Many great one-shot adventures are published by Wizards of the Coast or other content creators on DMsGuild.
But that’s pretty hard to accomplish when everyone has their own schedule.
A much shorter, and often easier option, is the simple one-shot.
From there, they are dragged into a disagreement between two fey courts.
Runaway Experiment
A Mad Scientist Even?
Upon arriving, the inventor seems distraught.
Their new experiment has escaped the lab and is wreaking havoc across the lands.
It’s time for your party to save the day.
For added fun, outfit the characters with some “experimental” magic and technological items for their hunt.
Royal Wedding
When’s It Time To Cut The Cake?
Your party has received an invitation to a royal wedding.
Some of the biggest names in the kingdom will be in attendance.
Ancient Green Dragon (2025 Monster Manual) by Alexander Ostrowski
Begin the adventure with a grand ball, plenty of unusual faces, and a ceremony of course.
During the ceremony, have one of the betrothed disappear.
What follows is a lock-down event where the setting is small, but tensions are high.
Art via Wizards of the Coast
The answer is up to you: magic, bandits, or just a case of cold feet.
Polymorph Gone Wrong
Lions, Tigers, Bears?
), so it’s possible for you to throw other low-level challenges at them to cause tension.
Art by Mathias Kollros
you could either have your players choose an animal form, or even make them roll for it.
Not ones to let evil run amok, your adventurers go off to help the villagers.
On arriving, they hear tales of disappearances and other creepy sights.
Boreal Ball by Katerina Ladon
These monsters are perfect for a D&D one-shot.
This is a great adventure to show off a monster you’ve wanted to try out.
They must adapt to their new reality to find a way home.
Frog via Wizards of the Coast
Who says a one-shot can’t evolve into a full campaign after all?
Typical hero shenanigans are to be expected, but there’s a reason the group was planning to retire.
Looking to take your Dungeons & Dragons play to the next level?
Elder Oblex via Wizards of the Coast
Here are successful character builds for advanced players.
They might struggle to recall important details.
They might have sudden back pain in the middle of combat.
Hill Giant Herdgorger by Chris Rahn
The players can play as a group of grumpy, battle-weary heroes fed up with adventure.
But will they all make it to retirement, or will this be one quest too many?
Your players are seeking a safe haven at the end of the world.
Centaur by Eric Belisle
Perhaps they have heard rumors of a place not too far from them.
Maybe they are just trying to provide hope for the group they have vowed to keep safe.
Will it be the safe haven they hoped for, or is it a trap?
Princes Of The Apocalypse by Raymond Swanland
A follow-up one-shot scenario could involve the same group of survivors attempting to secure their safe haven.
It’s a race against time to keep the place secure from the looming threats beyond its walls.
The premise is simple: all the characters are imprisoned and needed for a dangerous mission by the imprisoner.
Warriors by Bram Sels
This concept streamlines many of the more complex ideas of D&D.
The players are simply trying to earn their freedom through this adventure that’s forced onto them.
verify to let your players play as shady characters to maximize tension and enjoy the fireworks.
Bard by Evyn Fong
The routines get increasingly dangerous each time, too, with the stage transforming around them.
Although an all-bard party could be exciting, it is not necessary.
A barbarian could take on the role of the band’s bodyguard.
Their music manager could be a sneaky rogue set on sabotaging the rival bands' performances.
