D&D Group Cancelled Again..? Try Solo D&D

Blonde woman, lava-skinned being in a golden frame, with dice.

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDJB9yPAVOo


Transcription

Picture this: you’re ready for D&D night, dice in hand, character sheet polished—and then the group cancels. Again. But what if I told you that you don’t need a group to dive into epic quests, unravel mysteries, and face terrifying monsters? That’s right—you can play D&D solo. And today, I’m going to show you a simple framework I came up with years ago that actually makes it fun, dramatic, and incredibly rewarding.



This isn’t by any means the most comprehensive system in the world, but I have personally run two full solo campaigns with it, and had a blast. Solo campaigns, in fact, have been some of my favorite RPG experiences.


Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your campfire companion for all things D&D, whether you’ve got a full party or you’re playing solo.


D&D is usually about gathering with friends around the table—or online—and diving into a shared adventure. But sometimes? Life gets in the way. Or, maybe you’re just itching to try something between sessions, or you’ve been wanting to tell a story that’s entirely yours.


That’s where single-player D&D comes in. The problem is that solo play options can sometimes feel a little complicated. But with the right framework, solo D&D can feel just as rich and engaging as a regular campaign, and be very easy.


You should also know that there are great solo D&D resources available all over the web, many times for free. And you can take what I have for you today as a basic framework, and add in all kinds of support material as well, where it fits for you.


The first step is simple: create your character. And here’s my advice—don’t overthink it. This is your chance to play the character you’ve always wanted.


If you’re a power gamer and you’re worried about missing certain abilities within your party, you’ve got a couple options: you can multiclass to give your character more versatility, or you can create a couple of simple backup party members.


But honestly? I find it’s more fun to keep things focused on a single character and let your creativity solve the problems your hero can’t achieve through specific abilities, or brute-force. It keeps the game light, fun, and way easier to manage.


Here’s the real magic: instead of trying to run an entire sprawling campaign in one go, building a huge backstory, world, and plotline, just break your adventure down into scenes.


In this model, each scene has five parts:
Part One is called the scene’s “main focus.” Basically, you just decide – at a broad level – what this scene is about. What is your character trying to “do,” or what’s important to them in this moment?


Two—the setting. Picture where your character is, and bring it to life with as many details as you can imagine for sights, smells, what you touch, taste, and hear.


Three—NPCs. Who’s here? Are they allies, rivals, strangers, or heroes?


Four—the conflict. What obstacle is standing in your way? Specifically, what’s making the scene’s main focus for your character more difficult? Stories – especially fantasy adventure stories – are built upon adversity.


And five—theater of the mind roleplay. Imagine how your hero reacts to the setting, the NPCs, and the conflict, and then let the story unfold.


These simple five steps keep your game manageable and dynamic. The best part is that you don’t need hours of prep—just enough to give the scene a clear focus, and let the rest flow naturally.


Once you’re through a scene, here’s how you take that starting point and build out a full story arc. Think of every five scenes as a mini-episode in your campaign, and use the classic dramatic structure that you may have learned back in school.


Your first scene is your adventure’s exposition. This is where you introduced your character, set the first part of your adventure, and generally had something interesting happen.


From there, you do another scene with the same “main focus,” but now you’re into its “rising action,” where the stakes raise and the conflict becomes more meaningful.


Third, this mini story arc reaches a climax.


From there, you then have a fourth scene for falling action, where the drama resolves a little bit, and then a fifth scene where you either get a full resolution, or something happens which prepares your next set arc of five scenes.


To summarize it, scene one introduces your story element. Scene two cranks up the tension. Scene three is the big payoff. Scene four lets things settle. And scene five sets up what comes next.


Then—you start the cycle again. Each new arc raises the stakes, builds on what came before, and keeps your campaign growing organically. This way, even a quick 15-minute session can slowly blossom into a sprawling, epic story, over time.


Connecting your scenes like this also helps give your campaign a sense of continuity. 


Of course, part of what makes D&D fun is unpredictability. That’s where oracles—or random tables—come in. Think of them as your personal DM stand-in.


Need to know if the door is trapped? Roll on a yes-or-no oracle. Want inspiration for your next encounter? Flip to a random monster table.


There are tons of free generators online—everything from towns, to NPCs, to treasure hoards. Just be careful not to let them take over. Oracles are best when they spark ideas, not when they completely drive the story. Remember, you’re still the storyteller.


One of the biggest questions in solo play is: how do I level up? My rule of thumb is simple. After every scene, give yourself rewards—experience, treasure, or even a cool item.


Even if you didn’t slay a dragon, you still advanced the story, and that deserves progress. A good benchmark is to give yourself the same XP you’d get for defeating a monster of your level. That way, your hero grows at a steady, satisfying pace without feeling like you’re cheating.


For some additional quickfire tips for you:

  • Try published solo modules if you want less prep. These remove the vast ability for theater of the mind storytelling you get, just using this model of scenes and story arcs, but they provide you a great deal more structure.
  • Use music or maps to set the mood, and even minis if you want to roleplay a battle scene.
  • And most importantly, keep a notebook to track your scenes—it helps your story feel alive. Notes can also help you remember where your Character’s been, who they’ve talked to, and what’s happened. That way, you can bring back any of those story elements into your future scenes, for more sense of familiarity and progression in your campaign.


So, there you have it—the framework for extraordinary single-player D&D. Start small, use oracles for inspiration, and let your imagination do the heavy lifting.


Now I want to know—would you ever run a full D&D campaign solo, or is the game only fun with a group? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.


And if you liked this guide, give it a thumbs up, subscribe for more, and until next time—may your dice roll high, and your stories be unforgettable.

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Jacob Tegtman Eternity TTRPG Creator

Author - Jacob Tegtman

Dear reader, I hope you enjoyed this article. Tabletop gaming has been a passion of mine since I was 6 years old. I've played just about every game from Dungeons and Dragons to video games like Final Fantasy. These games have inspired me, made me laugh, made me cry, and brought me endless hours of enjoyment.


I started Eternity TTRPG - and the indie tabletop game that goes along with it (Eternity Shop) - to share my love of gaming with others. I believe that in our technology-driven age, tabletop games help bring a sense of magic and community back into our world.


If you love the site, please share it with others! I have lots of gaming-related material for you to peruse and use in your own gaming sessions. If you have any questions about the site or want to contribute, just send me a message using the "Contact" page, which you can find in the site's footer.

Man in a room discusses D&D set at Heritage Auction, text reads
By Jacob Tegtman September 26, 2025
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3QG8CaiGxg Transcription Would you pay twenty thousand dollars for an old box of dice and pamphlets? Well… someone just might. A massive treasure hoard of vintage Dungeons & Dragons books just hit the auction block—and it is in fact already breaking records. Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG, your go-to space for the latest in D&D news, lore, and community updates. Today we’re doing a quick video, diving into a legendary auction that could rewrite the value of tabletop history. Heritage Auctions, one of the world’s top collectible auction houses, is currently running a massive sale of rare Dungeons & Dragons books. The collection features 149 individual items, most from 1st and 2nd edition, and many are even slabbed and graded by CGC—yes, the same people who grade comics. What’s in the dragon’s hoard, you ask? Some pretty awesome finds, including: The original Wood Grain Box Set from 1975. Only about 1,000 were ever made, and past sales have reached $22,000. A sealed 1983 Red Box—the one with Larry Elmore’s iconic artwork. Finding one unopened is like rolling a natural 20 on every attack you make. Danger at Dunwater, a 1982 adventure module graded 9.8 by CGC, making it actually museum quality. And even the Blackmoor Supplement by D&D co-creator Dave Arneson. Heritage expects this treasure chest to fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars. We won’t know the final tally until the hammer falls on October 16th—but collectors are already buzzing. One Redditor joked, ‘Guess I’ll just sell my kidney for a Wood Grain box.’ Meanwhile, others see this as proof that tabletop gaming history is getting some of the respect it’s always deserved. It’s wild to think that what started as a niche game in the ’70s is now commanding museum-level prices. Personally, I love that we’re at a point where these old rulebooks are being preserved like artifacts—because let’s face it, they are artifacts to some people. What do you think? Would you ever drop thousands on a piece of D&D history—or would you rather just buy more dice for your current campaign? If you enjoyed this, hit like, subscribe, and ring the bell so you don’t miss any future D&D news. And hey—share this video with your party before they try to sell their stuff for auction money. Thanks for watching!
A monstrous, ghostly train with glowing teeth and smoke. Text reads
By Jacob Tegtman September 21, 2025
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-qBdvV9S5k Transcription From a flaming, headless horseman riding vengeance across cursed roads… to a ghost train that ferries souls between life and death—today we’re diving into the legendary monsters of the Crooked Moon, from D&D Beyond. These aren’t your average dungeon crawlers. These are actually campaign-defining nightmares, more akin to a bestiary of “boss monsters” that you can throw at your gaming group in this Halloween-style setting. So, let’s talk about my favorite four that will haunt your players forever. Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG, your lantern in the dark woods of Dungeons & Dragons adventures. Today, we’re peering into the shadows for another awesome dive into one of my favorite D&D settings of all time – Crooked Moon. Let’s dive right in. We’re starting strong with the Galloping Headsman —a headless executioner based, of course, on the “headless horseman” from “the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” The twist here is that the horseman is a centaur. Still missing his head, which is now filled with gouts of fire. But in my opinion, no Halloween, or Halloween-inspired campaign, is complete without a visit from the headless horseman. In one hand, this legendary monster wields a massive two-headed axe that can literally decapitate a player if it crits. And in the other it holds a burning pumpkin skull, shifting with agonized faces. This monster is cinematic. Imagine a chase sequence where the Headsman’s lair warps roads themselves—stretching paths, halving travel speeds, and giving the sense to players that they can never quite escape. His weakness? The original skull he lost. If your players find and wield it, he suddenly becomes vulnerable. Until then… run. I love boss fights where there’s a secret that players need to uncover, to make the battle well – winnable. Until that secret is uncovered, the “boss” feels truly like something of legends and nightmares. Number two is another top pick that I think Crooked Moon absolutely nailed: the Ghostlight Locomotive . This one is just so different from anything you typically see in D&D, or almost any roleplay game. It’s a phantom train barreling between life and death, burning souls as fuel. Most of the time, the Ghostlight Locomotive runs its eternal route, burning souls like coal, but carrying them off to the afterlife. But that balance is fragile. When its soul-fuel becomes corrupted—whether by dark magic, a curse, or too many wicked spirits—something inside the engine snaps. Suddenly it’s no longer mindless. Instead, the train becomes aware of the countless souls it has consumed, and with that awareness comes rage. That’s when the Locomotive transforms into a nightmare on rails, lashing out at the living and dragging anything in its path down into the mist. And speaking of, the ghostly, mile-wide shroud of mist that surrounds the train prevents players from fully healing with rest, and even magic feels weaker—potions and cure spells only work at half strength. Consider the power of the mist itself, this legendary monster is actually part dungeon, part boss, and even part existential crisis. At number three, we move from machines to nature gone wrong—meet the Beast of Blight. Once, this beast was Farryn of the Greenwood, a druid who turned to forbidden magic to bring back her dead lover. And that, as you might expect is where things went wrong. Instead of restoring life, her magic twisted inward. Nature didn’t heal her grief—it reflected it, warping her body with rot, fungus, and decay. In trying to preserve love, she became the embodiment of loss: a beast that spreads corruption with every step. Now, the Beast’s lair is a cavern at the heart of a rotting forest, where decay seeps even from stones. In that place, the natural world turns against you—forests wither, food spoils, and even spells that create water only produce half their normal amount. In this cavern, the Beast can teleport through rot, spew necrotic spores, and even she can even impale grappled creatures on her exposed ribs, holding them restrained while dealing piercing damage. But buried inside her, a flicker of Farryn’s memory or emotion that survived the corruption, remains. Show the Beast the likeness of her lost love, and for a moment, the rot burns away and Farryn comes back through. When this happens, she takes immediate psychic damage , and she also has Disadvantage on all d20 tests until the start of her next turn – making this fight much, much easier. Lastly, we move to the Dusk Mother. Her keening wails carry through settlements, where she searches endlessly for her lost children. Some say they died from her wrath, others say it was from her negligence. But in truth, it doesn’t matter how [her children died]—because in her own mind, she carries all the guilt. That shame, that unbearable grief, twisted her into something more than a ghost. It made her into the Dusk Mother. Directly from Crooked Moon: “Now she cries in shame for that loss as she searches for her children, or for souls to claim and fashion into dolls in a futile attempt to fill the void in her doomed soul.” The Dusk Mother carries giant shears and a great tolling bell, as she wanders across the countryside. Her presence warps reality—villagers absentmindedly start humming funeral songs, while adventurers become unable to rest. Once again, the players may have some advantage though if they ever have to face her, for if she ever sees her children’s trinkets or spirits, she collapses, overcome with guilt. This is the kind of boss fight that is emotionally heavy. In this case, your players aren’t just fighting a legendary monster. Instead, they’re facing an avatar of grief, itself. So that’s four of the most terrifying legendary monsters from The Crooked Moon. The Galloping Headsman, the Ghostlight Locomotive, the Beast of Blight, and the Dusk Mother. Each one is packed with lore that can fuel more than a few game sessions, and interesting mechanical twists for climactic encounters. But now I want to hear from you—if you had to unleash just one of these horrors in your campaign, which would it be? Would you make your players ride the Ghostlight Express, or see if anyone dares face the Beast of Blight head-on?” Drop your pick in the comments, and don’t forget to like and subscribe for more D&D news and monster spotlights. Until next time—keep your head on straight… unlike the Headsman.
Logo with lion, ram, forest creature, dove, and text: D&D Inspiration: 10 Quest Ideas on black background.
By Jacob Tegtman September 16, 2025
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bMjDsFmYAc&ab_channel=EternityTTRPG Transcription Need some quick D&D quest ideas to throw at your players? Whether they’ve derailed your main storyline or you just need some fast inspiration, I’ve got 20 quests ready from my own 25+ years of D&D campaigns and one-shots that you can drop for your party at your next gaming night. From cursed artifacts to insane boss fights, these ideas will keep your party rolling dice all night long.  Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your go-to source for all things Dungeons & Dragons. Today we’re counting down 20 quest and side quest ideas you can use instantly in your next game. Let’s dive in.” 10. Lava Core On the surface, this is a simple delivery quest—escort a wagon of supplies to a nearby town. But once the party leaves, the entire town erupts in flames. The merchant they worked for tricked them into delivering a magical explosive called the Lava Core to wipe out a secret organization. Now the players are left with guilt, betrayal, and a tough decision—do they hunt down the merchant, or try to redeem themselves? 9. The Jester’s Court Deep in the frozen tundra, a half-insane demi-god known as the Jester builds a kingdom of monsters. Think undead, beasts, demons—all following his twisted command. His influence spreads like wildfire, and the only way to stop him is to march into his icy castle and confront him directly. Of course, everyone knows that’s basically suicide. Which makes it the perfect quest for high-level heroes. 8. Three Sisters Here’s a boss fight with a puzzle built in: three enemies, known as the Sisters, must be killed in the correct order. If not, the survivors resurrect the fallen one on their next turn. The party needs to uncover hints about the order—maybe from a prophecy, maybe from symbols on their armor—before the fight turns into an endless nightmare. It’s a perfect way to mix combat and problem-solving. 7. Ruins of the Tree of Life This dungeon takes place inside the mile-high corpse of the Tree of Life. Its rotting branches are filled with undead and pestilence, and at the top lies a black crystal prison holding Ranroth the Betrayer. Only, that prison is cracked and about to shatter. Do the players attempt to repair the seal, or prepare for the return of one of the realm’s greatest enemies? 6. Fang of Lanias This is the tooth of a fallen golden dragon. Whoever holds it can summon the ghost of Lanias—but instead of a wise guardian, the spirit attacks anyone who enters his ruined spire. If the party doesn’t banish him properly, Lanias resurrects at midnight every night, forcing an endless cycle of battles. Do your players destroy the fang, or find a way to put this restless dragon to peace? 5. Ultimate Vampire Vampires are scary enough, but this one is pure nightmare fuel. At the start of combat, he drains one character level from each party member, and he rips away their strongest magic item, adding its powers to himself. Imagine watching your sword of legend floating in his hands as he uses it against you. It’s a brutal reminder that sometimes, the deadliest monsters aren’t just strong—they’re thieves of everything you hold dear. 4. Crypt of the Plaguebringers Plagues are spreading across the realm, and clerics can’t heal them. Why? Because it’s no ordinary sickness—it’s fueled by a cult using trapped spirits from a hidden crypt. If the party doesn’t stop them within thirty days, the plague will cover the land. To make it worse, the spirits themselves whisper to the heroes in their dreams, offering dark bargains in exchange for helping, rather than hindering them. 3. Future Disaster Not every quest the heroes undertake has a happy ending. A humble family asks the party to mentor their gifted child in magic. Over time, the child becomes a prodigy—but also grows up watching the adventurers use their power to shape the world. Eventually, that child returns as the party’s greatest enemy, convinced they can rule better than their mentors. It’s a heartbreaking story of legacy and unintended consequences. 2. Reverse This boss breaks one of D&D’s core rules: damage heals them, and healing hurts them. Imagine the party unleashing fireballs, only to see the monster’s wounds close tighter each time. The only way to kill it is through healing spells or potions, which means your party’s cleric suddenly becomes the MVP damage dealer. It’s one of those fights that makes your players go, ‘Wait… what?!’ Or, imagine if they have no dedicated healer in the party and now must win using an entire town’s literal stockpile of healing potions. 1. Unicorn Meat A vendor in the town square loudly declares he’s selling—yes, you heard it right—fresh unicorn meat. It shimmers rainbow hues, smells like summer fields, and nobles are lining up to buy it by the pound. The butcher swears it’s ethical—‘No problem if you *find* them dead!’ he says. But his business is booming so fast he needs help finding more. That’s where the party comes in: track down dead unicorns, bring back the meat, and he’ll cut them in on the profits. Of course, unicorns don’t usually drop dead on their own. But if something is out there killing them, the heroes will have to decide—do they protect these sacred creatures, or cash in on the newest, most lucrative and controversial trade in the realm? And that’s ten amazing D&D quest ideas—from tragic mentor-protégé betrayals to bizarre unicorn steaks. Which one would your players love—or absolutely hate—the most? Drop your pick in the comments, and don’t forget to like and subscribe for more D&D content every week. Until next time, may your dice roll high, and your weekly adventures always turn into legendary stories.
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