Dungeons & Dragons‘ first 2021 product will be an anthology of short mystery adventures centered around the iconic library Candlekeep. Earlier today, Dungeons & Dragons announced Candlekeep Mysteries, an anthology book containing 17 adventures. Each adventure will start with the players finding a book in Candlekeep that draws them into some sort of mystery. Each adventure is intended as a standalone one-shot, meant for DMs looking to jump into an adventure with minimal prep needed. The adventures are also intended for a wide range of characters – Candlekeep Mysteries contains adventures for characters from Level 1 to Level 16. The book will also contain a section on Candlekeep itself, providing an overview about the iconic Forgotten Realms location for those wishing to delve deeper into its lore and walls. Notably, Candlekeep Mysteries will also include a monster stat block for Miirym, the spectral dragon who guards the keep. Many of the adventures will contain at least one new monster stat block for new creatures or NPCs that appear in that story. Candlekeep Mysteries will also provide some much-needed pre-made content for high level campaigns, addressing a common criticism about Dungeons & Dragons‘ lack of support for high level players.
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Chris Perkins, the principal story designer for Dungeons & Dragons, oversaw the project, with 17 other writers contributing work on the project. Those who follow the Dungeons & Dragons community online will likely recognize many names on the list, as it includes a mix of popular TTRPG streamers and content creators, along with several successful adventure writers. The full list of authors includes Graeme Barber, Toni Brill, Kelly Lynne D’Angelo, Alison Huang, Mark Hulmes, Jennifer Kretchmer, Daniel Kwan, Adam Lee, Ari Levitch, Chris Lindsay, Sarah Madsen, Michael Polkinghorn, Taymoor Rehman, Derek Reiz, Hannah Rose, Kienna Shaw, Brandes Stoddard, Toni-Winslow-Brill and Amy Vorphal.
Each adventure in Candlekeep Mysteries is named after the book at the center of the adventure. During a press event, Dungeons & Dragons revealed details about three of the adventures that will appear in Candlekeep Adventures. Jennifer Kretchmer’s “The Canopic Being” focuses on several puzzling organ transplants and takes the players to Tashluta, a city on the Chult Peninsula that hasn’t appeared in a 5E adventure. Taymoor Rehman’s “Zikran Zephyrian Tome” focuses on djinni trapped inside a book that offers a wish spell to the adventurers who can release him. Finally, Amy Vorphal’s “Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion” sends players to a tower in Candlekeep itself to stop a threat to the iconic library. Vorphal teased a new type of monster – the mechanical Skitterwidgets – for her adventure and hinted at ties to the iconic Spelljammer campaign setting.
Candlekeep Mysteries will be released on March 16th with two covers. The standard cover is by Clint Cearley and features a pair of adventurers glimpsing at a Candlekeep tome as shadows coalesce behind them. The alternate cover by Simen Meyer envisions Candlekeep Mysteries as a library tome itself. As with other D&D books, the alternate cover will only be available at local game stores. Pre-orders for Candlekeep Mysteries are available now.
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