The 7 best D&D heists in the new Keys From the Golden Vault anthology

Previously published anthologies for 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons have been particularly strong, including the essential Candlekeep MysteriesAnd the revolutionary The Radiant Citadel: Journeys. Wizards of the Coast has returned to publishing Keys from the Golden VaultThe book of Heists: Levels 1 to 11.

Although all the stories are great, there are some that are better than others. Here are the seven best, ranked in order of difficulty. We offer tips to eager Dungeon Masters that want to make these adventures part of ongoing campaigns.

[Ed. note: This article includes spoilers for Keys From the Golden Vault.]

Level 1: The Murkmire Malevolence

A fairly straightforward museum heist with lots of thinly written yet colorful characters, “The Murkmire Malevolence” is a single-sitting adventure that DMs will have a great time performing for their group. Even though it’s a first-level adventure, it’s a complex job with great visuals to share with your players. It’s the part about what happens to the characters if they fail to follow the adventures. The museum will then hunt down the demon-like creature. AlienAnd Jurassic Park.

“The Murkmire Malevolence” would be a great way to kick off a new campaign with a new group of adventurers. It could be modified to work well with higher-level characters.

Level 2: The Stygian Gambit

Clever DMs will steal the setting for “The Stygian Gambit” even if they don’t want to run this particular adventure. It’s a fun little casino heist, pitting old gambling buddies against one another in pursuit of settling old grudges. Your group may have been interested in this game. Poker Face, this is a great way to bring that kind of intrigue into your D&D night. This one has the best part, though. It is a river-grotto with many points of entry and departure.

Attain the Stars Level 3

“Reach for the Stars” is a haunted-house mystery, sure to appeal to fans of cosmic horror and games like Cthulhu’s Call. The experience is elevated thanks to another band of adventurers that precedes the player characters — a smaller but no less skilled party that met with a grisly end. References to these prior adventurers keep cropping up throughout the heist, and there’s even a potential hook for future stories based on the outcome of the mystery.

Masterpiece Imbroglio (level 5)

A group of honest historians and a few players join forces to fight the thieves guild. The setting itself has a fairly small footprint — just a few floors and about a dozen rooms — but the experience is nonetheless dense and thrilling.

If you’re looking for a trap-filled location that could lead to a grisly total party kill, this is the adventure to run. The objective of the heist — a sentient painting of a historical hottie — also provides the role-playing glue that holds together the disparate pieces of this story.

Axe From The Grave (level 6).

“Axe From the Grave” may be one of the best adventures yet for 5th edition D&D. As written, it’s a delight from start to finish and should be on a short list for just about every DM who loves running games for their friends.

A stolen mandolin is the protagonist of this story, and it takes them on an adventure from a fishing spot in the creek to a musical sanctuary. Along the way, players will run into multiple aspiring musicians — and the undead. In so doing, “Axe From the Grave” remixes themes and tones from the classic “deal with the devil” setup and the Charlie Daniels song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” in a charming and surprising way.

This section actually provides the book with its most lively adventure, even though there’s a zombie in the mix. The book also includes advice on how to run “Axe From the Grave” multiple times — including with willing players who want to try it again. It is the first time for a while that an adventure mentions the importance of bringing along a bard to make sure everyone in the group can jam.

Shard of the Accursed, level 8

Keys from the Golden Vault includes several unconventional heists, among them “Shard of the Accursed,” which is a reverse heist. Players are given the task of returning an object to its holy location. It’s a higher-level adventure, which means it won’t be accessible to newer players without significant modification, but of all the adventures in the book, it feels like the one with the most narrative potential. This plotline, which at first appears like it was taken straight from Indiana Jones’ movie, actually has many more layers that make it a great test for moral compass.

Concordant Express Affair (level 9)

In addition to “Axe From the Grave,” “Affair on the Concordant Express” is required reading for 5th edition DMs. It’s a train heist that elevates the concept of a train heist — literally, with a flying train.

Players must board a mechanical conveyance built and designed by modrons, sentient mechanical constructs that have a long history in the worlds of D&D. It connects directly to the D&D worlds. The Radiant Citadel: Journeys, It also features an mind-flayer playing Sherlock Holmes, as well as a cosplayer. The reward for their services is that successful players get one of several powerful boons they can put to good use in other adventures. This makes it a great interstitial quest that long-term players can use to spice up their next game night.

Keys from the Golden VaultIt is now available. Wizards of the Coast sent a book in a hardcover copy to review. Vox Media also has affiliate relationships. Although these partnerships do not impact editorial content, Vox Media could earn commissions on products sold via affiliate links. Find out more. additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.

The Golden Vault Keys

Price at publishing time.

A collection of 13 heist-centric adventures set in the D&D universe that can be played as stand-alone sessions or as part of an episodic campaign.