Dungeons & Dragons is by and large the most iconic tabletop RPG of all time. Dating as far back as 1974, D&D has seen several iterations and editions across its nearly fifty-year lifespan, being directly referenced in everything from Community to Stranger Things. D&D is currently the most popular its ever been, with an estimated 12-15 million players of the game.
It should be no surprise that D&D has directly inspired and resulted in the creation of countless games and expansions created by fans and third-party developers. Due to D&D’s Open Game License, many of the core mechanics of the game can legally be included in such projects. So today, we’re going to examine some of the best fan-made and third-party D&D games and expansions of all time!
10 Star Wars 5e
SW5e, also known as Star Wars 5e is a massive and expansive fan-made series of rule books that are compatible with the core rules of D&D fifth edition. While unofficial, these free-to-access documents offer an immense overhaul to the rules of D&D, reskinning the classic fantasy game to fit into the world of Star Wars.
With its own flavorful system of classes and subclasses, as well as a wide range of playable races from the Star Wars universe, the game is worth checking out for anyone looking to run a Star Wars-themed tabletop adventure.
9 Mass Effect 5e
Similar to SW5e, Mass Effect 5e is an unofficial yet impressively in-depth re-tooling of D&D’s rules, reskinning the game to better fit a previously existing universe.
As the name would suggest, this game repurposes elements of D&D to fit into the setting of the popular Mass Effect series, implementing classes, races, weapons, and a wide variety of gameplay mechanics into a tabletop RPG.
8 Epic Legacy
One core rule in D&D’s fifth edition is that a character is considered “maxed out” once they reach level 20, meaning they can no longer level up further. Released by Hit Point Press, Epic Legacy is a third-party expansion book for 5E that provides content for DMs and players alike who are looking to bring their characters to “epic levels” past 20.
Bringing potent prestige classes and devastating threats for over-leveled characters leads to experiences that feel like an entirely different game in themselves.
7 Tome Of Beasts
One of the most defining features of D&D is the monsters that adventurers encounter on their journey. Produced by Kobold Press, Tome of Beasts is a third-party D&D book that includes a massive swath of new monsters that can be used within the core rules of D&D’s fifth edition.
Tome of Beasts allows you to utilize the same game system that you’re familiar with while creating entirely new combat scenarios and storylines that wouldn’t usually be possible.
6 Humblewood
Released by Hitpoint Press, Humblewood is a third-party 5e expansion and campaign setting that focuses on various forms of bird-folk and other animal-based races.
Not only does this 5e compatible book feature several flavorful race options, new subclasses, backgrounds, and lore for worldbuilding, but it also features an entire ready-to-play adventure. This means that anyone familiar with the core rules of fifth edition can access this unique and light-hearted RPG with little more than a single book and limited prep.
5 Svilland
Like Humblewood, Svilland is a third-party campaign setting for fifth edition that provides D&D with a new coat of paint and content that makes it a largely different affair for players and DMs alike. Svilland is an evocative Scandanavian-inspired campaign setting based around Norse mythology and Vikings.
Staggeringly impressive in its sizable well of content for players, Svilland includes nearly forty subclasses for you to access as well as two entirely new classes that help make Svilland more than a standard D&D tabletop experience.
4 Adventures In Middle Earth
Adventures In Middle Earth is a well-developed and fully fleshed-out answer to the question, “What if Lord of the Rings had its own rules for D&D?”
Offering tools for both players and DMs, Adventures in Middle Earth allows players to create characters that feel perfectly at home in Tolkien’s world while also allowing a DM to immerse you all in the wide range of settings within Middle Earth.
3 Strongholds & Followers
D&D is largely a game that focuses on each player’s individual characters on a personal level.
Strongholds & Followers is a third-party expansion for Fifth Edition that adds many significant additions to the game’s mechanics that revolve around characters having access to their own keeps and stronghold as well as armies of followers that allow for large-scale battles akin to a strategy game.
2 Esper Genesis
While SW5e and Mass Effect 5e each respectively provide players with a D&D alternative that revolves around science fiction properties, they each rely heavily upon previously existing worlds.
For players looking for a sci-fi approach to D&D that is less derivative of these properties, Esper Genesis is an excellent choice. Compatible with 5e’s core rules, Esper Genesis adds numerous gameplay elements such as those that involve everything from travel and worldbuilding to equipment and combat, while keeping things open to any kind of sci-fi adventure.
1 Pathfinder
Outside of Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder is easily one of the most popular tabletop RPGs that’s currently on the market. However, newer players to D&D may be unaware that Pathfinder’s beginnings originate in D&D, as the game was designed using the core rules of Dungeons & Dragons’ third edition.
While Wizards of the Coast only focuses on creating content for the most recent edition of the game, as D&D third edition and fifth edition have several significant gameplay differences, Pathfinder continues to offer brand new content for fans of third edition.
