People keep asking for "beginner" dungeons. Everyone can name "classic" dungeons - Tomb of Horrors, Barrier Peaks, Ravenloft, etc. - but in order for those adventures to make sense, there needs to be some sort of introduction. It's like all the adventures we have are Bach concertos. People keep writing amazing works of staggering genius, but someone needs to write a book on how to play the piano. I had the same questions, and since I couldn't find anything satisfactory, I decided to write the kind of dungeon I would have loved to find. I wanted to write the best basic OSR dungeon for beginners that I could, and I also wanted to show the design process. If you like this dungeon, please share it, tell people about it, print copies and leave them lying around local game stores, or email this post to friends who have "always wanted to try D&D but don't know where to start". The entire thing is and always will be free.
Chapter 2: The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh In this version of the adventure, the characters find navigational charts and logs aboard the Sea Ghost that implicate its crew as slavers. Ned Shakeshaft is a Scarlet Brotherhood agent. He makes an attempt to foil the characters, but his true intent is to surrender and implicate Gellan Primewater as a key villain. The distraction afforded by the lizardfolk and the looming sahuagin threat gives the Scarlet Brotherhood the opportunity to bring more agents into town. posing as mercenaries brought in by Anders to protect the town. If Gellan can be removed from the council, Solmor might ask one of the characters to take his place.
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? Towers of Evil is the second 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
Adventure in a wizard's highly magical tomb. While still in college, Jennell Jaquays, writing as Paul, started The Dungeoneer fanzine. For the first issue, Jaquays wrote F’Chelrak’s Tomb. The pioneering adventure and its successors proved memorable. Looking back at The Dungeoneer, Jaquays said, “It’s the adventures that stand out, and not simply because no one else was doing mini-adventures in 1976. When I read comments about the magazine or talk to fans (old and new), no one talks about the monsters, or the art, or the magic items and rules variants. It’s always the adventures.”
The Boneyard is a 3- to 4-hour adventure for characters levels 1st to 4th. It features a flavorful setting, memorable roleplaying, oddball and depraved NPCs, interwoven storylines, and macabre combat encounters! The adventure also includes 3 new NPC stat blocks. When darkness falls and the iron gates close behind you, the dead come out to play!
Far above the village of Barovia sits Castle Ravenloft, the home and fortress of vampire lord Strahd Von Zarovich. Legends claim that Strahd flies with the bats and runs with the wolves to terrorize the countryside. Ancient tales also tell of dungeons and catacombs deep under the castle. Other stories recall the great halls, treasures, and glory of Ravenloft in centuries past. "House of Strahd" is a revision of the classic gothic horror tale I6: Ravenloft, one of the most popular adventures ever produced for the AD&D game. This version is updated for the AD&D 2nd Edition rules, and those from the Ravenloft campaign set. Count Strahd is now more powerful, and his castle is even more terrifying! TSR 9418
The Mummy's Mask Adventure Path begins with "The Half-Dead City," an exciting new adventure in the pyramid-laden realm of Osirion, Land of Pharaohs! In the city of Wati, the church of Pharasma holds a lottery allowing explorers to delve the tombs of the city's vast necropolis in search of the nation's lost glories. In the course of investigating dusty tombs and fighting their ancient guardians and devious traps, the heroes encounter a group of rival adventurers intent on keeping one tomb's treasures for themselves. At the same time, the heroes learn that a dangerous artifact has been stolen from the tomb. Can the adventurers defeat their rivals, or will they fall to the undead defenders of the city's necropolis?
Base of Operations is a short adventure intended for four 5th-level characters. DMs can easily modify the adventure to suit higher- or lower-level adventurers, or larger or smaller parties of adventurers. Simply adding a few monsters to every encounter area makes the adventure more challenging for larger parties, and adding levels to any of the humanoids can make them more of a threat to high-level groups. For low-level adventurers, make the relationship between the two factions within Brightstone Keep more strained, and take away a few monsters from each group. You can remove levels from some of the humanoids in the adventure to make it a lower-level challenge, but it is important that the orc cleric (described in encounter area 8) still have the ability to animate the dead. Still, he can have fewer minions around him when encountered, and that makes him less of a challenge for a lowlevel party.
Restore an Abandoned Temple Enter the catacombs near the desecrated Temple of Muir, Goddess of Paladins, and search for the lost tomb of Abysthor. Will your party be able to cleanse the evil that now inhabits these once-sacred halls, and recover the Stone of Tircople? Can your characters survive the traps of an undead sorcerer? Will your players discover the chamber of Living Rock and the secret power it holds? Adventure awaits! Gold and Glory! A fantasy adventure published for the D20 system, The Tomb of Abysthor is the first module in Necromancer Games Dungeon series and can be played as a stand-alone story or in conjunction with The Crucible of Freya and the forthcoming city supplement Bards Gate. What secrets lie hidden in the tomb of Abysthor?
Under raging stormclouds, a lone figure stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of castle Ravenloft. Count Strahd von Zarovich stares down a sheer cliff at the village below. A cold, bitter wind spins dead leaves around him, billowing his cape in the darkness. Lightning splits the clouds overhead, casting stark white light across him. Strahd turns to the sky, revealing the angular muscles of his face and hands. He has a look of power - and of madness. His once-handsome face is contorted by a tragedy darker than the night itself. Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind's howling increases as Strahd turns his gaze back to the village. Fas below, yet not beyond his keen eyesight, a party of adventurers has just entered his domain. Strahd's face forms a twisted smile as his dark plan unfolds. He knew they were coming, and he knows why they came, all according to his plan. He, the master of Ravenloft, will attend to them. Another lightning flash rips through the darkness, its thunder echoing through the castle's towers. But Strahd is gone. Only the howling of the wind - or perhaps a lone wolf - fills the midnight air. The master of Ravenloft is having guests for dinner. And you are invited. TSR 9075
This heist adventure that takes place almost entirely at Fort Bones. It is split into five scenes: Karrnathi Opening. The characters meet Vedim ir’Durna, a noble from the region who is willing to help the player characters infiltrate the Fort. Guild Handler Lhara introduces their prize: a necromantic artifact called the Queen of Night, tied to the plane of Mabar. Valenar Gambit. Whether by wit or stealth, the characters find their way inside the walls of Fort Bones. They might use the incoming Valenar attack as a distraction, find a secret entrance, or plant themselves on a visiting dignitary’s staff. Castling. Safely inside, the characters must figure out when the artifact is unguarded, and find their way into the castle’s inner sanctum. Check. The characters must navigate their way past a magical vault door, then descend into the crypts. The Queen of Night is guarded by a terrifying construct. Endgame. With the artifact in their hands, will the characters be able to escape with their lives?
There is no particular overarching story here, just a prospect gate keep dungeon you can drop into your own sandbox and run as you see fit. This adventure is formatted to both 1E & 5E gaming rules.
The Isle of Ruk and the Dungeon of Klinis A sandbox adventure module and mini‑setting for classic fantasy play. Explore the bustling port town filled with factions and intrigue, wander the wilds where strange creatures stalk, and delve into the dungeons. New monsters, magic items, and two new character classes bring fresh flavour without adding rules. At the island’s heart stands the Dungeon of Klinis a three‑level ruin carved deep into the mountain, filled with traps, factions, and long‑buried treasures waiting to be uncovered. Whether your table prefers exploration, intrigue, or old‑school dungeon delving, Ruk offers a flexible foundation for emergent play. Inside you’ll find: A lively port town packed with NPCs, factions, rumours, and adventure hooks A hex‑crawl wilderness full of oddities, encounters, and strange phenomena The Dungeon of Klinis, a multi‑level adventure site designed for classic play New monsters and magic items that add flavour without adding rules Two new character classes to drop straight into your campaign A setting built to be hacked, expanded, or used as a launchpad for your own stories Design Inspirations This project draws on the spirit of Gary Gygax’s classic article “How to Set up Your Dungeons & Dragons Campaign – and Be Stuck Refereeing It Seven Days per Week until the Wee Hours of the Morning!” and the practical creativity of Ray Otus’s workbook approach to worldbuilding. The map were drawn with inspiration from Niklas Wistedt (Paths Peculiar) how to draw basic dungeon maps. The Graves design aided by James Holloway's The Tome of Tombs. The earliest seeds of the Isle of Ruk emerged while designing a character class for the OSE Class Jam, eventually growing into a full mini‑setting and adventure module,
The necromancer Tal Lorvas has unearthed an underground tomb that dates back to the height of the ancient tiefling empire. Lorvas has been terrorizing the surrounding lands with his vile experiments, and now he hopes to find a ring, hidden in the tomb, that is tied to a ritual he wants to perform by the rise of the next full moon. The PCs must enter the tomb of Empress Nemeia, deal with the servants of the necromancer, and confront Tal Lorvas before he can claim the ancient relic and move one step closer to ultimate power over the undead. Pgs. 36-41
Powerful Magics are Loose in Karameikos! You and your companions are starting on your first adventure and you've been swept into the intrigues surrounding the infamous Black Eagle Barony. To prevent the evil Baron von Hendricks from gaining more power, you and your cmpanions must retrieve the magical Eye of Traldar from the wizard's tower at Fort Doom. Can you escapes the clutches of the armed garrison? Will the Baron gain the powerful artifact and use it for evil? You and your friends make the choices and affect the entire Grand Duchy of Karameikos. This module is particularly recommended for novice Dungon Masters and players who want to try their hand at overland adventuring. Recommended for four to six characters, levels 1-2 Handouts and pregenerated characters provided Suitable for use with the Dungeons & Dragons Game box and conventional D&D Game rules Features simple rules on outdoors travelling for exclusive players of the D&D Game box Adventure in the monster-filled caverns and dungeons beneath Fort Doom. TSR 9271
Just outside Per-Bastet, in the kingdom of Nuria Natal, lie the newly discovered remains of Anu-Asir, a city once believed to exist only in myth. The ruins of Anu-Asir lie submerged under accumulations of sand, floodwater, and tall tales. It is now a hub of activity for those seeking to uncover its secrets— and profit from them. Droves of the curious, hopeful, greedy, and eccentric congregate around the unearthed city. And just outside Anu-Asir, across the River Nuria, lies the most recently surfaced relic: the Pyramid of Tiberesh. Dare you explore its deadly mysteries?
Old Olga and Young Yvonne is a four- to six-hour adventure for 1st-4th level characters, designed for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, with a village theme, hags and witches, an abducted child to save, some horror, and mysteries to solve! Willow Creek, a remote farming village, is in trouble: livestock is going missing and reappears gutted in the woods, crops fail and fields blight - and now the bastard child of young Yvonne has gone missing as well. What no one in the village knows: Yvonne is a budding witch secretly feuding with Old Olga, an evil hag in the woods - who now demands a human sacrifice from Yvonne in return for her child. Who can sort out this mess, bring back the innocent child, prevent a murder, and return peace and quiet to Willow Creek? This adventure can also be used as a mini-campaign sandbox. With the branching and inter-connecting scenes, locations, and NPCs it provides, combined with the guidance on how to run a "village adventure", the material provided here on more than 60 pages can easily cover up to eight hours of playtime. Included with this adventure are: + an original custom creature, the young witch + 12 original fleshed out NPCs, including personality traits and roleplaying tips + a toolset for creating villager NPCs quickly + 7 hand-drawn maps of important locations + 4 alternative story rewards (depending on how the adventure resolves)
Why should anyone travel the cracked cobblestones of the Old Road? The fortress that once cast its shadow across the road does so no longer - some whisper that the earth swallowed the fortress whole in an age long past. Four brave adventurers resolved to discover the truth and set off down the Old Road, but they never returned. This adventure is a first level adventure for beginning players set in the dungeon of the fallen fortress.
The last of his line, Baron Paytro NeMoren has left his dark secret sealed for decades in the family's underground vault. Now, years after his death, a group of stalwart heroes has gathered according to the baron's final wishes. At last, the seal will be broken and the secrets of the vault revealed. Can all sins be forgiven? The adventure is designed to kick-off a campaign, as it provides for an interesting way to get the party together. Instead of meeting at a tavern or being recruited by the local militia, each party member starts with a key to the NeMoren's vault, a key that was handed down by a friend or given as a gift for some good deed peformed in the past. The executor of the estate has gathered together all of the key-holders so that they could claim the contents of the vault. The vault can only be opened with all of the keys in unison. The vault is protected by a number of minor traps and tricks, but it also became the final resting place for the Baron's ex-lover, Lisette, and her brothers--all three of whom had attempted to blackmail the Baron. They were buried alive and are now undead. To complicate matters, a young umber hulk made its way to the vault, leaving some crude tunnels that were later exploited by hobgoblins coming from another surface entrance. The party will need to deal with the hobgoblins, the undead, the traps, and possibly the young umber hulk. There is a side-plot of poisoned groundwater in the nearby town that the party can also resolve by clearing out the undead and properly disposing of the putrid corpses leaking into the groundwater from the vault. Produced by Fiery Dragon Productions
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?