Over the course of the last decade,* *Wizards of the Coast has released over 50 books for Dungeons & Dragons 5e. By my reckoning, *Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn *is one of the most important. After countless campaigns and adventures set in the Forgotten Realms, the new book finally takes up the task of laying out the setting as a whole, giving dungeon masters the information and tools to explore everything from Baldur’s Gate to Icewind Dale.

*Adventures in Faerûn *isn’t a comprehensive tome, and the companion book *Heroes of Faerûn *takes care of pesky details like subclasses and factions. It is, however, a dizzyingly ambitious one. Along with descriptions of regions, characters, and creatures, **Adventures in Faerûn packs 51 adventures between its covers, making previous 5e anthologies look lazy by comparison.

Adventures in Faerûn Has D&D Adventures To Spare

A Module For Any Mood

Well over half of Adventures in Faerûn’s adventures are packed into the first chapter, which provides a few broad notes on running fantasy games before unspooling its extensive library of options. Ordered by level, these adventures follow the basic model set by the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide. Each is only a page or so in length, laying out a simple sketch of the adventure rather than covering each beat in detail.

I was impressed by this approach in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, particularly by the viability of grabbing a one-page adventure and running it smoothly without any prep. I’m still a fan, but Adventures in Faerûn’s variety also highlights the potential for this system to fall apart. DMs looking for something to throw on the table at the last minute will have to be more selective, as some included adventures require more supplementary work or even overhauls.

The adventures in Chapter One range from Level 1 to Level 13, and examining both ends of the spectrum highlights the diversity on display. “The Curse on Humble Hill” could be an instant first-level classic, with a simple dungeon, some fun foes, and a few key NPCs for characters to meet. Nothing in it seems likely to trip up an experienced DM, and even a newcomer could probably run it without much trouble.

“Dread March of the Bone Titan,” a Level 13 adventure, is more outside-the-box. This one tasks the party with entering a hulking Bone Titan and disabling it from inside, mixing a semi-traditional dungeon experience with Shadow of the Colossus. It leaves gaps for the DM and players to fill — how do they scale the exterior of the titan, for example? — but it’s immediately brimming with the promise of a unique game session.

DMs Should Explore The Forgotten Realms With Caution

Don’t Trust Every Adventure

More adventures are sprinkled throughout the book’s following five chapters, which tackle key regions of Faerûn in turn. The chapter on Baldur’s Gate might get the most traffic, but the Dalelands, Icewind Dale, Calimsham, and the Moonshae Isles all have their charms (along with a surplus of useful maps). In the history of 5e, this is the first book to offer a truly satisfying look at the Forgotten Realms, diving into everything from the history of key buildings to the inventory of individual priests.

No book can have it all, obviously, but getting solid material on all these regions in one volume is refreshing, especially after 2024 rulebooks’ reduction in flavor text. Whether running a Forgotten Realms campaign or pilfering material for custom settings, there’s a lot to work with. Each chapter also describes the flavor of fantasy that best fits each setting, and the adventures within tend to lean toward those prerogatives.

Icewind Dale, for example, supports scrappier survival horror campaigns, and I chose to run the appropriately intense “Dougan’s Hell” as my first adventure from the book. At a glance, its cruelty is compelling, but it also highlights the danger of using Adventures in Faerûn without discretion. The end of the adventure drops a comically unfair foe on the party, and the scant supporting material offers no relevant advice on how to build up to this point without incurring a near-certain TPK.

A stronger example of one-page potential appears in the Baldur’s Gate chapter, which features a Level 4 adventure called “Blood Night.” This one provides little more than a setup, map, and list of NPCs and foes, but they’re all fantastic ingredients for a fun night. The party is locked in a manor with murderous hosts, so how the adventure plays out will depend on how they attempt to survive the night. In this case, less might be more, giving the DM and players room to strategize without guardrails.

Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn Is Worth The Effort

Some Risks Pay Off

The final few chapters of *Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn *contain one longer adventure, a selection of magic items, and a bestiary, the latter of which you’ll have to cross-reference for some of the adventures. Likewise, the magic items tend to be specific artifacts connected to the book’s adventures and locations. If you’re looking for broad supplemental material in these regards, *Adventures in Faerûn *isn’t really the right book.

Regardless, it’s good reading material, and browsing all the book’s details should be both enlightening and enjoyable for DMs. As for the adventures, you’ll have to know what you’re getting into. While a** Dungeons & Dragons** group could get months or even years of game nights from the book, the DM will need to be ready and willing to appraise each adventure, identify any problems or gaps, and do surgery when necessary. Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn is a rare gift, but don’t hesitate to look this horse in the mouth.

Franchise Dungeons & Dragons

Original Release Date 1974

Publisher TSR Inc., Wizards of the Coast

Designer E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson

Player Count 2-7 Players

*Screen Rant *received a copy of *Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn *for the purpose of this review.