Our Favourite Short D&D Adventures

By Alyshia Barnes

With ‘Journeys through the Radiant Citadel’ just now released, I thought it was time to have a look back at some of the great short stories that came before this latest epic anthology. Whether you haven’t had a chance to pick up your copy yet, or you want to spice up your one-shots with some of the classics, we’ve got you covered. Today we’re going to have a quick look at a few of my favourite 5th Edition Short Adventures from Tales of the Yawning Portal, Ghosts of Saltmarsh, and Candlekeep Mysteries.

Heads up! This article will have spoilers for the mentioned adventures.

The Forge of Fury Level 3 | Tales from the Yawning Portal

Khundrukar Stronghold was once the newfound home of a lost community of Dwarves, but since being invaded and plundered by a powerful Orcish army, it has laid in ruin, housing all manner of monsters that slither amongst its forges.

There’s a number of interesting little details hidden in this adventure, with a variety of creatures to encounter and interesting areas to explore, but one of my favourite elements of ‘Forge of Fury’ is the underground rivers, waterfall, and lake. Dwarven forges and Orc ridden dungeons have been done before, but there’s something so unique and honestly, terrifying, about traversing murky water underground. The rivers run fast and getting caught means quickly losing all sense of direction. The lakes are deep and dark, anything lurking beneath the surface is easily obscured from sight. There are even areas of the cave system where the current of the river pulls you into a tunnel full of water, threatening to trap and drown you if you can’t regain control. Sometimes the best scares in D&D are the ones that don’t come from monsters. But speaking of monsters, the showstopper of the Forge is Nightscale, a young black dragon who’s taken up residence on her hoard by the Black Lake. I LOVE a water battle. Most of your player’s characters will be built, of course, for combat on land. Some out of the box thinking is required for not only fighting over a lake, but fighting something that flies. And Nightscale is known to submerge herself under the water and launch out once her breath weapon has recharged. A dynamic addition to the battle and an awesome visual. This adventure carries parties from levels 3 to 5 and runs like a big dungeon, with an array of creatures and plenty of traps. 

Shemshime’s Bedtime Rhyme Level 4 | Candlekeep Mysteries

The Adventurers spent a lovely evening at the local inn, drinking mead, eating a hearty meal, and recovering from the previous day’s battles. A soft tune rocks them to sleep that night. But when they arise, humming a melody under their breathes, the Adventurers realise they all have the same song stuck in their heads. As with all Candlkeep Mysteries, ‘Shemshime’s Bedtime Rhyme’ revolves around a book, and in this case, it’s a cursed one. The undead spirit of Shemshime resides within the pages, planting a song into the heads of all people in the vicinity. Once enough people are humming the tune or they do so for a certain amount of time, Shemshime is resummoned and free to wreak havoc once again. This adventure is so unique and interesting, I can’t wait to run it myself. After being caught by the curse, the characters and the rest of the inn’s patrons are quickly locked inside to stop the curse from spreading. But from there it only becomes stronger. Shemshime’s power grows, trying to break free of the Inn, turning people against one another. The Adventurers are on a time limit; find the book and stop the curse before Shemshime returns. ‘Shemehime’s Bedtime Rhyme’ is a beautiful roleplay heavy story and is full of interesting characters and an engaging premise that’s sure to make a great session. 

Tammeraut’s Fate Level 9 | Ghosts of Saltmarsh

The hermitage was safe for many years, but you and your fellow Adventurers now stand in its wreckage, a measly handful of survivors standing behind you as night begins to fall. And as the sun sets, the real battle begins. In ‘Tammeraut’s Fate’, the Adventurers are asked to check on a hermitage established in a nearby island fortress; they haven’t been heard from in a while. Upon arriving, the party find it utterly destroyed. The few people still alive tell the Adventurers that they’ve been set upon by Drowned Ones, one of my favourite variant zombies. Once the Drowned Ones return and kill the rest of the village however, they’ll turn their attention to the rest of the coast. This sets up one of the best battle scenarios in my opinion, a siege. Not only will you be fighting off (and hopefully defeating) the Drowned Ones, but you’ll have to protect the villagers. Having to protect something adds a whole other dynamic to the fight and introduces an element of problem solving; getting to prepare the environment for a battle while tailoring it to your party’s skillsets. Once the siege is over though, there remains the source of the attack. The Adventurers learn of a shipwreck, the Tammeraut, an open rift allowing dark energy to seep out, turning its crew into Drowned Ones. The Adventurers must find the wreck and seal the rift, once they’ve defeated the ship’s Captain of course. ‘Tammeraut’s Fate’ is a fun twist on a pirate adventure, introducing undead, curses, and even a seagull familiar! With a good balance of combat and role-play, this adventure can be a nice one-shot or side-quest for your campaign.

Wisteria Vale Level 11 | Candlekeep Mysteries

Arrant Quill was once a powerful Bard, ridding the land of numerous evil forces, but in one such battle he was overtaken by a curse that corrupted him almost completely. To bide enough time to find a cure, a group known as the Harpers built a Demi-Plane called Wisteria Vale to keep Quill trapped and docile. But now the cure is complete. The Adventurers are sent to the demi-plane, finding a beautiful town and cheerful villagers, all designed to keep the Bard happy and compliant. They must find Quill and pierce him with a special dagger, imbued with a number of spells that together will undo the curse. An extra contender is thrown into the mix however, as Quill seems to have an unexpected guest, Renekor, a beholder who dreamed themself into the town. ‘Wisteria Vale’ has a beautiful and unique setting and can fall more role-play or combat heavy depending on your group’s play style. Most of the adventure can be navigated through role-play alone, if your players are willing to be careful and tactful. The small town can quickly fall into vicious combat however; it’s currently home to a powerful bard and beholder after all. 

The Styes Level 11 | Ghosts of Saltmarsh

Finally, after many sleepless nights, the person behind the Lantern Ghost killings has been caught and executed. That is until another murder takes place, and suspicions arise that perhaps the wrong man was tried. Who doesn’t love a good murder mystery? And as it turns out, the attacks were more than simple murders. The Adventurers, spurred on by a local priest, investigate the case of the Lantern Ghost, visiting asylums and warehouses. Before long they realise a rogue Aboleth is the orchestrator of the murders, driven by its worship of Tharizdun, God of Eternal Darkness and Decay. And hidden behind the murders, a terrible plot; The Styes are being used to grow a Juvenile Kraken. A murder mystery with some Eldritch flavour, ‘The Styes’ explores some engaging and interesting locations and has a nice balance of role-play and combat. If you’re looking to set your players up with some investigating, topped with a creepy atmosphere, this one’s sure to be fun and challenging. 

Tomb of Horrors Level 15 | Tales from the Yawning Portal

The Tomb of Horrors is one hell of a dungeon. If you’ve been around Dungeons and Dragons for a bit, the title will likely seem familiar, but Tomb of Horrors is most certainly different to Tomb of Annihilation (unsurprisingly though, both involve our favourite Lich, Acererak). This charming crypt under the hill holds the body of our long undead friend, who’s then free to Force Project his soul anywhere he pleases. But naturally Acererak is keen to let his body rest in peace and will come to its defense if threatened. A lich is hard to kill for a reason though, and spoiler alert, his Phylactery (where his life force is stored) isn’t here. You can’t kill him through this adventure, but you can certainly try to take all the treasure he’s buried with. This is NOT an easy feat, however. This is a full-on dungeon, and despite it being a short adventure, it will definitely take you more than a single session to complete it. And while there are certainly a few beasts to encounter, this is primarily a puzzle driven dungeon. From a maze of trapped doors to chests full of poisonous snakes, fake crypts and chambers that come to life. Acererak didn’t build you a fun escape room, this place was built to keep you out, or keep you dead if you insist you can make it. There are plenty more amazing short stories out there, trust me when I say this is just the tip of the iceberg. If you’ve been playing your campaign for a while and want to try something different, or your game just needs a little shaking up, I highly recommend giving these adventures a look. The beauty of these short games is they can very easily be worked into bigger campaigns, or even expanded upon to become campaigns of their own. And hey! If you liked the look of these, then you’ll LOVE what ‘Journey’s through the Radiant Citadel’ has in store. It’s got 13 beautiful short adventures that are bound to bring a little extra oomph to your table. Plus, it’s ready for you to pick it up right now. Check it out at your local Good Games or grab it online!

Good Journey, Adventurer! - Alyshia