Smoke still rises from the shattered buildings and ruined streets of the troubled town of Cauldron, yet if not for the actions of a band of heroes, it would not exist at all. A sinister cabal of cultists bent on plunging Cauldron into the prison plane of Carceri had awakened the volcano below the town, and amidst the attacks of dragons and fiends from the outer planes, these heroes were able to evacuate the city and then strike at the cultists in their lair near the volcano's heart. Now, this cult, the Cagewrights, lies shattered, their members put on the defensive for the first time. All that remains is to finish the job, but the surviving Cagewrights still have some surprises left in their mysterious stronghold under the snake-haunted ruins of Shatterhorn. "Strike on Shatterhorn" is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure designed for four 18tth-level characters. This adventure is part of the Shackled City Adventure Path that began with "Life Bazaar" (Dungeon #97) and continued with "Flood Season" (Dungeon #98), "Zenith Trajectory" (Dungeon #102), "The Demonskar Legacy" (Dungeon #104), "Test of the Smoking Eye" (Dungeon #107), "Secrets of the Soul Pillars" (Dungeon #109), "Lords of Oblivion" (Dungeon #111), "Foundation of Flame" (Dungeon #113), and "Thirteen Cages" (Dungeon #114). The Adventure Path concludes in Dungeon #116 with "Asylum." Pgs. 56-82
A fallen clock tower holds components from an ancient artifact. Upon discovery of the components, competing agents look to launch expeditions to uncover additional components scattered across distant places—and times. The now-lost Temple of Moloch and the construction site of the legendary Tomb of Horrors are two of those locations. However great the risks, finding the components demands the effort, for whoever does so can reassemble the fabled Infernal Machine of Lum the Mad!
The town of Proskur has been cut off from the rest of the kingdom of Cormyr by a terrible storm, just as its people begins to suffer from a feinting sickness. Now the crops are failing. Are these the acts of a vengeful god? Or something more sinister? While aiding the good peoples of Cormyr in their plight against goblin hordes, the restless dead, a band of cut-throat pirates and the wilds of the Gritstone Moorland, the adventurers must investigate the true cause behind these calamities while uncovering a century old past, following in the footsteps of a legendary band of knights. Will they bring the fight to the evil hag, Bad Blood Hattie in her accursed Bloodtower lair? Or doom Proskur to become a blighted ruin?
Trouble always comes in threes. For years the mansion has hidden its secrets and its sorrows, but now it has returned to dreadful life. The Ghost of Mistmoor is an investigative adventure where the PCs are tasked with finding the entrance to a secret vault in a haunted mansion. There are ghosts to be had, but unbeknownst to the characters also a cunning thief and her sidekick took residence here. It does not contain many combat encounters but has a rich list of spooky events, some from the ghosts, some staged by the thief. Pgs. 52-70
Following the opening of its necropolis, the city of Wati is overrun by hordes of the unquiet dead. The heroes must once more brave the abandoned streets and dusty tombs of Wati’s necropolis in search of the powerful artifact called the Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh, as well as the necromancer who is using it to create the undead uprising. But mysterious masked cultists also seek the artifact so they can bring a pharaoh from the ancient past back to life. Can the heroes defeat the evil necromancer and return the deceased to their graves, or will Wati truly become a city of the dead?
"When the adventurers decide to help a man who has lost his memory, little do they realize he’s Gethirah Kugothan, the notorious anti-paladin! Can the man they know as “Michael” leave his evil past behind and become a champion of good? The answer lies in Gethirah’s former stronghold, a magnificent castle perched atop a waterfall." - Christopher Perkins From the magazine: "The Forgotten Man" is an AD&D adventure designed for 4-5 PCs of levels 6-8 (about 35 total levels)... This adventure focuses on Gethirah Kugothan (also known as Michael), a formerly evil man whose memory has since taken up residence in a church of the god of rebirth and renewal. The premise of the adventure hinges on the possibility that such a man can be turned from the path of evil and become good. The main goal of the PCs is to keep Gethirah from becoming the man he used to be.
The crown of the kobold king will be anointed in blood. Five children from the town of Falcon’s Hollow have gone missing, dragged off into ruins underneath a cursed dwarven monastery. Soon they will be sacrificed to the crown, all to the glory of the twisted King of the Kobolds. If they are to be saved from this gruesome fate, brave heroes must follow their trail to the monastery and plumb the depths of its trap-laden and monster-infested halls.
A Kiss to Build a Dream On is a 5e-compatible dream-delve for four level 7 characters. It plays for 3-4 hours. Queen Aisling, newly free of insomnia (see The Trouble with Dreams), has become an avid dreamer. A little too avid in the eyes of some. Under ducal questioning, her Majesty confessed there was something more going on; She’s fallen in love with a man she has seen in her dreams. The adventurers have been assembled to mount an expedition into the Realms of Slumber. With the aid of an uneasy Somnomancer, a magic spell, and an ice pick, a rift to the Realms of Slumber is opened! Warning: die in the Realms of Slumber and you’ll be damned to sleepwalk the rest of your life - a fate worse than death! The heroes are entrusted with an Interdimensional Valise. It functions as a Bag of Holding, except that it can also carry Dream Creatures into the real world. To appease the Queen, the adventurers must get the Man of Her Dreams into the Valise and then return with him to the Waking World. The adventurers will be rewarded with a Knighthood and an Estate in the Vinelands (10,000gp value) if they succeed.
Ages of Buried Evil The Bonegarden is a small nation ruled by the dead, a circular cemetery 1 mile in diameter, surrounded by a magical containment field that keeps its denizens from spilling into the innocent world beyond. Within the gate lies one of the true blights of the Domain of Hawkmoon, an immense graveyard that serves as the prison for the doomed spirits of thousands of history's most awful criminals. Those inside are determined to escape, and one of them may have found a way... An Endless Forum of Adventure The cemetery is a self-contained battlefield that abounds with undead of types the heroes have never seen, each with its own special plan for escaping its eternal confinement. The Bonegarden contains dozens of new spells, feats, monsters, and magic items. All the action takes place inside a mile-wide arena where the dead are the majority and the living are hunted like wild game. The heroes have come to the cemetery in search of adventure. The only question is... can they get out?
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.
Disturbing shadows have grown long over the northern reaches of The Land of Song. The fierce people who once fished the chilly fjords and hunted in the evergreen peaks now huddle in their villages. An evil is abroad in the land. The heroes are charged by Jarl Yngvar with traveling to the Valley of the Sleeping Jarls, an old tomb in the hills where dead kings are laid to rest, to discover the source of the malevolence bearing down upon the land and with eradicating it. Who can say what evil lurks amid the towering peaks and shadowed fjords? For decades this malevolent being plotted his vengeance upon Hjalmar’s heirs, for the jarl had gone the way of all mortals. Taking for himself the name Mogens (“powerful”), this evil spirit, now a self-styled dark lord, gathered wicked cronies and servants to itself and came to the Valley of the Sleeping Jarls. There, he has spent nearly two decades corrupting and desecrating the sacred resting place, reshaping the hollowed tombs into a blasphemous temple to his infernal lord.
The sleepy town of Karpad in shadow-haunted Nidal has long been overseen by the Boroi family, and until a few weeks ago, the citizens under Baron Stepan Boroi's rule have lived uneventful lives of relative peace. Recently, however, the outbreak of a virulent and fatal disease and a number of mysterious disappearances have left the people of Karpad paranoid and fearful. Even Baron Stepan has been acting strangely, and now the tenuous balance of racial tensions between Karpad's human and fetchling populations stands on the verge of collapsing into total anarchy.
The Pyramid of Amra is a challenging adventure designed for characters of at least 12th level. Due to the nature and numbers of undead enemies (vampires), having a cleric on hand with the ability to cast raise dead and greater restoration is advisable. The PCs should be rounded out with a wizard or sorcerer and a pair of front-line fighters. In this adventure, the PCs travel to the Pyramid of Amra and the ancient Monastery of Night, where they face one of the most dangerous of opponents they are likely to meet, C’nosretep the Champion of Set.
Tomb at the Dragon's Spine is a companion adventure made to go along with the events unfolding during the middle sections of Folio #14 (WS1 Isle of Jade). It contains the information needed to run a side adventure during the Isle of Jade. Many centuries ago, in an age forgotten, the last of the great sea dwarf masons died on the Isle of Jade after helping construct some of the final Corsair structures the world will ever see. Now, his tomb rests on the heights of the Dragon's Back, and evil has crept into the tomb. Only the brave few might now pass the threshold for the treasures that certainly lay within. While crossing the deadly 'Dragon's Spine' of the island's interior, the party encounters a darkness at the heights. Within the ancient stones the tomb of one of the last sea dwarf master masons rests. Has the corruption of the island reached the tomb? Only exploration will reveal the truth, and the treasure. This adventure is formatted to both 1E & 5E gaming rules.
His name is Conan, and no man can stand before him in battle." "Conan the Conqueror" by Robert E. Howard In an age long ago, there existed a hero - Conan. With fiery will, he slashed his name across the ancient lands of Hyboria. It was a time when bravery, trickery, and magic decided men's fates, and a steel sword could make the difference between life and death. For the daring, strong, and clever, there were fortunes to find and lands to rule. Travel back to this with Conan and his companions, Juma, Valeria, and Nestor. Travel back to defeat the dark horrors of his land! TSR 9123
It's a horrible time to have a curse! Each wielding a powerful item to a family legacy, your players are a group of young adventurers who barely survive an attack on their order of vampire-hunters by agents of Dracula. After escaping, they discover Dracula has placed a curse upon the land which makes restful sleep difficult outside of hallowed areas. Dracula, "alive" on another plane but dead on this one, must be resurrected so they can kill him, end the curse, and avenge their dead. To accomplish this goal, the player characters must journey through forest, marsh, hill, and underground paths to retrieve relics of Dracula's last life from keeps and fortresses overrun by monsters and the undead. If they can resurrect him, he will be weak and easy to kill... but the adventurers aren't the only ones who want Dracula on the Material Plane, and Dracula is not the only vampire in the world. Gameplay overview This adventure takes the players from 2nd through 9th or 10th level on a milestone basis as they choose where to travel in what order to retrieve what they need. Starting at a happy gathering at the Belmonte Order, which the characters are hereditary members of, the campaign kicks off with a bang as the group retrieves their chosen legacy items, salvages what other gear they can in a race against time and a growing number of foes, and then escapes to begin their quest. In addition to the six main "dungeons," there are two optional regional lairs, traveling vampires, and many foes along the way. Most of the towns in the area have managed to survive, providing points of light at which the party may stop, long rest safely, acquire supplies, and socialize. Travel is hazardous! 5e classes are balanced for resource management across a 5-8 encounter adventuring day. The campaign is designed to have a semi-variable flow of encounters as the party traels around the area. Encounters grow progressively more difficult as time passes and the party spends more time within a region. These are not random encounters rolled on a table, but encounters designed to be unique to each area's geography, combat terrain, and mix of foes. As the party spends more time in a region or revisits it, the encounter difficulty increases. Dracula's curse requires a Constitution saving throw to successfully long rest outside of Hallowed areas (towns). The difficulty scales up over time, forcing the party to balance speed and safety as they try to accomplish their goals without pushing beyond the limits of what they can handle. The game concept, general map layout, and some enemy distributions are loosely inspired by Castlevania II for the NES, one of the forerunners of the "Metroidvania" genre. Dracula's Curse is indeed a game in which the forests are dark and full of monsters, and every night is a horrible one to have a curse. Includes 15 Legacy items, from weapons like whips and swords to a shield, a belt, or a decanter of holy water 60+ enemy statblocks 8 unique dungeons with unique layouts & challenges 5 inhabited towns with multiple named NPCs 100+ travel encounters (expect to use 30-50%) The module is printer-friendly with no artwork and straightforward grid maps for location-based encounters which require one.
The ancient dwarven kingdom of wonder and fable is no more! Only the tales of it's grandeur remain to entertain the children, or so you thought. Then you met Nimron. Distraught and desperate, you alone can pass the gates sealed so long ago. Within are the lairs of bandits, cutthroats, and worse. The evil that destroyed the dwarven home - the Halls of Paradise - is awakened again. Into this horror ventured the dwarven princess Grona Marblefist to reclaim her kingdom. She, like so many others, has not returned. Now you must face this peril alone. Thunderdelve Mountain is a solitaire adventure for the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Expert game. Players who don't wish to face the fallen Halls of Paradise alone may also use this adventure for group play. TSR 9157
Part 1 of an Expert-level quest into a hostile wilderness. This adventure takes place in the Known World of the D&D game, as outlined throughout the D&D game rule books and modules. The DM may find it useful to consult the Companion and Masters Sets, as well as most of the X-series of Expert Set modules. D&D Expert Set module X9, The Savage Coast, would be especially helpful, as Tortles of the Purple Sage could easily serve and continue that module's direction and plot like, adding a previously undescribed area (the Great Northway) to the Known World. The DM may also place the areas and events of this adventure within an existing campaign setting, as long as the geographical areas of the campaign match those set forth here. Pgs. 40-62
Join the adventure in the free city of Taux! Written as a narrative piece to help incorporate game play into the shared world anthology series Tales of the Emerald Serpent, this adventure for semi-experienced characters will put you on the run from the most powerful and notorious family in Taux. Can the characters write their own story and join the legends of Black Gate with the help of iconic personas made famous in Tales of the Emerald Serpent and A Knight in the Silk Purse. This adventure is formatted to both 1E & 5E gaming rules. Also available in PDF.
To banish the monstrous shadows that stalk Westcrown by night, the PCs go undercover, joining the city’s chaotic theatrical community in an elaborate plot to infiltrate the estate of the decadent lord-mayor. Yet theater life turns deadly when they become players in a spectacle no actor has ever survived. Can the PCs endure their debut performance in a city where an actor’s first big hit is often his last? This volume of Pathfinder Adventure Path continues the Council of Thieves Adventure Path, and includes: "The Sixfold Trial," a Pathfinder RPG adventure for 3rd-level characters, by Richard Pett The Six Trials of Larazod, the complete and unabridged text of that infamously deadly play, by Nicolas Logue An exploration of the faith of Iomedae the Inheritor, goddess of valor, by Sean K Reynolds Pathfinder Varian Jeggare investigating death among the aristocracy in the Pathfinder’s Journal, by Dave Gross Six new monsters by Darrin Drader, David Eitelbach, Sean K Reynolds, and F. Wesley Schneider