One of D&D’s Most Underrated Adventures Needs to Make a Comeback In 2026

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Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition boasts a wealth of fantastic adventures, including classics like Curse of Strahd, Descent into Avernus, and Rime of the Frostmaiden. With significant rules updates coming in 2024, some of these adventures could be revised and re-released as new books to reflect the changes to the tabletop role-playing game. While players are eager for their favorites to be updated, one often-overlooked adventure particularly deserves a new edition.

The new book, Eberron: Forge of the Artificer, updates material from the popular Eberron: Rising from the Last War. It reintroduced the steampunk elements of Eberron and revised classes like the Artificer to align with current (2024) game rules. The book also includes updated character options, such as new races and backgrounds, and this approach could be used to refresh other older sourcebooks for the 5th Edition game.

Storm King’s Thunder Is A Hidden Gem Among 5th Edition Adventures

Published in 2016, Storm King’s Thunder is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure centered around giants, but it’s not as widely known as some other books for the game’s 5th Edition. The story focuses on the different types of giants – Storm, Fire, Cloud, Hill, and Stone – and their invasion of the Sword Coast. When the giant king, Hekaton, disappears, a group of adventurers must investigate the giant world and uncover secrets to prevent a massive war.

Storm King’s Thunder is known for letting players choose their own path through the adventure, focusing on what they find most engaging. The story unfolds in different ways depending on which Giant-related goals players prioritize, all tied to the Giants’ cultural structure called the Ordning. The adventure book also includes plenty of extra content, like unique magical items and powerful benefits to help characters grow stronger.

Compared to adventures like Tyranny of Dragons and Princes of the Apocalypse, Storm King’s Thunder doesn’t give players so many choices that they feel lost. This adventure takes characters from levels 1 to 10 and is well-suited for both new and experienced Dungeons & Dragons players, smoothly progressing from early to mid-level challenges.

Giant-Themed Stories Are Incredibly Rare In D&D For Larger Than Life Stories

Giants are a common element in fantasy stories, but surprisingly underused in official Dungeons & Dragons adventures. Storm King’s Thunder is the only full-length adventure that really explores Giant society and allows players to interact with them. Beyond that, Bigby Presents: Glory to the Giants is a helpful resource that gives Dungeon Masters the tools to create their own Giant-focused campaigns.

The Glory to the Giants sourcebook introduced new abilities and character classes themed around Giants, allowing players to represent the immense scale and power of these creatures. For example, characters can become a Giant Foundling, inheriting traits from different Giant types, or follow the Path of the Giant Barbarian, gaining the ability to grow larger. Despite this, Giants aren’t featured prominently in the game outside of Glory to the Giants and a couple of other sources, especially when compared to their supposed rivals, Dragons.

Giants are rarely featured in most Dungeons & Dragons games, especially when compared to enemies like the undead, monstrosities, and aberrations. You might even encounter a bizarre creature like a Beholder or Spectator more often than a Giant. While Giants are naturally powerful and intimidating, it’s surprising that more adventures don’t find ways to include them.

Remastering Storm King’s Thunder Can Fix Lackluster Elements Of Rarely Seen Giant Stories

Okay, so Storm King’s Thunder is cool because it’s the only big adventure really focused on Giants, but it’s not without its flaws. The different paths you can take based on which type of Giant you’re dealing with are actually really well made. It’s just a bummer that you only get to experience one of them. Considering how awesome and unique Giant culture is in D&D, especially compared to other monsters, I really wish we could have seen more of it during the campaign. It felt like a missed opportunity!

The adventure Storm King’s Thunder feels incomplete without material from Glory to the Giants, and some of that older content isn’t quite compatible with the current 5th Edition rules. This suggests a revised edition combining both books would be beneficial, fully realizing the potential of the giant-themed storyline. A longer adventure, perhaps taking characters from level 1 to 15 like Out of the Abyss, could really enhance Storm King’s Thunder.

Even if it borrows ideas from Storm King’s Thunder, a well-executed Giant-focused story could be a great addition to 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons. Small updates, like reimagining Giant Feats as 2024 backgrounds and revisiting the Path of the Giants Barbarian, would also be appreciated. Giants don’t get enough attention in D&D, so more adventures featuring them would be a fantastic way to explore a classic fantasy element that’s often overlooked.

Which older 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons adventures would you like to see updated? Share your thoughts in the comments or discuss them on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-01-26 19:11