The wizard Abracadamus hid the Forever Stone in the darkest depths of a failing mine, coerced monsters into serving as guardians, and rigged the dungeon with traps galore. Then he died, as all good wizards do. Many heroes have fallen prey to the Forever Stone’s lure of immortality. To date, only one stalwart band has plunged into the Mines of Madness and lived to tell the tale. You think you’re better than them? You think you got what it takes to grab life by the stones and conquer the dungeon that won the 2012 Gygaxian Award* for Bonecrushing Awesomeness? We seriously doubt it, but go ahead . . . prove us wrong! Mines of Madness is a Very Special D&D® Next Adventure written for PAX East 2013 and designed for four 3rd-level characters.
In order to stop a series of devastating giant raids, the party must venture into the stronghold of the frost giant jarl Grugnur to both recover the giants' plans and eliminate Grugnur, who is the tactical head behind the operations. The adventure is part of the "Against the Giants" series originally by Gary Gygax, hence the writing credit.
An Introductory Adventure for Storm King's Thunder. As evening approaches, you spot a wooden signpost next to a trail that heads north into the hills. Nailed to the post are three arrow-shaped signs. The two marked “Waterdeep” and “Daggerford” follow the High Road but point in opposite directions. The third, marked “Nightstone,” beckons you to follow the trail. If memory serves, Nightstone is roughly ten miles up the trail. This is Chapter 1 of the greater story available for free on the Dungeon Master's Guild.
Welcome to Baldur's Gate, a city of ambition and corruption. You’ve just started your adventuring career, but already find yourself embroiled in a plot that sprawls from the shadows of Baldur's Gate to the front lines of the planes-spanning Blood War! Do you have what it takes to turn infernal war machines and nefarious contracts against the archdevil Zariel and her diabolical hordes? And can you ever hope to find your way home safely when pitted against the infinite evils of the Nine Hells?
Never try to catch a falling star. A bad seed has been planted in the dark soil of Ravenloft, and now it's time to harvest the crops. A comet has fallen from the sky outside of the town of Delmunster, and the people of this sleepy little village are changing in ways their families cannot explain. The players are on the clock to find the comet and stop its influence on the town. For every day the players take to solve the mystery, another townsperson falls under the sway of the comet. A story heavy influenced by a certain horror movie about pod people. Pgs. 48-68
The Shackled City Adventure Path enters the home stretch as the forces of evil take direct action against the heroes of the Cauldron. Dangerous secrets are revealed, important NPCs bit the dust, and your heroes will never know who to trust again! This adventure is seventh part of the Shackled City Adventure Path that began with "Life's Bazaar" (Dungeon #97). Pgs. 36-67
Pirates and powderkegs. An undersea menace has the merchants of Scalabar up in arms. A strange sea monster is plaguing the trade ships near Scalabar, a coastal city. You have arrived in Scalabar at the behest of Sora Calhaigne. The lady of House Calhaigne needs brave heroes to investigate the loss of her galleon, the Morning Star. She has reason to believe that the sea monster is not what it seems. Includes a list of random city encounters, a keyed map of the port city, Scalabar, as well as a simple overland map of the Scalabar coast, a map of a typical two-story warehouse, a keyed map of the pirate caves, and a keyed map of the ship Thresher. Pgs. 10-27
"The adventure begins with the PCs lost in the streets of Sigil's Lower Ward." --from the module. The PCs are approached by a tiefling telling them about a job. The tiefling's employer wants the heroes to search for a child who is rumored to be some sort of chosen one from an ancient prophecy. Includes a map of Durkayle's Stronghold, a map of the Black Sail Tavern, a map of the Screaming Tower, and an isometric map of Zactar Cathedral.
Wherein a tribe of goblins attracts too much attention and brings unwelcome guests to its master's den.
"More than five hundred years ago, clans of dwarves and gnomes made an agreement known as the Phandelver’s Pact, by which they would share a rich mine in a wondrous cavern known as Wave Echo Cave. In addition to its mineral wealth, the mine contained great magical power. Human spellcasters allied themselves with the dwarves and gnomes to channel and bind that energy into a great forge (called the Forge of Spells), where magic items could be crafted. Times were good, and the nearby human town of Phandalin (pronounced fan-duh-lin) prospered as well. But then disaster struck when orcs swept through the North and laid waste to all in their path. A powerful force of orcs reinforced by evil mercenary wizards attacked wave echo cave to seize its riches and magic treasures. Human wizards fought alongside their dwarf and gnome allies to defend the Forge of Spells, and the ensuing spell battle destroyed much of the cavern. Few survived the cave-ins and tremors, and the location of Wave Echo Cave was lost. For centuries, rumours of buried riches have attracted treasure seekers and opportunists to the area around Phandalin, but no one has ever succeeded in locating the lost mine. In recent years, people have resettled the area. Phandalin is now a rough-and-tumble frontier town. More important, the Rockseeker brothers - a trio of dwarves - have discovered the entrance to Wave Echo Cave, and they intend to reopen the mines. Unfortunately for the Rockseekers, they are not the only ones interested in Wave Echo Cave. A mysterious villain known as the Black Spider controls a network of bandit gangs and goblin tribes in the area, and his agents have followed the Rockseekers to their prize. Now the Black Spider wants Wave Echo Cave for himself, and he is taking steps to make sure no one else knows where it is." Extra Info from AL.com users: by @marcellarius. "There are a variety of locations in this adventure: the town of Phandalin, a gang hideout, a ruined keep in the forest, a destroyed village, and Wave Echo Cave (a dungeon crawl). The adventure is written in a sandbox style and relies on the players to choose their path. Phandalin offers several side-quests which could serve as hooks for continuing adventures. The premade characters have ties in their backgrounds to NPCs and locations. If you're not using these you'll need to consider other ways to introduce key NPCs."
The doctor is out … of patients! An infection of mold is spreading in the city, and its haveing a mnsterous affect on the population. Its up to the party to deal with this growing threat. Pgs. 60-68
The invisible enemy. Rats, cats, and double-drats. Six months ago, the residents of Luskwald heard rumors from passing merchants of a possible goblin incursion into the region. News from the nearest city confirmed speculations that goblin tribes were massing in the distant hills. Worried about the future of his small community, the Laird of Luskwald commissioned a stonemason and several carpenters to rebuild a damaged keep two miles north of the village. The repair crew worked for weeks restoring the keep's fallen walls, while waiting nervously for the first goblin to show its ugly head. For the first several days the restoration proceeded according to schedule, but in the weeks that followed several 'accidents' led many to believe the keep was cursed or haunted. In the past week three of Luskwald's villagers have died, each the victim of a grisly assassin whose identity remains a mystery. Several citizens have heard or seen peculiar things over the last several days, leading them to believe that Luskwald has been cursed, or worse, ravaged by angry spirits--perhaps sent by a greater evil that dwells within the ruined keep! Pgs. 34-52
A Planescape adventure for 4-7 PCs of levels 9-12 (about 60 total levels). While the module begins in the planar city of Sigil, most of the action takes place in Vudra, a layer of the Abyss. The PCs start in Sigil, tasked to find a vanished brother, and the trail leads to Vudra where the layers demonic ruler gathers magical blades for a terrible vengeance plot. Pgs. 32-58
This adventure introduces characters to the land of Barovia. It expands what we know about the lands around Castle Ravenloft and sheds new light on the dark past of the castle’s lord. Players will investigate mysterious happenings in a small haunted house in Barovia.
An adventure included in the Essentials Kit (2019). The party starts in Phandalin, the starting town for the Starter Set (2014) adventure, Lost Mine of Phandlever. Various jobs are posted by Harbin Wester, townmaster, which the PCs can pursue. These jobs culminate in a raid on Icespire Hold, where Cryovain, a young adult white dragon, has recently claimed as its lair.
The heroes have spent the last several days in the quiet, secluded town of Relvaunt. Relvaunt's vineyards, wines, and scenic beauty are the subject of bards's songs, and many travelers journey long miles to visit them. Another site receives far fewer visitors--several miles east of town, partially obscured by woods and hills, stands the wondrous Castle Freitstein. As the heroes depart the town in search of adventure, an elderly couple approaches them. The woman suddenly clutches her chest and collapses in the street and the old man calls out to the heroes for help. Includes castle random encounter chart, a map of castle grounds and isometric castle level maps (four main levels, a tower level and a cellar level).
If love overcomes evil, remember to get rid of the imp! It took only the love of one good woman - and the hatred of one evil familiar. After leading a life a villainy, the wizard Elzid Natholin gradually left his wicked ways, transformed by the true love of a young maiden. His imp familiar was not pleased with this benign transformation and tricked his master into detonating himself and his tower. The players will investigate the tower to determine the nature of the explosion. The imp still guards the treasure in the dungeon, and is waiting for a legion of infernal soldiers to come claim the treasure for their devil lords. Pgs. 20-28
Faced with an unusual alliance of giants raiding the countryside, the party must venture into the steading of hill giant chief Nosnra and uncover maps to the locations of the other giant strongholds. “Steading of the Hill Giant Chief ” can be run as a stand-alone adventure, or you can play it as the first part of a four-part series that continues with “Warrens of the Stone Giant Thane” (Dungeon 198), “Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl” (Dungeon 199), and “Hall of the Fire Giant King” (Dungeon 200). The adventure is part of the Against the Giants series originally by Gary Gygax, hence the writing credit.
While visiting the small village of Carthington Cross, the PCs hear a tale about a wizard who unleashed an owlbear on Carthington Cross and its unsuspecting community. After a night of stories and gossip in the local inn, the heroes are approached in the morning by this same notorious wizard who needs their help. Includes an overland map and a map of Quelkin's manor.
The player characters investigate recent kidnappings. The trail leads to a slaver operating from Underdark passages below the city.