has a lot of backup available to them in this conflict, and they're going to need it, because if Lord Soth actually takes the field against them, then players might want to start rolling up some backup Dungeons & Dragons characters.