'Dungeons & Dragons' Has a Free Holiday Adventure

Dungeons & Dragons just released a new holiday-themed adventure perfect for introducing your friends and family to the tabletop roleplaying game.

It's the holiday season, which means families and friends are getting together looking for excuses not to discuss politics around the dinner table. Luckily, all of this family time is also the perfect time to introduce friends and family to Dungeons & Dragons via some delightful low-level holiday shenanigans.

Earlier this month, Dungeons & Dragons published "Winter's Splendor," a holiday adventure written and designed by Ashley Warren. The adventure was originally published on the DMs Guild, a website where third-party designers can publish and sell publications that use official D&D monsters and other assets, but the Wizards of the Coast-produced Dragon+ magazine released the full adventure for free as part of their latest digital issue.

The adventure is divided into three parts and is centered around the Cassalanters, a noble family at the heart of the recently published Waterdeep: Dragon Heist adventure. The Cassalanters have opened up their opulent villa for Waterdeep's Midwinter Gala, but the festivities are interrupted when a devilish fiend attacks an opera singer performing at their home. As the City Watch begins their investigation, it's up to the players to discover why the fiend attacked and who's behind its appearance.

The adventure is divided into three "episodes," each of which take about two hours to play. Each episode has its own main objectives and bonus objectives for players to complete, all presented in a concise and clear fashion by Warren, and is focused around a different aspect of the game.

The first episode is mostly social in nature, giving players a chance to get acquainted with Waterdeep and the main players of the game. The second episode is mostly exploratory in nature, with the players investigating Cassalanter Manor, interrogating staff, and eventually solving a puzzle (one that can easily be replicated with real world props.) The final episode is combat-focused, with characters battling enemies in one of the most iconic locations within Waterdeep.

"Winter's Splendor" is a fantastic introductory adventure that showcases some of the best parts of Dungeons & Dragons. The adventure can easily be inserted into an existing Dragon Heist campaign, used as an official Adventurer's League adventure, or as a standalone adventure to celebrate the holiday season. You can view it for free here or check it out on the DMs Guild.

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