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Fantasy Grounds

Keys from the Golden Vault contains thirteen different stand-alone adventures, each focused on a single heist.
Each adventure is designed for four to six characters of a particular level (spanning levels one to eleven) and can be played as an adrenaline-filled standalone adventure or as part of a larger campaign.

Is Keys from the Golden Vault a full campaign?

The Golden Vault is a secretive organization that specializes in assembling elite teams to acquire or recover various well-guarded items, information, or imprisoned contacts.

Over the course of the various heists within Keys from the Golden Vault, adventurers with travel all over Faerûn, down into the Underdark, and even other planes of existence, pursuing fabulous treasures and stopping dire threats.

Where does Keys from the Golden Vault take place?

Keys from the Golden Vault is one of my favorite anthologies ever released. Every adventure is fun and unique, with their own flavor to have as much fun as you'd like. This book is themed on heists, so it's incredibly fun to play with the tropes of heist films and offers the players ripe opportunities to find unique ways to get the loot they seek. I personally love to run the first adventure in the book, The Murkmire Malevolence, for new players, as it's an incredible Level 1 story that offers new players the chance to tackle their mission any way they choose. I recommend this book for any DM who wants to run some fun one-shots, or string them together for a collection of shenanigan-heavy adventures.

Brittany

You son of a gun.  I'm in!

"Keys" is an excellent collection of one-shot heists, filled with creative setups that challenge players to think. While some adventures don’t quite match the polish or excitement of the best in the collection, each one has a clever gimmick or twist that makes it worth playing at least once. If you enjoy scheming, improvising, and pulling off daring capers, this is a fantastic resource for a night of thrilling tabletop fun!

Dragon Master Roy

First and foremost, the premise of 'Keys from the Golden Vault' is wonderfully intriguing. The campaign leans into heist and intrigue themes, giving it an atmosphere that feels less like traditional dungeon crawling and more like a gripping narrative filled with nuance. Each session has provided us with a blend of problem-solving, role-playing opportunities, and, yes, combat when the situation calls for it. However, what I appreciate most is the adventure's emphasis on options beyond combat.

The scenarios are thoughtfully crafted, allowing players to tackle challenges using various skills, subterfuge, and clever thinking. The design encourages creativity, making it easy for players to come up with their own tactics to overcome obstacles. It’s been rewarding to watch my groups brainstorm and collaborate on intricate plans to execute their heists, which has led to some delightful and unexpected moments that even I, as the GM, didn’t foresee.

The pacing of the adventure is another strong point. Each mission is designed to stand alone if desired, which allows for modularity to use one or some in other campaigns. This structure has made it easy for my players, who often have busy schedules, to jump in and out of sessions while still feeling connected to the overarching story.

If I had to nitpick, I would say that some of the NPCs could use a bit more depth. While they serve their roles well, a few of them could benefit from expanded backgrounds or motivations to make interactions feel even more impactful. However, this is something that I can easily flesh out as the GM, so it hasn’t detracted from our enjoyment.

The materials provided in the adventure are well-organized and easy to reference, which has helped streamline the GMing process. The art and layout are visually appealing, adding to the overall experience and inspiring me as I prepare for each session.

'Keys from the Golden Vault' has been a fantastic addition to my campaign repertoire, for which I am, at the time of this writing, actively running two tables full of players for. It strikes a wonderful balance between stealth, strategy, and excitement, making it a delight for both new and experienced players. If you’re looking for an adventure that encourages your players to think outside the box and engage creatively with the story, I highly recommend it. My players are having a blast, and so am I!

Damien

Keys from the Golden Vault is a very versatile collection of one-shot adventures that can be strung together rather easily to create a campaign. It's not difficult for a GM to create a throughline, and the high-stakes heists are a fun and engaging challenge for the players. This is a great module whether you're looking to play one session or thirteen!

Craityr

Finally, a D&D book that asks, “What if your players actually had to think before kicking down the door?”

Keys from the Golden Vault is Ocean’s Eleven meets high fantasy, a collection of heist adventures where your party gets to steal, infiltrate, and cause absolute chaos—assuming they don’t botch their stealth rolls immediately and turn the whole thing into a discount version of The Fast and the Furious.

Instead of the usual “go kill the bad guy” routine, this book gives you missions that require planning, deception, and creative problem-solving. Will your players pull off the perfect job? Or will they alert every guard in a 5-mile radius and set the vault on fire? (Hint: It’s probably the second one.)

Pros:
✔ A refreshing twist on D&D—less dungeon crawling, more tactical shenanigans.
✔ Heists have multiple solutions, meaning your party can get creative (or completely derail everything).
✔ The Golden Vault is basically Mission Impossible—your crew gets secret jobs from a mysterious organization, and that’s just cool.

Cons:
✘ If your players are murderhobos, they will be VERY confused.
✘ Planning a heist requires brain power, which means some groups will spend 90% of the session debating step one.
✘ Your rogue will be smug the entire time.

Final Verdict:
If your group wants high-stakes capers, disguises, and elaborate schemes, this is one of the best adventure books D&D has put out. If they prefer hacking goblins to pieces and looting their shoes, this will feel like a very weird job interview.

9/10 - Roll Stealth or Roll Initiative.

DuChampion (JJ)

Risk it all for the thrill of pulling off the perfect heist. Keys from the Golden Vault contains thirteen exhilarating heist-themed adventures in which characters take on missions from a mysterious organization known as the Golden Vault.

With nothing more than a map as their guide, players will investigate their surroundings to gather invaluable intel or leap straight into action. Remember, time is of the essence, so you’ll need to sneak past security, evade deadly traps, and make your daring escape... before it’s too late.

Keys from the Golden Vault

Dungeons & Dragons 5e

Why wait for magic items when you can build your own? The Artificer makes use of tools and science to make magic. This gives you a grab bag of abilities from healing to damage dealing to quickly making a necessary tool. Artificers can enchant normal items to take on magical properties, outfitting their team with powered-up gear or giving themselves a fantasy Iron Man suit. 

Artificer

This one’s for those who love to play the undying tank in video games. Barbarians use their rage to perform great feats of strength and halve incoming damage. You can also channel the protection of the world tree, bond with animals, or just kick butt like Grog from Vox Machina. It’s a simple but rewarding playstyle, one that’s perfect for new players who don’t want to get into the complexities of magic. 

Barbarian

Your inner theatre kid probably brought you to the Bard. This class uses a variety of performance styles to cast spells and inspire other characters. Let your imagination run wild as you unleash your power through dance, song, spirit calling, or sword dancing, to name a few. You’ll be charming enough to talk your way out of a fight, but tricky enough to hinder opponents once the fists start flying. 

Bard

MMO players might see Cleric and think dedicated healer, but that’s not the case. While a Cleric can harness powerful healing magic, their full suite of abilities depend on their god. As such, they can wield damaging radiance, craft illusions bestowed by trickster gods, or become the hammer of a war deity. Clerics end up with a nice balance of damage, utility, and sturdiness. 

Cleric

When you gotta have an animal companion (or twenty) in every game, Druid is for you. Druids draw upon nature’s fury to heal allies, bind enemies, and transform into animals themselves. You can also summon a pet or many deadly pets at higher levels. Become a feral freedom fighter by playing a Druid. 

Druid

If your power fantasy is being the big guy with a big sword, look no further than Fighter. This classic DnD class gives you all the weapons and straightforward rules for using them. Just hit the bad guys a lot. If you want to get tactical, some Fighters can use fancy maneuvers or magic. Whether you want to be swift like Legolas, strong like Guts from Berserk, or versatile like Link from Legend of Zelda, Fighter’s got you covered. 

Fighter

The martial arts fantasy is alive and well in the Monk. While Fighters often rely on heavy armor and lots of weapons, the Monk is meant to move swiftly and strike with many blows. DnD Monks wield an inner power that’s not quite magic but still lets you perform all sorts of gravity-defying maneuvers. As more abilities unlock, you can become a shadowy assassin, heal with your hands, or wield all four elements like the Avatar. 

Monk

The image of a knight in shining armor is iconic to medieval fantasy, and the Paladin delivers with magical flair. They wear armor like the Fighter and can heal like the Cleric, but pack an extra punch with their signature smite. This attack lights your weapon up with divine power and lets you roll extra dice which always feels nice. You can design your Paladin as a holy warrior of justice, guardian of nature, or tortured warrior of vengeance. 

Paladin

Become a lone warrior of the wilds, a wandering blade that protects the fringes of society from evil. The Ranger commands nature magic with pure survival skill to guide the party on long journeys. In battle, they wield weapons with precision to hunt down targets. With level ups, you can boost your Ranger’s abilities with fey powers, shadow magic, or give them a beast companion. 

Ranger

A good stealth character can tear enemies apart from the shadows or discover secrets that stop the battle before it even begins. The Rogue is where you go to get that fantasy. You can choose from a variety of skills to customize your Rogue, such as poisoning your blades to become an assassin, learning magic for illusions, or just being a crafty thief. 

Rogue

The Sorcerer class leans into the glass cannon build popular in video games. Their health is on the lower side and they don’t wear armor, but they cast some of the most powerful spells in the game. Sorcerers also have magical mutations that let you empower your spells beyond those of other spellcasters. You also get to choose the source of your magic, be it eldritch mystery, pure chaos, or the blood of dragons. 

Sorcerer

If you like your magic creepy and mysterious, check out the Warlock. These characters get magic from a patron, which can range from a demonic pact to an unknowable elder god. This unique approach to magic grants warlocks a few spells that they specialize greatly in. When a Warlock takes their turn in combat, everyone notices. Warlocks are also fantastic for roleplay as they have a built-in storyline with their patron. 

Warlock

The original spellcaster, and the one who gets all the spells. Wizards don’t get divine help or a mysterious patron, so they have to learn magic the old-fashioned way: by reading. This allows Wizards to gain more spells than any other class as long as they can find books. Wizards can come to the rescue in almost any situation, as their magic can save allies, fool enemies, boost physical abilities, learn secrets, and blow things up. 

Keys from the Golden Vault

Frequently asked questions about Keys from the Golden Vault

Virtual table tops for Keys from the Golden Vault (VTTs)

D&D Beyond

Find a Keys from the Golden Vault group and Start Playing today!

Keys from the Golden Vault

Frequently asked questions about Keys from the Golden Vault

Is Keys from the Golden Vault a full campaign?

What is the Golden Vault?

Where does Keys from the Golden Vault take place?

Virtual table tops for Keys from the Golden Vault (VTTs)

D&D Beyond

Find a Keys from the Golden Vault group and Start Playing today!