Highlights
- Strixhaven: A Curriculum Of Chaos is a versatile campaign set in a magic university that appeals to Harry Potter fans, offering multiple mysteries and a progressing storyline from levels 1 to 10.
- Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is a heist narrative with suspenseful elements, allowing DMs to choose from multiple villains and providing a short but intriguing campaign from levels 1 to 5.
- Tomb Of Annihilation offers a challenging campaign with plenty of mysteries, including the Soulmonger, Red Wizards of Thay, and yuan-ti, spanning levels 1 to 11 for a suspenseful and intriguing adventure.
Dungeons and Dragons can be a hugely versatile tabletop experience, demonstrated by the vast array of official campaigns available for the roleplaying game. Putting together homebrew campaigns can be a lot of hard work and effort for a Dungeon Master, and trying to craft a compelling mystery full of suspense only adds to the complexity.
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While some DMs may love that challenge, there are plenty of suspenseful pre-written campaigns available for DMs who want to run a suspenseful and thrilling mystery game without writing it themselves. The following campaigns range from short one-shot experiences to long-running campaigns, for players between levels 1 through 16, and each could feasibly be adapted to fit into whatever setting the DM requires, including homebrew.
1 Strixhaven: A Curriculum Of Chaos
Magic University Mysteries Appealing To Harry Potter Fans
- Published: December 7th, 2021
- Levels: 1-10
- Book: Strixhaven: A Curriculum Of Chaos
Strixhaven is a versatile campaign, whose mysteries are likely to appeal to Harry Potter fans, young and old alike. The setting of Strixhaven, a university for powerful students of magic, was originally released in a Magic: The Gathering card set, but it fits seamlessly into the world of D&D. The campaign has four short anthology campaigns, correlating to four years at university, and each can be run as a standalone adventure or as part of a full campaign.
In its entirety, Strixhaven can see students progress from levels 1 to 10. Run as a full campaign, the mystery of the evil wizard, Murgaxor Grenshel, and his involvement at Strixhaven, can be subtly sown in throughout the game, only really coming to light in the 3rd campaign, adding some suspense to the overarching machinations.
2 Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
Heist Narrative With Multiple Villains Determined By Season
- Published: September 18th, 2018
- Levels: 1-5
- Book: Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
Heist stories tend to have some elements of mystery and plenty of suspense, and this heist story, set in Waterdeep, is no different. In the Yawning Portal Tavern, the infamous adventurer, Volo, embroils players in a quest to retrieve half a million gold dragons (coins, not the beasts). Throughout their adventure, players will get involved with some mysterious and shady connections, from the Zhentarim merchants to the beholder crime lord, Xanathar.
One aspect that adds a lot of intrigue and replayability to this campaign is that DMs can choose between four main villains for their story, usually dictated by the season it takes place. Dragon Heist is only a short campaign, taking players from level 1 to 5, but it can be continued in Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage until level 20.
3 Tomb Of Annihilation
Challenging Campaign With Lots Of Intrigue
- Published: September 19th, 2017
- Levels: 1-11
- Book: Tomb Of Annihilation
Tomb of Annihilation is sure to fill players with dread, as it is infamously based on the challenging Tomb of Horrors dungeon created by Gary Gygax. While a lot of suspense can be built around the difficulty of the campaign, there are plenty of mysteries to occupy players as well.
What is behind the Soulmonger and its death curse, how should players deal with the sinister Red Wizards of Thay, and what's with the local yuan-ti? A decent-length adventure, spanning levels 1 to 11, Tomb of Annihilation is an incredibly suspenseful campaign, with mysteries aplenty.
4 Hoard Of The Dragon Queen
Cult Narrative With Multiple Shady Organizations
- Published: August 19th, 2014
- Levels: 1-7
- Book: Hoard Of The Dragon Queen
This adventure is the first of two campaigns in the overarching Tyranny of Dragons narrative. While both provide a great story, the former has more elements of mystery alongside the inherent suspense that comes from the threat of dragon rule.
Given the first campaign's focus on the rise of the Cult of the Dragon and their mysterious workings, as well as the involvement of sketchy organizations like the Zhentarim and the Red Wizards of Thay, there is plenty of opportunity to hint at mysteries and tantalize players with foreshadowing. The first campaign takes players from levels 1 to 7, but it can be expanded up to level 15 with Rise of Tiamat.
5 Tales From The Yawning Portal: White Plume Mountain
Mysterious And Threatening Letter From Ancient Wizard
- Published: March 24th, 2017
- Levels: 8-9
- Book: Tales From The Yawning Portal
Another anthology collection, Tales From The Yawning Portal includes adventures of renowned difficulty and adoration from previous editions of D&D, all updated for the fifth edition. Of all of them, White Plume Mountain has a chilling mystery to compliment the innate suspense of its difficulty.
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The plot centers around a mysterious and threatening letter, sent to the owners of multiple stolen magic items, supposedly from an ancient and sinister wizard, Keraptis. White Plume Mountain is suitable for players from 8th to 9th level. The original adventure was written by Lawrence Schick to convince Gygax to hire him as a designer. Naturally, it worked!
6 Out Of The Abyss
Long Campaign In A Mysterious Setting
Tyler Jacobson via Wizards of the Coast
- Published: September 15th, 2015
- Levels: 1-15
- Book: Out Of The Abyss
Out of the Abyss is a long campaign, seeing players progress from 1st to 15th level. Given its length, it is unsurprising that there are a lot of mysteries to uncover throughout the adventure. It begins with players waking to find themselves captives of the drow in the Underdark.
These subterranean cave systems have a natural intrigue about them. Although the players initially aim to escape, they will soon become embroiled in mysteries surrounding multiple demonic overlords.
7 Ravenloft: The House Of Lament
Short Gothic Horror Campaign
- Published: May 18th, 2021
- Levels: 1-3
- Book: Van Richten's Guide To Ravenloft
Mystery and suspense are two of the core elements found within Gothic horror stories. As such, it is no surprise that a Gothic ghost story of a campaign, such as The House Of Lament, ranks highly. Only a short campaign found within Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, from 1st to 3rd level, it takes place in the bleak lands of Ravenloft, where players become closely acquainted with a haunted house.
But the campaign book takes great care to establish that DMs shouldn't rush the horror found within the house. Hauntings gradually take place, perfect to build an element of mystery and suspense within players.
8 Ghosts Of Saltmarsh
Ghost Story Turned Political Intrigue
- Published: May 21st, 2019
- Levels: 1-12
- Book: Ghosts Of Saltmarsh
Perhaps sounding initially like another ghost story, Saltmarsh's mysteries are a lot more deceptive. Like Tales From The Yawning Portal, Saltmarsh revisits multiple older edition adventures, knitting them together seamlessly into an overarching campaign that lasts from level 1 to 12.
While the story begins with a seemingly haunted house, not all is as it seems. Players must investigate to unravel the true goings-on in Saltmarsh, which are far more politically intriguing.
9 Curse Of Strahd
Infamous Gothic Horror Campaign
- Published: March 15th, 2016
- Levels: 1-10
- Book: Curse Of Strahd
It would be impossible to discuss Gothic horror stories, political intrigue, or mystery and suspense within D&D campaigns without giving Curse of Strahd credit where it's due. Strahd has become one of the most notorious campaigns and an absolute go-to, primarily for the sense of mystery, suspense, and Gothic horror that DMs can establish throughout it.
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From levels 1 to 10, players will navigate the bleak setting of Ravenloft, attempting to evade and take down Count Strahd, a vampiric villain who has been integral to D&D since the original Ravenloft adventure in 1983. It is a must-play D&D campaign, but especially for groups who enjoy mystery and suspense.
10 Candlekeep Mysteries
Anthology Of Sixteen Mysteries Found Within Books
- Published: March 16th, 2021
- Levels: 1-16
- Book: Candlekeep Mysteries
As renowned as Curse of Strahd is, what campaign could be better for mysteries than one that has the word in the name? This anthology campaign can provide players with mysteries lasting them from 1st level to 16th. Each standalone mystery can also be adapted to fit whatever setting DMs may be running in.
Otherwise, within the massive library of Candlekeep on the Sword Coast, players can find 16 different books, each taking them down a different mystery in need of solving. From missing sages to mass killings, to trapped djinnis, if one mystery doesn't grab the attention of the players, there are plenty more to uncover!
Dungeons and Dragons
- Franchise
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Original Release Date
- 1974-00-00
- Publisher
- Wizards of the Coast
