One-Shot Module Recommendations

[Laevatein]

Can anyone give recommendations for good published adventures (either by WotC or third party publishers) suitable for a single 3-4 hour session? A bit of combat is good, but preferably not a pure hack-and-slash dungeon bash.

[Just to Browse]

I'm a strong proponent of the Temple of the Basilisk Cult, a free lv1 adventure from Arcane Library. You'll need to sign up for Dionne's mailing list, but it's well worth it. It's the best of its kind. Everything I've seen from the Arcane Library is very solid, and they're my first place to look when I want a one-shot.

Winghorn Press has two fairly popular one-shots, A Wild Sheep Chase (lv4-5 PCs) and Wolves of Welton (lv2-3 PCs). These are more about setting up for combats, there's some word count allocated to social / travel stuff, but it's kinda throwaway. Wild Sheep Chase offers some nice tactical flexibility and has a fun pitch, but I would also suggest changing the ending, because it can feel unsatisfying.

Another one I've liked for very a basic intro to D&D is The Delian Tomb. The original idea comes from Matt Colville, but some fans put together the map & writeup in GMBinder.

WotC has separated out The Death House from Curse of Strahd and made it free to access. It's a fun one-shot, but I strongly recommend you have an experienced group, and (even more importantly) a group that is okay with dying. The name is not a joke.

If you're willing to spend a little money, a fun DDAL-legal adventure (not first party, slightly more official than 3rd party) that I found fun was Pudding Faire. It's a time loop story which I have a soft spot for.

If you're willing to spend more money and want a primer on GMing, I would suggest Mephits & Magmin, an introductory dungeon designed to be played in one session. This is only available in So You Want to be a Game Master, which is a $15-ish book. The book is great and absolutely worth the price, but don't just buy this for the one-shot dungeon.

[Tawmis]

Can anyone give recommendations for good published adventures (either by WotC or third party publishers) suitable for a single 3-4 hour session? A bit of combat is good, but preferably not a pure hack-and-slash dungeon bash.

If you're looking for low level... I am biased, but:
https://www.dmsguild.com/product/291...iate_id=459615

It's about discovery what is going on in the manor. Some hack and slash, but primarily story with hand outs too.

[JonBeowulf]

Hold on a minute! It's possible to complete a one-shot in 4 hours? I've been playing/DMing this since the early 80's and the shortest adventure (start to finish) was a bit over 6 hours. I recently ran one that lasted 3 3-4 hours sessions.

Edit: Nevermind. I just picked up Vecna: Nest of the Eldritch Eye on Roll20 and it's certainly a single-session adventure.