The next Dungeons & Dragons book is Candlekeep Mysteries, which is an anthology of seventeen different adventures groups can easily pick up and play. A lot of D&D groups get together to play epic campaigns that span weeks worth of sessions, but some people only have enough time for one or two-part adventures.
Wizards of the Coast regularly releases campaign books, with the most recent being Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. One of the most popular D&D books is Tales from the Yawning Portal, which is a collection of classic short adventures from older editions, with the rules updated for the fifth edition of the game. These shorter adventures are perfect for people who are new to tabletop RPGs and want to try out D&D, or for when people only have a limited amount of time to play a one-off game, like at a convention.
DMs and players around the world will soon have access to a new selection of short D&D adventures. Wizards of the Coast has announced Candlekeep Mysteries, which is an anthology of adventures that will be released on March 16, 2021. Candlekeep is the name of the greatest library in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, and it will be instantly familiar to people who have played the original Baldur's Gate. All of the adventures in Candlekeep Mysteries will involve finding specific books in the library and solving their associated mystery. The intention is for the adventures to be run with a minimal amount of prep. The writers have confirmed that Candlekeep Mysteries will contain new magic items and monsters, but it won't feature any new D&D subclasses. The adventures are set at levels ranging from 1-16, with lower levels adventures designed to be simpler, so that new DMs have an easier time running them. The two covers for the book that will be available at launch can be seen below.
Candlekeep Mysteries Cover Variants & D&D Adventures
While Candlekeep Mysteries is set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, the designers have made sure that details are loose enough for DMs to easily fit the location into any D&D setting. It's also possible to use them all as a single campaign, with Candlekeep serving as the hub for the adventures, but the only connection will be the shared setting. Each of the seventeen adventures was written by a different author, and we know the details of a few of them.
The Canopic Being (written by Jennifer Kretchmer) involves a mystery surrounding organ transplants. This adventure is set in the mysterious city of Tashluta, which is just east of Chult (the setting of Tomb of Annihilation).
Kandlkeep Dekonstruction (written by Amy Vorhpal) involves a book that contains the blueprint for Candlekeep. The players can expect to meet new monsters in this adventure, including constructs called Skitterwedgits and Kittywedgits.
Zikran's Zephyrean Tome (written by Taymoor Rehman) involves the players finding a djinni that is trapped in a book, with the promise of a wish spell if they are successful in freeing them.
D&D is at the height of its popularity, yet many people struggle to find a way to get into the game. An anthology book like Candlekeep Mysteries gives the perfect opportunity to bring new players into Dungeons & Dragons, as well as providing fun one-offs for established groups. Candlekeep once served as the springboard for countless adventures in Baldur's Gate, and now it has a chance to do so again with adventuring Dungeons & Dragons parties across the world.
Candlekeep Mysteries will be available on March 16, 2021.