Best 5e Adventures for Serious Game Masters
If I could only keep a handful of adventures for the rest of my GM career, these would be the ones.
by Jackson Dean Chase
Founder and Lead Designer, MageGate Games
Thousands of adventures have been published for Dungeons & Dragons over the past fifty years. Most are perfectly playable. Some are genuinely excellent. A small handful become classics that Game Masters return to decade after decade.
This guide isn’t a list of every official 5e adventure ever printed. It’s a curated collection of adventures, campaigns, classic modules, map packs, and GM resources that I would actually recommend to another serious Game Master.
- Some are modern 5e campaigns.
- Some began life in earlier editions but remain among the finest adventures ever written and are surprisingly easy to adapt to modern 5e.
- Others are tools that dramatically improve published or homebrew adventures without rewriting them from scratch.
I've been playing and GMing D&D for nearly five decades, everything from 1e to 5e + BECMI. If I were starting a brand-new campaign tomorrow for D&D 5e or any edition, this list is where I’d begin.
How I Chose These Adventures
I value adventures that are:
- Suitable for level 1 characters.
- Designed to create memorable stories rather than simply balanced encounters.
- Easy to run.
- Fun to prep.
- Memorable years later (even decades later).
- Flexible enough to customize.
- Built around meaningful choices rather than railroaded plots.
- Filled with interesting NPCs, locations, villains, mysteries, and encounters.
- Worth rereading long after the campaign ends.
You’ll notice this list mixes official Wizards of the Coast (WotC) adventures with outstanding third-party publishers. Great adventure design doesn’t belong to one company.
If you’re building your own campaign instead of running a published adventure, also see my other guides:
- Best Third-Party 5e Books
- Best 5e Publishers
- Boss Fights
- Weather & Terrain
- Memorable Magic Items
- Memorable Monsters & Villains
- Memorable Traps
Disclosure
Some links on this page are affiliate links that help support MageGate Games at no additional cost to you. However, not every recommendation earns a commission. This guide includes official Wizards of the Coast adventures and certain outstanding third-party campaigns that I genuinely believe represent some of the best adventures ever published for Dungeons & Dragons. Every product included here has earned its place on this list because I’d happily run it at my own table.
Setting, Location, Terrain, Climate, and Weather
As a bonus, I've included details for the campaign setting, location, terrain, climate, and weather (assuming your campaign begins in late spring to early summer as most do; adjust as needed if yours begins in high summer, fall, or winter).
Knowing these details not only helps you relocate the adventure if you're not using the established setting, but also helps you use our Extreme Encounters: Weather & Terrain Omnibuses with them. Every fight, every exploration, becomes much more cinematic and immersive when you add our easy weather and terrain templates.
Best Modern 5e Adventures
Author: JVC Parry
Publisher: JVC Parry / DMs Guild
Character Levels: 1–12
Type: Sandbox / Nautical Campaign
Setting: Forgotten Realms
Location: Sword Coast, Sea of Swords, Trackless Sea
Terrain: Coastal settlements, islands, open ocean, underwater ruins, pirate strongholds
Climate: Temperate maritime
Weather: Sea fog, coastal storms, rough seas, strong winds, occasional hurricanes
One of the finest nautical campaigns ever written for 5e, blending pirates, exploration, Lovecraftian horror, and classic Forgotten Realms lore into a sprawling, player-driven adventure. Players investigate mysterious disappearances and coastal threats before uncovering a mind flayer conspiracy stretching across the Sword Coast. Ship travel, naval encounters, island exploration, and memorable NPCs keep the campaign feeling fresh throughout.
Call from the Deep offers an excellent balance between freedom and structure while providing countless opportunities for memorable sea battles, political intrigue, and terrifying encounters beneath the waves.
Authors: David Feher, Gabor Dan, and Tamás Marton
Publisher: Elderbrain
Character Levels: 1–13
Type: Epic Sandbox Campaign
Setting: Aglarion
Location: Onadbyr, the Kingdom of Aglarion, the Shadow Realm, the Wildlands
Terrain: Cities, forests, mountains, swamps, underground ruins, wilderness frontiers
Climate: Temperate
Weather: Four distinct seasons, heavy autumn rains, winter snow, mountain storms, dense morning fog
One of the most ambitious third-party campaigns ever published for 5e, Crown of the Oathbreaker spans more than 800 pages of richly interconnected adventures, locations, NPCs, monsters, and player options. Its enormous scope (over 800 pages) rivals or exceeds many official campaigns while maintaining a remarkably cohesive world and narrative.
Rather than pushing players down a linear path, the campaign emphasizes meaningful choices, faction politics, exploration, investigation, and consequences that ripple throughout the kingdom. Rich worldbuilding, memorable villains, and countless optional encounters ensure that no two campaigns unfold exactly the same way.
If you’re looking for a complete epic campaign outside the official Wizards of the Coast catalog, Crown of the Oathbreaker is one of the easiest recommendations on this list. Its exceptional production values, outstanding artwork, and wealth of supporting material make it one of the finest third-party campaigns available for serious Game Masters.
Authors: Chris Perkins, Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Character Levels: 1–10
Type: Gothic Horror / Sandbox
Setting: Ravenloft
Location: Barovia
Terrain: Dense forests, mountains, villages, castles, swamps
Climate: Cool temperate
Weather: Constant overcast skies, persistent fog, cold rain, chilling winds
Widely regarded as the definitive gothic horror campaign for 5e and one of Wizards of the Coast’s strongest adventures. Rather than relying solely on combat, Curse of Strahd emphasizes atmosphere, investigation, moral choices, and recurring encounters with one of D&D’s greatest villains. Barovia itself becomes an unforgettable character, trapping players inside an oppressive world where hope is scarce.
Its flexible structure encourages exploration while allowing Dungeon Masters to tailor encounters and storylines to each group, making it one of the most replayable official campaigns ever published.
Authors: Richard Green, Wolfgang Baur, Jeff Lee, Kelly Pawlik, Mike Welham, Christopher Lockey
Publisher: Kobold Press
Character Levels: 1–13
Type: Epic Campaign
Setting: Midgard
Location: Crossroads, the Shadow Realm, the Ghoul Imperium
Terrain: Cities, underground kingdoms, forests, mountains, catacombs
Climate: Temperate
Weather: Seasonal weather above ground, perpetual darkness and stale air beneath the surface
One of Kobold Press’s finest campaigns, Empire of the Ghouls combines political intrigue, horror, exploration, and high fantasy into a globe-spanning epic.
Players slowly uncover a vast conspiracy threatening the surface world before venturing into the terrifying underground empire ruled by intelligent ghouls. The campaign features memorable villains, richly developed cultures, and a strong sense of escalating stakes.
For Dungeon Masters looking for a long-form campaign that rewards investigation, diplomacy, and tactical combat, Empire of the Ghouls delivers an experience every bit as compelling as many official adventures.
Authors: James Ohlen, Jesse Sky, Drew Karpyshyn
Publisher: Arcanum Worlds
Character Levels: 1–15
Type: Epic Mythic Campaign
Setting: Thylea
Location: Thylea
Terrain: Islands, mountains, forests, ancient ruins, seas, volcanic regions
Climate: Mediterranean
Weather: Warm summers, mild winters, sea breezes, seasonal storms
Inspired by Greek mythology, Odyssey of the Dragonlords delivers one of the most ambitious and cinematic campaigns ever produced for 5e. Players become legendary heroes whose destinies shape the future of an entire world filled with gods, titans, dragons, and ancient prophecies. The campaign combines epic storytelling with meaningful player choices while encouraging exploration across a beautifully realized mythic setting.
Its unique subclasses, monsters, and setting material make it feel distinct from traditional Forgotten Realms-style adventures while remaining highly accessible for experienced and newer Dungeon Masters alike.
Author: Marcus Pascall
Publisher: Deck and Dice Games
Character Levels: Any
Type: Short, modular one-shot adventures or sidequests
Setting: Any
Location: Wilderness
Terrain: Caves, forests, lairs, roads, ruins, waterfalls, etc.
Climate: Any
Weather: Any (use our Extreme Encounters: Weather & Terrain Omnibuses)
Not every group has time for multi-year campaigns. Need something fast? Quartershots delivers compact adventures that are easy to prepare, satisfying to run, and ideal for busy Game Masters who still want memorable sessions. They’re excellent examples of focused adventure design. Best of all, you can slot them between your regular adventures. They're ideal for when the players are en route to a destination, exploring, or wandering off in a direction you didn't plan for. This bundle includes the complete series. It covers the most common wilderness terrain types: Lairs & Labyrinths, Roads & Ruins, and Woodlands & Waterfalls.
Although written for 5e, Quartershots also includes conversions for Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC) and Shadowdark, making it an excellent resource even if your group isn’t playing Dungeons & Dragons.
Author: Jonathan G. Nelson, Stephen Yeardley, Thomas Baumbach, Joshua Gullion, Ed Greenwood, Owen KC Stephens, Christina Stiles, Mike Myler, Brian Berg, Jason Stoffa, Kevin Mickelson
Publisher: AAW Games
Character Levels: 1–20
Type: Epic Sandbox Campaign
Setting: The Underworld
Location: Rybalka, the Underworld, Embla, Spider Mountain
Terrain: Mountains, forests, underground kingdoms, caverns, ancient ruins
Climate: Temperate surface climate; cool subterranean environment
Weather: Seasonal mountain weather above ground, perpetual darkness below, underground rivers and fungal caverns
Rise of the Drow is one of the premier third-party epic campaigns for 5e, combining massive scope with exceptional world-building and memorable villains. Beginning with local threats in the frontier town of Rybalka, the campaign steadily expands into a sprawling war against powerful drow houses beneath the world. Exploration, diplomacy, political intrigue, and massive set-piece battles all play major roles throughout the adventure.
The richly detailed Underworld setting, numerous factions, and high production values make Rise of the Drow an outstanding choice for groups seeking a complete campaign capable of carrying characters from local heroes to legendary champions. At over 500 pages, it provides enough material to power an entire long-running campaign.
Classic Adventures Every 5e GM Should Experience
Some adventures are classics for a reason. Even if they weren’t originally written for 5e, they’re absolutely worth converting. Lower-level adventures are especially forgiving because there are fewer complicated monsters, spells, and magic items to translate into modern rules.
Against the Cult of the Reptile God (N1)
Author: Douglas Niles
Publisher: TSR (Wizards of the Coast)
Character Levels: 1-3
Type: Investigation leading to a focused climax
Setting: World of Greyhawk
Location: Orlane, a decaying out-of-the-way village on the border of Gran March and the Grand Duchy of Geoff
Terrain: Forest/swamp or wetlands-adjacent
Climate: Temperate
Weather: Frequent morning fog, plenty of rain
One of the greatest introductory adventures ever written: A mysterious village. Hidden corruption. Paranoia. Investigation. Excellent pacing. It’s still one of the best examples of how to introduce players to a living campaign world. Adventure, exploration, mystery, horror. While this features troglodytes as the main enemy, you can easily replace them with any amphibious or reptilian humanoids, such as bullywugs, lizardfolk, or (for higher-level adventures) yuan-ti. If you wanted to change the enemy creature type altogether, that would be easy too, making them aberrations, fiends, undead, or simply human cultists. You could also insert H.P. Lovecraft Cthulhu Mythos elements; Orlane has a very Dunwich Horror vibe. Where The Village of Hommlet (see below) is open and inviting, the village of Orlane is closed and suspicious... almost a ghost town.
Note: If you wanted to expand this adventure, you could combine it with Danger at Dunwater (U2), which is also swamp-based, and simply make the lizardfolk from U2 be threatened by the Reptile God's cult instead of the sahuagin in The Final Enemy (U3). Another idea is to tie Against the Cult of the Reptile God into The Village of Hommlet's Temple of Elemental Evil by associating the Reptile God's cult with the prince of elemental evil water.
Author/Publisher: Canvas Quest
A modern, VTT-friendly map pack for Against the Cult of the Reptile God helps update this classic, making it even more convenient to run.
The Keep On the Borderlands (B2)
Author: Gary Gygax
Publisher: TSR (Wizards of the Coast)
Character Levels: 1-3
Type: Sandbox/Megadungeon
Setting: World of Greyhawk
Location: The Borderlands (traditionally placed on the eastern frontier of the Yeomanry in Greyhawk, though intentionally left adaptable)
Terrain: Border hills, rocky badlands, light forest, scrubland, ravines, limestone caves
Climate: Temperate
Weather: Warm summers, cool winters, seasonal rain, foggy mornings, occasional thunderstorms
One of the most influential adventures ever published for Dungeons & Dragons and the template for countless sandbox campaigns that followed. Players begin at the Keep, a fortified frontier outpost surrounded by dangerous wilderness, then choose which rumors to pursue and which threats to confront. Rather than following a scripted story, the adventure rewards exploration, scouting, diplomacy, and careful resource management.
The nearby Caves of Chaos contain multiple rival factions that can be negotiated with, manipulated, or destroyed, making the dungeon feel like a living ecosystem instead of a linear sequence of encounters. These factions consist of competing tribes of goblins, kobolds, and orcs, plus an evil human death cult and a few powerful solo monsters like a medusa and minotaur.
Although originally written for Basic D&D, Keep on the Borderlands converts to 5e with relatively little effort and remains one of the best examples of player-driven, open-ended adventure design. Its influence can still be seen in modern sandbox campaigns and megadungeons.
The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh (U1)
Authors: Dave J. Browne with Don Turnbull
Publisher: TSR UK (Wizards of the Coast)
Character Levels: 1-3
Type: Mystery followed by smuggling action
Setting: World of Greyhawk
Location: Saltmarsh, Viscounty of Salinmoor, Keoland
Terrain: Coastal
Climate: Humid subtropical
Weather: Frequent storms, heavy fogs, and violent winds
A haunted house on a cliff overlooking the sea, smugglers, investigation, and unforgettable atmosphere combine to create one of TSR’s finest mystery adventures. Its pacing and sense of discovery remain influential even by modern standards. I also very much enjoyed the swamp-based sequel, Danger at Dunwater (U2), but am only lukewarm toward the trilogy's conclusion, the unimaginatively titled, The Final Enemy (U3). Maybe I disliked U3 because it was an all-combat, mostly underwater adventure very much like an aquatic version of Against the Giants (G-1-2-3). U1 and U2 had a lot more nuance and mystery, as well as room for diplomacy and intrigue.
Author/Publisher: Eventyr Games
This provides modern updates to help you run the classic module. Similar updates also exist for running the two sequels, U2 and U3.
Author: John Tynes
Publisher: Atlas Games
Character Levels: 1-3
Type: Time-sensitive urban sandbox
Setting: Any
Location: Deeptown, The Deeps (an autonomous valley ruled by bandits but could be converted to barbarians as needed)
Terrain: Hills or mountains, lake-adjacent, valley
Climate: Warm, comfortable (day), chilly (night)
Weather: Localized wind, rain, sun, sudden storms
Originally written for 3rd Edition (3e), this remains one of my favorite convention-length adventures ever published. Set during a festival, it offers excellent pacing, difficult choices, and multiple ways for events to unfold depending on player decisions. If you’ve read my adventure hooks and advice on running festivals in the GameMaster's Guide to Rites & Rituals, you’ll immediately understand why this adventure made the list.
Author: Gary Gygax
Publisher: TSR (Wizards of the Coast)
Character Levels: 1-3
Type: Sandbox village + nearby dungeon + campaign seed
Setting: World of Greyhawk
Location: Hommlet, Viscounty of Verbobonc
Terrain: Forest, hills, river-adjacent
Climate: Temperate
Weather: Cloudy, rain
Nearly every fantasy campaign needs a great home base. Hommlet remains one of the finest starting villages ever designed, combining politics, mystery, wilderness exploration, and memorable NPCs without overwhelming new players. Although I'm not a fan of the megadungeon sequel, The Temple of Elemental Evil (T1-4), it's available if you want to expand beyond T1, or you could use Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil (3e), or Princes of the Apocalypse (5e).
Author/Publisher: Canvas Quest
A modern, VTT-friendly map pack for The Village of Hommlet updates this classic, making it more convenient to run.
Honorable Mention
Author: Steve Perrin
Publisher: TSR (Wizards of the Coast)
Character Levels: 0-3
Type: Regional sandbox + militia campaign + wilderness
Setting: Forgotten Realms
Location: Daggerford, Sword Coast
Terrain: Coastal, forest, hills, moors and river-adjacent
Climate: Mild
Weather: Breezy, sudden showers
Not every adventure earns a recommendation because of its plot or villains. Under Illefarn makes this list because it solves one of the oldest problems in tabletop RPGs: “Why are these characters even together?” Instead of beginning with a random tavern meeting, the player characters start as members of the local militia. They already know one another, have responsibilities to the community, and a believable reason to work together.
It also introduces the concept of 0-level characters, allowing the campaign to begin before the heroes have fully earned their reputations. In 5e terms, you would assign each player the traits, actions, and equipment of an NPC equivalent to their desired starting class, such as Bandit for Rogue, Cultist for Warlock, Guard for Fighter, Priest Acolyte for Cleric, Scout for Barbarian/Ranger, etc. Players would still roll for (or point buy) their stats as normal to allow for customization.
When they reach a predetermined number of XP or the milestone you set, they "graduate" to a level 1 character of their chosen class. That may not sound like fun to power gamers or superhero fantasy fans, but for the right group, starting at 0-level is some of the most fun you will ever have. It feels amazing when you finally achieve 1st-level status. Why? Because you earned it.
For a little extra oomph, you could give each 0-level character one of the special trinkets from MageGate's 250 Best Magic Items: Curios, Oddities, and Trinkets, which have in-game effects (some magical, some merely through the power of belief). These trinkets include multiple character backstory/origin ideas/adventure seeds. They can be rolled for on random tables or chosen as desired. They also work great if you prefer to start with 1st-level characters instead.
This combination of the characters all being 0-level and village militia members makes Under Illefarn especially valuable for new Game Masters and groups that want a stronger foundation than the traditional “you all meet in a tavern” approach. Even if you only take the ideas given here and never run the actual module, you're already light years ahead of most GMs and published adventures.
Outstanding Maps & GM Resources
Authors: Christopher Broadhurst, Creighton Broadhurst, Simon Butler, Jeff Gomez, Steve Hood, Robert Manson, Mike Welham
Publisher: Raging Swan Press
The Dread Laironomicon is one of those rare GM resources you’ll reach for again and again. Instead of giving you another adventure to run, it provides hundreds of flavorful details that transform monster lairs into memorable locations. Whether your party is exploring a dragon’s den, a goblin warren, a vampire’s crypt, or a lich’s fortress, you’ll find themed tables covering sights, sounds, smells, hazards, clues, dressing, treasure, and other details that make every lair feel unique and believable. It’s especially valuable when stocking dungeons, designing boss lairs, or adding depth to published adventures without rewriting them.
Because it’s completely system neutral, the book works just as well for 5e, Pathfinder, DCC, OSR games, or virtually any fantasy RPG. Use it during prep or roll on the tables at the table whenever you need instant inspiration. If you enjoy creating your own adventures, this is an outstanding toolkit for adding atmosphere, immersion, and variety without hours of extra work.
The Dread Laironomicon is pairs extremely well with our Legendary Lairs Starter Pack or Legendary Lairs Core Collection.
Paratime Design 2025 Maps Bundle (Enhanced)
Publisher: Paratime Design
Cartographer: Tim Hartin
Beautiful maps save prep time and immediately improve immersion. They also help players understand the environment, make tactical decisions faster, and create memorable locations that feel worth exploring.
For GMs, they also provide inspiration. If I'm not running a published adventure, getting inspired by a cool map is where my homebrew prep begins. Sometimes I repurpose an classic adventure map, restocking it with new monsters, traps, and treasure. Other times, I just grab a map with no adventure attached and let my imagination run wild.
There are a lot of map makers, many excellent, but for that classic OSR feel, nobody does it better than Tim Hartin at Paratime Design. His maps are 100% the same or better quality than anything TSR ever published for 1e or BECMI, and he has a growing library of over 250 of them.
Whether you play around a physical table or online, great maps make adventures easier to run and more memorable to explore. He specializes in beautifully drawn old-school fantasy maps that emphasize clarity, usability, and classic dungeon aesthetics.
Paratime's Friday Enhanced Maps include layered PDFs with optional room numbers, secret doors, grids, and alternate backgrounds, plus individual JPG image files that are ready for printing or importing into most virtual tabletop (VTT) platforms. They make an outstanding companion to both classic adventures and modern 5e campaigns.
Paratime Design publishes new maps weekly. Whether you're looking for a money-saving mega-map bundle or a single map, they've got you covered. They offer all kinds of maps: buildings, caves, dungeons, fortresses, settlements, towers, etc. Many are multi-level. Some are sprawling megadungeons.
The bundle we link to features an entire year's worth of enhanced maps, enough to run a new map every week, but they have tons more in both enhanced and old school blue.
Paratime Design maps are a perfect match for our Game Master's Guide to Traps & Terrors.
Which Adventure Should You Run?
What adventures would an experienced GM actually run today? It depends on what you're looking for. Here are my top picks in no particular order, each for a different type of adventure:
A massive modern campaign
Short adventures that are zero prep and ready to run as one-shots or sidequests
The best classic starter village
Against the Cult of the Reptile God
Mystery, investigation, and creeping paranoia
The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh
Haunted-house suspense and coastal intrigue
Festival intrigue and player-driven choices
Beautiful old school-inspired maps for making your own homebrew adventures
Adventures Become Better with Better GM Tools
Even the best adventures benefit from stronger encounters, more memorable villains, better magic items, dynamic environments, and meaningful player choices. That’s exactly why I created MageGate Games. If you’re preparing any campaign—official or third-party—you may also enjoy these companion resources:
- Best Third-Party 5e Books
- Best 5e Publishers
- Boss Fights
- Weather & Terrain
- Memorable Magic Items
- Memorable Monsters & Villains
- Memorable Traps
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these adventures suitable for new Game Masters?
Some are. Adventures like Quartershots, The Village of Hommlet, and Against the Cult of the Reptile God are excellent introductions. Larger campaigns such as Crown of the Oathbreaker, Empire of the Ghouls, and Rise of the Drow reward GMs with a bit more experience.
Do older edition adventures still work with 5e?
Absolutely. Lower-level adventures are generally straightforward to convert and often contain stronger adventure structure than many modern publications.
Why aren’t all official 5e adventures listed?
Popularity isn’t my primary criterion. Every recommendation here is something I’d genuinely recommend running.
Why include third-party publishers?
Some of the finest adventures ever written weren’t published by Wizards of the Coast. Great Game Masters benefit from looking beyond the official catalog.
Are map packs worth buying?
Often, yes. High-quality maps reduce preparation time, improve table presentation, and work especially well for online play.
Will this list grow over time?
Definitely. As I discover new adventures worthy of recommendation—or revisit forgotten classics—I plan to expand this guide.
