*** WARNING: this adventure contains strong scenes and descriptions which may not suit all kinds of public. It's heavy on horror, suspense, gore and sadism. The entire adventure available in the Full Preview, so that you can self-assess the content and buy in confidence. *** The main theme of the adventure is horror, using suspense elements as well as gore and sick scenes to shock your players. The adventure is divided in 2 parts: the first part involves a mad vampire spawn who tortures as a hobby, full of scary stuff like you see in horror movies. The second part involves a lesser demon lord stuck in a kind of inverted world (Stranger Things/Silent Hill style) which has a dread passion for a very disturbing and wicked art. There are tips on how to set the mood and make your players actually tense or even scary.
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.
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
Ships have disappeared amongst the Norheim Islands, almost all of them carrying refugees from Norland. An expedition, sent to find the cause, has similarly vanished without a trace. Most blame lack of experience with the treacherous local waters, but a few whisper of a more sinister cause, something that lures the desperate to their doom. Initiates of the Flame are looking for powerful adventurers to help since the authorities have more pressing trouble.
While exploring an uncharted island inhabited by sinister, otherworldly entities, the PCs are confronted with the ultimate dilemma: will they stop at nothing to uncover the forbidden secrets of an earlier age... or will they consign that ancient lore to be forever forgotten in the mists of time? Arriving at the correct choice may not be so trivial as it seems... A 5th-6th level adventure for An entire island to explore, with mysteries to solve and NPCs to interact with Challenging investigations and devilish enigmas Full-color art and beautiful handouts (even in digital format for online play) to engage the PCs Five new fearsome monsters ready to use in any campaign New feats and spells
The residents of Castle Gealladh have been visited by an ominous banshee with a warning: “Leave or die”. Your adventuring company finds themselves drafted by a wizard named Milo Tenpenny and tasked with investigating the castle and ridding it of undead. In your investigation, you will find that there is more to this warning than it seems — and that something far worse than spirits haunt this castle.
Ever needed to spice up a stay in a city? Or, ever needed something to fill the gap between sessions when you are missing a player? Add a little flavor to the adventurers’ city visits with a rampaging mummy, a circus gone wild, a haunted inn, and much, much, more. This 80-page supplement contains 26 encounters written by best-selling Dungeon Masters Guild writers and new writers! Encounters in the Savage Cities includes: •26 unique encounters / mini-adventures ◦A mix of combat, roleplay, and investigation •Scaling Suggestions for CR 1-10 •New creatures •Custom Art •Downloadable Custom Maps (as a separate file) These encounters are location generic and are designed to be easily added to any campaign. Use them to introduce new players, as inspiration for a new campaign, as a one-shot, or whatever else you can think of.
"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.
Under raging storm clouds, the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of Castle Ravenloft. Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind’s howling increases as he turns his gaze down toward the village of Barovia. A lightning flash rips through the darkness, but Strahd is gone. Only the howling of the wind fills the midnight air. The master of Castle Ravenloft is having guests for dinner—and you are invited. Spans levels 1-10.
The legendary city of Freeport is a seedy port town where former pirates settle down to become "businessmen" while street gangs fight over the slave trade. In the deepest warrens of this already dangerous place, mad cultists worship unspeakable gods - and sometimes these sinister deeds bubble to the surface. There's a dark shadow over Freeport today, as yet another innocent child has gone missing. The trail leads to the old Cresh Manor, boarded up but not forgotten. The city needs heroes to find these missing children. But are the heroes brave enough to conquer the dark shadows of Freeport?
An omnious encounter with a fortuneteller sends a party of adventurers on a 200-mile journey across the Lands of Intrigue. While traveling throught the towns and terrain (detailed here for the first time) that lie in their path, they hear rumors and obtain clues about their mission. Their ultimate destination is Castle Spulzeer, a once proud stronghold that has become a den of terror. When the heroes enter the haunted keep, they meet a terrifying trio of residents: a madman armed with stolen magical power, a liche whose secret laboratory houses untold horrors and treasure, and a furious ghost bent on revenge. These three ensnare the party in their fight over an ancient weapon. Each will stop at nothing to keep it from the other two. The heroes must choose with whom they will ally - and the wrong choice could lead to their doom. Castle Spulzeer is an adventure complete in itself. However, as a crossover story, it offers every Dungeon Master a choice between two endings. The first leaves the party in the Realms. The second transports the characters to the Demiplane of Dread, where the plot continues in the Ravenloft adventure The Forgotten Terror. For 4 to 6 Characters of Levels 8-12 This conversion guide allows DMs to run the original module with 5th Edition rules. To use this conversion guide you will need a copy of Castle Spulzeer, originally available in hard-copy and now for sale in digital format on the DMs Guild. Visit Classicmodulestoday.com for instructions on creating your own classic module conversions and selling them on the DMs Guild. Castle Spulzeer was originally scheduled for publication by TSR in June 1997. Then, near-bankruptcy caused a total failure of TSR's schedule, resulting in no books being published from February through the very end of July. Some books would be delayed for over a year, and others would disappear altogether, but Castle Spulzeer was relatively lucky: it was just delayed four months, until October 1997. The reason may well have been its theming, and its crossover with the Ravenloft line, which made Castle Spulzeer a great Halloween release. Castle Spulzeer has an even more far-reaching connection: its ending can lead players to the demiplane of Ravenloft and The Forgotten Terror adventure. This was probably intended as a bit of advertising for Domains of Dread (1997), the third edition of Ravenloft which was released in August 1997. In other words: in their last days, TSR was working very hard to cross-market their products, but they didn't live long enough to see the success of the Spulzeer-Intrigue-Dread connection.
Dead of Winter is a 1st-level adventure It is designed as a side quest for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition As the adventurers are traveling a lengthy road between destinations, a bitter winter storm blows in. Lucky for them, there is a small roadside hamlet just ahead, where the party can take refuge from the harsh elements. The mood in the local tavern is grave, as this is a sad night for the villagers. It is the first anniversary of the murder of a town hero; A murder that was never resolved. Strange events begin as soon as the adventurers arrive and will lead them to clues which just may solve a year old murder and lay an anguished soul to rest.
A Ghastly Mess is a one-shot adventure for a group of 3rd-level characters that takes place in a haunted mansion Unlike your regular haunted house, the inhabitants of this building are far from scary. The ghosts of the former staff still live in it—or, well, unlive—not realizing they’re deceased and unable to move on because of it. The Lord of the mansion still awaits the return of his beloved, Lenore, for which he has commanded the staff to have the house in pristine condition. Help the only alive member of the staff, a sleepwalking old-man, clean the house, defeat any and all monsters that might be lurking in the somewhat abandoned building and help the ghosts pass on to the great beyond in this short but exciting adventure! The story includes a host of interesting characters for your players to meet, each with their own unique personalities and accompanying art; an array of unique monsters specially designed to challenge your party in more ways than one; and an intriguing mystery surrounding Lenore’s fate and what happened to the members of the staff. Now, you might be thinking “hey, this ain’t spooky at all, what gives?” and to that I say: how dare you?! Nothing is scarier than doing your chores! That’s why we built an adventure around it! That being said, A Ghastly Mess is not meant to be a scary story, but rather an interesting mystery-type of social adventure. Most combats can be resolved by running away, the stakes are low, and the NPCs don’t think of the situation as anything more than a normal day in their lives. The tragic aspects of the story have already happened by the times the characters show up, and the intent is for everything to go well from there.
Something is amiss in the town of Rhiannon. Recently raided by a band of vile creatures, the citizens of Rhiannon were shocked to find their lord at the root of the incident. And now Lord Kent is holding a competition for “all walks of life with a propensity for the gambling arts.” Will the PC aid the citizens of Rhiannon and uncover the truth about the mysterious Lord Kent? Or will the PC take this opportunity to line her own pockets? Either way, the answers lie inside the walls of Lord Kent’s keep and the gamblers within.
When the mysterious Gauntlight, an eerie lighthouse located inland from Otari, glows with baleful light, the people of Otari suspect trouble. The town’s newest heroes must venture into the ruins around the lighthouse—and delve into the dungeon levels far beneath it—to discover the evil that Gauntlight holds. Hideous monsters, deadly traps, and mysterious ghosts await the heroes who dare to enter the sprawling megadungeon called the Abomination Vaults! Content Warning: Does contain themes of suicide.
The ruined Thorp of Rhu once produced honey, apples, hard cider, and mead. Villagers now stay away as they believe Rhu is cursed. Years ago a witch, Katla, was cheated from a reward promised for chasing away an attacking giant. Furious, she waited for her chance at revenge. Over a year, Katla created many small sack dolls and gifted them to Rhu’s children. One night, each doll animated, killed the sleeping adults, and set the village on fire. Now Sorcha, the village elder, asks the PCs to go to Rhu to locate a lost dwarven friend, help a restless soul, and find out what really happened to Rhu long ago. These outsider sack doll spirits take great pleasure in tormenting and slaying weaker creatures. At Rhu, the PCs encounter murderous sack dolls, learn the villagers’ & dwarf’s fate, parlay with spirits, and clash with Bloody Tears, the witch’s minion & spirit familiar. Published by Wicked Cool Games
A malignant cult has taken root in the mystical and magical realm of Jalmeray. Known and feared throughout distant Vudra, the cult of Dhalavei has expertly destroyed organizations and societies from within for millennia. Now a new sect of the sinister Cult of the Ebon Destroyers has its sights set on Thakur Kharswan of Jalmeray, and the magistrates and bureaucrats behind the throne must hunt down and eliminate the cult before the unthinkable happens. If only there were someone they could trust to behead Dhalavei's cult before the assassins do the same to their beloved ruler…
The Anchorin Family and its namesake home, Anchorin Manse, have gone quiet along with many of the townsfolk of Adwher who worked in the manse or on the grounds. The patriarch of the family and accomplished artificer, Webster, has inherited a fascination with the multiverse from his father and now has created a machine that has allowed an entity from the far realm into his home. With his obsession growing and the help of this entity, Webster modified the memory of his family and sequestered himself in a separate wing of the manse to continue digging into the nature of the multiverse. Soon after, his recklessness released a deluge of planar energy into the home, transforming most of the inhabitants and staining areas of the house with the unique planar effects of the various planes. Now the family’s estranged son Eccles has returned to discover the fate of his family and potentially collect his inheritance but is unable to enter his childhood home. Eccles and the few remaining townsfolk are looking to hire a few bold adventurers to investigate what happened to the family, the manse, and potentially collect some very rare, perhaps legendary magical items. Enter the manse, tour the planes, take a villain, leave a villain, it’s up to you. One thing is certain, verity and villainy is relative in a manse of special purpose.
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!”
Part Two of the Umbral Aristocracy Trilogy. The treasure hunt has led to the City of the Dead. Beneath that well-manicured park is an ancient crypt where the treasure awaits you!