D&D 5E [Looking for adventure suggestions] My campaign = sandbox + classic adventures + optional plot threads

[Mercurius]

As the thread title tries to describe, the basic idea or formula of my 5E campaign-in-gestation is this:

My campaign = Sandbox environment + Classic adventures + glimmerings of possible metaplot

To expand upon that a bit, I'm working on a frontier region in which I'm going to place numerous adventure sites from various editions, and then also drop plot hints and lore from my world's mytho-history that may develop into a larger story arc, or metaplot, later on. But the idea is that I want a world drenched in myth and history, in lost secrets and ancient lore, that includes the "best of" classic D&D adventures, that allows for player freedom, but also offers the possibility to be part of a larger story. The campaign would involve a combination of sandbox exploration in an environment littered with adventure sites from D&D canon, seasoned with plot threads from the world's mytho-history.

So here's my point of starting this thread. I'm looking for adventures that would fit such a context. To some degree the answer would be "any and all" adventures. But I'm both A) looking for a "best of" adventures from the last four decades, and B) adventures that could be adapted to 5E's "bounded accuracy" paradigm and thus hold a lot of weight for characters of any level. In other words, one thing I really look forward to about DMing 5E is the seeming possibility of not needing to corral the PCs to appropriately-levelled adventures, but allowing them free range in a sandbox environment and letting them learn the hard way what to take on and what to avoid, yet within reason and without them needing to overly fear automatic TPKs when biting off more than they can chew.

One type of adventure that I think serves my purposes is the proverbial "megadungeon." I already own Ruins of Undermountain, Lost City of Barakus, Castle Whiterock, and the recently purchased The Emerald Spire, as well as one or two others. I also just bought both Tomb of Abysthor and Vault of Larin Karr on Ebay and plan on adding them into the mix. In addition to those megadungeons, I own and will include a variety of classic AD&D adventures - White Plume Mountain, Tomb of Horrors, Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, etc, but the problem with those is that they are specific to a relatively small range of levels, while megadungeons tend to be more expansive (and thus enabling of 5E's bounded accuracy paradigm).

But again, the point here is to solicit for more adventures in this vein. What else would fit my campaign as described above? Anything you particularly recommend?

 

[machineelf]

I've been running an adventure using the Isle of Dread as a foundation, and I've inserted into the isle other classic campaigns that the players may run across, and put them in places on the Isle of Dread map where they are likely to run across them, but it's not definite. I've put The Lost Shrine of Tamoachan in one place, so that could be a good megadungeon (or at least a big dungeon) that you could use. I've also put in Dwellers of The Forbidden City and tied it to one of the plot line threads, so they are likely to find it if they pursue that thread. I found this idea from the following link, and you might find some other good ideas there: http://rpggeek.com/geeklist/51315/forbidden-isles-dd-sandbox-campaign-top-rated-modu

 

[Mercurius]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, Lost Shrine and Dwellers are on my list, as is Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh and a bunch of other classic AD&D modules.

Anyone else?

 

[howandwhy99]

Sounds like a fun and interesting project. My advice would be not to build too much of a campaign before the players get to it. Sometimes games don't come off, for whatever reason. And converting A LOT of adventures takes a serious amount of time. Plus, not having everything planned beforehand allows players to suggest favorites of their own. Even it it's simply "I want weirdo creatures".

The other piece of advice is that sandbox settings are really collections of game scenarios. Old School modules are identical in design to wargame scenarios. They aren't plots, there is never any script for the players to follow. They are situations to play like a single battlefield of a long running wargame. They are designed more like games, cooperative games specifically like Arkham Horror, as a whole then plots. I take it you already understand this, but knitting them together on a balanced, over-all campaign board/map takes time too. And thus my first piece of advice.

To really do freeform D&D I suggest building like the original D&D or Dungeon! boardgame do. Dungeon means "the multiverse". The pancake layer difficulty design isn't just for underground cave networks. It's everywhere on the game map. Start the players in level 1 Town, Wilderness, or Dungeon and they should be okay exploring on their own. Well... if they have at least 1st level PCs.

Good modules that work for this you don't already know? I'd look at some of the most popular Dungeon magazine adventures pre-d20, 2ed basically. Diaglo always mentions "Trouble at Grog's". I know I like The Secret of Bone Hill from classic modules. It has towns, wilderness, and dungeons, something needed for adding to any campaign map. Of course B2, but look outside D&D too. Some Thieves' World material or the early Lankhmar can work very well for filling in a generated a city piecemeal as the players choose to explore it or not. Cities are like creating huge dungeons. Just like the classic holes in the ground, you don't really need the higher levels explicated yet. Just the big design chunks from which your starting areas are derived.

 

[Tormyr]

Yeah. No plan survives contact with the players.

I would recommend starting with the Whispering Cairn, an adventure for 1st level adventurers that is the start of the Age of Worms AP. It is a great adventure with a variety of enemies, side quests, and puzzles. The PCs are looking to escape the hell hole of a village and decide to raid a tomb for cash. The tomb is built around the lore of the Wind Dukes of Aqaa, but you could replace that with lore of your world.

 

[Gilladian]

If you do decide you want a larger town or city, I recommend Vornheim for random generation. It has GREAT tables and methods for generating lots of old-skool cities with personality.

 

[hawkeyefan]

I've been planning something similar for my campaign, which is in its early stages at this point.

One adventure I would really love to use and see how it would work in 5E would be Dragon Mountain. I feel like with bounded accuracy, the swarms of kobolds would pose a serious threat to the PCs. Probably even more so than originally intended.

I would recommend that adventure as a solid addition, and easily adapted into whatever you may need of it.

If you wanted some other classics, you can't go wrong with the original Ravenloft or with Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth.

 

[Ravenheart87]

No love for Judges Guild? Seriously, whatever Bledsaw and Jaquays wrote are pure gold, even if the old-school editions need some more details. Caverns of Thracia, Dark Tower, Thieves of Fortress Badabaskor, Citadel of Fire, Tegel Manor... I can also recommend the new DCC modules written by Goodman Games, especially Doom of the Savage Kings and Sailors on the Starless Sea. They might be finished in one or two session, but they have plenty of memorable stuff. For high level grab Black Monastery.