Necromancer Lintu practices undead-focused magic, avant-garde taxidermy, and is one of the most intelligent, successful, and evil people in Morsain. Outwardly helpful about undead, he's a psychotic serial killer happily "sourcing raw materials" himself.
The Ocaulin Cult has stumbled upon the tomb, seeking to awaken an abomination known as the Spawn of Ocaulin. They have kidnapped a merchant’s daughter, Mornea, to serve as the final sacrifice for the creature. Meanwhile, undead have escaped the tomb, plaguing nearby settlements. The PCs must navigate the dangers of the tomb, confront the cult, and prevent the Spawn of Ocaulin from being unleashed upon the world. Multi-level tomb filled with traps, and undead guardians. Dynamic events and rumors in the City of Omere
This strange fruit has an unusual aftertaste. That horrible blue, bug-eyed monster you just fought - was it really an orc? An alchemist hires the party to gather as many moonmelons as possible for his own experiements. This strange fruit causes random mutations in the offspring of those that eat it. Unfortunately, it can only be found in the domain of a strange and mutated orc tribe. Pgs. 24-31
Hunt for the Thessalhydra is a short adventure published by Wizards of the Coast as a tie in to the "Stranger Things" franchise and part of the Stranger Things Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set. The adventure features characters, locations, and monsters inspired by that series. The adventure is suitable for characters of level 3-5.
Brambletoe Hall has ever been deep, warm and filled with mirth. Here, the good mayor Willie Brambletoe has long presided over a board of warm mutton, fresh apples, berries, peaches and the like, as well as wondrous breads, warm butter and cool drink. Mayor Willie invites all, inviting may various and sundry folks to sit and eat with him, or to gather about his great hall and make merry, pass the time and exchange news of distant happenings in exotic lands. But something has changed in that noble Halfling's Halls and a Shadow of Evil has taken up abode there. Not many days past, in those deep hours before the dawn, the sounds of merriment changed to cries of despair. A haunting came to the Good man's home and left an air filled with the noise of terror and a foul odor of unrepentant evil. Abandoned now, a shadow has hung over the hall ever since. Foul play or murder, none knew. But the Shadow of Fear has spread, stalking the environs of Newbriar. And the locals now say Newbriar has come at last to know the shallow welcome of the other world. In fear, the folk of Newbriar have called for aid, sending riders forth to find courageous heroes willing to rid the town and its sufferages of the terror of the Shadows of the Halfling Hall.
A Halfling girl battling a rare disease that no magic can cure. A fruit, which has the power to heal and the power to corrupt, now guarded by mad siblings. A journey through a hostile forest, a trapped tower, and a dungeon to retrieve the fruit to heal the young girl. Will your heroes be triumphant, or will they perish while attempting to retrieve the mysterious fruit?
A handful of would-be adventurers gathers to explore an ancient tomb, eager to trade their discoveries for a ticket to a better life. What they find within presages the advent of the Age of Worms, an era of darkness, decay, and writhing doom. "The Whispering Cairn" is the first installment of the Age of Worms Adventure Path, a complete campaign consisting of 12 adventures, several "Backdrop" articles to help Dungeon masters run the series, and a handful of poster maps of key locations. For additional aid in running this campaign, check out Dragon's monthly "Worm Food" articles, a series that provides additional materials to help players survive this campaign. Pgs. 14-47
Horrible hauntings, cruel curses, dark secrets...this is no pleasure cruise! The mists of Ravenloft know no boundaries and observe no rules. One way or another, they always get what they want - this time with some help from a cursed captain and his ship. Player characters boarding an innocent-looking ship will soon find themselves aboard a haunted vessel, destined for an island inhabited by a new form of undead creatures. But that's not the end of the horror - an evil necromancer lies at the root of the evil on the island. The battle isn't over until he's been defeated! Ship of Horror is an adventure set in Ravenloft with two beginnings: one for PCs already in Ravenloft, and one for DMs looking for a way to push his PCs into Ravenloft from other worlds. The adventure includes three new monsters, new spells, and several handouts ready for distribution to players. Ship of Horror is an adventure for four to six players of levels 8-10 looking for grisly chills and thrills! TSR 9321
The end of the road. A lonely fort stands on the banks of a mighty river. It is here the hardy bands of adventurers gather to plan their conquests of The Hill, the hulking mass that looms over this tiny settlement. The Hill is filled with monsters, they say, and an evil witch makes her home there. Still, no visitor to The Hill has ever returned to prove the rumors are true or false. The thrill of discovery is too great to pass up, and only the river stands in the way. The adventurer's boat is waiting! This module is designed for use with the D&D Basic Rules. A trip through the wilderness begins a unique challenge for the novice player and Dungeon Master. TSR 9078
Your party is on a journey through a mountainous region distinguished by sheer cliffs and dangerous precipices. Thus everyone is quite grateful when, just at nightfall, they find a small abandoned chapel. It provides a dry shelter from the wind and radiates such an aura of good that there is no hesitation about sheltering within it. This is an adventure for a balanced party of six second- and third-level characters; ifd esired, the number may be increased by including three first-level characters.
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.
In the city of Waterdeep rests a tavern called the Yawning Portal, named after the gaping pit in its common room. At the bottom of this crumbling shaft is a labyrinthine dungeon shunned by all but the most daring adventurers. Known as Undermountain, this dungeon is the domain of the mad wizard Halaster Blackcloak. Long has the Mad Mage dwelt in these forlorn depths, seeding his lair with monsters, traps, and mysteries—to what end is a constant source of speculation and concern. This adventure picks up where Waterdeep: Dragon Heist leaves off, taking characters of 5th level or higher all the way to 20th level should they explore the entirety of Halaster’s home. Twenty-three levels of Undermountain are detailed herein, along with the subterranean refuge of Skullport. Treasures and secrets abound, but tread with care!
On the outskirts of town lies an ancient temple to an unknown deity. Periodically, undead creatures issue from the catacombs beneath it. The party receives a commission from the city elders to venture into the catacombs and exterminate the undead. Pgs. 64-71
A centuries old evil has been cultivating an environmental disaster deep under the earth, waiting for the time when it will be unleashed on the world. A new mine has been created above and has broken the seal. The owner of the mine has lost contact with their foreman and shipments have stopped, and it’s up to an inexperienced but eager group of adventurers to investigate. This adventure is designed to present a challenge for a group of four veteran players using first level characters. While there are opportunities for roleplay scattered throughout, this adventure is heavy on the exploration and combat pillars of fifth edition. Death is a real and ever-present threat as they investigate the mine and the dangers below. Success and survival should bring them to the third level, and they may have found some treasure well worth the effort. So much so that they may become targets themselves from unscrupulous and more experienced NPCs. Written to be a seed for a larger campaign in any high fantasy setting, the outcome of this adventure could have world-changing consequences. It introduces a new and growing threat that, given enough encouragement, greed, time and apathy, could consume the world and beyond.
"More than five hundred years ago, clans of dwarves and gnomes made an agreement known as the Phandelver’s Pact, by which they would share a rich mine in a wondrous cavern known as Wave Echo Cave. In addition to its mineral wealth, the mine contained great magical power. Human spellcasters allied themselves with the dwarves and gnomes to channel and bind that energy into a great forge (called the Forge of Spells), where magic items could be crafted. Times were good, and the nearby human town of Phandalin (pronounced fan-duh-lin) prospered as well. But then disaster struck when orcs swept through the North and laid waste to all in their path. A powerful force of orcs reinforced by evil mercenary wizards attacked wave echo cave to seize its riches and magic treasures. Human wizards fought alongside their dwarf and gnome allies to defend the Forge of Spells, and the ensuing spell battle destroyed much of the cavern. Few survived the cave-ins and tremors, and the location of Wave Echo Cave was lost. For centuries, rumours of buried riches have attracted treasure seekers and opportunists to the area around Phandalin, but no one has ever succeeded in locating the lost mine. In recent years, people have resettled the area. Phandalin is now a rough-and-tumble frontier town. More important, the Rockseeker brothers - a trio of dwarves - have discovered the entrance to Wave Echo Cave, and they intend to reopen the mines. Unfortunately for the Rockseekers, they are not the only ones interested in Wave Echo Cave. A mysterious villain known as the Black Spider controls a network of bandit gangs and goblin tribes in the area, and his agents have followed the Rockseekers to their prize. Now the Black Spider wants Wave Echo Cave for himself, and he is taking steps to make sure no one else knows where it is." Extra Info from AL.com users: by @marcellarius. "There are a variety of locations in this adventure: the town of Phandalin, a gang hideout, a ruined keep in the forest, a destroyed village, and Wave Echo Cave (a dungeon crawl). The adventure is written in a sandbox style and relies on the players to choose their path. Phandalin offers several side-quests which could serve as hooks for continuing adventures. The premade characters have ties in their backgrounds to NPCs and locations. If you're not using these you'll need to consider other ways to introduce key NPCs."
Digging in the Dark People are vanishing from the village of Brookhollow. Can you solve the mystery in time to save your friends? Pgs. 12-29
Devastated in a war with a nearby wizards' school, the Fighters' Academy has since been surrounded by a foul and dank swamp - the Gloomfens. Since the climatctic battle between the wizards and fighters, the tower has decayed. The spirit of the head of the academy haunts the building, eternally plotting his revenge on the wizards who killed him. his loyal sutdents remain faithful to him even in death. Other foul undead have made their home in the rotting, spacious academy. From their lair, they make forays into farmsteads near the swamp in search of victims to feed their unspeakable appetites. The Problem of these terrible attacks by the savage undead will not stop until the evil that has found a home at the tower is burned from the face of the land forever. Will your party heed the call and help the town of Melinir? Will they be able to clear the former Academy of its undead? The Fighters' Academy is the first in a three part adventure, The Haunted Tower. Or, it can be ran as a stand alone adventure. The choice is up to you. Part of TSR 1081 The Haunted Tower
A mad necromancer imprisoned in a sanitarium has died. Now he has come back as a powerful undead wizard. His lunacy was only increased by his death and he has turned all the other inmates into his undead servants. Now the sanitarium is under his control. A traveling group of adventures must put a stop to the necromancer before his evil madness spreads.
A ruined monument to folly and ego, the Shadowed Keep stands atop an isolated bluff deep in a mist-wreathed forest. Sacked by marauding goblins decades ago the place was thought abandoned, but shadows now creep among the forest's great boles and footprints have appeared on the single, overgrown track leading to the keep. Travellers have begun to disappear with alarming regularity from the nearby road and the local folk fear some slumbering evil has claimed the ruin as its own. Dare you brave the terrors of the Shadowed Keep to crush that which lurks within or will darkness shroud the surrounding lands? Designed to be easily inserted into a GM's home campaign, Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands is an excellent starting locale to test the mettle of neophyte adventurers. Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands is designed for the medium advancement track. 1st-level PCs completing all the challenges of the place can expect to reach 3rd-level by the time they have exhausted all the keep has to offer.
So you want to be a Mage of High Sorcery? To join the esteemed organization, you must travel to the Tower of Wayreth and undertake the most important event in your life—the harrowing Test of High Sorcery! If you can survive where so many aspiring mages have failed, you will forever bind your soul to the Gods of Magic and gain access to untold arcane secrets. The Test of High Sorcery is the perfect adventure for new and veteran players looking to experience Dungeons & Dragons in a new way! It is a solo adventure, where your choices have meaningful consequences, but it also provides balanced rules to play with a group or a Dungeon Master. This 154-page tome features: - A sprawling adventure that fits perfectly as an expansion to any Dragonlance campaign, Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen, or as a stand-alone replayable experience - A tale full of sorcerous intrigue, featuring many new characters alongside iconic favorites like Fistandantilus, Takhisis, Fizban the Fabulous, and the Gods of Magic - Innovative Destiny and Trait mechanics make your choices really matter—and ensure every mage’s Test of High Sorcery is a unique experience - Over 60 possible outcomes to determine which Order of High Sorcery you join and provide compelling new plot hooks for your character during future adventures - Dozens of unique locations with rich stories and sorcerous challenges that Dungeon Masters can use to create their own version of the Test of High Sorcery - New magic items and stat blocks, with mechanics that support clever use of enemies’ weaknesses and the environment against them - Four gorgeous sample characters, with interactive character sheets designed to be new-player friendly so that you can jump right into the story - A detailed primer on the history of Krynn and how it relates to the Mages of High Sorcery - A community survey when you finish to let you see how you compare to other mages taking their Tests of High Sorcery