If absolute power corrupts absolutely, Matron Maelora best beware; her plans for total domination of the Underworld are already close to satisfactory completion, while attacks on the Upperworld have become increasingly successful. The other power-hungry drow families of Holoth may despise her but they know a true leader when they see one, and House Gullion has been revealed as the family to lead them all on the path to glory. With the entire Underworld in chaos and the Spider Goddess regularly communing with her chosen Matron, far greater dreams than mere regional conquest are within the grasp of the drow, as Maelora prepares her grand dark elf army for victory! With other mystical allies standing firm with the Matron, other Underworld races beneath her heel or cowering behind fortified walls, and every drow ready to play their part when she gives the word, what could possibly stop her from achieving her final triumph and fulfilling her destiny? But even the greatest of plans has a flaw if you look hard enough, and a party of stout heart and strong resolve can make a difference. At first, such a party may well believe it is on a smaller adventure, perhaps to win a few baubles or some small acclaim by rescuing a few kidnapped villagers. Soon, however, those adventurers will realise that much more is at stake, and that they are the ones who will need to make moves against the evil Matron Maelora and her increasing dominance if both the entire Underworld and Upperworld are to be saved. But how will they go about it? Can they ensure their own success when an entire city is standing against them? Only they have the chance to halt the Rise of the Drow! Published by AAW Games.
A series of short encounters and story hooks that may cause your party to question the safety of their local tavern… Designed for characters of all levels
It all begins with a simple request (doesn’t it always?) from an old farmer. The request – protect his cattle herd from vicious wolves. Simple enough for the brave adventurers, right? But it doesn’t stay that way. Not at all. Soon, the adventuring party will find themselves in the thick of it as they solve puzzles, avoid traps, fight for their lives, and endure witty taunting. And in the end, they discover an artifact that may, or may not, be useful to them. This adventure includes a cursed shield, a new undead creature, and a new artifact. Total party experience earned is approximately 14,500.
From the lead designer of Dragon Age Origins, in partnership with the creators of Odyssey of the Dragonlords, comes Raiders of the Serpent Sea! Take to the seas of Grimnir and battle against the sinister forces of a forgotten past in an epic campaign for the 5th Edition of the world’s greatest roleplaying game! Guide 4-6 players through tumultuous waters as they become heroes across a campaign that will take them from 1st to 16th level. Raiders of the Serpent Sea is a blend of high fantasy and a darker world of grim seafaring raiders. Grimnir’s clans constantly fight to survive in this doomed world filled with ancient and fantastic creatures - giants, sea serpents, saber-toothed tigers, and the world-devouring Yoten. Nowhere is safe, danger and glory abound! The Raiders of the Serpent Sea Campaign Guide PDF includes almost 500 pages of epic adventure and supplemental material with full-color maps and illustrations that breathe life into the campaign world.
Far out in the void, an ancient city of vampires endures. Welcome to Araveshti, a city of a thousand towers floating safely in the shadow of the world, glittering with starlight, thrumming with ancient magics, and crawling with vicious immortals. Will you seek to destroy these bloodthirsty aristocrats? Or will you help them pursue their bizarre alchemical experiments in immortality? Or will you simply seek a way to escape their twisted and crumbling paradise? Within these ancient towers, adventurers will find vampire lords and servants, zealots and goliaths, as well as werewolves, mycotic zombies, victims of strange experimentation, fanatical holy knights, tragic vampire hunters in black, shipwrecked dreamers, castaway aliens, metal angels, eldritch horrors, star dragons, and (of course) the vampires' giant dragon-killing mecha suit... This is a dark sandbox. Players will explore a vast city of undead people and monsters in outer space, full of homages to classic horror and science fiction films and literature. ADVENTURE TYPE: Mid Level / Combat / Exploration / Dark Fantasy / Fantasy City / Gothic Horror DESIGN NOTES This adventure is intended for mid-level characters around Level 5-10 Players explore a large vampire city in space, encounter numerous NPCs and monsters, and engage with diverse factions to destroy, conquer, or escape from the city 40+ unique encounter locations, plus countless randomly generated locations 100+ original magic items 40+ original monsters One city map Estimated play time: 1-8 sessions (4-32 hours)
Why Go to the Ruinous Palace? 1. Old Gold to be Stolen from Old Places 2. Rumors of Supernatural Fecundity and Ruination. What wizard would not wish to study such? 3. Nearby communities are hemorrhaging Livestock. The Dragon learns to hunt and gather. 4. A forest Unmolested for centuries… could become a fortune in Timber. Ruinous Palace of the Metegorgos is a new adventure from In Search of Games for your standard dungeon fantasy game. It's easily inserted into any campaign, requiring little modification to adapt to any of a number of dungeon fantasy systems (we recommend Lamentations of the Flame Princess). While written for levels 1-3, the adventure works well with parties level 4-6 as well.
The Underdark is a subterranean wonderland, a vast and twisted labyrinth where fear reigns. It is the home of horrific monsters that have never seen the light of day. It is here that the dark elf Gromph Baenre, Archmage of Menzoberranzan, casts a foul spell meant to ignite a magical energy that suffuses the Underdark and tears open portals to the demonic Abyss. What steps through surprises even him, and from that moment on, the insanity that pervades the Underdark escalates and threatens to shake the Forgotten Realms to its foundations. Stop the madness before it consumes you! Note for DMs: This adventure is not for the faint of hearted, to run or to play. The module starts with 10 NPCs traveling with the party through the grueling Underdark. This number can grow. The encounters within the book are often incredibly deadly for the characters that would be going through it. This is because the module expects them to run or talk their way through the events, or, in some cases, the module expects them to lose. If your players aren't the kind of party to run, talk, or surrender, do not get this adventure. The module almost requires that you use milestone leveling because the experience provided does not commonly get players to the levels they should be once they get to certain milestones in the story (7th when they leave the underdark, 15th when they face the demon lords.) Good luck and happy questing.
These are three one-shot dungeon delves. Each delve features nine rooms or locations full of challenges and interactivity. Each delve has only one type of monster, but they are complex, and there are lots of them! This volume of Wicked Little Delves includes three small dungeon adventures: - a tunnel complex full of dragons trying to eat each other, - a desert palace of sorcerous mummies trying to restore life to the wasteland, and - an ancient cathedral where zealots of Chaos try to summon unspeakable terrors from beyond the stars. SYSTEM: Each monster has stats for Fifth Edition, Old School Essentials, and Into the Odd. These adventures are intended for characters at levels 7, 8, and 9. They are mainly focused on exploration and combat, with some minor social encounters. Estimated run time for each: 1 session, or 2-5 hours. Each adventure includes one complex original monster and a variety of unique treasures. ADVENTURE TYPE: Mid Level / Combat / Exploration / One-Shot / Dungeon Delve DESIGN NOTES These adventures are intended for mid-level characters Level 7-9 9 unique encounter locations per delve (27 in all!) 3 original monsters with multiple abilities and weaknesses Dungeon maps and original illustrations
The white dragon Hinterbite has kept the barony of Icenvale ruler-less and poor for centuries. But now his power and that of his secret supporters is threatened by the popularity of an heir who hopes to make a change for the betterment of the people. Can the PCs take on the dragon and his minions and restore power to the barony's rightful ruling line? Download this new adventure by Owen K.C. Stephens and let your PCs face the dangers of the dragon lair! Fait Accompli is suitable for 12th-level characters. At its most basic level of use, Fate Accompli is a straightforward quest to clear a dungeon and slay some dragons in an arctic climate. However, it also includes political elements that you may either may play down or use to expand the scenario into a mini-campaign, as you wish. Fait Accompli is a short adventure for four 12th-level characters. It is set in the wilderness north of a minor border barony that has at best an arms-length relationship with any larger nation. Though the adventure requires all these elements to work, it can be set on the outer edge of any kingdom near an arctic region. As always, feel free to adapt the material presented here as you see fit to make it work with your campaign.
Deep in the wooded wilderness, the village of Grimmsgate is an outpost town on a seldom-traveled trail, right at the edge of nowhere. The village’s half-ruined temple of Law, dilapidated inn, drunken blacksmith, exiled trader and a few fur-trappers are enough to keep the bloody-minded denizens of the dark forest at bay, but nobody really expects the village to still be there in another ten years. The woods have become too dangerous for the trappers who once caught animals for fur, and merchants no longer travel the poorly-maintained road. What great evil and what fabulous treasures are to be found in these lands? A brave band of adventurers might make their fortunes here. Or perhaps they might never return… Grimmsgate is an introductory adventure for the Swords & Wizardry tabletop roleplaying game. The Swords & Wizardry rules are needed to play this adventure.
Rumor has it that an evil temple resides in the forest as well as a mad mage who may or may not consume children. While these rumors abound speculation of the existence of such is frequently countered with the tenacity of the elves watching over the forest and how it would be unthinkable for them to allow such issues to occur. Note: This seems an incomplete adventure. While the evil temple is mentioned, there are no maps for it. Also the mad mage is given back ground, there are not stats for an encounter.
A hobgoblin force is expanding and threatening the land. Confronted with the relentless advance of Azarr Kul’s horde, the characters must undertake vital missions to influence the outcome of the war. Can they shatter the armies of the enemy, or will Azarr Kul’s dreams rain destruction upon the human lands? The adventure is fast-paced and time-sensitive, and requires almost constant movement by the party. WoTC 95385
Hunt for a Legendary Treasure! Deep beneath a peaceful valley lies the vault of the legendary drow adventurer Larin Karr. Rumor has it Larin Karr has gone, but his vast treasure acquired from years of plundering hordes in the Underdark still remains. Can you find and loot the impenetrable vault? The Vault of Larin Karr details Quail Valley, its residents and monsters, and the twisting tunnels of the Underdark that stretch beneath it. The Vault of Larin Karr takes PCs from 4th to 9th level, during which time they fight dragons, find a missing statue for a band of renegade elves, save the village of Pembrose from scheming hobgoblins, and explore the Underdark and its many dungeons - including the legendary Vault itself! Contains new monsters and magic items! 2003 ENnie Award Silver Winner: Best Adventure
The ancient world of Harth withers beneath its dying sun…but it’s not dead yet. Welcome to the strange and dangerous city of Carcassay, huddled below the skeleton of a titan rat, sprawling above the ruins of countless dead civilizations. This is where folk come to find wealth, power, revenge, secrets, oblivion… and everything in between. Carcassay is a sandbox city adventure. There are many locations to explore in, around, and under the city. Players can explore any place at any time, and may radically reshape the city’s politics, economy, religions, and physical existence. There are standard dungeons stacked under the city, and GMs are encouraged to keep adding more dungeons… all the way down. Tone. It leans more toward low fantasy or sword-and-sorcery. Most shops look like real shops. Most people look like real people. But strange and horrible things lurk everywhere as soon as you start to scratch the surface. This is my Lankhmar. Carcassay is a vast, bizarre city. It has over 100 locations where you can meet Chaos cultists, Lawful knights, retired adventurers, shopkeepers, brewers, musicians, artists, scientists, hermits, royalty, beggars, doctors, space vampires, eldritch horrors, machine priests, crab colonists, mushroom farmers, mummies, assassins, and diplomats from distant lands… and the moon. And every one of them has goods or services to sell, and a quest (or three) to offer. What sort of quests? Fetch a relic, assassinate a rival, find a relative, steal a soul, implant an agent, cure a disease, stop a riot, solve a murder that hasn’t happened yet, hunt a thief, locate a shrine… the list goes on. And for every Quest, there is a specific Reward: money, weapons, relics, Chaos mutations, exclusive memberships, information, Angelic miracles… the list goes on. This is a place where you can make a lot of money, but also where you can spend that money on interesting goods and services. Factions? We have a few. Seven Chaos cults, five knightly orders, two mercenary companies, four wealthy families, six (seven!) Corpse Lords, foreign diplomats, rival innkeepers, rival tavern owners, plus all the dungeon-delving gangs currently mucking about underground. When you grow weary of all the adventures at ground level, there are three classic dungeons buried under the city to explore. This book contains months (if not years) of campaigning. Enjoy the Chaos.
Once every 10 years, the cosmopolitan city of Goka on the western coastline of Tian Xia hosts the Ruby Phoenix Tournament on an island off the coast. Infamous for its strange spectacles and exciting mix of fighting styles, the contest draws combatants and spectators from all over the world. The tournament’s winner gets his choice of a single item from the legendary treasury of an ancient spellcaster and earns a reputation beyond imagining. But this year, not all who have come to compete do so out of respect for the traditions of battle or even out of greed for the reward. They seek instead nothing so much as red revenge and political domination!
Characters explore a dangerous, but sparsely populated temple in search of the Staff of the Dragon. They will encounter traps, environmental hazards, and a nest of lizardfolk. The characters are rewarded for a 'look but don't touch' approach to the temple's features. The real highlight, though, is the closing encounter. Once the staff of the dragon is retrieved, it can transform the characters into dragons for a set period of time. As they exit the temple, they are beset by an ancient dragon and the stage is set for an epic brawl as the characters take to the sky in dragon form. Can be completed as a one-shot.
Called by the Elder Elemental Eye to serve, four corrupt prophets have risen from the depths of anonymity to claim mighty weapons with direct links to the power of the elemental princes. Each of these prophets has assembled a cadre of cultists and creatures to serve them in the construction of four elemental temples of lethal design. It is up to adventurers from heroic factions such as the Emerald Enclave and the Order of the Gauntlet to discover where the true power of each prophet lay, and dismantle it before it comes boiling up to obliterate the Realms.
The Toxic Wood is a deadly wilderness adventure for Old School Essentials This hexcrawl adventure focuses on game-able content and being easy to use at the table. It is graphic and art heavy and utilizes a lot of random tables to make it easier for GMs to run with minimal prep. "You have been hired by a secretive council of wizards, who refuse to meet in person with you, to rescue the survivors of Mugwort - a town which was thought to have been destroyed and lies deep within The Toxic Wood. The Wood is corrosive and the air is not safe to breath there, so the wizards have given you a magical orb which will create a safe dome of air around you. The orb must be fed with fuel containing life force to continue operating properly. They have also gifted each of you a less effective necklace which will create a temporary small bubble of clean air around your head as an emergency measure. The Wood became noxious a couple of years ago after a dragon known as Ion moved in. You will have to navigate to Mugwort without Ion noticing if you are to conduct a successful evacuation." The toxic wood is home to many strange entities; spiteful mutated horrors, ancient insectoid witch sisters, bloodthirsty redcaps, a mushroom witch and a corrosive dragon cult. Noxious gases produced by alien plants slowly coil through the air creating an endless red haze. Anything that is not part of the woods lethal eco-system is rapidly corroded, with all evidence of its existence erased within days. Details: 32 pages Single column text 8.5 x 5.5 aspect Black & White Bookmarks Hyperlinks Random tables Hooks and rumors for your players Rules for surviving in the toxic wood using the orb and other means 16 keyed hex locations Backgrounds for characters to aid roleplay New monsters Key NPCs A timeline of events for the DM to structure their sessions around Flora of the wood Random treasure tables Prompts and resolutions for what happens if players take different actions Cursed Items and Powerful Artifacts: Scattered throughout the wood, offering potent abilities but often with dangerous drawbacks.
Lurking in the watery depths of a fallen orc tribe's sacred burial cairn amid the bleached, broken bones of savage warriors, honored champions and mighty warlords the forest drakes Arduthal and Ingeirmaugh have made themselves a comfortable, safe home. Periodically emerging to ravage the surrounding countryside their depredations have reached such a level that Baron Liofa Othen begs the PC's to slay the foul beasts. The cairn's remote location, inundated, bone‐choked passageways and the vengeful, possessive ghost of the orc champion Gork Shattershield, not to mention the drakes' mistaken identity as green dragons, all stand in the way of the PCs' victory. A short Pathfinder Roleplaying Game adventure for four 5th‐level characters by Creighton Broadhurst.
An Arch-Mage who can kidnap a dragon is one tough Arch-Mage. Definitely not for those who are afraid of heights. An evil archmage, Ezoran, has kidnapped a dragon in order to discover the means to seize control of a cloud giant's castle. The adventures are tasked with rescuing the dragon by the dragon's mate. The adventure revolves around tracking and navigating through dense jungle and working through a cloud giant's fortress. Pgs. 50-63