For players of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, there are a myriad of different TTRPG sourcebooks out there, just waiting for you to try them. Depending on what kind of setting you’re looking for, those only published by Wizards of the Coast the official creators of DnD 5E - might not scratch your current RPG itch. However, there are many excellent sourcebooks for D&D 5E that are available from third party creators. These third party sourcebooks don’t need to adhere to the official universe of
Dungeons & Dragons, the Forgotten Realms, varied as it is, and so feature their own unique settings that offer something a bit different.
However, there are tons of third party books for D&D 5E out there, so it’s hard to know which ones are worth checking out, especially if you’re looking for a certain kind of setting or vibe. With such an active community of creators and players for D&D 5E, it’s difficult to know which sourcebooks can provide a good quality experience.
Obojima: Tales from the Tall Grass - 1985 Games
Obojima: Tales from the Tall Grass is a core rulebook inspired by the films of lauded animation studio, Studio Ghibli, and the Legend of Zelda video game series. In Obojima, 5E players are encouraged to approach roleplaying at a slower speed than they might be used to: taking the time to meet new people, discover new places, share stories, and seek out whimsical experiences.
Perhaps the most unique aspect of Obojima is the setting’s unusual combination of Japanese mythology and fantasy, with retro, ‘80s-esque nostalgia. Yatamon - the largest city on the island and the focus of the Obojima: Tales from Yatamon book - is the perfect illustration of Obojima’s setting, featuring a wonderful mix of dusty antique shops selling instant cameras, alongside witches’ apothecaries wherein you can purchase freshly brewed potions and magic items.
Obojima: Tales from the Tall Grass is the perfect sourcebook for players wanting a cozier world, where they can take a break from monster killing to relax and enjoy a quieter, stranger life.
Humblewood - Hit Point Press
Humblewood is a 3rd party book from Hit Point Press, that focuses on a band of brave woodland critters fighting to save their beloved pastoral home from destruction and strife. In the world of Everdan lies a vast, idyllic forest nestled between towering mountains and rolling fields, called Humblewood. Found within this forest is a collection of various sentient animal communities, who once lived together in harmony.
However, when a terrifying fire burns its way across Humblewood, destroying the homes of many innocent forest-dwellers, folks start to turn on each other. The city of Alderheart - built within one of the largest trees in Humblewood - somehow remains intact, which causes several communities to turn on the birdfolk who call it their home. Amidst all this strife, a group of woodland heroes steps forward to fight those spreading conflict, mend these rifts between birdfolk and humblefolk, repair the burning forest, and bring balance back to Humblewood.
You, obviously, take the role of these heroes - choosing between the wide variety of available playable woodland species; such as crows; owls; hedgehogs; deer; foxes; and mice. This setting is undeniably charming whilst still featuring plenty of dark fantasy elements, vis-a-vis Watership Down or The Animals of Farthing Wood, making for a unique contrast for an RPG setting.
Humblewood is a sourcebook that feels designed for folks who still want their DnD games to take place in a fantasy world, but one that has a specific flavor geared towards the whimsically horrifying.
Household - Two Little Mice
Household is a sourcebook by Italian publisher Two Little Mice that takes heavy inspiration from The Borrowers book series by British author Mary Norton. This sourcebook focuses on a renaissance-esque world that’s populated by tiny, domesticated people, all living out their lives in an ginormous abandoned mansion and its vast grounds.
Little guys interacting with gigantic versions of ordinary objects and places is undeniably charming, and something that Household absolutely takes full advantage of. Littlings can be found all across the mansion: making their homes in teacups, scaling up the sides of furniture, riding on the backs of bumblebees, and building entire cities in the bathtub. The world of Household is populated by all kinds of Littlings: from the graceful winged Faeries and hardy Boggarts, to the otherworldly Sluagh and elemental Sprites.
Your adventure as a Littling might seem rather small-scale when compared to other tabletop roleplaying games fleeing away from an angry cat who’s broken into the house; climbing into jewelry box and discovering an ancestral ring; chasing out a newly-emerging brood of maggots - but they’re made epic by the context of the world of
Household. These are big scenarios for the characters of Household, both because of their relatively tiny size and the nature of the mansion being sealed-off from the wider world, making danger and invasion from the outer world seem doubly serious.
Household is a stunningly beautiful tabletop RPG with a renaissance aesthetic, that offers more of a fairytale-esque take on fantasy.
The One Ring Roleplaying Game 5e - Free League Roleplaying
The One Ring is a tabletop roleplaying game from Free League Roleplaying based on The Lord of the Rings series by JRR Tolkien. Though the original has its own gameplay system, a version of the Second Edition designed to be used with D&D 5E was also released later on.
The One Ring is set within the actual world of Middle-earth, possibly the most beloved fantasy world put to page. This sourcebook takes place in The Third Age, wherein the peoples of Middle-earth are seeing the return of The Shadow once again. As players, you must step up and face this growing Shadow, working together as a fellowship of heroes. When creating your characters, you can choose from six heroic cultures from across Middle-earth: Hobbits of the Shire; Elves of Lindon; Men of Bree; Dwarves of Durin’s Folk; Rangers of the North; and Bardings.
As these heroes you’ll travel through Middle-earth, fighting against the forces of The Shadow wherever they might be. Whilst the game master takes control of The Shadow, spreading their influence across Middle-earth and challenging the players’ courage. GMs can even create their own minions of The Shadow, called Nameless Things, to chase their players from Rohan to Rivendell. However, the player-group can draw upon the strength of some legendary characters - such as Bilbo Baggins or Gandalf the Grey - as either NPCs or even playable characters, should they ever need to.
If you’re a fan of the LOTR or a more traditional approach to fantasy worldbuilding, then The One Ring Roleplaying Game for 5e is a great third-party sourcebook to dive into.
Tal'dorei Campaign Setting: Reborn - Darrington Press
The world of Tal’dorei is an original setting created by legendary Dungeon Master and professional voice actor, Matthew Mercer, for his homebrew game of DnD. Of course, this homebrew game then eventually became the first season of the popular actual-play show, Critical Role. Darrington Press, the publisher founded by cast members of CR, eventually put out an official sourcebook for Mercer’s setting - Tal’dorei Campaign Setting: Reborn which provides a heavily detailed overview of its world, gods, sub-classes, locales, creatures, and more.
Tal’dorei is a continent in the wider world of Exandria and, during Season One of Critical Role, plays host to a number of epic storylines, from a deadly dragon conclave to the terror of Vecna, the lich who ascended to godhood. This is a setting that’s filled with incredibly rich lore, which offers some extremely fertile soil to plant your own stories and legends within.
Probably the most impressive element of Tal’dorei Campaign Setting: Reborn, is its thick section on the pantheon of gods found within Exandria. These gods are far from just deities for clerics or paladins to choose from, but significant players in the history and present of Tal’dorei. Members of the Pantheon - from the virtuous Platinum Dragon to the terrifying Crawling King - continue to directly influence Tal’dorei and its inhabitants, which can serve as an excellent jumping off point for campaign ideas.
There are also other iconic Critical Role elements found within Tal’dorei Campaign Setting: Reborn, including options to include members of Vox Machina - the party of characters played by the cast in Season One - as allies to fight alongside you.
