There’s no denying that “Dungeons and Dragons” is on the rise in popularity again.
Some might attribute this to shows like “Critical Role” and “Dimension 20”, while others insist that the game never dropped off the pop culture radar in the first place.
Regardless of which is true, creating an engaging and exciting adventure for your players is the key to a successful campaign.
Using These D&D Prompts
Whether you’re diving deep into a long campaign and need some inspiration for your next trek, or you’re throwing together a one-shot campaign with a few friends, we’ve put together a list of creative starting points to give you some help along the way.
Here are some ways you can use this list:
- Roll 3 d12 and use that number to choose your prompt.
- If you’re using this as inspiration to move an existing campaign along, choose a prompt that aligns with your journey.
- Have the player with the lowest dexterity modifier choose a number between 1 and 37.
The Adventure Begins
- Your party stumbles across a “Wanted” sign—with their faces on it.
- A Paladin turns evil while still thinking he is good.
- One of your party members is secretly out to kill the rest of the party.
- A witch’s curse is causing all of the eggs in town to rot immediately.
- An ancient artifact must be retrieved from deep within a dangerous cave.
- Your Paladin NPC has a coffee addiction and is out for revenge on the barista who gave them decaf.
- Your party is sailing across the sea when they are attacked by a sea monster.
- The God of Luck is in trouble—and your party must save them.
- Your Bard has the constant urge to start a musical number during every fight.
- After fighting a group of chest Mimics, the party finally finds the chest of treasure—but half of the gold coins are also Mimics.
- Your Wizard is constantly trying to recruit people to their book club, which sounds suspiciously like a cult.
- The party stumbles across a dragon egg in the middle of a clearing.
- Every time someone rolls a 7, they are overcome with hiccups for a duration of your choosing. There is no cure.
- The crazy necromancer in the tower is actually a little girl with an undead bird army.
- An NPC joins your party thinking they’re on a scavenger hunt for the bachelor party they’re attending.
- Your fighter has the opportunity to get the best weapon they’ve ever seen—but they have to face their greatest fear.
- A curse has turned all of the town’s children into chickens, but no one knows which chickens are children and which are just chickens.
- Your party is a group of monsters, out to hunt down a group of adventurers.
- The town’s local hero has gone missing after a journey into the silver mines.
- One of your party members is a werewolf, and not even the player knows who it is.
- Your Rogue is trying to convert others to their religion, but it’s actually a multilevel marketing scheme.
- A creepy doll is briefly seen at the scene of a string of suspicious deaths.
- Your party joins the race for a dead dragon’s unclaimed riches.
- The party must explore a haunted shipwreck to find the lost treasure.
- A mysterious Tressym seems to be leading your party to a specific destination.
- Your party has been tasked with protecting a seemingly useless object.
- A giant crustacean is guarding the only way to the lost city under the sea.
- The earthquakes will only stop once your party has solved the riddle.
- A super-fan of your heroes insists on following your party to their next destination.
- The party is asked to escort the brother of a mad werewolf king back to the castle.
- A local girl has gone missing, and it seems she has ties to a shady lab in the neighboring town.
- Your party accidentally stops an assassination attempt, and the would-be assassin wants revenge.
- An investigation into a corrupt sheriff uncovers information that puts the entire town in danger.
- Your NPC is a princess on the run, and her guards think you’ve kidnapped her.
- The mysterious “fountain of youth” becomes an addictive drug, turning the townsfolk into ravenous murderers who will do anything to get near it.
- Your party stumbles across another adventuring party—all of whom are their doppelgangers.
- A dead man rises from his grave and tries to go on living his life. He has no idea he’s dead.
Looking For More?
We’ve got an abundance of resources for DMs, fantasy writers, and students, to help generate fresh ideas and move your stories along.
If you’re looking for something specific and can’t find it here, let us know! We’re here to help you tap into your creative side.
