Stormy seas rock your vessel, tossing her about like a toy in the jaws of a hound. Thunder rolls in the distance. Then, an arc of lightning splits the sky, and the sound like an exploding fireball all but bursts your eardrums. Your mainmast, struck by lightning, burns, splinters, and topples onto the deck like a felled oak. The last thing you hear is the cracking of wood as the deck explodes into splinters, and the ship is torn asunder. All goes black. You awaken in shackles, half-submerged in water, and surrounded by salmon-pink coral. You survived, but what fate awaits you now? The sound of soggy footsteps echo down the hallway. A creature approaches with an answer. This week’s encounter is Coral Colosseum, a combat encounter in which the characters must prove themselves as worthy gladiators to escape the clutches of a ruthless sahuagin baron. This encounter can serve as a follow-up to Encounter of the Week: Sharkfin Shipwreck, or as a stand-alone mini-adventure. It could also serve as an introduction to Ghosts of Saltmarsh, which releases on May 21st, 2019.
A Twisted Level 4 Adventure of Science and Sanity Lost by Infinite Initiative They wanted perfection. They got him instead. Beneath the sea lies a sunken research city—once a marvel of arcane progress, now a decaying labyrinth of broken glass, failed experiments, and whispers in the dark. At its heart, a mad scientist clings to his vision, bending corpses and constructs to his will. The players must brave an abandoned lighthouse, activate a long-dormant portal, and descend into the abyssal halls of a drowned facility. But something stirs in the tanks… and it’s not alone. Inside the Adventure: A puzzle-filled lighthouse and a cinematic octopus encounter A non-linear underwater dungeon teeming with mutated horrors Tactical environments: flickering labs, crumbling windows, and flooded chambers A final boss fight against a deranged scientist and his unstable Abomination Includes new stat blocks and a unique magic item: the Cloak of Protection (as a warded lab coat) This is a dark, atmospheric one-shot perfect for groups who enjoy horror, puzzles, and morally twisted villains. Part of the Thirsty Tiger Tales series by Infinite Initiative.
This adventure works best after going through the original trilogy (Death, Terror, and Madness in Freeport). After exposing the madness and corruption of the previous Sea Lord, a succession crisis is upon Freeport. There are no heirs to the seat of power, leading the Captains' Council to overturn the Law of Succession. But opening up succession plunges the city into chaos as various factions vy for the title. The PCs will need to survive riots and secret plots to make sure the right man (or woman) ends up with the job.
A 4 hour adventure on the high seas and in the Shadowfell optimised for 8th level characters A dangerous fugitive is on the run from the Lords Alliance and the Order of the Gauntlet. As the net closes in on the fugitive, the heroes are deputized by the order and boards a departing ship to flush out the target of the manhunt. Shore Leave is a product of the ENNIE 2020 Silver Winner RPG Writers Workshop. The first half of the adventure takes place on the high seas where the characters search for a dangerous fugitive hiding onboard a ship. When sahuagins board the ship and a kraken appears from a maelstrom, things get desperate. The second half of the adventure starts when the characters are shipwrecked in the Shadowfell where the manhunt continues through a dangerous bog. This adventure can be used as a: * Stand-alone one-shot adventure * Starting point for a Shadowfell campaign * Filler adventure to transport characters across vast distances via Shadowfell or dilate time
For centuries, the Three Kingdoms have warred endlessly. The river flowing through it holds so many dead on its banks that the locals call it the River of Blood. But now, a new peril rises. With all three armies tucked into their winter camps, patrols and outposts on all sides report ambushes with alarming frequency - those who survive to make their reports, that is. None can say just who attacked them, however, for the assailants appear from the fog or in the middle of a snowstorm, hit hard and fast, then disappear. Arden, Duke Regent of Tyndall, fears that the dead have risen to haunt the living. Is he right?
There are many legends of the Vengeful Tempest and its supernatural crew. Few have seen that pirate ship and lived to tell the tale, and fewer still dare to seek it out. To hunt down that fabled vessel, you must lead a group of makeshift mariners and set sail upon the Kraken's Wake.
The Submerged Spire of Sarpedon the Shaper lies to the west of the Isle of the Dismemberer. On the northwestern shore of this island, crumbling steps spill from the shore directly into the sea. There, a seaweed choked stone path can be glimpsed winding down into the depths. At low tide, a quarter mile along the path, a lone onion dome may be seen poking through the waves. In the twilight of the sorcerer lords, The Submerged Spire was the jewel of the Shattered Isles. Within his submarine redoubt, Sarpedon penetrated ever deeper into the organic mysteries. Now, its for- lorn dome the roost of seagulls, its secrets slumber beneath the waves.
Beware the Mighty Leviathan! An ancient monster emerges from the depths, freed from its forced slumber by an evil cult. A mighty serpent swims out to meet it, but it will not be enough. You, mighty heroes, must fly to the temple on top of the creature's head, defeat the cult, and return the leviathan to its stony prison. This is a short adventure for 5e, playable in a single-session. It's primarily a dungeon crawl, inspired by the over-the-top pulp action of the 70s and 80s. The party needs to get to the dungeon, fight some bad guys, deal with some traps, and save the day. Easy! An evil sahuagin cult, including a few merrow and a green hag, has taken control of a giant sea creature that had been trapped in stone for hundreds of years, and are currently in a temple that is fixed to the monster's head.
Minotaurs are fond of mazes, but rarely build them. Hex is an architect, engineer, and overlord all in one. A self-declared "Minotaur Lord", he is the only one of his kind known to exist. His lair is all he has, a gargantuan, ever-expanding labyrinth in which he keeps the spoils of his many conquests in youth. Now an ancient veteran, he works tirelessly to keep his hoard safe and to entice new adventurers to test themselves against his gauntlet of lethal traps. Tyrants and Hellions is a Dungeon Master's aide, containing fifteen villains complete with schemes, lairs, backstories, and everything else you need to drop them into your own 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Within its 400 pages you'll also find the methods, both mechanical and thematic, used to create villains that spark the imaginations of your players. Hex is one of these villains, and his adventure takes up 33 pages (pg 110-143). Published by 2CGaming
After an Andoren village is razed by the Hydra's Fang, a renegade Chelish slaver-ship, outrage threatens the stability of both nations. You and your fellow Pathfinders are sent to capture the Fang before the Inner Sea is pitched into political frenzy.
Nestled on the coast of the Azure Sea is Saltmarsh, a sleepy fishing village that sits on the precipice of destruction. Smugglers guide their ships to hidden coves, willing to slit the throat of anyone foolhardy enough to cross their path. Cruel sahuagin gather beneath the waves, plotting to sweep away coastal cities. Drowned sailors stir to unnatural life, animated by dark magic and sent forth in search of revenge. The cult of a forbidden god extends its reach outward from a decaying port, hungry for fresh victims and willing recruits. While Saltmarsh slumbers, the evils that seek to plunder it grow stronger. Heroes must arise to keep the waves safe! Ghosts of Saltmarsh combines some of the most popular classic adventures from the first edition of Dungeons & Dragons including the classic ‘U’ series and some of the best nautical adventures from Dungeon magazine: The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh Danger at Dunwater The Final Enemy Salvage Operation Isle of the Abbey Tammeraut’s Fate The Styes All adventures have been faithfully adapted to the fifth edition rules of Dungeons & Dragons. Furthermore, this book includes details on the port town of Saltmarsh, as well as plenty of hooks to kick-off each adventure. Play through each story in a seafaring campaign leading characters from level 1 through level 12, or pull out sections to place in ongoing campaigns in any setting. The appendices also cover mechanics for ship-to-ship combat, new magic items, monsters, and more! “The Saltmarsh series consistently ranks as one of the most popular classic D&D adventures,” said Mike Mearls, franchise creative director of D&D. “With its ties to ocean-based adventuring, it was an obvious step to augment it with additional sea-based adventures and a robust set of rules for managing a nautical campaign.” Hoist your sails, pull up anchor, and set a course for adventure!
The Pirates of the Dark Sargasso is a companion adventure made to go along with the events unfolding in Folio #16 (WS3 Distant Turtle City). It contains the information needed to run a side adventure that will help characters in their journey toward Distant Turtle City. After exploring the derelict wreck of the Blue Ki-Rin, the characters return to their own ship to tell a tale of dark adventure to their captain and employer. However, during the debriefing, strange sounds can be heard hon deck, and was that a scream... This adventure is formatted to both 1E & 5E gaming rules.
A Beholder Love Story A dwarven mineshaft has become the new home of the heartbroken beholder Sindryl. Discover who could be wicked enough to separate Sindryl from his love Prix'am, put a stop to their plot, and restore Prix'am's missing heart. A 3-6 hour Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition adventure for Tier 2 characters. This adventure includes: 2 New Monsters (including 1 New Beholder!), 3 New Magic Items, New NPCs, a Minecart Skill Challenge, Romantic Random Encounters for the Underdark!
The second installment of the Skull and Shackles Pathfinder adventure path. Bound for adventure upon the pirate vessel they've taken as their own, the heroes face a sea of dangers as they chart a course to become true Free Captains of the Shackles. But life as a pirate doesn't prove any easier now that they're in command, as deadly sea monsters, the corpses of drowned scalawags, and raiders from the deep rise to oppose them. When a most unusual map falls into the adventurers' hands, they have the chance to change their fate in a shingle daring raid. Is it the heroes' destiny to be the next victims of the merciless waves, or will fortune smile upon them and spur their rise as the newest and most infamous pirates of the Shackles
Long unoccupied, the pyramid on Sorcerer’s Isle now flows with strange magical energy, warping creatures and the landscape around it. The Cult of the Dragon and Red Wizards of Thay have taken notice, and it’s up to you to keep whatever power dwells there out of their hands. An adventure for 5th-10th level characters.
The Dungeon of Graves, is nothing more and nothing less than a good, old–fashioned, First Edition dungeon crawl updated for the 5th Edition Roleplaying Game. Very difficult, it should strike fear into the hearts of the most stalwart adventurers. It offers an abundance of traps, tricks, and monsters. We hope that you find this module as fun and exciting as those thousands of players who have ventured into (and not as often out of) the endless caverns and mazes of Rappan Athuk—The Dungeon of Graves. Rappan Athuk is a difficult dungeon. Even the upper dungeon levels should not be attempted by a party of less than six mid-level characters.
Strange catches have long plagued fishermen's nets -- but none so strange as rotting fish that twitch and gasp for days after they are taken from the water, or a gilled githyanki's severed head found in a shark's belly. Do these briny omens lend credence to rumors of a sunken githyanki city caught in a necromantic civil war? This is a sequel to "The Death of Lashimire" (Dungeon Magazine #116). This adventure makes use of rules and options from "Stormwrack" and the "Expanded Psionics Handbook". Pgs. 60-82
Time is running out for the members of the Ivory Scimitar as they strive to overcome the latest challenges of the Infernal Machine and Mithelvarn's Labyrinth. With the discovery of a secret entrance into the 5th level of the dungeon, the party must now enter uncharted waters with an entirely new type of environment and monstrous threats. Can they withstand these new creation of the Machine, and will they finally breach the 6th seal and gain entry into the last level of the legendary dungeon and save all of Roslof Keep? This adventure is formatted to both 1E & 5E gaming rules. Also available in PDF.
Something stirs in the waters surrounding Port Wadegrave, a strange presence which has sown fear and discord throughout the coastal town, and sailors fear to cast out upon the waves! Can anyone get to the bottom of these mystery monster sightings and make the port safe once more? Ancient Cargo is a sea-faring adventure for Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition in which the Player Characters (PC’s) must defend a ship against a host of oceanic threats if they hope to complete their journey to Port Wadegrave. This adventure is designed for characters of 2nd to 4th level and is optimised for four characters with an average party level of 3. The adventure is setting agnostic and can easily fit into any published or homebrew world.
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.