D&D General Best Adventure Path (spanning 10+ levels) of all time?

[Frankie1969]

Large but straightforward question: what is the best collection of pre-made adventure content that follows a full story arc from small-time local heroes (preferably starting at level 1, no higher than 4) to world-hopping legends (preferably reaching 20, no lower than 14)?

Not just in 5E. Any edition, including 4E, PF, 13A, or any other system similar enough to translate.

YMMV, but my personal criteria for "best" are:

1. well-written plot with logical motivation & consequences,
2. well-written NPCs who merit emotional investment,
3. well-written scenarios, preferably organized like instructions not like a novella,
4. well-balanced & interesting challenges, and
5. not overly complex to DM (Zeitgeist gets dinged on this last point).

I don't know what my answer would be. I have fond memories of (TA)GDQ but I know it doesn't stand up well by modern standards.

 

[payn]

Hitting all 5 is a tall order. I'd probably lean towards some PF1 era APs. Kingmaker, Iron Gods, Carrion Crown. Though, im having trouble thinking of the complete package.

 

[guachi]

The Enemy Within for Warhammer.

 

[Clint_L]

Hitting all 5 is a tall order. I'd probably lean towards some PF1 era APs. Kingmaker, Iron Gods, Carrion Crown. Though, im having trouble thinking of the complete package.

Not to mention covering at least 10 levels, which pretty much eliminates every 1e module, not to mention my personal favourite from 5e, Lost Mine of Phandelver. I guess my pick for 5e would be Frostmaiden.

I don't know enough about Pathfinder adventure paths to comment, but this is kind of their territory, is it not?

 

[Haplo781]

Madness at Gardmore Abbey for 4e hits all 5 but it's only like 2 levels. Won 2 ENnies in 2012.

 

[GuyBoy]

If I'm purely going for greatness, The Enemy Within for WFRP wins the "best ever" award, and I consider myself fortunate to be playing in it right now. Shout out to @TheSword as GM.
If talking nostalgia, for me it will always be the Giants and Drow series from the late 70s/early 80s.

 

[DaveMage]

For those criteria, Kingmaker by Paizo.

 

[DaveMage]

Although I think for those criteria, #5 conflicts with all the others.

 

[Muso]

The already mentioned Kingmaker and Curse of Strahd (the second is more simple to run in my opinion)

 

[Frankie1969]

If I'm purely going for greatness, The Enemy Within for WFRP wins the "best ever" award, and I consider myself fortunate to be playing in it right now.

I'll have to take a look at that, and read threads about translating it.
WFRP system is definitely a lot farther from D&D than PF.

 

[Blue]

5e version of ravenloft?

I'd ding this pretty heavily on point #4. It was a sandbox of various different levels but part of the party's goals are laid out by the card reading that could (and did) lead the party into challenges very inappropriate for their level. Oh, and Death House, especially the basement, started that trend. While we got good at running away, I remember things like losing a party member to a CR11 vine before anyone had a chance to act, and a huge explosio of a trapped wagon that for several full-HP characters in the party was save-or-die. Plus a whole bevy of encounters just too tough for us that weren't telegraphed that way.

I had a good time playing CoS, but it was in spite of the module not because of it.