‘Tis the Season for 5E D&D Holiday Adventures

Thanksgiving has come and gone again, Charlie Brown, and this means the holidays are officially upon us. With the season comes an urge to run holiday themed adventures and one shots. Whether you want to do a one night session with all new characters or you want to incorporate a holiday session or two into your holiday season I’ve got thoughts on how to run a great holiday adventure for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons this year!

‘Tis the season

One of the most iconic things about the holidays is they tend to take place around winter here in the states. Sure, we have holidays outside the context of our cold season but with so many songs dedicated to snow and ice and frost, winter is integral to the holidays.

We could delve into the history of people wanting to celebrate and keep spirits up in the heart of the cold darkness but the takeaway is that winter is an iconic aspect of the holidays. Theming an adventure with ice and snow can bleed in those good Narnia vibes. You could even have an ice-themed dark lord to terrorize your players! Maybe twist your Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign with a holiday festival.

Chill your players to the bone with horror elements tied to ice and snow or threaten the adventurers with harsh conditions and darkness. Only the hope of a warm hearth and a holiday feast keeps them going. Maybe they’re traveling through these conditions to reach a celebration or to bring someone home for the holidays?

Light it up!

Lights are another core facet of winter holidays. The beauty of colored lights in the dead of winter is they offer a sense of hope and wonder. There’s a mystical feeling one gets when viewing twinkling lights of various colors in a snowy night.

Gatherings around a roaring bonfire or a magical source of light and power can make the holiday festival much more evocative. If the light has some sort of healing property then all the better and more mechanically beneficial for the party! This could also reference recent events regarding a virus that shall not be named.

Perhaps your party have to search for a lost light source integral to the mythos of the holiday or festival. For some reason I want to suggest tying this to a village of ghosts bound to the mortal world until they have their light returned to guide them into the afterworld. You could also play a more comical game with the Krinch who Stole Father Winter’s Day, if you want something more lighthearted.

Holiday gifts and treats for all

Another aspect of many winter festivals and holidays is gift giving and sharing bounty from the autumn harvest. Giving and receiving gifts is a great way to lift spirits both in real life and in the game world. Holiday gifts show a sense of care and love. They foster a spirit of togetherness and can bring a party closer together.

Treats and food are other holiday aspects that make great set pieces in 5E D&D. One of my favorite ways to quickly build a culture or area is by describing the food the players encounter. What people eat tells a lot about what resources they have and what they eat at holidays offers insight into what a culture values and ascribes significance.

Perhaps a certain religion in your world assigns significance to certain foods, treats or gifts? Maybe certain gods or sects offer particular objects freely to your party amid the holidays.

I’m a huge proponent for giving mundane foods mechanical properties in 5E D&D. Similarly, I love the idea of having different party members receive items better suited to others, allowing them to give these items as gifts to their fellow adventurers.

How will you celebrate the holidays with your D&D group?

Are you doing a gift exchange? We’ve got some great gift ideas for your fellow nerds, including a copy of Out of the Box Encounters, a book full of plug-and-play encounters that work for one-shots or incorporation into your ongoing campaign. I’ve got more thoughts on holiday games still to come, and if you’ve got suggestions or questions, drop us a comment, tweet @Nerdarchy, or connect with us on Facebook. Drop our article a like and until next time, happy holidays!

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