Free D&D Resources for Experienced Adventurers, Newbie Players and Families
Hail and well-met adventurers!
April 30th 2020 - Last week we shared some tips on how you can continue your tabletop role-playing adventures and stay connected with friends and loved ones during these strange times. In today’s post, we wanted to continue on from last week’s topic and share some free resources that will help you plan out your quarantine D&D adventures and also share freebies to help keep your little goblins stay occupied while they are cooped up at home!
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic Wizards of the Coast, publishers of table-top favourites Dungeons and Dragons and Magic the Gathering have released the "Stay at Home, Play at Home” online initiative. Where every day during the month of April, they are releasing free D&D adventures and resources for both new and experienced adventurers on their website.
Image source: Wizards of the Coast
The "Stay at Home, Play at Home” initiative aims to help the tabletop role-playing community stay connected with each other through gameplay and distract themselves from the current worries of the world. The initiative is also part of an effort to support parents who are dealing with school closures and keep their little adventurers occupied during quarantine through D&D themed colouring and puzzles.
“With schools closed around the world, many parents and caregivers are at home with their kids, including many in the D&D community,” Wizards of the Coasts mentioned on their website. “If you are in need of fun & educational material to share and/or play with your kids, you can check back here each day for D&D stuff to help during this time. If you (or someone you know) is a younger gamer, we’re also releasing resources to make it even easier to get into D&D.”
Image source: Wizards of the Coast
While we are currently nearing the end of April, the free resources are still available for a limited time and you can access all previous content through their archive. Most of the material is free to download, while others have a pay what you want option where proceeds will be donated to the Extra Life children’s charity. Most of the material is available in PDF format and you need to have a free account with the Dungeon Masters Guild in order to download.
The horde of free material includes the following campaigns and other goodies:
For new players:
Image source: Wizards of the Coast
- D&D Adventurers League - An ongoing official campaign for Dungeons & Dragons. The D&D Adventurers League (DDAL for short) uses the fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons rules, and features the Forgotten Realms setting:
- DDAL Player's Guide: An updated guide to creating and advancing a D&D character for play in the Adventurers League.
- DDAL Dungeon Master's Guide: An updated guide to getting started as a Dungeon Master for the Adventurers League
- D&D Starter Set:
- Starter Set Rulebook
- Pregenerated Character Sheets
- Lost Mine of Phandelver: An adventure for four to five characters of 1st level. During the course of the adventure, characters will advance to 5th level.
- Lost Mine of Phandelver is set a short distance from the city of Neverwinter in the Sword Coast region of the Forgotten Realms setting. The Sword Coast is part of the North—a vast realm of free settlements surrounded by wilderness and adventure. Look for this adventure on Roll20, Fantasy Grounds, and D&D Beyond (available through May 6).
For experienced players:
Image source: Wizards of the Coast
- Pool of Radiance Resurgent: Vorgansharax rules Phlan, using the Cult of the Dragon to extend his noxious gaze. But the green dragon seeks far more than control of the beleaguered town – ultimate power is nearly within reach. Will he reactivate the Pool of Radiance and ascend to greater prominence amongst his kind?
- Infernal Machine Rebuild: A fallen clock tower holds components from an ancient artifact. Upon discovery of the components, competing agents look to launch expeditions to uncover additional components scattered across distant places—and times. The now-lost Temple of Moloch and the construction site of the legendary Tomb of Horrors are two of those locations. However great the risks, finding the components demands the effort, for whoever does so can reassemble the fabled Infernal Machine of Lum the Mad!
- Dark Pyramid of Sorcerer’s Isle: Long unoccupied, the pyramid on Sorcerer’s Isle now flows with strange magical energy, warping creatures and the landscape around it. The Cult of the Dragon and Red Wizards of Thay have taken notice, and it’s up to you to keep whatever power dwells there out of their hands.
And for the little adventurers:
Image source: Twitter
- Monster Slayers - Champions of the Elements: Following in the footsteps of the Monster Slayers: The Heroes of Hesoid, Monster Slayers: The Champions of the Elements captures the flavour of the Dungeons & Dragons® Roleplaying Game in one fast-paced, action-packed package for kids who want to learn the fundamentals of the game
- Adventure with Muk: “Meet Muk, the very bravest goblin, and his best friend Birdsquirrel. Adventure your way through the Dankwood and search for a great treasure that is rumoured to be hidden far beyond”. An activity book with puzzles, adventure hooks, and every page os made to be coloured and enjoyed! Adventure with Muk began as a fundraising project in support of 2019 D&D Extra Life team efforts.
Now is the perfect time to begin a new tabletop adventure and have the family and kids along for the ride. Wizards of the Coast haven’t mentioned when they will stop releasing free materials, so snatch all the loot while you can! Have fun and stay safe adventurers!
GIF source: Giphy