Anandak, a red dragon, has taken over an abandoned dwarven stronghold as his lair. He has also assembled together a rough confederation of monsters to act as his bodyguard. Anandak is preparing to enter into an alliance with the Black Prince, the March Lord Draven. The plan is for Anandak's monster allies to terrorize the lands north and east of Knacker Knob while the Black Prince, on pretext of marching to the aid of Knacker Knob, take control of Knacker Knob and the surrounding region. An emissary from the Black Prince, Lord Gonzaga, is currently in the dungeon, and he is in possession of papers that might reveal the Black Prince's treasonous plot. The lair is horribly overcrowded because monsters of all tribes and gangs are gathered to take counsel with the red dragon. Monsters are sleeping in the hallways because there is so little room, and the antagonism between races is at flash point. The PCs may be able to fan these resentments into intermonster battles. League of the Red Serpent is the third dragon's lair to conquer. Part of TSR 1073 The Dragon's Den
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.
The noble dwarf Wulfstan vom Meer seeks adventurers to travel on his one remaining ship to the clan’s village, and to protect his vessel against any threats at sea. When they meet the White Worg Reavers, he wants the party to negotiate for the loan of two longships and their crew. Vom Meer offers 500 gp to anyone willing to undertake this task. It seems like easy money. However, the Wolfheim clan has troubles of its own—a group of trollkin bandits known as the Mossback Raiders have been competing with the White Worgs for territory west of Wolfheim. Their rivalry is coming to a head. When the PCs arrive at the White Worg homestead, they learn that the reaver dwarves are recovering from a recent attack. Their homestead has been sacked and vom Meer’s kinsman, Knud Stoneson, has been slain. Without a family connection, the clan’s chief will agree to vom Meer’s proposal only if the PCs will help rid them of that troublesome band of trollkin. If the PCs are to succeed in their task and help vom Meer, then a reavin’ they must go! This adventure for the 5th Edition of the world’s first RPG is meant for four 2nd and 3rd-level characters. Designed by Lou Anders, with cartography by Dyson Logos and cover art by Phil Stone.
When a series of grisly murders and raids on farms and fishing boats come to light, accompanied by a strange fog, the people of Elmwood need heroes to investigate and stop the attacks. There is hardly anyone in the Moonsea who’s life hasn’t been touched by one of the tragedies over the past years, and these attacks may have deeper causes than anyone knows. Part of the Elmwood Adventures Series
The game is afoot in the royal palace. A thief prowls the dwarven palace, but even more goes on than meets the eye. Set in in a dwarven kingdom, a peace treaty with an aggressive rival kingdom is to be signed with ceremonial gifts exchanged to mark the occasion. However the treaty is put in jeopardy when the ceremonial sword that was gifted to the kingdom is stolen before the signing. The adventure begins when the characters receive a vision that directs them to help the kingdom. They must investigate the mystery of the missing sword, navigating a diverse cast of palace dwarves in order to preserve peace in the kingdom. A tale of intrigue, can the heroes find the sword before it is too late? Pgs. 16-32
To a wizard, knowledge is power, and the wizard Lirdrium Arkayz wants to know the mysterious secret of The Rock. Many have tried to discover it - but The Rock keeps its secret well. The wizard offers a rich reward to anyone bold enough to solve this dark mystery. But the road to The Rock leads to danger and hidden peril - dangers that have claimed the lives of many brave adventurers. Rashness and folly will lead to quick death, but riches await the clever and brave. Have you the wits, courage and skill to survive the Journey to The rock? TSR 9106
The adventures in Dalentown continue in The Darkness Beneath Dalentown. Workers in the town’s sewers have stumbled upon the long abandoned halls of the dwarves that once settled beneath this region. What they’ve found is a haunted library. What they’ve woken is something far more sinister! The Darkness Beneath Dalentown features hordes of oozes, undead, and demons festering for years in an ancient dwarven mining stronghold. Now, they are slowly working their way to the surface, and the folk of Dalentown are in dire peril!
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐚𝐠𝐚. The PCs have escorted a trade caravan to the dwarven stronghold of Nirzumbil and are preparing for a boring trip home. But what is that sound of horns in the distance? And why are the dwarves closing the front gates to the mines? This is an adventure for 2nd level PCs. It is the first in a series of adventures detailing on orc uprising against the dwarves with sinister implications. Includes a 5th edition write up of the Dread Warrior, an undead that previously appeared in Monsters of Faerun.
A goblin warband has found the secret tunnel which leads from the dwarven keep of Hearth-Home to the nearby hills. The tunnel is intended to be a means of escape if the keep ever falls to attackers, but now it has provided goblins with an easy way into the Underkeep. So far, the goblins have confined their attentions to the various underground rooms that make up the Underkeep, but sooner or later they will find a way to the surface. They pose a serious threat to Hearth-Home - the goblins must be cleared out of the Underkeep so this breach in security can be repaired before the orcs hear of it and overrun the dwarven keep. This adventure is slightly more challenging than Red Hand Trail, and it is recommended that it is played after that quest and before Palace of Dread. However, the scenario in Trouble Below can easily be played independently from the rest. Part of TSR 1076 The Goblin's Lair
To stop a devastating rampage of giants across the land, the party must venture into the lair of the stone giant thane Arnak to uncover the truth about why he has broken his peace with the neighboring dwarves. In the process, they will have the opportunity to retrieve important symbols of the fight against the giants and uncover a dangerous excavation. The adventure is part of the "Against the Giants" series originally by Gary Gygax, hence the writing credit.
From The Magazine: "Every summer, Duke Hightower holds a competition quite different from the traditional jousting and archery tournaments held by similar lords of his station. The rules of his tournament change from year to year, and, to oversee the games, the duke has appointed two wizard brothers who help choose the setting and create the rules and challenges of the competition. This year the competition is called the “Owlbear Run,” an overland race that requires each participating team to escort a live owlbear from the town of Telvorn to the town of Milvorn. The teams will face a variety of challenges; some are devised by the wizards, others by the competing teams or their sponsors, and some occur entirely at random. All of these tests are in addition to the challenges inherent in motivating a temperamental owlbear. Fortune and fame await the first team to cross the finish line, and the local lords sponsoring the race are eager to enlist skilled champions for their causes." Pgs. 2-27
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.
“The Lost Mines of Karak” is the sequel to “The Shadow Rift of Umbraforge” and the fourth part of the Scales of War adventure path. After the player characters' success in "Siege of Bordrin's Watch" and "The Shadow Rift of Umbraforge", they have garnered something of a reputation in the city of Overlook. They are introduced to a wealthy patron that believes there is a connection between a shadar-kai arms dealer (from the previous two adventures) and a long lost dwarven mine. The patron wishes the PCs to find and secure the mine in order to use its wealth and resources to defend the city. The party then must travel through a wasteland and desert to find this mine. Once they have, they must fight through the hordes of monstrous creatures that inhabit it and defeat the Queen of the Drylands - a powerful naga. Pgs. 56-93
“The Temple Between” is an adventure for 9th level characters, and it is challenging enough to take them to 11th level by the time all is said and done. Although intended as the final chapter of the heroic tier portion of the Scales of War Adventure Path, it can be run as a standalone adventure, or as an adventure in a campaign of your own making, with a small degree of modification. It contains elements of urban investigation, dungeon delving, and even wartime conflict, making it a suitable adventure to players of many tastes and preferences. The western end of Elsir Vale has been greatly troubled in recent days. The threat of the orc hordes from beyond the Stonehome Mountains, though turned back at Bordrin’s Watch, still lingers in the people’s minds. Peculiar and hostile creatures of shadow lurk in the caverns and caves below. Political squabbling grows among the city’s powerful dwarf clans. All this makes the city particularly vulnerable to an enemy nobody saw coming - that nobody even imagined. This enemy has goals and objectives far beyond the ultimately unimportant Elsir Vale, but the first step is the utter subjugation of Overlook. An enemy who, at least in part, is already here. In this adventure the player characters start by investigating the strange behavior of the city's clergy. They swiftly discover hints of a conspiracy worming its way through the city hierarchy - some members are possessed while others have been replaced by dopplegangers. After trailing this conspiracy to its source they discover a portal that leads to an ancient temple in the mountains. Using the portal, the PCs go to the abandoned ancient temple where they must confront both a cadre of fey and a band of mercenaries, from whom they learn there is a plot for a full-scale invasion of the region! The PCs must them rush back to Overlook and cement their place as heroes as they face off against the invading forces. Pgs. 4-71
In the deep desert lies the dead city of Yumar, the source of countless bizarre rumors. Was it destroyed by a demonic metal sphere? Did it sink into a pit of acid? Were its people transformed into cursed beasts? Is it ruled by vicious thieves or mad nuns? In fact, the only thing stranger than what happened to Yumar a century ago is what will happen a few days from now... ADVENTURE TYPE: Medium Sandbox City / Ruin DESIGN NOTES: This adventure is intended for characters levels 5 to 8. It includes a ruined city, shrine, wizard tower, menagerie, several factions, and the surrounding wilderness. Each area contains various encounters and unique items. There are many opportunities for combat, but it is possible for players to explore most areas and complete many interactions without any combat at all, depending on their choices. INCLUDES: Story hooks, dialogue prompts, random encounters, factions, illustrations, stat blocks, original creatures and treasures, and overview maps. KEYWORDS: city, ruin, celestial, angel, dwarf, dwarves, miner, thief, thieves, cleric, nun, shrine, adamant, adamantine, lycanthropy, mind control, nightmare, mutation, mutant, wizard tower, menagerie, body horror
High in the Stonecrown Mountains, a new source of dark magic stirs, wakes, and spreads its wings to shroud the land in shadows. The Warlock of the Stonecrowns, an awnshegh regent who is as evil as he is powerful, is draining other regents' sources of magical power, choking their ability to cast the most powerful form of magic of all - realm magic! If that isn't enough, the Warlock threatens to close the only pass connecting the trade-kingdom of Cariele to the rest of Anuire. An army of orogs and ogres is gathering to the Warlock's banner: Are your heroes equal to the challenge of the twisted magic of the Warlock of the Stonecrowns? This open-ended, "adjustable" BIRTHRIGHT adventure is suitable for use with either mid-level (4-6) or high-level (7-10) player characters. TSR 3110
Run, play or splice up 66 pages of mayhem and weirdness in this Slavic mythic-inspired (with an acid fantasy-twist) mini-sandbox for Labyrinth Lord or the well-aged fantasy rpg of your druthers. Contains: • A 25-site pointcrawl of the otherwordly Slumbering Ursine Dunes region. Beyond the big ticket adventure sites you will find along the way a Polevik-haunted rye field, a Zardoz head-living hermit, bearling pilgrimage site, antediluvian beaver engineers and other assorted madness. • Two separate “dungeons”, the bio-mechanical, lost-in-time Golden Barge and the faction-contested Glittering Tower, with enough detail and portability to be slotted into an existing campaign. • The Chaos Index, a dynamic events system for modeling the mythic weirdness of the Dunes. Actions of the players in the sandbox will escalate or de-escalate the levels of events. • Four competing factions operating inside the Dunes, plus guidelines for their mutual interactions.
A political wedding is threatening a major source of income for the Thieves Guild Ebonclad. Ebonclad would like to see the affair disrupted and the couple never wed. Such a job may be risky, and its outcome could very well start a war if done poorly or without subtlety. That’s why a team of promising agents has been assigned to handle it. The mission’s goal is to disrupt the upcoming wedding of Camilla Swain and Le’Nal Beshiin, to ensure Ebonclad keeps a revenue stream open that their marriage would surely close. The caveat is, neither the bride nor the groom are to be harmed. This will mean the party will have to come up with a method to disrupt the wedding as it’s happening, while avoiding suspicion. As a bonus, the party members can rob wealthy guests or steal wedding presents. The mission is open-ended, giving the players full reign to decide how they will work towards a successful outcome. It lets you work to guide player decisions based on the information presented here, or improvise results based on the players’ actions.
In the city of Waterdeep rests a tavern called the Yawning Portal, named after the gaping pit in its common room. At the bottom of this crumbling shaft is a labyrinthine dungeon shunned by all but the most daring adventurers. Known as Undermountain, this dungeon is the domain of the mad wizard Halaster Blackcloak. Long has the Mad Mage dwelt in these forlorn depths, seeding his lair with monsters, traps, and mysteries—to what end is a constant source of speculation and concern. This adventure picks up where Waterdeep: Dragon Heist leaves off, taking characters of 5th level or higher all the way to 20th level should they explore the entirety of Halaster’s home. Twenty-three levels of Undermountain are detailed herein, along with the subterranean refuge of Skullport. Treasures and secrets abound, but tread with care!
Beginning in the prison of the Castellan of Whitecliff, this campaign arc takes the players from level one to four, presented as a sandbox area in a lonely and gritty peninsula full of villains and opportunities for the players to explore. Much like Stonehell, but for regional play. Published by Coldlight Press