For decades, Theatre Infernalis offered shocking and frightful entertainment to customers who entered its gaping demonic facade and saw a frightful portrait of the eternal torments that await all sinners. Now rumours tell of the aging and supposedly-cursed proprietor's deteriorating health and the theatre's impending sale, and the Artist's Quarter has been abuzz with those seeking one final fright with a walk through the crucible-licked walls of the infernal house of the macabre before its final curtain call. But are the theatre's smoke-and-mirrors and cheap scares hiding a truly wicked secret? What is the nature of the curse and illness that afflict the owner? And did foul and profane rites once take place between its walls that outside forces now seek to exploit? What happens when the spookshow's fun and games transform into a terrifying reality, threatening to spill forth an infernal malevolence onto the streets of the Blight?
The adventure takes players from a town devastated by an unexpected flood, through a drowned land where nature is turned upside down and desperate families cling to the roofs of their ruined homes, hiding from the monstrous products of a disordered world, through the strange tomb of an ancient race, to a profundal zone, hidden for millennia and now exposed, and finally to the Observatory itself, an eerie abandoned treasure palace, where they will encounter a pale and unexpected terror which will seek to claim their lives. The adventure is suitable for a lucky mid-range party, a stupid high-level party or an exceedingly clever low level party. It is difficult, with a meaningful possibility of character death. Should you find them, and defeat their guardians, the treasures of an ancient culture will be yours. At the final point of the Observatory is a glimpse of another world. Published by False Machine Publishing
Sometimes you can just be in the wrong place at the wrong time... Sheltering from a savage storm, a group of fledgling adventurers find themselves trapped by circumstances and powerful forces from a bygone age. Escaping from dark and dismal caverns, the heroes must brave a nightmarish trek through haunted and hostile terrain, pursued by an mysterious assailant to the very walls of Anduria – home of the greatest civilisation in the world. On the edge between madness and salvation, they must broker a deal with shadowy cults and political powers to determine not only their own fate, but potentially that of the Eternal City itself.
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.
A new, expanded, OSR-ised, prettified edition of Joseph R. Lewis’ Ragged Hollow Nightmare which was rated among The Best by Tenfootpole. Joseph Lewis hit a perfect balance between the classics of dungeonverse fantasy and the whimsy of the folk tales we love so much (as testified by our Folklore Bestiary. we released last year), adding a dash of dreamworld strangeness and a pinch of body horror to spice up his brew. We did our best to respect his recipe when adding our extra material (about 30 pages of it). We worked with Joe and Li-An (the perfect artist to give life to spooky Ragged Hollow and its strange surroundings) to make the best module we could: a solid introduction to old-school gaming for both players and gamemasters. And for the veterans among us, it also makes an excellent, full-fledged campaign starter. Nightmare over Ragged Hollow is a sandbox adventure centred around a quaint town at the edge of the kingdom. But however quiet life in Ragged Hollow is, the town lies between places where you shouldn’t be traveling alone. Places like Gloam Wood (“A witch or two lurk there!”), the Bleak Mountains (“I’m told there are bugbears…”) and their infamous Mount Mourn (“Home, they say, to cursed Dwarven ruins”), not to forget the Wailing Hills (“Bandits on every road!”). There’s even a haunted house by the river (“That mad inventor riddled it with traps!”). But only when an impenetrable dome of golden light materialises around the Temple of Halcyon (“Hey, my kids go to school there!”) do things really get out of hand. Some selfless heroes (or, failing that, a bunch of greedy ne’er-do-wells) should really get involved. One town with three adventure mini-sites Three small dungeons One 50-room dungeon Three hexes with 16 detailed locations Two groups of potential allies or rivals Sixteen pre-generated characters One deadly countdown! Written for the Old-School Essentials (OSE) rule system
To Kill A King Death to King Ovar the tyrant! Life to law and order! Four characters are charged with a mission so insane, so daring, that terming it an assassination does not do it justice. Are the four volunteers who would lay low King Ovar killers or heroes? If murderers, how are they better than the madman theyre assigned to kill? And even if they are mere assassins, are they determined enough to overcome the Maze of Zayene? Snared in the Wizards Web
Stories of misfortune are often exaggerated, especially when they have been retold many times. For that reason, most people aren't taking seriously the claim that a sea monster living along the coast is eating whole ships full of sailors and swallowing entire families. But there's no denying a few facts -- the town of Lochfell is losing its citizens to a sea monster (one that walks on water no less), someone is stealing that same town's dead, and ships are beginning to choose other ports for unloading their goods. Such a scenario could doom the residents of the small port town to either a monster's gullet or the poorhouse. No one seems to know whether the town's two ongoing problems are connected, but the sea monster never leaves behind a corpse to bury. Is it collecting bodies for some dark purpose? Or did some more powerful evil creature create the sea monster to do its dirty work? Someone in Lochfell knows the answer, and it's up to the PCs to find it out. Lochfell’s Secret is a short D&D adventure for four 15th level player characters (PCs). The story is set in and around the port town of Lochfell. You can place the action in any section of your campaign world where a coastal town on a bay might exist. If there is a small town that the PCs visited in a past adventure but haven’t returned to in quite a while, so much the better. As always, feel free to adapt the material presented here as you see fit to make it work with your campaign.
"For untold eons, Eshebala ruled over Vulgarea, the 193rd Layer of the Abyss...content to revel in hedonism, corrupt the hearts of her dwindling followers and inflict petty cruelty. Yet, if there are days in the Abyss, there came one when she realized she despised her own province. She hated demonkind. She hated the Abyss. It had become unbearably tedious, spent...done. The burgeoning goddess decided she would dip her toe back into the lives of mortals, and quest to remember...to understand her own existence...But that was a lofty goal for a mind that had long ago begun to unravel. Instead...She is learning that all she has left is cruelty...and it was always cruelty that gave her power, so she now believes, to the woe of any who cross her path." Partly inspired by a scant notation by Carl Sargeant in 1992's TSR book Monster Mythology: "Eshebala is the foxwoman deity of vanity, charm, greed, and cunning. Her symbol is a female fox. Eshebala appears as a foxwoman, a shapely fur-covered female with a fox’s head, or as a beautiful young elf maiden. She is bedecked in rich clothing and jewels, and carries a silver mirror. Eshebala’s realm of Vulgarea can be found on the 193rd layer of the Abyss. She is wily and vain. She favors beautiful things and collects jewelry and art, the tackier and flashier the better. She prefers to overcome her opponents using subtlety rather than force, seducing and devouring out of boredom. She loves gossip, and always insists on being the center of attention. Eshebala is a patron of evil shapeshifters who use their wits and wiles before resorting to violence." Eshebala is a true chaotic evil demon goddess, behaving 100% true to form, and an extremely challenging opponent to take down for your players. An unforgettable 262 page jaunt for Levels: 15-17, with multiple possible modes of play, including Party Mode for up to 12 players. Profusely and paintstakingly illustrated over the course of several years by an award-winning professional illustrator. No stock illustration in this beast! A loving, dark & insanely detailed exploration of the 193rd Abyssal Plane An exuberant nod to the most grueling, deadly dungeons ever created Rich encounters that play out in a unique way each time 100 + NEW CREATURES 200 + NEW TREASURES (& possibly the most illustrated treasury ever provided) 82 BOOKS for PCs to discover 70 + NEW SPELLS & RITUALS, INCLUDING DETAILED OPTIONS FOR DEMON SUMMONING 50 + NEW TRAPS, HAZARDS & EFFECTS (guaranteed to run amuck) 4 RANDOM TREASURE TABLES, including a TABLE OF GEMSTONES that would be useful in any campaign 2 NEW CLASS SHIFTS: the Demonologist & the Exorcist!
Where have the staff gone? Why do the doors not lead where they should? What dark experiments were performed here? And what has become of the asylum’s enigmatic owner? During a routine train ride, the characters are halted by a powerful force within Enfri Asylum. Haunted by murderous doctors, revolutionary patients, and creatures beyond description, the characters must venture into the old hospital and put an end to the madness to reach their destination. The Monsters of Enfri Asylum is a 8 to 12 hour horror adventure for 1st to 5th-level characters.
Nightmare of Blood! The village of Karvolia has paid its annual tribute of blood to the Red Goddess—but this year, none of the donors returned. Now the priestess commands the village elders to send another dozen young men and women to the edifice of stone that looms on the cliffs overlooking the village: the dreaded Blood Vaults. The terrified elders are willing to pay adventurers handsomely to find a way to make this second tribute pass them by. Unfortunately, the latest set of donors has already entered the Blood Vaults, and are being prepared for the donation process…
Sometimes its better not to know... Citizens are turning up in the city in catatonic states, alive but devoid of personality. Are they the victims of an illness or disease, or is there something more sinister at work? Encountering one of these poor souls, the characters are drawn into an investigation of politics and treachery, seedy underworld dealings and rooftop chases, culminating in a fiery conclusion. Can they discover the cause of this epidemic before it’s too late?
You are going to play Draw Steel! Tonight! What do you need to get started? You need three things: you need some friends, you need the rules, and you need an adventure. The Delian Tomb for Draw Steel can provide you with two of three. This is the classic starter adventure from Matt Colville’s Running the Game series, expanded and updated for MCDM’s new fantasy RPG Draw Steel! The Delian Tomb includes everything you need to get started including a step-by-step tutorial for both players and directors! The game is fun to play AND run, and we made learning our new rules super-easy. Barely an inconvenience! This product includes: - Draw Steel Starter Rules - Ready-to-play heroes each with their own tutorial. - The complete Delian Tomb five-room dungeon. - The town of Broadhurst including local townsfolk bursting with rumors. - A sandbox wilderness for players to explore filled with adventure. - The Jagged Edge Goblins, their queen Bargnot, and their new stronghold; Castle Andreas! - Maps! Negotiations! Montage tests! An orc necromancer! Ratfolk bandits! You do NOT have to “read the whole adventure” before you start! We designed this adventure to teach you the rules as you play. Draw Steel is MCDM’s new, original fantasy RPG with a focus on fun, tactical combat and this adventure will get you playing with your friends in minutes.
When Harrowstone Prison burned to the ground, prisoners, guards, and a host of vicious madmen met a terrifying end. In the years since, the nearby town of Ravengro has shunned the fire-scarred ruins, telling tales of unquiet spirits that wander abandoned cellblocks. But when a mysterious evil disturbs Harrowstone’s tenuous spiritual balance, a ghostly prison riot commences that threatens to consume the nearby village in madness and flames. Can the adventurers discover the secrets of Harrowstone and quell a rebellion of the dead? Or will they be the spirit-prison’s next inmates?
Szass Tam, the lich lord of Thay, and his Red Wizards threaten to dominate all of the Sword Coast. The Bloodgate, an elemental node of power, must be destroyed in order to stop him. Remake of the original 4th Edition adventure.
Sometimes its better not to know... Citizens are turning up in the city in catatonic states, alive but devoid of personality. Are they the victims of an illness or disease, or is there something more sinister at work? Encountering one of these poor souls, the characters are drawn into an investigation of politics and treachery, seedy underworld dealings and rooftop chases, culminating in a fiery conclusion. Can they discover the cause of this epidemic before it’s too late?
Sometimes you can just be in the wrong place at the wrong time... Sheltering from a savage storm, a group of fledgling adventurers find themselves trapped by circumstances and powerful forces from a bygone age. Escaping from dark and dismal caverns, the heroes must brave a nightmarish trek through haunted and hostile terrain, pursued by an mysterious assailant to the very walls of Anduria – home of the greatest civilisation in the world. On the edge between madness and salvation, they must broker a deal with shadowy cults and political powers to determine not only their own fate, but potentially that of the Eternal City itself.
An emissary from the dwarven community of Hearth-Home approaches the player characters, beseeching them to aid the dwarves in finding a powerful mage who might bring disaster upon not only their mountain fortress, but all of the Thunder Rift! Escape from Thunder Rift adventure leads the heroes into a dark dungeon where they may discover a gate between the valley of Thunder Rift and the World of Mystara. Packaged with a DM screen. TSR 9437
The strangest things wash up on the beach sometimes. The inhabitants of the Acitoff coastline are accustomed to storms, but last week the largest hurricane ever recorded swiftly struck a 60-mile stretch of coastline. The first day after the hurricane, mysterious bodies started floating to surface. They bore the symbol of the feared pirate, Jaggertooth Grin! Now it is up to the adventurers to locate the pirate ship and claim the treasure. The adventurers will have to fight the creatures of the deep in this primarily underwater adventure. Pgs. 3-14
Into Wonderland is a book detailing an adventure in the Feywild, a setting for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. This book provides player options, encounters, variant rules, and a campaign of expeditions into the unknown centred around the city of Endercoast that has been spirited away from the Material Plane. To survive, you'll need to balance the needs of the displaced city with the mercurial whims of four powerful archfey. What's Included? - Endercoast, a city plucked from its roots and replanted in the Feywild - Quirks of the Feywild, including four powerful archfey, a guide for creating new archfey, rules for travel using emotional truth instead of maps, chaotic seasonal and magical effects, pranks, consequences for getting lost, and 14 weird stops along the way - New races - New subclasses - New backgrounds - New feats - New spells - Fantastical questlines taking a party through the courts of the archfey and on magical journeys inspired by the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm - A whole heap of chaotic encounters with strange fey creatures - Dozens of new monsters, including 8 ancient beasts, 3 dangerous plants, 4 extremely powerful archfey, a bunch of NPCs based on the new subclasses of the book, creepy new fey like the darkwood stalker and the time vulture, a powerful hag, and more
The Amulet of a Demon Prince In a few days, the rising blood moon will reveal the resting-place of the soul amulet of a forgotten demon prince. A dark lord seeks the amulet, and if he finds it ultimate power is within his grasp. Someone must stop him and his diabolical scheme before evil is unleashed! But for the heroes to beat the dark lord to his prize, they must travel through time and conquer demonic foes! A Battle Throughout Time Chaos Rising is a classic dungeon exploration adventure by Jim Collura, it details an ancient and abandoned dwarven citadel where the demon's amulet is hidden and provides unique encounters allowing the players to travel back in time to shape the very future itself! Chaos Rising supports monsters found in the Tome of Horrors. Also available for S&W and 5e.