With the release of Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, 5th edition now has 17 publishedcampaign books. Mega dungeons, dinosaurs, devils andDeathcurses lurk within the pages printed so far.
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Time is short for many players andnew bookscome out every few months, so many maybe overwhelmed withoptions. To aid inthat quest, these are the 10 greatest D&D5eadventures Wizards of the Coast has published to date.
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Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Wizards published its first seafaring adventure book in 2019.Although it may be played through as a campaign for levels 1-12,Ghosts of Saltmarsh is an anthology of updated and previously published modules that date back to 1981.
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Because the entire book isdesigned for stories on and in water, the book occupies a specific nicheamong published D&D 5eadventures.Ghosts offers full stats for ships,rules for crews and loads of tables to enhance any game that needs a little salt.
Princes of the Apocalypse
A campaign that spans levels 1-15,Princes of the Apocalypse is a sandbox adventure set in the Forgotten Realms, the main setting forD&D5e.Princes of the Apocalypse was published in 2015 just after its companion work,Elemental Evil Player's Companion. The pair of books together introduced several new races to 5th edition, including thegenasi, goliath and aarakocra.
The story deals with four different elemental cults and players must figure out how to deal withthem before they come together and unleash theTharizdun,god of Eternal Darkness.
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Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus
Baldur's Gate is no stranger to fans of the Forgotten Realms. Thecity is the setting for one of the most popular roleplaying video game franchises,having spawned two different series over20 years.
In thisD&D5e adventure, the cityis in danger of slipping completelyunder the controlof the Archdevil Zariel and a Blood War looms on the horizon. More than 50 pages are dedicated to the city itself, so even if the table won't be playing the story as written,there's plentyof material to construct an urban adventure. Baldur's Gate: Descent IntoAvernus alsointroduces Infernal War Machines.
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Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
The titular "Mad Mage" of this campaign is Halaster Blackcloak, a wizard who created Undermountain -- a mega dungeon full ofwild environments -- right beneath the sprawling metropolis of Waterdeep.
Designed to follow the tier 1 campaignWaterdeep: Dragon Heist,Dungeon of the Mad Mage picks up at level 5 and takes players to the capstone level 20. The entire campaign takes place in Blackcloak's subterranean lair and is the first published adventure to reach tier 4, the highest levels in5e.
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Storm King's Thunder
Giants of all kinds threaten the major cities ofFaerûn, the largest continent of the Forgotten Realms. Giant society has been shattered and the rest of the small folk must deal with the ensuing chaos.
Storm King's Thunderthrustsfirst level players immediately into a city under attack by goblins. From there, the campaign opens wide into the heart ofFaerûn, with an expansive section devoted to describinglocations across the "Savage Frontier." AlthoughWizardshas not published a proper gazetteer for the world of Toril,Storm King's Thunderarguably comes the closest.
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Tomb of Annihilation
Full ofdeadly traps, dinosaurs and a Deathcurse,Tomb of Annihilation'schief antagonist is the dreaded lich, Acererak. Inspired by the classic adventure moduleTomb of Horrors,Annihilationis a fun and challenging adventure that takes place on the mysterious island of Chult. But players beware. The Deathcurse means that permadeath is real, soveterans may want to come equipped with backup characters.
Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
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Waterdeep, the City of Splendors, is a character in its own right in this tier 1 adventure. A slew of NPCs, locations and encounters offer a hoard of fun for any table looking for a more social, urban adventure.
Dragon Heisthas a unique "seasonal" structure, with a different villain operating behind the scenes depending onthe season. The villains, too, are different in thatthe writers did not intend them to be defeated in a traditional sense. Instead, players must maneuverunder the noses of powerful enemies (and allies) while attempting tofind ahalf-million gold"dragons."
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Lost Mine of Phandelver
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The first adventure published forDungeons & Dragons5ewasLost Mine of Phandelver.Ever since, fans have sung its praises. The story is short, taking characters through tier 1 (levels 1-4),and it memorablyintroduces the feel and flavor of the new edition and its main setting, ForgottenRealms.
The story features a dragon and a few small dungeons, culminating in a large dungeon complex. Theearly parts of the book play like a mini-sandbox, creating significant choices for players as theynavigate the wilderness ofFaerûn.
Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
The newest adventure fromWizards of the Coast,Icewind Dalecenters the action in The North,near the Spine of the World.Writers have likened the early chapters ofIcewind Dale to desolate horror films such asThe Thing andThe Shining.The tonemay be dark at times, but many wonderful foes, delightful encounters and wild surprises await.
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Curse of Strahd
No other setting in D&D canon has quite the same feeling as Barovia, the pocket dimension controlled by The Dark Powers and overseen by the titular antagonist, Count Strahd von Zarovich. Originally publishedin 1983 forthe first edition of the game under the title Ravenloft, Strahd remains one of the franchise's most recognizable NPCs.
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