Tyranny of Dragons was the first storyline season for D&D 5E. It ran from August 2014 to March 2015, and was supported with 2 published adventures, 1 D&D Encounters season, 1 D&D Epics adventure and 14 D&D Expeditions adventures.

Characters could be created using the rules in the Player’s Handbook with two variants:

• The variant human was legal
• Special backgrounds included in Hoard of the Dragon Queen were legal.

Published Adventures (D&D Encounters, casual play)

Hoard of the Dragon Queen – levels 1-8, part 1 of 2 of Tyranny of Dragons. Release date 19^th August 2014.

In an audacious bid for power the Cult of the Dragon, along with its dragon allies and the Red Wizards of Thay, seek to bring Tiamat from her prison in the Nine Hells to Faerun. To this end, they are sweeping from town to town, laying waste to all those who oppose them and gathering a hoard of riches for their dread queen. The threat of annihilation has become so dire that groups as disparate as the Harpers and Zhentarim are banding together in the fight against the cult. Never before has the need for heroes been so desperate.

Running Hoard: These are advice columns on what is in each episode, as well as play reports.

• Episode 1 (session 1, session 2)
• Episode 2 (session 3, session 4)
• Episode 3 (session 5, session 6)
• Episode 4 (session 7, session 8, session 9, session 10)
• Episode 5 (session 11)
• Episode 6 (session 12, session 13 & 14)
• Episode 7 (session 15)
• Episode 8 (session 16, session 17, session 18)

Rise of Tiamat – levels 9-15 – published adventure, part 2 of 2 of Tyranny of Dragons. Release date 21^st October 2014

The Cult of the Dragon leads the charge in an unholy crusade to bring Tiamat back to the Realms, and the situation grows more perilous for good people with each passing moment. The battle becomes increasingly political as opportunities to gather allies and gain advantage present themselves. From Waterdeep to the Sea of Moving Ice to Thay, it is a race against Evil. Succeed or succumb to the oppression of draconic tyranny. Win or lose, things will never be the same again.

Play Reports: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

D&D Adventurers League adventures

Available as PDFs only to WPN stores unless indicated otherwise. Official site.

DDEN1 Hoard of the Dragon Queen by Scott Gray – levels 1-4, adapted from the published adventure – Released

Complimentary portion of the published adventure offered to Wizards Play Network stores for D&D Encounters.

D&D Epics adventures

DDEP1 Corruption in Kryptgarden by Teos Abadia – levels 1-4, Available only at Gen Con Indy, PAX Prime, Dragon*Con, and Fan Expo Canada.

Kryptgarden Forest has long been a place feared by travelers. Now, the Cult of the Dragon has used that fear to its advantage, securing a stronghold deep in the forest. The Harpers, Order of the Gauntlet, Emerald Enclave, Lords’ Alliance, and the Zhentarim are recruiting groups of adventurers to infiltrate the forest to find out the cult’s purpose. Join hundreds of others in this interactive play experience.

D&D Expeditions adventures

DDEX1-1 Defiance in Phlan by Shawn Merwin – levels 1-4. Five one-hour adventures. Release date 18^th August 2014.

The Cult of the Dragon has come to Phlan, a lawless refuge on the Moonsea. Now, with no significant authority to stop the cult, other power groups in the Realms – the Harpers, Order of the Gauntlet, Emerald Enclave, Lords’ Alliance, and even the Zhentarim – must unite to stop the cult from fulfilling its dark purpose in the city. Join the fight by participating in any one of five different missions aimed at stopping the cult.

DDEX1-2 Secrets of Sokol Keep by Pieter Sleijpen – levels 1-4. Release date 18^thAugust 2014.

Decades have passed since Sokol Keep was reclaimed, and a small garrison placed there along with a beacon to help guide ships. Now, that beacon has gone dark, and the garrison has disappeared. In Phlan, rumors circulate that something ancient was discovered in the grounds beneath the keep, dating to before the clerics of Tyr built the small fortress. Uncover the secrets of Sokol Keep!

DDEX1-3 Shadow on the Moonsea by Greg Marks – levels 1-4. Release date 18^thAugust 2014.

Life on the Moonsea isn’t easy. Bandits, pirates, and cruel lords dominate the land, threatening those who make an honest living there. Now, a new scourge is prowling the waters: A ghost ship has been striking small coastal villages, leaving its victims whispering about the “eye of the dracolich.” Join the adventure and learn the truth behind this threat!

DDEX1-4 Dues for the Dead by Steve Winter – levels 1-4. Release date 22^nd September 2014.

For years, the Most Solemn Order of the Silent Shroud has tended the dead at Valinghen graveyard, providing them a peaceful eternal rest. Now, that rest has been disturbed by a necromancer seeking out a key to re-activate the Pool of Radiance. A four-hour adventure for levels 1-4.

DDEX1-5 The Courting of Fire by Jobe Bittman – levels 1-4. Release date 22^ndSeptember 2014.

An exiled cultist and his kobold minions are spotted searching long-forgotten ruins in the Dragonspire Mountains. Rumors say he looks for a precious gift to give to a fearsome dragon that dwells there. What he hopes to attain with his gift is unknown, but can’t be good for the citizens of Phlan. A four-hour adventure for levels 1-4.

DDEX1-6 The Scroll Thief by Daniel Helmick – levels 1-4. Release date 22^nd September 2014.

Scholars Square is a relatively quiet corner of Phlan, but a series of odd thefts have the headmasters of various schools in the area concerned. The headmasters’ pleas for help have gone unanswered by the Black Fist, and the Lord Sage of Phlan decides to reach out to you and your kind to bring those responsible to justice. A four-hour adventure for levels 1-4.

DDEX1-7 Drums in the Marsh by Sterling Hershey – levels 1-4. Release date 20^thOctober 2014.

For the past several nights, drums have been heard on the wind, coming from the Twilight Marsh. Each morning, more turn up missing from the nearby farms, leaving only muddy, clawed footprints heading towards the marsh. Can you help the find the lost and bring justice to the abductors? A four-hour adventure for levels 1-4.

DDEX1-8 Tales Trees Tell by Thomas Reid – levels 1-4. Release date 20^th October 2014.

Despite the shaky alliance that exists with the elves of the Quivering Forest, they do not suffer trespass in their realm lightly, especially from common folk from nearby Phlan. A woodworker’s recent blunder into the forest might set off a diplomatic incident. Can you help find him and mollify the aggravated elves? A four-hour adventure for levels 1-4.

DDEX1-9 Outlaws of the Iron Route by Will Doyle – levels 1-4. Release date 17^thNovember 2014.

The Iron Route, an important trade road east of Phlan, is beset by competing bandits. An exiled Black Fist officer leads his band of mercenaries turned cloaked ruffians, while a mysterious dragonborn sorcerer commands screaming savages from the north. In this war for supremacy over the trade route, the beleaguered merchants are the victims, and Phlan suffers from a lack of important supplies. It’s up to adventurers to strike out and reopen this vital route to the town. A four-hour adventure for levels 1-4.

DDEX1-10 Tyranny in Phlan by Greg Marks – levels 5-10. Release date 17^th November 2014

The Maimed Virulence has come. The future of the Cinnabar Throne and the lives of the denizens of Phlan are in jeopardy. The Cult of the Dragon rejoices, and the Black Fist is powerless to stop them. How will the factions of the city respond to this threat? Can Phlan be saved this time? Part One of Under Emerald Claws. A four-hour adventure for levels 5-10.

DDEX1-11 Dark Pyramid of Sorcerer’s Isle by Claire Hoffman, level 5-10. Duration: 8 hours (2 slots). Premiere: Winter Fantasy. Available: March 2015.

Long unoccupied, the pyramid on Sorcerer’s Isle now flows with strange magical energy, warping creatures and the landscape around it. The Cult of the Dragon and Red Wizards of Thay have taken notice, and it’s up to you to keep whatever power dwells there out of their hands. An adventure for 5th-10th level characters.

DDEX1-12 Raiders of the Twilight Marsh by Robert Adducci, levels 5-10. Duration 4 hours (1 slot). Premiere: Winter Fantasy. Available: March 2015.

A black dragon’s treasure horde has been located in the Twilight Marsh, and within it are secrets that hold interest to the factions. With the dragon marauding over the countryside, the horde is left unguarded. Now is the time to plunder its lair! An adventure for 5th-10th level characters.

DDEX1-13 Pool of Radiance Resurgent by Chris Tulach, levels 5-10. Duration 4 hours (1 slot). Premiere: Winter Fantasy. Available: March 2015.

Vorgansharax rules Phlan, using the Cult of the Dragon to extend his noxious gaze. But the green dragon seeks far more than control of the beleaguered town – ultimate power is nearly within reach. Will he reactivate the Pool of Radiance and ascend to greater prominence amongst his kind? Part Two of Under Emerald Claws. An adventure for 5th-10th level characters.

DDEX1-14 Escape from Phlan by Chris Lindsey, levels 5-10. Duration 4 hours (1 slot). Premiere Gottacon. Available April 2015.

Three important citizens of Phlan, who stand against the tyrannical dragon that rules, seek to escape and find refuge across the Moonsea. Can you extricate those that are vital to the factions before it’s too late? An adventure for 5th-10th level characters.