D&D 5E Best Official 1-3 or 1-5 Level Adventures?

[Jack Hooligan]

So, I've got the two Beginner and the Essentials box, so have those three, but I'm looking for something similar. Not the long 1-10 level epic campaigns, but more of these shorter mini campaigns as it were as I've found they're just the right length for the group. So, are there any other good ones out there from WotC? I think That Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is a lower level adventure right? Doesn't the Guide to Ravenloft also have a low level campaign or is it just a single adventure?

Thanks!

 

[LordEntrails]

Phandelver, Dragon Heist & IceSpire are the only WotC adventures that start at 1st level that I'm aware of. Princes of the Apocalypse has some mini encounters to get first level characters up to level.

Dragon Heist is, imo, not well written. To use it needs lots of DM intervention, like the Alexandrian Remix.

Icespire has issues, but not as many.

Phandelver is well written and is a great place to start, for new players and/or new DMs.

 

[mamba]

Pretty much all WotC 5e adventures start at level 1, but unless you look for 3pp there are not many that do not go to levels 10+

Pretty much the Starter Sets only (Phandelver and Stormwreck Isle), out of the two I much prefer Phandelver. Stormwreck might be better for a new DM though

 

[ECMO3]

So, I've got the two Beginner and the Essentials box, so have those three, but I'm looking for something similar. Not the long 1-10 level epic campaigns, but more of these shorter mini campaigns as it were as I've found they're just the right length for the group. So, are there any other good ones out there from WotC? I think That Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is a lower level adventure right? Doesn't the Guide to Ravenloft also have a low level campaign or is it just a single adventure?

Thanks!

The begining of Storm Kings Thunder is really good as a stand alone 1-3. It is actually better than the rest of it IMO and doesn't really lead into the rest of it either.

 

[Stormonu]

Ghosts of Saltmarsh starts at 1st level, and is fairly good. It's concocted from modules U1-U3 and several Dungeon magazine adventures, so it's modular in what you can use. The U2 - Danger at Dunwater section can be hit or miss (depending how perceptive - in real life - your players are), but I found the Isle of the Abbey section to be quite entertaining.

Sunless Citadel in Tales from the Yawning Portal starts at 1st level, and the talk I've heard is that it's good. Also it's filled with a lot of "drop in" adventures that can be played alone or skipped as needed.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Doesn't the Guide to Ravenloft also have a low level campaign or is it just a single adventure?

It's an adventure, but it's a reasonably sized one compared to other setting books, and goes from 1-3. I think it's quite good for teaching new players since there are allied NPCs who can serve as guides/instructors.

 

[rgoodbb]

There's always the Strahd intro 1-3. Very deadly but ...oh my.....

 

[delericho]

Sunless Citadel in Tales from the Yawning Portal starts at 1st level, and the talk I've heard is that it's good. Also it's filled with a lot of "drop in" adventures that can be played alone or skipped as needed.

That's a good call. Prior to Phandelver, that would have been my recommendation for a good starter adventure. It also leads into "Forge of Fury" pretty well (which I think is also in YP).

If you're happy to do a conversion, there's a late-2nd Ed adventure that I'm tempted to recommend: "The Shattered Circle" surprised me.

 

[OB1]

Explorers Guide to Wildmount has 4 1-3 level adventures that start off in different regions of the campaign setting. Frozen Sick is the only one I've ran, and it's excellent, but the others read well and have their own distinct flavor. On top of that, the guide itself lends to an easy to run sandbox campaign if the group goes past the starter adventure, with dozens of cities, wilderness, and ruins across the continent with enough information and plot hooks to keep a party busy for years. Highly recommend.

 

[pukunui]

Princes of the Apocalypse has some mini encounters to get first level characters up to level.

I love the "Trouble in Red Larch" section. I've run it several times. It's a great little sandbox with a fun little mini dungeon beneath the town. I regard it as my Village of Hommlet.