A community for lazy dungeon masters
141 adventures found
Cover of Circus of the Stars
Circus of the Stars
5th Edition
Levels 9–10
18 pages
0

A 4-hour adventure for 9th-10th level characters A sleepy lakeside village wreathed in fog, rumors of a lake monster, local disappearances, a band of assassins terrorizing the city, and a travelling circus sideshow that seems to be at the center of it all. “Come one, come all to the greatest show in the world! Step right up, ladies and lords, to see the wonders of the natural and unnatural world! Trained monstrosities from across the globe have been gathered for your amusement and examination! Strongmen, jugglers, acrobats, and sword swallowers join exotic acts and foods from the four corners of the known world and beyond! You, my friend, have the privilege of witnessing the spectacle, the amazement, the wonder of the circus of the stars! Step right up and buy your tickets now before they're all gone! Limited seating is available and no one will be seated once the show has begun!”

Cover of At Death's Door
At Death's Door
5th Edition
Level 6
34 pages
0

At Death’s Door is a dungeon crawl that takes place almost entirely in the upper chambers of the Lair of the Keeper. This lair belongs to an ancient dracolich that perhaps styles themselves after the legends of the Keeper, or perhaps even inspired them. Stormhome. The player characters are called to the home city of House Lyrandar to meet with Guild Handler Lhara regarding their quest for an artifact tethered to Dolurrh, the Realm of the Dead. The Descent. Traveling by airship over the horrors of the Demon Wastes, the party descends into a vast canyon to find the Lair of the Keeper. After agreeing on a pickup point, the party skydives into the hellish landscape and hides to avoid the notice of a would-be god, then explores the surrounding area. The Lair of the Keeper. The bulk of the adventure takes place in the upper chambers of a dracolich’s lair in a manifest zone tied to Dolurrh, the Realm of the Dead. Surviving the horrors of this place is the main challenge of the adventure. The Ghaash’kala. There is one last challenge standing between the players and their escape to the airship. The orc tribes called the Ghaash’kala consider it their holy duty to protect the rest of the world from the horrors of the Demon Wastes. They will attempt to stop anything from escaping the Wastes, unfortunately including our heroes.

Cover of The Haunted Hamlet - and other hexes
The Haunted Hamlet - and other hexes
OSR
Low Level
40 pages
0

The Haunted Hamlet and other hexes details four unique modular locations for your game. Made for old school essentials, but can easily be used with other old-school systems or even 5E. The four locations detailed in the zine focus on gameable content and being easy to use at the table. The locations are not connected to one another and can be sprinkled onto your campaign map however you like, or run as one shots. The PDF is graphic and art heavy and utilizes random tables and other tools to make it easier for GMs to run in a pinch. Details: 40 pages Single column text 8.5 x 5.5 aspect Black & White Bookmarks Four hex locations Random tables A rival NPC party A sky merchant A one page town Two hirelings

Cover of Tower of the Pale Lady
Tower of the Pale Lady
5th Edition
Levels 1–4
23 pages
0

"A hundred-year curse caused by a group of adventurers slowly turned a tower and the hills around it into a region touched by the very finger of death, where life is incapable of thriving. As the curse grows in power and reach, on its way lie the town of Beregost, whose population now suffer, sicken and die every day under these nefarious powers. The government and local clerics infrutiferously attempt to remedy the situation, while desperately seeking any who could help them." Tower of the Pale Lady is a 4-hour adventure for a group of 1st-4th level characters. It is set in the town of Beregost, at the southern edge of the Sword Coast, in Faerûn, in Toril, in the Forgotten Realms. However, with little modifications, you can run this adventure in whatever world you wish. This adventure includes NPCs related to the story and to the Forgotten Realms, which might bring your players to other different plots as they play through. New ways of using old spells and items, presented as introduction to reinforce creative possibilities throughout play.

Cover of I6 Ravenloft
I6 Ravenloft
AD&D
Levels 5–7
32 pages
0

Under raging stormclouds, a lone figure stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of castle Ravenloft. Count Strahd von Zarovich stares down a sheer cliff at the village below. A cold, bitter wind spins dead leaves around him, billowing his cape in the darkness. Lightning splits the clouds overhead, casting stark white light across him. Strahd turns to the sky, revealing the angular muscles of his face and hands. He has a look of power - and of madness. His once-handsome face is contorted by a tragedy darker than the night itself. Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind's howling increases as Strahd turns his gaze back to the village. Fas below, yet not beyond his keen eyesight, a party of adventurers has just entered his domain. Strahd's face forms a twisted smile as his dark plan unfolds. He knew they were coming, and he knows why they came, all according to his plan. He, the master of Ravenloft, will attend to them. Another lightning flash rips through the darkness, its thunder echoing through the castle's towers. But Strahd is gone. Only the howling of the wind - or perhaps a lone wolf - fills the midnight air. The master of Ravenloft is having guests for dinner. And you are invited. TSR 9075

Cover of The Paradox Engine – A Level 5 Adventure of Time-Bending Catastrophe
The Paradox Engine – A Level 5 Adventure of Time-Bending Catastrophe
5th Edition
Level 5
10 pages
0

A Level 5 Adventure of Time-Bending Catastrophe Part of the Thirsty Tiger Tales series Beneath the crumbling ruins of a legendary arcane academy lies the Paradox Engine—a dangerous temporal device that shattered the very timeline it was built to study. Now, a deranged scholar known as the Mad Chronomancer seeks to rewrite history itself. In this time-twisting dungeon crawl, players must brave unstable magic, flickering echoes of the past, and a rift into the academy’s golden age—where they’ll confront the Mad Chronomancer before his actions doom the future forever. Two-timeline dungeon: Navigate the same vault in both past and present Puzzle rooms with lasting consequences Unstable combat environments and unique timeline hazards A solo boss fight that bends time against the players Includes the Temporal Warp Cloak, a rare magic item that glitches your image through time This one-shot is perfect for groups looking for a high-concept, low-prep adventure with puzzle-solving, combat variety, and an arcane twist.

Cover of The Whispering Cairn
The Whispering Cairn
3.5 Edition
Level 1
34 pages
0

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

Cover of DDAL05-14 Reeducation
DDAL05-14 Reeducation
5th Edition
Levels 11–16
32 pages
0

HSING bears foul news: SEER has been captured. While exploring the ruins of Ulcaster in search of knowledge pertaining to runes (or perhaps even how to create them), they were separated and now the pseudodragon fears the worst. Without SEER's guidance, the efforts of the assembled factions in these recent events may all be for naught.

Cover of They Came From the Deep
They Came From the Deep
5th Edition
Levels 17–20
44 pages
0

Taag'thrith, born a gith but transformed into an illithid by ceromorphosis, has been finally found purpose: the assimilation & understanding of all knowledge. Taag'thrith plans to unleash a 10th level spell that will grant him just that-at the cost of all sentient life on the Material Plane. Will the heroes be able to traverse the dangerous corpse of a dead God, find Taag'thrith's aqueous lair the Eternal Spirals, & pit their foes against one another in order to destroy the foul lich once and for all? Or will they fall prey to the threats trapped within the Eternal Spirals & sink beneath the surface forever? They Came from the Deep is the second installment in Pretty Little Liches: a trilogy of adventures centered around three unique liches and their lairs designed for high-level play. These three lairs and the surrounding regions can be run independently as individual adventures or tied together into a mini-campaign that centers on the destruction of the Green Hand, an organization of dangerous liches.

Cover of Quadripartite
Quadripartite
3.5 Edition
Level 14
28 pages
0

A minion of chaos has come to the Prime Material Plane from the void of the Far Realms to terrorize and conquer in the name of its masters. The PCs must act quickly to assemble a legendary artefact powerful enough to weaken the minion so it can be defeated. Pgs. 20-47

Cover of Ghost Farm
Ghost Farm
5th Edition
Levels 5–7
12 pages
0

Have you ever considered how hard it would be to fight a tractor with a sword or greataxe? Your players deserve to find out! This adventure traps the player characters in a small pocket plane set up by nefarious forces. They must explore a small modern farm and deal with its hazards to end the curse placed on the farmer. There are, of course, a few complications to deal with, like animated farm equipment trying to kill them, and the innumerable horde of ghoulish chickens penned up in one of the chicken houses... The adventure is balanced for the way 5e is structured, meaning Long Resting is very risky, so they will have to conserve resources, and was designed and tested for 4 Level 6 players. It should take 3-6 hours to complete. It includes map images scaled for Roll20 and Fantasygrounds.

Cover of Shadows Under Emystrell
Shadows Under Emystrell
5th Edition
Levels 2–3
110 pages
0

For months, the dreams of the people of Emystrell have become dark and terrible. It seems their nightmares have come to life as in recent weeks, people have mysteriously gone missing, vanishing in the night without a trace! Everyone is too paralyzed by their own despair to do anything or venture far from the safety of their homes. Emystrell is on the brink of collapse. The baron is offering a handsome reward to anyone who can show proof of the end of whatever evil curse that has taken hold of their town. This adventure is designed for a party of 3-5 heroic characters from the 2nd to 3rd level. It has elements of mystery and investigation in the first section which can be detailed and highly involved for groups that enjoy the process of searching for clues and solving mysteries or just as easily glossed over for groups that are more tactics focused. The second section of the adventure features the dungeon: a labyrinthine complex of an ancient elven crypt which the thieves guild has used as a base of operations for a decade...until the serpent worshipping cult arrived. The third section of this book is the detailed map and notes on the town and surrounding area of Emystrell. Roleplaying notes are kept light to allow for room for your own interpretations and details to NPCs remain as free to do with as you choose unless I felt inspired and hoped to give you a cool idea. This adventure has hooks for Dungeon Masters interested in a larger campaign involving the sinister plots of the Yuan-Ti (snake people) as well as other interesting adventure hooks (such as the giants in the nearby mountains or the stolen gem: The Eye of the Dragon). These plot points are intentionally left vague for you to fill in the gaps based on what your players seem interested in. You are invited to use this as a launch point adventure to lead your heroes on a larger adventure that might someday set them against an Anathema Serpent demigod, or it may simply be the adventure that begins their journeys and the evil of Yargoth stops here at Emystrell. If your campaign is set in a pre-published setting, this town of Emystrell can be replaced or fit into any campaign with a few tweaks to local gods and names. If you are playing in Dragonlance, you could replace Yargoth the Dread Serpent with Tiamat, or Dendar in Fearun. The local goddess, Tyr, could be the Tyr from the Forgotten Realms or even Norse myth if that is your campaign setting.

Cover of A Dream of Eternal Sleep
A Dream of Eternal Sleep
5th Edition
Levels 2–4
? pages
0

Dr. Rudolph Van Richten and his network of investigators have hunted and put an end to numerous creatures of the night across the Domains of Dread. But some foes are more elusive than others, and will require the aid of heroes to put an end their reign of terror and close out these open cases. A simple rest turns into a waking nightmare as visions of death haunt the heroes’ dreams. A Dream of Eternal Sleep is the introductory adventure to the ghostly Night Terror, Kazander, and begins within adventurers’ own dreams. It provides the basis for an extended campaign that will take heroes through the cerebral and nightmarish domains of dread as they seek a way to confront this foe in the Nightmare Lands. Content Warning: Near-death Experiences, Recurring Nightmares, Sleep-walking, Possession.

Cover of Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands
Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands
Pathfinder
Levels 1–2
97 pages
0

A ruined monument to folly and ego, the Shadowed Keep stands atop an isolated bluff deep in a mist-wreathed forest. Sacked by marauding goblins decades ago the place was thought abandoned, but shadows now creep among the forest's great boles and footprints have appeared on the single, overgrown track leading to the keep. Travellers have begun to disappear with alarming regularity from the nearby road and the local folk fear some slumbering evil has claimed the ruin as its own. Dare you brave the terrors of the Shadowed Keep to crush that which lurks within or will darkness shroud the surrounding lands? Designed to be easily inserted into a GM's home campaign, Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands is an excellent starting locale to test the mettle of neophyte adventurers. Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands is designed for the medium advancement track. 1st-level PCs completing all the challenges of the place can expect to reach 3rd-level by the time they have exhausted all the keep has to offer.

Cover of Legends of the Hero Kings
Legends of the Hero Kings
AD&D
Any Level
160 pages
0

Far in the future, bards sing tales of kings and conquerors from ages past - but from your present. The Hero-Kings of legend are your player characters from your campaign, who even now shape the course of Cerilian history. More than simply an adventure collection, this 160-page book enables you, the Dungeon Master, to turn ordinary domain actions into oppurtunites for heroic exploits. Each of the eleven "legends" set forth here is based on a different random event from the BIRTHRIGHT Rulebook. Don't allow a mere die roll to decide the outcome of a blood challenge, rebellion, intrigue, or magical event - make the PCs forge their own destinies by confronting a madman who is "Blood Hungry," wresting the "Fang of Kriesha" from its evil wielder's grasp, thwarting a rival regent's "Double Dealing," and saving all of Cerilia from "The Gift of Azrai." These adventures are suitable for PCs of all levels and classes - wheter regents, scions, or commoners - and can take place wherever you campaign is set. This book also includes an appendix that offers advice for running different types of BIRTHRIGHT campaigns and creating your own adventures fit for a king. TSR 3125

Cover of City of the Spider Queen
City of the Spider Queen
3rd Edition
Level 10
186 pages
0

The Fate of Faerûn Lies in Shadowy Darkness! Daggerdale is reeling from a sudden series of murderous drow raids. As a grave threat to the entire surface world develops in the war-torn dark elf city of Maerimydra, intrepid heroes must discover its source and destroy it, if they can.

Cover of The Song of Aracos
The Song of Aracos
5th Edition
Level 6
28 pages
0

“Strahd isn’t a villain who remains out of sight until the final scene. He travels as he desires to any place in his realm, and the more often he encounters the characters, the better. The characters can and should meet him multiple times before the final encounter…” -- Curse of Strahd What secret lies hidden in the village of Aracos that draws the devil Strahd von Zarovich? It is ancient, reaching all the way back to the days before Strahd became a vampire, before Barovia was torn from the mortal realm and cast into the Demiplane of Dread. The Song of Aracos is an adventure for the Dungeons and Dragons 5e Roleplaying Game. The module is optimized for five characters of 6th-level and is intended to be used in conjunction with the Curse of Strahd hardcover adventure by Wizards of the Coast. In The Song of Aracos, your player’s characters come face-to-face with Strahd as the vampire struggles to understand the compulsion pulling him to the village of Aracos. Whether they choose to help, or stand in his way, depends on them, and the fates.

Cover of The Tales of the Haunted Ravine
The Tales of the Haunted Ravine
5th Edition
46 pages
0

The Tale of The Haunted Ravine is a Hex Crawl Adventure of Exploration that can be used for any game system but was designed for use with D&D 5e. A Hex crawl map and random roll tables are used to create surprising encounters and mysteries for your players to interact with. Wild necrotic magic, magical mutations, undead, lost souls, and demons all cloaked in a fog fog-choked landscape; forsaken by the gods and scarred by the battle fought here long ago. Will your adventurers survive and escape the Haunted Ravine? Or will they join the legions of cursed souls imprisoned in this corrupted land?

Cover of Saving Saxham
Saving Saxham
OSR
Levels 1–3
24 pages
0

The village of Saxham has been struck by a terrible curse! Or perhaps it’s being terrorized by demons, ghosts, and the undead? Or… was there a terrible storm? Maybe? No one seems to know exactly what happened here. But the villagers are terrified, bizarre monsters roam the forest, and strange lights strike the woods every night at midnight… ADVENTURE TYPE: Small Sandbox Mystery DESIGN NOTES: This adventure includes a small village, several wilderness areas, and a simple network of tunnels to explore. Each area contains various encounters and unique magical items. There are many opportunities for combat, but it is possible for players to explore every area and complete every interaction without any combat at all, depending on their choices. INCLUDES: Story hooks, dialogue prompts, original creature stat blocks, original treasure/items, area overview map, and illustrations. Produced by Dungeon Age Adventures

Cover of From the Ashes - Adventure 3: What Lies Beyond Reason Adventure Path
From the Ashes - Adventure 3: What Lies Beyond Reason Adventure Path
5th Edition
Levels 5–6
72 pages
0

What Makes Heroes into Villains? Damien Anthilas has fallen from ally to adversary, but something desperate in him has struck a chord with you. Why would he risk everything to steal the memories of the citizens of Anduria? Left with only a cryptic clue, the characters seek answers from the burned out remnants of his former home. Anthilas Manor is a place of dark magic and even darker history, where the ghosts of the past hold sway and the influence of the mad god is still felt to this day