13 Lost Mine Of Phandelver
The Lost Mine of Phandelver is an adventure that’s well known by beginners as it comes in the official Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set. It serves as an introductory to D&D 5e and has a recommendation of characters starting at levels 1 or 2. It takes place in the Forgotten Realms setting, and in a region, that’s close to the iconic D&D city, Neverwinter.
Players start out escorting a caravan to the village of Phandelver but soon find themselves swept up in danger and intrigue. This adventure comes with 5 pre-generated characters to help players get started, 6 dice, a rulebook, and the adventure book itself.
12 Confrontation At Candlekeep
Confrontation at Candlekeep was originally a playtest adventure that was showcased during GenCon 2013. It was originally intended and presented as an adventure for multiple groups, run by several DMs at a time and a coordinator known as the “First Reader.”
It’s recommended for level 2 characters and takes place during the Sundering in the Forgotten Realms setting. Candlekeep is under attack by the cultists of Asmodeus and it’s up to each party to defend different areas of the stronghold. Each group has its own set of encounters, and they can ask and offer assistance to other groups.
11 Ghosts of Saltmarsh
For levels 1 to 12, the Ghosts of Saltmarsh adventure covers more levels than others, so if you’re trying to take a single party through a number of levels a module of this scope covers a lot of that ground. It includes a number of different nautical-themed adventures such as Salvage Operation and Isle of the Abbey, along with new Backgrounds that players can use to build their characters as they work to save a quaint little fishing village threatened by pirates, smugglers, and plenty of nautical-themed monsters.
10 Suits Of The Mist
In Curse of Strahd, adventurers are transported to the perpetually overcast and dread-filled land of Barovia, and Suits of the Mist explains how players get there. The adventure is broken up into 5 “mini” 1-hour adventures that can be played together or separately. Players find themselves in the town of Phlan and make their way to the Crossing Inn. There, they overhear many of its patrons complaining about a family of Gur, nomadic people with a preconception of being dishonest.
If the party chooses to, they can take on the task of finding this Gur family. This episodic adventure is recommended for characters of levels 1-2.
9 Waterdeep Dragon Heist
The whole of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is full of amazing adventures and would make for a great starter campaign. Adventurers find themselves in the city of Waterdeep. Called upon by a famous explorer for aid in a quest, players entwined with a deep and bitter conflict between influential organizations within the city.
One of the highlights of this adventure is that there are four villains that can be the “Big Bad” as the season the adventure takes place in determines the villain. It’s intended for characters level 1-5, with Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage picking up right after for when characters level up.
8 Curse of Strahd
If a beginner to a mid-level party is keen to get into horror in general, and the Ravenloft universe specifically, Curse of Strahd is an obvious choice. This adventure is for characters level 1 to 10, and uses the same dark, Victorian aesthetic as the original.
Players can bring in lower-level characters they already had or start new ones here, using the game’s options to create unique, Gothic-themed characters. To add even more to the immersion factor in this classic adventure, accessories like maps and a deck of special cards are also included.
7 City Of Danger
The City of Danger adventure is the introduction to the Elemental Evil series of the D&D Adventures League. Its intended skill level is for a group of 1-2 level characters. Players will find themselves on the southern shores of the Moonsea and enter the city of Mulmaster, which is known for being full of corruption and under the sway of the Church of Bane.
Adventurers will explore the city, taking in the sights, the people, and figuring out why Mulmaster has the reputation it does. It’s made up of 5 mini-adventures, each one different from the last. It offers plenty of opportunity for roleplaying and combat and has a few challenging puzzles for players to solve.
6 Embers Of Elmwood
Embers of Elmwood is another adventure apart of the Elemental Evil series. It’s also set in Mulmaster and players can jump into it after they complete the City of Danger. In it, the party of adventurers will find themselves digging deeper into the main plot of the series as a woman drifts into the city’s harbor.
She’s delirious and seems crazed, only speaking the words “ash and fire”. The tattoo she bears is the only clue the adventuring party has to start with as they try to figure out what happened. This adventure’s suggested skill level is for characters of levels 1-4.
5 Harried In Hillsfar
Harried in Hillsfar follows the Rage of Demons storyline and presents a nice introduction to it. It’s a set of 5 “mini” adventures that can be played separately or together and, came free with the 4th edition of Dungeons & Dragons’ official magazine, Dragon+. It takes place in the city-state of Hillsfar, which recently evicted all non-human residents.
Adventures will face cultists, undead, and demons as they progress through each adventure. It comes with plenty of encounters, puzzles and riddles meant for a party of level 1-2 characters.
4 Lost Laboratory of Kwalish
This is an alternate adventure to the Barrier Peaks module, an adventure that involves a group of savage raiders and a mystery buried deep within a mysterious range of foreboding mountains. The Lost Laboratory of Kwalish is an alternate adventure in these same mountains.
This is for slightly more advanced players and starts at level 5. It includes some extra magical items and the lore of inter-planar travel, an ideal choice if the party is into that kind of thing and is at the ideal level to face the challenge of using special gear.
3 Dues For The Dead
Dues for the Dead is an adventure from the Tyranny of Dragons storyline, that has adventurers exploring the city of Phlan. In this particular adventure, players are hired by the priests of the god of the dead, Kelemvor, to investigate the strange disappearances of several other priests.
There’s also the problem with the rise of the undead in the catacombs of the Valhingen Graveyard, which the priests take care of to contend with. Dues for the Dead is a great adventure for those who love dungeon crawls, and there are tons of interesting NPCs that make the adventure even more enjoyable. It’s aimed at groups levels 1-4.
2 Bounty In The Bog
Bounty in the Bog is from the Elemental Evil adventure series. Adventurers have to venture in the Flooded Forest and face off against bandits. It’s up to them to take care of a group of bandits that have been causing problems for trade along the Northern Road.
The adventure can be broken up into two parts, a roleplay section where they meet with the one who gives them the mission and going over the plan to lure the bandits out. And the second half deals with fighting said bandits and exploring their hideout. It’s recommended for an adventuring party made up of 1-4 level characters.
1 Wolves Of Welton
The Wolves of Welton is a one-shot adventure created by Winghorn Press. It’s completely free to download on the Winghorn Press website and is considered a great adventure for first-time DMs and lower levels players alike. Intended for 2nd and 3rd level characters, the adventuring party is tasked with helping the town of Welton with a wolf problem.
Wolves have been stealing their sheep at alarming rates causing a shortage of food. What seems like a simple mission to exterminate some highly cunning wolves unveils something much greater.
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