D&D 5E and Third Party Content for 5th Edition

 

Dungeons and Dragons is undergoing alot of changes in the upcoming year, however, despite my scepticism and fears about the game morphing the already established 5th Edition into other another Edition of D&D and still calling it 5E, there is still hope for longtime players like myself. 3RD PARTY CONTENT!

What is 3rd Party resources and content?

Simply put, D&D 3rd party resources and content is Dungeons and Dragons material published under the Creative Commons law of D&D parent company Wizards of the Coast (WotC). This material (as implied by the name) is published and created by a third party for the game of D&D but isn't official content made by WotC.

Third-Party Resources should not be confused with general 'Homebrew' content, which has one author that has crafted some additional rules or content at home. There is a place for Homebrew in D&D but that however is not what this article is about. Third-party resources are curated and published by a team of playtesters, and editors and overseen by publishers. 

Benefits of 3rd Party

3rd Party Modules

For hardcore D&D players, particularly groups of players that consist of experienced DM's who are familiar with most of the core rules, 3rd party helps keep the fun and engagement in D&D. Most of the 5E modules take place in the one setting of Faerun (specifically the Swordcoast) and its adjacent planes of existence. The more DM's read these modules or the more Players adventure through them, the more Vanilla and less exciting it gets. 3rd Party content adds additional settings with new lore to discover. 

Perhaps the best example I can provide is the 3rd party module The War for the Burning Sky

 which takes place on a continent at war, players must uncover essential parts of the world lore to learn the real cause of the ongoing conflict and resolve it. This setting has new cities with thought-out commerce and new magic spells and items that feel natural to a D&D setting but help reestablish the wonderment of playing D&D for the first time. There are even new subclasses for players that have tried their hand at pretty much everything normal 5E has to offer, each subclass tying directly into key places and plot-relevant material.

Playing new material is always refreshing in D&D and even new players love adding this customizability to their characters. With tables that speed run modules and always need a new adventure to go on, WotC may not always be able to deliver fresh material and campaigns quickly enough, meanwhile, there is 3rd party content created and published every month for 5E. Odyssey of the Dragonlords whilst being an amazing story in its own right is a one-book compendium filled with everything players and DMs need to know without the additional side books that some campaign settings have needed or added due to popularity.

Looking for a campaign that is D&D but filled with abnormal anthropomorphic races? Humblewood is another prime example of combining Lore with additional character options unique to the setting.

3rd Party Resource Books

Looking to add some spice or fresh (but more importantly) balanced material to your campaigns? This is where a bunch of amazing resource books come into play.

Companies like 'Kobold Press' and 'Hitpoint Press' generate a tonne of useful resources. Including The Griffon's Saddlebag for all your magic item needs, Tome of Beasts for monsters that'll thwart your D&D players that have memorised the Monster Manual cover to cover and  Vault of Magic for a bunch of new and unique spells that will set your player characters or even NPCs apart from each other.

Crowdfunding!

The best part about 3rd Party content, the majority of it is crowdfunded. Meaning if people don't want it, it never gets produced! My favourite in recent history was the Ghostfire Gaming (a proudly Australian company) successful Grim Hollow Campaign setting, players guide and new monster book. It also means those super excited about the campaign get bonus content! It ensures the community shapes it into something that everyone wants to play or use.

My next D&D Campaign I run after my slow burn Out of the Abyss campaign will be a 3rd Party Campaign I backed on Kickstarter that I cannot wait to sink my hands into. Heckna.

The Future of D&D

As D&D grows and develops. It is the community of players that dictate where and when campaigns and their stories go. As the Game Creator, the Late Gary Gygax was quoted saying "The secret we should never let the Game Masters know is that they don't need the rules" - a quote that often is interpreted to mean, it doesn't matter what the game producers make, DM's and players can play D&D regardless of it's published content.

Your Friend and Ally,

Lachy