Not every adventure in D&D needs to be an epic, year-long campaign. Sometimes all you need is a nice, contained little adventure to be done in one night. Maybe even something, dare I say, casual? The D&D team has already released a few books centered around one-shots i.e. Tales From The Yawning Portal and Ghosts of Saltmarsh, and this year they’re releasing a new collection: Candlekeep Mysteries. The new book, which is due to be released on March 16th, brings together 17 one-shots for characters leveled 1-16 and written by a diverse group of up-and-coming writers from the Dungeons & Dragons community.
The book will (naturally) feature mysteries and each one will represent a “book” located in the titular library/fortress, considered the foremost place of magical studies in the Forgotten Realms. The book will also work to flesh out Candlekeep with plenty of lore and details for DM’s to dig into. The fortress is a classic part of the setting, and old-school fans will no doubt want to revisit the location and the various characters that inhabit it or are directly connected to it. There is even a ghost dragon located somewhere for players to interact with.
You can learn more about the book and its contents below.
While there’s a lot to love about long D&D campaigns full of twists, drama and character development, sometimes Dungeon Masters and players are looking for quick one-shots, a light-hearted palate-cleanser, or … a little mystery.
Introducing Candlekeep Mysteries, an anthology of seventeen mystery-themed adventures each centered around a single book found in the iconic library fortress. All of these adventures–many written by new authors—are intended to be played as one-shots in-person or online or simply dropped into any existing campaign. Candlekeep Mysteries is perfect for Dungeon Masters who are looking to inject new characters, story hooks, magic items, and monsters into their game without tons of prep.
Available everywhere on March 16 with a cover by Clint Cearley, and in game stores with an alternate cover by Simen Meyer, Candlekeep Mysteries presents each adventure as a tome on its infinite shelves, plus background information about the library fortress that’s enchanted fans of the Forgotten Realms for decades.
“I got my start in the gaming industry by writing short D&D adventures,” said Chris Perkins, Principal Story Designer for Dungeons & Dragons. “I’m grateful to be able to work on a product that gives other authors the same opportunity. The adventures in this anthology reflect the incredible creativity of the D&D community.”
Candlekeep Mysteries features adventures written by authors, including:
- Graeme Barber (@POCGamer) Station Hunt, Sojourner RPG, Fight City and various 5e resources
- Kelly Lynne D’Angelo (@kellylynnedang) Girls, Guts, Glory, Geek & Sundry’s Tales From The Loop series
- Alison Huang (@Drazillion), The Ties That Bind Us, contributor to Uncaged Anthology Vol 1, Whisper Agents, and more
- Mark Hulmes (@sherlock_hulmes), High Rollers, Nights of Eveningstar, Calianna on Critical Role
- Jennifer Kretchmer (@dreamwisp), Silver & Steel, Monsters & Fables, Beyond Heroes. Per io9, Kretchmer’s adventure is titled “The Canopic Being” and is a dungeon crawler centered around a spree of mysterious organ transplants.
- Daniel Kwan (@danielhkwan), Producer and Co-Host of Asians Represent Podcast, Ross Rifles, Wolf of The South
- Adam Lee (@adamofadventure), Dragon Magazine, Magic The Gathering
- Ari Levitch (@AriLevitch), D&D Narrative Designer
- Sarah Madsen (@UnfetteredMuse), Weaver’s Folly, A Chemical World, Warlock RPG, The Haunting of Grimtallow Manor
- Christopher Perkins (@ChrisPerkinsDnD), he’s Chris Perkins
- Michael Polkinghorn (@MiketheGoalie), Relic of the Past DM
- Taymoor Rehman (@DarkestCrows), WotC Game Designer. Rehman’s adventure is titled “Zikran’s Zephyrean Tome for Candlekeep” and focuses on the djinn.
- Derek Ruiz (@ElvenTower), Dungeon Vault Magazine
- Kienna Shaw (@kiennas), Salty Sweet Games, TTRPG Tool Kit
- Brandes Stoddard (@BrandesStoddard), Fey Gifts & Bargains, In The Company of Giants
- Amy Vorpahl (@vorpahlsword), The Newsroom, The Mindy Project, Critical Role, Greyhaven Or Bust. Her contribution is “Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion,” a lighthearted adventure (reflecting Vorpahl’s experience as a comedy writer) and is set within Candlekeep itself.
- Toni Winslow-Brill (@vorgryth), Faerly Moot, Fangs & Frogts
The book enters wide release on March 16, but you can pre-order at Barnes & Noble, on Amazon, or through digital services like D&D Beyond or Roll20. But if you want that shiny alt-cover, you’ve gotta go to your FLGS. And keep an eye on The Fandomentals for more updates on Candlekeep Mysteries and the ever-shifting world of tabletop gaming.
Images via D&D
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