20 Best 3Rd Party 5E Books (2023 Update)

Get everything you need to adventure in the forgotten realms on the exciting sword coast, home to the cities of baldur’s gate, waterdeep, and neverwinter. crafted by the scribes at green ronin in conjunction with the dungeons & dragons team at wizards of the coast, the sword coast adventurer’s guide provides d&d fans with a wealth of detail on the places, cultures, and deities of northwestern faerûn. the sword coast adventurer’s guide is also a great way to catch up on recent events in the forgotten realms, to get background on locations featured in the rage of demons storyline coming in september, and to learn the lore behind video games like neverwinter and sword coast legends. here are just a few of the features you’ll find in the sword coast adventurer’s guide: · immersive adventuring: this campaign sourcebook provides players and dungeon masters material for creating vibrant fantasy stories along the sword coast. · new character options: the book offers new subclass options, such as the purple dragon knight and the swashbuckler, for many of the classes presented in the player’s handbook, as well as new subraces and backgrounds specific to the forgotten realms. · adventure in the forgotten realms: discover the current state of the forgotten realms and its deities after the spellplague and the second sundering. you’ll also get updated maps of this area of the realms. · compatible with rage of demons storyline: make characters for use with the out of the abyss adventure and fight back the influence of the demon lords in the underdark below the sword coast. · insider information: learn the background behind locations, such as luskan and gracklstugh, featured in the upcoming digital rpg, sword coast legends, from n-space. with new character backgrounds and class options, players will love the storytelling possibilities of playing a noble of waterdeep, an elf bladesinger, or one of the other new options, while dungeon masters will relish a book full of mysterious locations and story hooks to keep players adventuring on the sword coast for years to come. look for sword coast adventurer’s guide to be available on november 3.

Feel the cold touch of death in this adventure for the world's greatest roleplaying game. – beneath the unyielding night sky, you stand before a towering glacier and recite an ancient rhyme, causing a crack to form in the great wall of ice. beyond this yawning fissure, the caves of hunger await. and past this icy dungeon is a secret so old and terrifying that few dare speak of it. the mad wizards of the arcane brotherhood long to possess that which the god of winter's wrath has so coldly preserved–as do you! what fantastic secrets and treasures are entombed in the sunless heart of the glacier, and what will their discovery mean for the denizens of icewind dale? can you save ten-towns from the frostmaiden's everlasting night? brave the frozen north of faerun in this dungeons & dragons adventure for characters level 1-12. explore the frontier of icewind dale! maps and guides will aid you on your journey through a land of isolation, paranoia, and deadly cold. – venture into the ten towns and other beloved d&d locations made famous by drizzt do'urden and the companions of the hall. – encounter the hazards of a frozen wilderness. this book provides dms with rules for running d&d adventures in icy tundras and wintery climes. – discover long-lost treasures, magic items, and long-forgotten spells in the icy depths of a truly unforgettable dungeons & dragons adventure.

Explore a wealth of new rules options for both players and dungeon masters in this supplement for the world’s greatest roleplaying game. the beholder xanathar—waterdeep’s most infamous crime lord—is known to hoard information on friend and foe alike. the beholder catalogs lore about adventurers and ponders methods to thwart them. its twisted mind imagines that it can eventually record everything! xanathar's guide to everything is the first major expansion for fifth edition dungeons & dragons, offering new rules and story options: – over twenty-five new subclasses for the character classes in the player’s handbook, including the cavalier for the fighter, the circle of dreams for the druid, the horizon walker for the ranger, and many more – dozens of new spells, a collection of racial feats, and a system to give your character a randomized backstory – a variety of tools that provide dungeon masters fresh ways to use traps, magic items, downtime activities, and more—all designed to enhance a d&d campaign and push it in new directions amid all this expansion material, xanathar offers bizarre observations about whatever its eyestalks happen to glimpse. pray they don’t come to rest on you. beauty and guile are in the eyes of the beholder!

Explore the lands of eberron in this campaign sourcebook for the world’s greatest roleplaying game. this book provides everything players and dungeon masters need to play dungeons & dragons in eberron—a war-torn world filled with magic-fueled technology, airships and lightning trains, where noir-inspired mystery meets swashbuckling adventure. will eberron enter a prosperous new age or will the shadow of war descend once again? – dive straight into your pulp adventures with easy-to-use locations, complete with maps of floating castles, skyscrapers, and more. – explore sharn, a city of skyscrapers, airships, and noirish intrigue and a crossroads for the world’s war-ravaged peoples. – include a campaign for characters venturing into the mournland, a mist-cloaked, corpse-littered land twisted by magic. – meld magic and invention to craft objects of wonder as an artificer—the first official class to be released for fifth edition d&d since the player’s handbook. – flesh out your characters with a new d&d game element called a group patron—a background for your whole party. – explore 16 new race/subrace options including dragonmarks, which magically transform certain members of the races in the player’s handbook. – confront horrific monsters born from the world’s devastating wars.

Welcome to the forgotten realms endless quest books, where you don’t just read a fantastic tale. you become the hero — and choose your own fate.the harpers have lost one of their own, a legendary adventurer named artus cimber, keeper of the artifact known as the ring of winter. they’ve hired you to travel to the jungle-clad land of chult to find him. if only you can manage to find cimber before the frost giants do — or the zombies that infest the land get you first. you’re in the jungle now, cleric.

From new york times bestselling author molly knox ostertag and critically acclaimed illustrator xanthe bouma comes an all-new dungeons & dragons graphic novel series! middle school is a dungeon… at least, that's how jess sees it. luckily, she and her best friend olivia know how to escape into the sprawling worlds of their own imaginations. the two friends have always loved making up stories, first with little kid games of make-believe, and more recently with the fantasy roleplaying game, dungeons & dragons. when they play, olivia runs the game as dungeon master and jess is the solo party member, playing a take-no-prisoners, lone-wolf fighter of her own design named sir corius. but when olivia wants to add new players to their group, jess finds herself struggling to share their game–and her best friend. will their epic campaign withstand all this change, or has their adventure–and their friendship–finally come to an end?

Welcome to the forgotten realms endless quest books, where you don’t just read a fantastic tale. you become the hero — and choose your own fate.when evil giants attack your home in ardeep forest, your parents think you’re dead and they go hunting for your missing little brother. you wake up and set out after them, helped by a giant wizard who lives in a flying tower. you don’t know where they’ve gone, but you know that if you don’t find them, you’re all in big trouble. wield your magic wisely against the giants, wizard.

Take a stand against the giants in this adventure for the world’s greatest roleplaying game giants have emerged from their strongholds to threaten civilization as never before. hill giants are stealing all the grain and livestock they can while stone giants have been scouring settlements that have been around forever. fire giants are press-ganging the smallfolk into the desert, while frost giant longships have been pillaging along the sword coast. even the elusive cloud giants have been witnessed, their wondrous floating cities appearing above waterdeep and baldur’s gate. where is the storm giant king hekaton, who is tasked with keeping order among the giants? the humans, dwarves, elves, and other small folk of the sword coast will be crushed underfoot from the onslaught of these giant foes. the only chance at survival is for the small folk to work together to investigate this invasion and harness the power of rune magic, the giants’ weapon against their ancient enemy the dragons. the only way the people of faerun can restore order is to use the giants’ own power against them. to defeat giants, you need to be giant!

Explore the waves above and the fathoms below in these watery adventures for the world’s greatest roleplaying game. “d&d acolytes are everywhere… tech workers from silicon valley to brooklyn have long-running campaigns, and the showrunners and the novelist behind ‘game of thrones’ have all been dungeon masters.”—neima jahromi, the new yorker ghosts of saltmarsh brings classic adventures into fifth edition dungeons & dragons. created in 1974, d&d transformed gaming culture by blending traditional fantasy with miniatures and wargaming.

Go beyond your tabletop campaign–or fuel it with new material–in this collection of immersive graphic novel adventures set in the boundless world of the forgotten realms.a new generation of heroes, led by a revived minsc and boo, rises to protect baldur's gate, but they'll soon find themselves fighting evil forces throughout the realms and beyond. whether they're stopping a plot by the cult of the dragon to destroy the city; escaping from the endless night of ravenloft in the demiplane of dread; or facing down frost giant raiding parties in the frigid spine of the world, the action never stops! go for the eyes, boo! collects three graphic novels: dungeons & dragons: legends of baldur's gate, dungeons & dragons: shadows of the vampire, and dungeons & dragons: frost giant's fury.

Clash with the gods of theros in this campaign sourcebook for the world's great roleplaying game.play dungeons & dragons in the magic: the gathering world of theros—a realm shaped by the wrath of gods and the deeds of heroes, where champions vie for immortal favor and a place among legends. – rise above the common throng with supernatural gifts, abilities that give you remarkable powers that set you on the path to legend. – explore theros as a satyr or leonin—mythic cat-like heroes from magic: the gathering. mythic odysseys of theros introduces these races to fifth edition d&d for the first time. – master new powers with magic: the gathering-inspired subclasses like the bard’s college of eloquence and the paladin’s oath of heroism. – encounter mythic monsters, creatures whose power and renown are such that their names are truly living myths. – wield the weapons of the gods—five signature artifacts used by theros's deities. – created in 1974, d&d transformed gaming culture by blending traditional fantasy with miniatures and wargaming. fifth edition d&d draws from every prior edition to create a universally compelling play experience.

Immerse yourself in monster lore in this supplement for the world’s greatest roleplaying game this is not just another monster manual! volo’s guide to monsters provides something exciting for players and dungeon masters everywhere. · a deep dive into the lore behind some of d&d’s most popular and iconic monsters · dozens of monsters new to the fifth edition to include in your epic adventures · new playable races to allow you to build characters to fit nearly any type of story in your d&d game. the esteemed loremaster volothamp geddarm is back and he’s written a fantastical dissertation, covering some of the most iconic monsters in the forgotten realms. unfortunately, the sage of shadowdale himself, elminster, doesn’t believe volo gets some of the important details quite right. don’t miss out as volo and elminster square off (academically speaking of course) to illuminate the uninitiated on creatures both common and obscure. uncover the machinations of the mysterious kraken society, what is the origin of the bizarre froghemoth, or how to avoid participating in the ghastly reproductive cycle of the grotesque vargouille. dungeon masters and players will get some much-needed guidance as you plan your next venture, traipsing about some dusty old ruin in search of treasure, lore, and let’s not forget … dangerous creatures whose horns, claws, fangs, heads, or even hides might comfortably adorn the walls of your trophy room. if you survive. research has never been so dangerous!

Diabolical dangers await in this adventure for the world’s greatest roleplaying game. welcome to baldur’s gate, a city of ambition and corruption. you’ve just started your adventuring career, but already find yourself embroiled in a plot that sprawls from the shadows of baldur’s gate to the front lines of the planes-spanning blood war! do you have what it takes to turn infernal war machines and nefarious contracts against the archdevil zariel and her diabolical hordes? and can you ever hope to find your way home safely when pitted against the infinite evils of the nine hells? – this heroic dungeons & dragons adventure book takes players from levels 1 to 13 as they journey through baldur’s gate and into avernus, the first layer of the nine hells. – baldur's gate is among the most iconic locations in fantasy culture. a mist-cloaked metropolis on the sword coast, it’s a place of history and a home to heroes. – the book introduces the infernal war machines to fifth edition d&d—battle-ready vehicles, which you can customize as you blast off into the blood war. – dungeon masters will entice their heroes with devils’ deals, designed to lure adventurers with the ultimate temptations of power and treasure. – created in 1974, d&d transformed gaming culture by blending traditional fantasy with miniatures and wargaming. fifth edition d&d draws from every prior edition to create a universally compelling play experience

How do you want to do this? a war brews on a continent that has withstood more than its fair share of conflict. the dwendalian empire and the kryn dynasty are carving up the lands around them, and only the greatest heroes would dare stand between them. somewhere in the far corners of this war-torn landscape are secrets that could end this conflict and usher in a new age of peace—or burn the world to a cinder. create a band of heroes and embark on a journey across the continent of wildemount, the setting for campaign 2 of the hit dungeons & dragons series critical role. within this book, you’ll find new character options, a heroic chronicle to help you craft your character’s backstory, four different starting adventures, and everything a dungeon master needs to breathe life into a wildemount-based d&d campaign…· delve through the first dungeons & dragons book to let players experience the game as played within the world of critical role, the world’s most popular livestreaming d&d show. · uncover a trove of options usable in any d&d game, featuring subclasses, spells, magic items, monsters, and more, rooted in the adventures of exandria—such as vestiges of divergence and the possibility manipulating magic of dunamancy. · start a dungeons & dragons campaign in any of wildemount’s regions using a variety of introductory adventures, dozens of regional plot seeds, and the heroic chronicle system—a way to create character backstories rooted in wildemount. explore every corner of wildemount and discover mysteries revealed for the first time by critical role dungeon master, matthew mercer.

An anthology of seventeen mystery-themed adventures for the world’s greatest roleplaying game. candlekeep attracts scholars like a flame attracts moths. historians, sages, and others who crave knowledge flock to this library fortress to peruse its vast collection of books, scribbled into which are the answers to the mysteries that bedevil them. many of these books contain their own mysteries ̶—each one a doorway to adventure. dare you cross that threshold? · 17 mystery-themed d&d adventures, each tied to a book discovered in the famed library fortress of candlekeep · easy to run as stand-alone mini adventures or to drop into your home campaign · adventures span play from levels 1 to 16 · includes a full poster map of candlekeep, plus detailed descriptions of the various locations, characters, and creatures that reside within it · introduces a variety of dungeons & dragons monsters, items, and non-player characters (npcs)candlekeep mysteries is a collection of seventeen short, stand-alone d&d adventures designed for characters of levels 1–16. each adventure begins with the discovery of a book, and each book is the key to a door behind which danger and glory await. these adventures can be run as one-shot games, plugged into an existing forgotten realms campaign, or adapted for other campaign settings. this book also includes a poster map of the library fortress and detailed descriptions of candlekeep and its inhabitants.

A wickedly whimsical adventure for the world’s greatest roleplaying game. once every eight years, the fantastic witchlight carnival touches down on your world, bringing joy to one settlement after the next. its owners, mister witch and mister light, know how to put on a good show. but there’s more to this magical extravaganza than meets the eye! the carnival is a gateway to a fantastic feywild domain unlike anything found on the material plane. time has not been kind to this realm, however, and dark days lie ahead unless someone can thwart the dastardly schemes of the hourglass coven. the wild beyond the witchlight takes adventurers from the witchlight carnival to prismeer, a feywild domain of delight, and is designed for characters of levels 1–8. this book comes with a poster map that shows the carnival on one side and prismeer on the other. explore the plane of faerie in the first official d&d adventure set primarily in the feywild – easily drop the witchlight carnival into any campaign—for passage into the feywild or just a night of carnival games and wild entertainment – introduces two races—play as a fairy or as a harengon, a race of humanoid rabbits – adds two backgrounds—the feylost who grew up in the feywild, and a witchlight hand who works at the carnival – all encounters can be resolved without resorting to combat, rewarding clever ideas and creative roleplay – classic 1980s dungeons & dragons characters return, including warduke, strongheart, and kelek

Explore the horrors of ravenloft in this campaign sourcebook for the world’s greatest roleplaying game. terror stalks the nightmare realms of ravenloft. no one knows this better than monster scholar rudolph van richten. to arm a new generation against the creatures of the night, van richten has compiled his correspondence and case files into this tome of eerie tales and chilling truths. travel (perhaps even by choice) to ravenloft's expanded domains of dread—each domain with its own unique flavor of horror, thrilling story hooks, and grisly cast of characters craft your own d&d horror settings, add tension with optional rules, and get advice for running a game that's ghastly in all the right ways create characters with lineages tied to vampires, undead, and hags, horror-themed subclasses, the investigator background, and "dark gifts" that may be a double-edged sword unleash nightmarish monsters from an expanded bestiary, and browse a collection of mysterious trinkets explore ravenloft in the included dungeons & dragons adventure—play as a stand-alone adventure or drop it into your current game for a bit of sinister fun

Dark perils and great deeds await! welcome to faer�n, a land of amazing magic, terrifying monsters, ancient ruins, and hidden wonders. the world has changed since the spellplague, and from this arcane crucible have emerged shining kingdoms, tyrannical empires, mighty heroes, and monster-infested dungeons. the forgotten realms campaign guide presents a world of untold adventure; a land of a thousand stories shaped by the deeds of adventurers the likes of which faer�n has never seen before. this book includes everything a dungeon master needs to run a d&d campaign in the forgotten realms setting, as well as elements that dms can incorporate into their own d&d campaigns. the book provides background information on the lands of faer�n, a fully detailed town in which to start a campaign, adventure seeds, new monsters, ready-to-play non-player characters, and a full-color poster map of faer�n.

Something wicked this way comes! once every eight years, the fantastic witchlight carnival touches down on your world, bringing joy to one settlement after the next. its owners, mister witch and mister light, know how to put on a good show. but there’s more to this magical extravaganza than meets the eye! the carnival is a gateway to a fantastic feywild domain unlike anything found on the material plane. time has not been kind to this realm, however, and dark days lie ahead unless someone can thwart the dastardly schemes of the hourglass coven. the wild beyond the witchlight takes adventurers from the witchlight carnival to prismeer, a feywild domain of delight, and is designed for characters of levels 1–8. this book comes with a poster map that shows the carnival on one side and prismeer on the other.this special edition cover has a unique alternate art cover with metallic finishings.

The complete guide for building forgotten realms characters! welcome to faerûn, a land of amazing magic, terrifying monsters, ancient ruins, and hidden wonders. the world has changed since the spellplague, and from this arcane crucible have emerged shining kingdoms, tyrannical empires, mighty heroes, and monster-infested dungeons. the forgotten realms player's guide presents this changed world from the point of view of the adventurers exploring it. this product includes everything a player needs to create his character for a d&d campaign in the forgotten realms setting, including new feats, new character powers, new paragon paths and epic destinies, and even a brand-new character class never before seen in d&d: the swordmage!