Player characters attacking the lair of monsters that have been menacing the local village is a common D&D trope. This adventure turns the trope on its head. In Goblin Defense, the players create goblin PCs, and have to fight off repeated attacks by adventurers who are stronger and better equipped than they are. Starting at level 1 and running until level 7, this module encompasses 16 battles against unique and typically themed groups of adventurers built using player character classes and rules. The module is designed for 3 players, each of whom takes on an individual role within the tribe, granting unique bonuses or options for actions outside of combat. Goblin Defense can also be played with 4 players, but is not recommended for 5 or more players without substantial revision. The players aren't alone. Each commands a squad of goblin minions who can help in combat... but goblins are fragile, and adventurers hit hard. Life as a goblin is often brief and violent. Many will die, but as long as some survive, the tribe will carry on. A simple ruleset is provided for managing actions during the downtime between each attack. During this time, players can work to train their minions to use better gear, hunt for food for their tribe, recruit replacement warriors, brew potions, and - most importantly - improve their lair and its defenses by adding walls, traps, tunnels, doors, alarms, and anything else their creative minds can come up with. As the exact layout and placement of defensive features is critical, this is designed to be played on a grid. A PDF is included with the map scaled to print on 24"x36" (Arch D) size paper, available at most print shops. DMs may enjoy the chance to briefly try out many different character class and subclass combinations as they attack and eventually fall to the goblin pests they're trying to eliminate. Page count: Information for the DM only 6 Information for the players 4 Adventurer statblocks 37
Atop a distant mountain peak, a monstrous entity plots dark deeds. The final chapter of the Seeds of Sehan campaign arc. "To a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders." Chuang-Tzu. Pgs. 30-47
Red for love, white for purity, black for death. He was thoughtful, obedient, and trustworthy - the epitome of a traitor. All he needed were some heroes. A powerful undead knight, Agrovale, wants to be released from a necromancer named Talakara. He sets in motion an elaborate plan to get the players involved in overthrowing Talakara in her bid to become a goddess. He frames the necromancer for a kidnapping and murder and leaves a trail of clues to lead the players to her stronghold. The party travels through an extensive stronghold filled with many different monsters, finishing with a fight with the demigod Talakara and subsequently the freedom-seeking Agrovale. Pgs. 38-63
Who Do You Trust? In the cool streets and blazing bazaars, the word is out: a great treasure has gone missing in the Everlasting City of the Cat, and some very ambitious people have set their sights on it. Many paws and claws are out, and everyone is sniffing around for something rich and strange. It’s an odd time for a catfolk thief and a gnoll merchant to make very tempting offers to strangers in town. Or, perhaps it’s not odd at all. Get caught up in the hunt with Cat and Mouse by Richard Pett and Greg Marks! A perfect introduction to the Southlands campaign setting, and it fits neatly into any desert city where cats are sacred and rats are cautious and sly.
"Deeptown lies in the shadow of mountains, a town where anything is for sale if you can only meet the price. But in the wild surrounding valleys of the Deeps, it's the bandits who make the darkest deals - and their ambition comes at a cost far greater than the contents of any wayward caravan. You and your team have just been handed a new job: disrupt a meeting between a bandit lord and his mysterious new allies. At a remote mountain villa, you will strike hard and fast and leave terror in your wake. They give you the tools. You provide the talent. Survive, and you'll be well rewarded. Fail, and you'll pay the price. You've got three days to raise some hell." This was one of the first third party adventures under the OGL for 3rd edition published by Atlas Games under the Penumbra line. The attack on the mansion is not a dungeon crawl, but feels like a commando raid aided by some unique magic items.
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
Centuries ago, two rival thieves' guilds crafted a number of intelligent weapons to aid them in their conflicts. Although the guilds are now long dead, their weapons remain, and have begun to recruit new soldiers from the people of Sasserine. Can your PCs put an end to this deathless war?
For the past several days, dozens of strong earthquakes have rocked the coastal area surrounding the underground Temple of Poseidon. Since the first quake, there have been a growing number of reports of strange events and macabre occurrences throughout the area. Several families near the temple have abandoned their farms and refused to return. They claim to have been terrorized by inhuman specters who prowled about their farms late at night. One of the farmers says he found a farm animal crucified and eviscerated in a ritualistic fashion on his front porch. Following the first tremors, all communications with the Temple of Poseidon, seemingly the center of the troubled area, were cut off. Messengers dispatched to the temple to request guidance from the Holy Oracle located there have not returned. Now the darkness has spread to this town. Unnatural births have occurred. Strange cries can be heard in the night, and there is a cowl around the moon. Magical divining has proven useless in naming the dark forces that invade. Many of the townspeople have already abandoned their homes and those who remain have but one recourse left: They have sent out a cry for hardened adventurers, experienced in dispatching evil. They must travel to the temple to discover the fate of the men there, and, if possible, elicit their help in destroying the growing heinous power. Pgs. 31-46
A barque with a bark; or, You can't be Sirius! Another day, another kidnap victim to rescue - but this victim has four feet and likes old soup bones. An adventure with some bite. Sir Veneti of Chardon's prize mastiff was stolen just before the city's mastiff duel. He knows that it was his biggest rival, Sir Machi. Sir Veneti needs the party to seize Sirius, the mastiff, from a ship called Gale's Teeth. What the party doesn't know is that a pirate stranged in town is also planning a heist on this ship the very same night that they plan to steal back the mastiff! This adventure has opportunities for both combat and roleplaying, and allows for multiple ways for the players to finish the adventure. Pgs. 32-38
Giants and ghost trees and foul undead beasties... What happens when elves, giants, and a mysterious witch all decide only you can settle their troubles. Strange new tree species! A hobgoblin fort! Unexplained noises during the day and different noises at night! Investigate and explore the Bretonwood to get to the bottom of its problems. The adventure provides an overland open-world style map of the Bretonwood which the players are encouraged to explore. Many set and random encounters are provided. There are opportunities for combat in this area, but players should be ready to handle some problems out of combat to get the most satisfying experience. Pgs. 22-43
Through acrid mists and bitter waters they march. They are quiet, making no sound as they leave the marshland. Spears held high, the warriors scan the fog for signs of the attacker. Every step took them further from their old lands. Every step brings them closer to the lands of their 'allies,' who had abandoned them when teh marsh turned black and foul. Every step churns up more of the poisoned water as it seeps between their scales and below the skin. So many had already died on this march, and after the attack, they had so few left... The mists part in the night. The village's light bathes them in a false welcome. The human guards are unsteady, either from poison or drink. The town celebrates the end of the trade season, but not a man raises a toast to the creatures that died for it. So many had died from the first attack of the beast and from the aftermath, but the humans would suffer for such treachery...
Excitement and unrest grip the land of Pellham. Two hundred years ago, the royal line of kings was deposed and replaced by a High Council. The current council is well-meaning but hopelessly incompetent. Everyone agrees that a drastic change is needed for the kingdom to survive. The ancient Prophecy of Brie foretells that in Pellham's darkest hour, a king from the past will return to restore the kingdom. The time of the prophecy is now. All is in readiness: the symbols of the ancient kings have been recovered, the keys to the royal tomb are in hand, powerful magics to revive the long-dead king have been secured at great cost. Only one problem remains... no one knows where the king is buried! The Bane of Llywelyn concludes the epic adventure of the Prophecy of Brie -- can YOU insure that the quest will be a success? The adventure can be played as a separate adventure or as the second part of the Prophecy of Brie series. TSR 9109
A handful of would-be adventurers gathers to explore an ancient tomb, eager to trade their discoveries for a ticket to a better life. What they find within presages the advent of the Age of Worms, an era of darkness, decay, and writhing doom. "The Whispering Cairn" is the first installment of the Age of Worms Adventure Path, a complete campaign consisting of 12 adventures, several "Backdrop" articles to help Dungeon masters run the series, and a handful of poster maps of key locations. For additional aid in running this campaign, check out Dragon's monthly "Worm Food" articles, a series that provides additional materials to help players survive this campaign. Pgs. 14-47
A deadly rumble in the jungle. The wicked Leopard Men might have loads of treasure - but no one has ever met one and lived to talk about it. The Leopard Men are a tribal cult in the jungle who worship the wicked leopard god. They stalk at night looking for suitable sacrifices to their god. A merchant asks the PCs to destroy the Leopard Men to improve his trade agreements with other jungle tribes. Their reward for doing so is all the accumulated wealth of this tribe. The party will investigate the cult by travelling through several tribal villages. The cult members are hidden in these villages, watching for future sacrifice victims. The adventure ends with a battle with the leader of the Leopard Men and a spirit of the leopard god that is summoned. Pgs. 13-27
What was supposed to be a simple prisoner transfer grows complicated when the PCs arrive at a prison that’s recently come under new management.
From the magazine: "Brave are the mortals who take on the tasks of the gods - and dreadful their fate if they fail." This adventure is heavily themed on Greek mythology, using Greek gods as NPCs and even sending the PCs back to ancient Greece to obtain the main object of the quest. Eventually the PCs find the chest that they seek, which actually holds the god Hermes inside. He was being held by the Aloeids, two brother cyclops. After rescuing him, the PCs may gain his favor and perhaps the favor of more Greek gods.
It is time to put a stop to the marauders! For years the coastal towns have been burned and looted by the forces of evil. You and your fellow adventurers have been recruited to root out and destroy the source of these raids. But beware, hundreds of good men and women have been taken by the slavers and have never been seen or heard from again! First part of Scourge of the Slave Lords (A1–4) TSR 9039
Abandon hope early and avoid the rush. A rebel leader is locked in a prison from which there is no escape. That's why the rebels called for you. The players are recruited to help rescue a prisoner of the Theocracy. The prison is very unique in that the cells are situated in a wheel formation. The prisoners are forced to push against their cell walls every day until after 1 full year (1 full rotation of the wheel), an opening appears in their cell and they are free to leave. There are many paths to success in this adventure, and it can play out more like a heist rather than a dungeon crawl. Pgs. 24-37
In The Standing Stone, a tiefling sorcerer named Dyson discovers a circle of standing stones constructed centuries ago by druids to hold their annual rituals; the druid community was later destroyed by the great dragon Ashardalon. Dyson uses the magic of the stones to replace people with animals transformed into humanoid form, loyal to him. Dyson encounters the player characters in the village of Ossington and tries to manipulate them into eliminating the remaining enemies standing in his way.
You say you want a revolution? Monsters are prowling through farmland, people are starving, and the government is on the verge of collapse. But why? The Knights of the Shield have infiltrated the town council of Zazesspur, are are subtly manipulating the countryside around Ithmong by bringing in attacking monsters and making the land unfertile. They hope to make one of their members king of Tethyr! The players are tasked with cleaning up the countryside of Ithmong, finding the source of the increased monsters, and stopping whatever is making the land unfertile. Pgs. 4-18