Twists and Turns | 5e Adventure Ideas

September 21, 2023
Posted by Lucus Hart

By Owen Davies

Do you sometimes find it challenging to think up the next big adventure for your 5e campaign? Let us help with these five free 5e adventure ideas!

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Local Heroes (Levels 1-4)

A Rich Man’s Game

Creatures. This adventure features the following creatures: bandit, doppelganger, noble.

Premise. Lord Corvain Ferrymane has always run a tight ship, earning his collected fortune through mercantile business in and out of the city. Several years ago, he founded a secret guild of bandits who would perform heists against wealthy nobles and several shop owners. These bandits, known as the Black Knights, were a collective of enforcers and bodyguards led by the son of Lord Ferrymane, Herold. This child, however, is not human like their father. They are instead a doppelganger who works on behalf of Lord Ferrymane to collect further riches for the noble.

Plot Hook. A noble or shop owner posts a job for adventurers to investigate the whereabouts of the stolen items of value and offers high bounties or honors for returning the items.

A Growing Pack

Creatures. This adventure features the following creatures: wererat, weretiger, werewolf.

Premise. For the past few months, the town has experienced small disappearances. At first, it was some of the livestock, a few sheep and cows. However, in recent days, some people have gone missing and have yet to return, with the baker having lost several loaves of bread and the general store being pilfered from its food stocks. The culprits are a pack of lycanthropes. Initially, the pack consisted of a werewolf, Torvalin, and his brother, a weretiger named Qinlas. After becoming infected during attacks aimed to feed the starving brothers, several villagers became wererats. Each of the villagers struggles to hold their original form and craves food. At night, the brothers and the wererats enter the village and bring back food to eat the next day. Once a week, Qinlas will enter the town in his half-elven form and scout their prey for the next week’s hunts.

Plot Hook. The town's mayor has put out a request for some aid from adventurers. Additionally, the general store owner is searching for adventurers willing to track down those who pilfered their stock.

Heroes of the Realm (Levels 5-10)

Masked Figures

Creatures. This adventure features the following creatures: bandit, bandit captain, oni.

Premise. Recently a thieves’ guild has popped up within the city. All the guild members seem to wear thick demonic-looking masks of a navy blue and white coloration, and some of the more trained members are granted a golden trim around the eyes. This guild seems to be led by a powerful humanoid who reportedly has blue or fair skin, thinning white or thick golden hair, and entirely yellow or piercing blue eyes. The guild has become known as the Blue Mask due to their choice of attire, and they are led by Kusun, an oni who typically takes on the form of a graceful elf. The Blue Mask aims to steal from the rich, then feed the poor with the money they have earned. Those fed are either invited to become members of the Blue Mask or face the end of their lives, typically at the hand of Kusun.

Plot Hook. A wealthy merchant recently returned home after traveling to discover their house was almost bare. They sent for a group to track down those who stole from them and ask them to return what was stolen to them. The merchant offers them what they were able to obtain on their travels, a piece of art worth at least 750 gp.

Masters of the Realm (Levels 11-17)

A Shop and a Spirit

Creatures. This adventure features the following creatures: assassin, gladiator, guard, rakshasa.

Premise. The Kindred Spirit is a sizeable arcane shop in the city, and it is run and owned by an elf known as Gwethas Mynchel. Many guards protect the shop from those who wish to attack and attempt to steal from the shop. However, Gwenthas is a rakshasa known as Rosvu and has gathered several assassins he uses as a strike force to take out political and business opponents. Meanwhile, he has hired a collection of gladiators as enforcers to intimidate anyone from starting a competitive business. Rosvu intended to create the shop to find powerful magic users on whose flesh he could feast, as the magic makes the taste even better.

Plot Hook. An old supplier of magical items to The Kindred Spirit has noticed that Gwethas has recently retreated into his study and refuses to converse with others. They are more than willing to supply a magical item or two as a reward.

Masters of the World (Levels 17-20)

Dragons Hoard

Creatures. This adventure features the following creatures: ancient green dragon, ancient red dragon, assassin, black pudding, kobold, salamander, spy.

Premise. As younglings in the world, the dragons Yldrava and Corenza decided to form a cult-like guild of mortals to do their bidding and bolster their hoards. Now after a millennium, both dragons are ancients among their species and are the leaders of The Twinned Core. Yldrava is a cunning green dragon who focuses on infiltrating the mortal political and cultural centers. She has several assassins who work alongside her disguised form to take out those enemies who would get in the way of the guild’s goals. Corenza is a mighty and feisty red dragon who cares more about the hoard in her collection than anything else. She has had kobolds carving out extensive winding pathways and tunnels underneath the capital city to confuse anyone who entered the lair. In various places within the guild’s sprawling hideout are creatures that Corenza and Yldrava have collected to protect their hoard of wealth and information. These creatures include black puddings and salamanders. They join the many kobolds who assume most of the space and constantly expand to please their mistresses.

Plot Hook. After a failed assassination attempt on a significant political leader, the heroes are approached and asked to deal with such a powerful threat as they are exposed. The world's powers want to crush this organization that has remained hidden for so long and, as such, are offering a legendary artifact that The Twinned Core stole.