The Giantslayer Adventure Path begins! In the human town of Trunau, a beleaguered settlement surrounded by the brutal orcs of the Hold of Belkzen, the heroes must investigate a mysterious death. Before they uncover the truth, however, Trunau comes under attack by an orc army, and the heroes must help defend it—only to discover that the situation is worse than anyone realizes. For even the fearsome orc raid is just a distraction allowing a giant chieftain to recover the relics of an ancient giant hero from a tomb long forgotten beneath the town.
For centuries, the Great Swamp has hidden hints of an ancient culture of barbarian kings. While passing through this miserable bog, the PCs encounter Stygoth the Damned, a half-dead black dragon driven mad by a mysterious disease. Delving further, the heroes discover that the disease is tied to the very swamp itself. A great corruption once infested this place, destroying the savage barbarian kings and leaving only mighty statues as their legacy. Now this corruption has returned, and a terrible Witch Queen is mining the corrupted swamp-earth to produce evil, blighted artifacts. In order to stop the spread of these evil weapons, the heroes must enter the ancient caves of the savage kings, put to rest the corrupt legacy of their downfall, end the disease that scars the land, and then face off against the Witch Queen herself.
This adventure takes place in the Moonsea of Faerûn. The players have been brought to Melvaunt to search for the missing scions of the city's great families. To the north, in Thar the orc tribes converge on the ruined fortress of Xul-Jarak, flocking to the banner of a charismatic warlord. There, he intends to sacrifice the scions of the great families of Melvaunt in a bloodritual to Gruumsh. The players will escape Melvaunt, search along the wilderness of Thar for the Fortress of Xul-Jarak, and then explore the dungeons of the ruined fortress and hopefully rescue the scions before they are sacrificed. There also is a Web Enhancement by Eric Cagle on the archives of wizards of the coast's website designed to scale the adventure to level 8. For example, it replaces the Owlbear with a Tyrannosaurus. This is an easy to scale adventure with much of the player's difficulty coming from intelligently avoiding problems, choosing how to approach each floor in the most tactical way, and quickly adjusting when something goes wrong. The adventure has sidebars including common orc battle cries (In Orc!), ready to use orc names, weather and random encounter table in Thar, a description of what happens if the party fails or partially succeeds, and suggested minis for each of the encounters. There is even an extended description of the bloodspear ritual, an event the party is not meant to encounter in a normal run. The appendix is detailed for all the humanoid characters including the scions and their equipment, the named villains, and variety of unnamed orcs the party will encounter. The fortress also offers an opportunity to introduce the players to the Underdark and the Zhentil Keep. There is a passage to the Underdark the players can accidentally explore, and return to later. Emissaries from Zhentil Keep have come to watch the ritual and have their own motivations. These npcs provide an opportunity for exposition and role playing at a point which otherwise might be combat heavy, acting as a valve for the first floor - helping or hurting the party with subtle magic should the difficulty be off.
The Ghost Tribe of Orcs have been driven from their home under the Sword Mountains by some terrible evil and they now see Phandalin as their best option for a new home. The heroes, who are on their way to Phandalin for a much needed rest after their adventures in the Lost Mine, must make it to town in time to warn the inhabitants and help prepare for the orc attack. Orcs to Phandalin is the first of four parts in the After Lost Mine series and will detail the trip to Phandalin. There will be three subsequent adventures: Part II, which details the battle to save the city; Part III, which details the trip to the orc’s cave settlement; and Part IV, detailing the party’s mission to deal with the terror from the Underdark that drove the orcs out of their home.
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
When Volothamp Geddarm hires you to recover a missing key, you find yourself wrapped up in a series of murders in Lower Skullport. Can you find the killer before they find you? Part One of the Skullport Shakedown trilogy. A Two- to Four-Hour Adventure for Tier 2 Characters. Optimized For: APL 8
"An army on the move, an ancient artifact, its purpose long forgotten, and the sinister plans of an unknown foe: When these elements combine, it's bad news for the good-aligned cities of the Blood Plateau. A massive band of orcs is marching on the Monastery of the Yellow Lotus, intent upon taking the "Flower That Does Not Bloom." The heroes must trek through goblin-infested tunnels and monster-filled woods ahead of the orcish horde, in a deadly Race to the Yellow Lotus." This adventure is the second in the "Tales from the Blood Plateau" series, but works well as a standalone or an intro to another campaign. Though the party does not actually engage the Death Knight/Blackguard antagonist, he is the primary driving force behind the events of the adventure. Published by MonkeyGod Enterprises and Highmoon Press
The trouble began several weeks ago when a duergar excavation team went to work in a long-abandoned temple. Drawn to the temple by stories of riches and artifacts, the duergar hired several giants as laborers before cracking the temple’s sealed doors. The largest of the giants, a loathsome Thursir mutant named Huppo, used his acidic vomit to expedite tunneling into the temple’s collapsed hall of worship. Then, Huppo found the horn—an unusual instrument made from a single piece of stone, with a mouthpiece so intricate only a master carver could have made it. The horn became the giant’s obsession. Seeing only the horn’s potential sale value, the dwarves demanded Huppo turn it over to them, but Huppo refused. To force compliance, the dwarves stopped feeding the gluttonous brute, but Huppo had already found his own source of food; in deep areas of the temple, worms were chewing out of the rocks, and Huppo ate them by the fistful. He also played the horn. Then, after several days of blowing the horn and devouring the strange worms, Huppo released a belch so noxious the dwarves had no choice but to lock him in a sealed chamber and carefully consider their next move. The horn’s call, however, had caught the attention of passing nomadic orcs. They set up camp outside the temple entrance in the hope of finding the horn and its player. That’s the current situation at the temple: the giant refuses to stop blowing the horn and belching out deadly clouds of stomach gas; the dwarves are frightened and edgy while their leader is obsessed with malevolent whispers; orcs are threatening to overrun the place; and the population of worms grows steadily as something awakens deep in the stone beneath the sanctuary of belches.
A great evil force descended on the town of Phlan years ago. The townspeople were all either killed or driven away, and Phlan became (literally) a ghost town. Fifty years later, the survivors are ready to reclaim their town. But they need a band of strong and brave adventurers to lead the fight-they need you. Ruins of Adventure is a set of connected short adventures written by James Ward, David "Zeb" Cook, Steve Winter and Mike Breault-four names familiar to all AD&D game fans. It uses the same setting, locations and characters as the classic computer game Pool of Radiance by Strategic Simulations, Inc. In fact, many of the scenarios here in Ruins of Adventure will provide important clues to the successful completion of Pool of Radiance. TSR 9238
Stonefang Pass wends its way through the mountains of the Stonemarch, home to brutal tribes of orcs. The time has come to clear the pass and gain a foothold, so that it can be used for trade between the town of Winterhaven and the lands beyond the mountains. Brave adventurers are needed to rid the pass of monsters and liberate Stonefang Keep from the orcs. Who’s up for the challenge?
The citizens of Phent, which is a large town in Thesk, are a proud, yet warm and accepting folk. For the past nine years, they have been host to over six hundred orcs, which is certainly an anomaly in the average Faerûnian community. In 1360 DR, Zhentil Keep sent one thousand orcs to aid in the fight against the westward-sweeping Tuigan hordes. The orcs fought well—well enough that the citizens of Thesk welcomed them as citizens when Zhentil Keep abandoned them in this land in 1363 DR. Still, a current of unsettling concern lingers. Some believe that the orcs are still part of Zhentil Keep’s strike force, but that they went on standby to wait for the moment when their masters give the signal. Once allowed, these orcs may launch a crippling attack from within. However, in nine years, no signal has been given—at least none that any of the paranoid folk have noticed. The orcs are enthusiastic citizens and, apart from some rowdiness during breaks from the mines or fields, they have hurt no one. And then, a prophet comes, with a message of war . . . In A Call to Arms, the player characters (PCs) have a chance to prevent orcs from rising up against some humans. This adventure is designed for four 9th-level D&D® characters. The encounters can be adjusted up or down to suit your group’s needs, however.
A missing mage... A ruthless band of kidnappers... A sinister conspiracy... Night Below, the first epic campaign adventure for the AD&D game, is designed to take the player characters from 1st level to 10th level and beyond. The PCs start as beginning adventures on a routine courier mission who soon become drawn into combating a sinister plot that menaces the pleasant land of Haranshire.
The day has been long and hard and, as night falls, you gratefully surrender to the soft, silent blackness of well-earned sleep. Then the dream comes. You are seated on a throne in a cavern where the sun has never shone; where no voice has ever spoken. Yet you are not alone. Through the darkness, silent figures are moving. Blacker than black... formless yet menacing... advancing towards you from every side... You fell their touch; icy claws plucking at your skin and hair, lifting the throne and carrying you helpless on a journey from darkness into further darkness, from silence into deeper silence. You scream, and a million anguished, reedy voices answer your call. Suddenly you awake... ... and the dream is real. A module printed exclusively in the United Kingdom by TSR UK. Using the 1986 National Garden Festival as its theme, this module was sold both at that festival, and at the 1986 Games Day RPG convention at the Royal Horticultural Society Hall in London (hosted by Games Workshop that Saturday, September 27th). It was briefly mentioned in White Dwarf magazine 82, page 49.
The people of the Linsholm fear orcs are about to raid their small farming village. For the past several days, they have been seeing orcs in the hills and forests around the village. They don’t realize that something much worse than this small band of orcs is out there. For now, it’s hunting the orcs. But if the townsfolk aren’t careful, they could be next. Protect the village of Linsholm, but perhaps not from what they fear. Discover that not all orcs are evil. Reunite the fractured orc clan, and broker peace between them and the villagers. Uncover what is hunting the orcs, and the secret to their power. A 6-8 hour adventure optimized for a party of 4th level characters.
The time has come for the brave and the bold to put an end to the machinations of Maerimydra’s demonic occupiers and their fiendish fire giant ruler. This will be no mean feat; the city is a cesspit of corruption and madness. You will have help, however, as an unlikely group of allies have gathered to your side in the Underdark beneath Faerûn. Danger, glory, and redemption await those brave enough to seize it. With allies gained from denizens of the Underdark, the former drown enclave of Szith Morcane is on the precipice of being retaken. During the battle for Szith Morcane, secrets of the drow community are revealed. What will you do with this knowledge, and how will it affect the outcome of the conflict?
Shadows in the forest deepen as an Oracle among the Yuirwood's half-elf inhabitants fire tells the reemergence of the Duskwalker, an ancient and corrupt star elf wizard. Missing travelers and lost goods all point to a circle of standing stones within the forest. Perhaps, like it's counterparts elsewhere in the Yuirwood, this stone henge allows for travel to travel to another place - but where? And what growing darkness awaits those bold enough to find out?
Someone has "borrowed" a cleric, and without him, the fabled King's Festival cannot go on. Unfortunately, it looks like the orcs have him, and your characters must rescue him. A great learning adventure, King's Festival provides players and DMs with a valuable introduction to fantasy role-playing in the land of Karameikos. Full of helpful hints for the players and the DM, this module also provides a full dose of excitement! Orcs, carrion crawlers, and villains challenge the characters' fighting skills, and a host of traps and puzzles confound their wits! TSR 9260
Giants have emerged from their strongholds to threaten civilization as never before. Hill giants are stealing all the grain and livestock they can, while stone giants have been scouring settlements that have been around forever. Fire giants are press-ganging the small folk into the desert, while frost giant longships have been pillaging along the Sword Coast. Even the elusive cloud giants have been witnessed, their wondrous floating cities appearing above Waterdeep and Baldur’s Gate. Where is the storm giant King Hekaton, who is tasked with keeping order among the giants? The humans, dwarves, elves, and other small folk of the Sword Coast will be crushed underfoot from the onslaught of these giant foes. The only chance at survival is for the small folk to work together to investigate this invasion and harness the power of rune magic, the giants’ weapon against their ancient enemy the dragons. The only way the people of Faerun can restore order is to use the giants’ own power against them.
This quest takes the player characters through a harrowing journey of dangerous adversity! The characters are informed that some unknown adversary has disrupted an ancient tree called Wise Willow. This sends them first on a subterranean excursion into ancient tunnels infested with curiously ravenous Thri-Kreen! Then, they are introduced more formally with Wise Willow, who requires their services to cure her terrible plague! The players must then navigate the wild maze of her surface roots, purge it of grotesque creatures, and then find the cause of her ailment. Doing so excites the interest of the deities, Lathander and Sylvanus, who descend from the heavens in a glorious show of light and mysticism! The two divine beings then graciously bestow their gifts upon the party to reward their deeds. The player characters embark on a perilous journey that will test their resourcefulness and wits in a building arc of intensity. The environments are deeply detailed by the boxed text and should provide you and your characters a sturdy foundation for your creativity to launch from. There is a compelling story full of lamentations as well as laughs. The robust exposition sets up hours of challenging, combat-heavy “dungeon delving” throughout the quest. The aim is to maintain a versatile balance between “hack-and-slash” and “immersive storytelling” play styles, so that everyone can enjoy it in their own way. The numerous optional components allow you to scale the difficulty to your liking, and there is plenty of space for you to use your own creativity to enhance the content. Guts, Gods & Glory is a Dungeons & Dragons module using the 5e rules. It is designed to be played by three to six players of sixth to eighth level. It takes place in the Sword Coast setting of the Forgotten Realms, specifically the Elturgard region. Changes can be made to make it playable in a nondescript setting.
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.