Best D&D Campaign Ideas

Choosing to create an entire Dungeons and Dragons campaign from scratch is no small ordeal, but many prefer it over ready campaign settings for many reasons. For some, keeping all the information from a book can be quite challenging, and making up details on the spot is much more preferable. Others simply appreciate the creative freedom that comes with writing a custom campaign.

Solit image featuring Ravenloft, Ebberon and Avernus

8 Greatest D&D Campaign Settings, Ranked

Dungeons and Dragons is home to some of the greatest fantasy settings. Here are the best ones, ranked.

Whatever the case may be, there are many ways to tackle the overarching story of a game, and Dungeon Masters should always consider their players at the table, and think of what would be fun for everyone involved. Ultimately, Dungeons and Dragons is all about fun and a great story, so DMs should move forward at their own pace, and only add as much detail as they feel comfortable with.

Updated on February 29, 2024, by Ivan Abadier: with so many new supplement books released by The Wizards of the Coast, DMs have quite a lot of fresh content to draw inspiration from. With so many new enemies, items, and rules, there are countless ways to freshen up an existing campaign or create a new one from scratch. As always, the DMs should prioritize a good time for everyone at the table, including themselves. At the end of the day, this is a game, and all participating members should enjoy themselves.

12 Voyage To The Edge Of The World

What Lies Beyond The End?

There are many different ways to frame a sea-based adventure, and most of them can land extremely well. From pirate-hunting to pirate-turning, few things give players more freedom than taking control of a vessel and taking it anywhere they please.

Dungeons & Dragons: Best Bows, Ranked

While it lacks in variety compared to melee weapons, they are some incredibly powerful bows in D&D. Here are the best of the bunch.

A journey to the Edge of the World can have anything the DM and the players can come up with, from mystical islands, to sunken treasure, to giant underwater monsters. Both the DM and the players will need to read up on seafaring rules, but the experience is absolutely worth it.

11 Shutting Down A Cult

Those Are Definitely Not Clerics

An evil cult can be centered around pretty much anything in the D&D lore. From liches to dark deities, to cunning monstrosities. Unraveling a cult can make for a great adventure, filled with mystery, intrigue, and even horror.

The DM has a lot of leeway when it comes to fleshing out the cult’s goals, methods, and members. From secret societies to outright wars, cults can be extremely dangerous, and it will be up to the players to find a way to end it all. The DMs also have plenty of space to set up traps, betrayals and so much more.

10 Multidimensional Chase

Why Not Visit All Planes?

What if the BBEG is someone who has free access to planar travel? Moving from city to city, plane to plane, they can wreak havoc on different dimensions, leaving utter chaos behind them. The players will need to find clues as to where the enemy went next, as they deal with the aftermath of their atrocities.

Dungeons and Dragons: Best Feats For Wizards

These feats are guaranteed to give every Wizard the edge they need in any D&D campaign.

There are also many ways that players could follow such an enemy. If they don’t have access to the necessary spells yet, they might have to look for a particular scroll or a natural gateway to the next plane of existence.

9 Solving A Political Crisis

A Royal Marriage Is Not Off The Table

While not for everyone, politically oriented games can be a lot of fun. In a Game of Thrones fashion, the players will need to unravel the many mysteries that a castle might hold, as they try to distinguish friend from foe.

Or, they might find themselves in the middle of a brewing crisis, perhaps possessing the key to a war that might start, and it would be up to them to stop, or start it. There are many directions such a game might go, but if everyone is on board with such a style it can lead to many great sessions.

8 Epic War Of The Gods

Certain Deities Might Not Be As Reasonable As One Might Imagine

A clash between deities can affect the material plane in a myriad of ways, from sudden elemental calamities, to randomly opening rifts in the fabric of space, or strangely behaving magic. Going from there, DMs can consider how exactly that would affect the players, and what could their ultimate goal be.

They could try and bring peace between the deities, perhaps solving an old grievance of theirs, like returning a stolen artifact. Or maybe they could decide to side with one of the deities and go on a quest to completely wipe out an unfavorable god.

7 The Quest for Immortality

Who Doesn't Want To Live Forever?

The Philosopher’s Stone, the Fountain of Youth, the Lazarus Pit. Stories of objects granting eternal life have been present since the dawn of time, and it is only natural to try and bring them into the beloved tabletop game.

19 Pro Tips To Create A Cyberpunk D&D Campaign

While waiting for Cyberpunk 2077 to be released, here are 10 tips for putting together a cyberpunk Dungeons & Dragons campaign.

The actual centerpiece object can be whatever the DM can come up with. On top of that, there is also the matter of other interested parties to consider. If rumors of such a thing begin to spread, kings and evil mages alike will be engaged in a deadly race to whoever can get there first.

6 World Reclamation

The Time Has Come To Fight Back

In the world of the Forgotten Realms, at least someone is constantly plotting to take over the world. Perhaps one of them succeeded. What if the (relatively) peaceful lands have been completely overtaken by goblins? What could players even do to try and usurp evil overlords?

Or perhaps, in The Last of Us fashion, the world is devastated by a strange disease that turns everyone into mindless husks. The players could be the ones to find the cure, as they travel through the desolated lands, meeting those who have survived in such a post-apocalyptic world.

5 The Elders' Prophecy

The Ancient Texts Don't Lie

Prophecies can be great foreshadowing tools, as well as set a relative guideline to what the story could be. That depends entirely on the DM. Perhaps it has been prophesied that the terrible Tarasque will at last be defeated by a group of adventurers, who share suspicious similarities with the party.

Featured - Best Sorcerer Metamagic Options

Dungeons And Dragons: Best Metamagic Options To Use

Metamagic spells can help turn things around during an encounter, but some are better than others.

There could also be an old scroll that promises the end of the world, unless a particular set of circumstances happen, like a lost king returning to the throne. Possibilities are truly limitless, and it is up to the DM to give them shape, and their own spin on it.

4 Elemental Catastrophe

Is That Volcano About To Erupt?

There are a few ways to do an elemental catastrophe. Perhaps it hasn’t yet happened, with a visible comet heading for the players’ general area. Or a volcano has erupted, but scholars predict another eruption soon, and all signs point towards the fact that all of this is not natural.

Why is all of this happening, and how can the players stop it? From unhinged elementals to vicious demons, there could be limitless reasons for why it is happening, and DMs are free to map out the details, and how such a thing can be stopped.

3 Legendary Artifacts

The Tried And True Formula For Many Famous Explorers And Archeologists

The hunt for legendary artifacts is a great way to focus players’ attention on a tangible goal and build a story around that. From basic powerful magical staffs to world-shattering orbs and wands that can weave the fabric that makes the universe itself, there is no shortage of wondrous items to hunt for.

Dungeons & Dragons: Obscure Monsters You Might Not Have Heard Of

The world of D&D has many kinds of monsters, some less well-known than others. Here are a few beasts players may have never heard of.

Players can embark on the journey on behalf of a famous collector or a shady guild, but what they do with the actual artifact (should they survive the journey) will ultimately be in the hands of the players themselves.

2 The Lost City Of The Ancients

The Past Holds Many Secrets, Not All Of Them Good

Whether the DM uses a homebrew setting or an existing one, there is no shortage of historiсal calamities to draw from. From mad mages that made entire cities vanish, to Atlantis-like flooded civilizations, DMs can send their group of players virtually anywhere.

It is also worth considering, what would be the ramifications of finding such a city. Perhaps they held secrets of advanced technology or unique magic. On the other side, they might have been harboring plans to take over the world, and their ancient weapon begins to stir as the players enter the ghost city.

1 Player-Oriented Conspiracy

BBEGs Can Also Form Parties

Strixhaven students official D&D art Wizards of the Coast

Intertwining player backstories is great for any story, but an overarching plot that involves every player’s worst enemy is sure to capture their attention. Depending on the setting and the situations, their personal villains can actually meet up and collaborate to end the party for good.

Most Iconic D&D Monsters And Their Lore

Nothing says Dungeons & Dragons more than these beasts and their fascinating lore.

This kind of setting also neatly categorizes itself into arcs, where each villain can be dealt with separately, or at least weakened until the climactic final confrontation takes place. It can also be a great mystery, where players slowly unravel the major conspiracy thread by thread until the terrible full picture comes into focus.