About: This encounter was cooked up in the Write your First Encounter workshop by the Storytelling Collective. It CAN be slid in as a side quest in any urban or sub-urban context, or be adapted to add confusion to any rescue mission you are presently running. Synopsis: Through the doorway a young woman shackled to the wall matching the description of Helena can be seen. Though disheveled and looking to be in great discomfort, her beauty is remarkable. But on closer inspection, there are other people here — three identical Helenas! Noble woman Elize Cleron has hired the party to infiltrate the catacombs under the Schaefer Estate and free her twin sister Helena. Helena is being held captive by the Schaefer family, trade rivals rumored to have ties to the underworld. Elize has been unable to free her sister herself because of her identical appearance. Rather than pay an unrealistic ransom, Elize has provided the party with what they need to break her out. This encounter is intended for 3rd level characters.
Though villagers fear the monster in the water, the rusalka seeks the help of a party of adventurers to save her sister. The local village is welcoming and kind on the surface, but many there hide a dark secret that they would do anything to keep concealed. Pgs. 29-33
A silent threat grows in Freeports streets. One of the pirate city's own leaders brings Freeport ever closet to war, lining his pockets eve as he plans for eventual invasion by the foreign power Mazin.
Inside Ebonclad you'll find: 170 pages of setting lore and history, accompanied by lavish illustrations and short stories to bring the setting to life. 7 adventures for character levels 1 - 4 GMs can use to introduce new players to the setting, or customize for use in their own campaigns. Tons of character options including new backgrounds, subclasses, feats, equipment, poisons, and spells. Tools for GMs to generate random citizens, valuables they may possess, the contents of their pockets or purses, and ways of determining how connected they are and how they'd react to witnessing crimes. Dozens of new NPCs, from generic stat blocks for thieves in the Ebonclad guild or town guard, to specific characters living in the city. A primer on thievery, for characters who live the life of crime. Over 30 random street encounters with different customization options a GM can use. New urban chase complications specific to the setting. More than a dozen encounter area maps saved as PNG files to print or use online.
A mysterious ship emerges from the dark ocean mist, its lantern-lit deck silent and empty. When invisible hands cast lines and ropes over to the characters, will they accept the invitation to board and enter the secret afterlife of departed sailors? Ghostlight is a nautical sword-and-sorcery adventure and includes: -A haunting foray into the afterlife for good and evil sailors -A mad witch, a dashing rat pirate, and a tavern full of departed souls -Combat cards for each monster, PC, and special treasure -High-quality digital maps for use with virtual table tops
The Creepy Handshake is a dark comedy 5e micro-adventure of urban investigation. Wander around the city, investigate the latest robberies, and uncover the mystery of a strange lost pet. This adventure is part of the supplement Tiny Weird Adventures - Urban Edition, a collection of short adventures to be used in conjunction with the fifth edition of the most popular fantasy RPG of recent times. Although it was written with a system in mind, it can be easily adapted to any other medieval fantasy RPG.
A vibrant circus has just arrived, setting up on the edge of town. Run by the charismatic half-elf ringmaster, Marlow, the performers bring with them dazzling displays of magic and talent, artifacts with incredible powers to behold, and strange creatures most people would never get the chance to see close up. Behind all of the joy and revelry, the circus holds a dark secret, for Marlow keeps tyrannical control over his performers with both whip and word. As this latest performance reaches its height, two acrobats decide to take their chance at freedom, making use of a distraction to steal something valuable from Marlow and make their escape. Marlow will do anything to get the two back under his power, and so turns his significant charms upon a hapless band of adventurers attending his circus.
Special Basic/Expert Transition Module Barely one day's march from Kelven, the uncharted tracts of the Dymrak forest conceal horrors enough to freeze the blood of civilized folk. Those who have ventured there tell how death comes quick to the unwary - for the woods at night are far worse than any dungeon. But you are adventurers, veterans of many battles, and the call of the wild is strong. Will you answer the call, or are you afraid of the dark terrors of the night? The campaign adventure is for characters just beginning Expert play (levels 2-4) and hurls them into the exciting outdoor world which awaits in the Expert rulebook. With a 64 page booklet, 2 double-panel covers, a double-sided, fold-out mapsheet and 120 die-cut counters, this super module provides all you need for epic wilderness and dungeon adventuring. Journey across the Grand Duchy of Karameikos in a desperate race against time and the forces of evil. This adventure is for use with the Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set, which continues and expands the D&D Basic Rules. This adventure cannot be played without the D&D Basic and Expert rules produced by TSR inc. TSR 9149
The widow insists there are demons in her house. She hears them at night in her root cellar, and now they call out to her. But she is old and nervous and her mind often plays tricks on her. * * * Two men, their heads fully sheathed in large, black hoods, dig quickly in the darkness of the cellar. The hole grows deeper as their shovels bite into the earth. "This will teach those meddlers their place," laughs the tall, hefty figure. "But it's too bad this was an accident," the shorter, slim figure says haltingly. "But don't you see the advantage?" snapped the tall man. "They will fear us now. They will fear for their lives." Grunting. they heave a sailcloth bundle into the hole. As it falls, a woman's hand dangles lifelessly from the folds. Who is the woman? Why will her death trigger riots and unrest in the city of Specularum? And the assassins: Are they Torenescu, Radu, or Vorloi? Or, curse of curses, the Veiled Society? This special game adventure provides a section of paper buildings and figures to cut out and use, giving you three dimensions to your game play! TSR 9086
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.
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.
Folk tales warn of strange noises from the Cormanthor Forest when winter fogs are thickest and the black of night has no shadows to cast. When such noises are heard on a late summer’s afternoon, perhaps it’s time to turn once again to the old stories? Part 1 of the Evenflow Saga
The Thieves Guild Ebonclad has taken on a new contract to locate a missing item. The mission’s primary objective is to recover a missing branding iron for the wainwright, Veshka Vern, who suspects it was stolen by her rival, Ramses Hill. This mission will likely force the players to do some breaking and entering, specialties of the guild. The mission also presents the players with competing sets of objectives, and lets them decide which course of action is most beneficial to the guild. It’ll be up to the party to determine which objectives to complete to finish the mission.
A mysterious clue has led you outside of the safety of the city’s walls and into the jungle beyond. You have been asked to venture into the jungle and seek out the wisdom of some of the native humanoids in the area—perhaps they will be able to shed some light on the situation and provide some insight on who is behind it all. Part Two of The Jungle Has Fangs Trilogy.
A nameless horror stalks the lands around Triboar. Livestock are slaughtered in the night, children are snatched from their homes, and terror has gripped the hearts of the people. Can you unravel the town’s dark secret before more lives are lost? This is a single session adventure for 2nd-3rd level characters. It includes 15 encounters in an urban sandbox, and a terrifying climax! Includes a Guide to Triboar and a new and original Map of Triboar by Daniel F. Walthall!
Ages ago, a religious order known as the Druun practiced rituals from inside sacred oak groves, ceremonial pools, and stone henges. In time, the Church of Law and Order suppressed the Druunic teachings, and the ancient holy sites were lost, forgotten, or converted to other uses. One such former site is located in the capital city of Dolmvay in the center of a small neighborhood known as Whiteoak Square. This neighborhood has recently been experiencing a strange phenomenon: At night, small dancing lights have been seen floating throughout the neighborhood. The residents were afraid of this sorcery at first, however, the lights seem to exude a feeling of peace and contentment, and the locals have grown used to them. How it Started: A few weeks ago, a butcher named Walton Brand was clearing out his cellar when he stumbled upon a secret underground passage that led to an ancient Druun hall. This hall was filled with lost relics, arcane lore, and forgotten treasures of the Druun. Walton told his friends, Loomis the Baker and the chandler Stefan of Walsbury, and the three men began sneaking away from their wives at night to dress in Druun finery and pretend to be men of wealth. A harlot named Red Kirsten was hired to attend them as they drank, feasted, and cavorted in the sacred hall. Unbeknownst to the revelers, the Druun hall still retained some of its magical powers and their merriment awakened the ancient guardian spirits of the grove. These creatures, known as faerlings, are the lights that have been seen dancing throughout the neighborhood. The faerlings were given life by the revelers' glee, and they project that joy and happiness onto the other residents of the neighborhood. This glee, however, is about to turn to horror. . . Oak Grove Whispers is a Labyrinth Lord™ adventure designed for 3-6 characters of 1st-3rd levels (about 10 levels total). The adventure is broken up into three chapters that take place in a small neighborhood located in the capital city of Dolmvay (the Labyrinth Lord is free to substitute any medium- to large-sized city from his own campaign world). Oak Grove Whispers involves a mixture of roleplaying, investigation, and dungeon crawling, so a diverse range of classes is recommended. As the adventure is set in a civilized city, the characters must also be careful their interaction with NPCs does not land them on the wrong side of the law. Published by Small Niche Games
The Cult of the Dragon has come to Phlan, a lawless refuge on the Moonsea. Now, with no significant authority to stop the cult, other power groups in the Realms--the Harpers, Order of the Gauntlet, Emerald Enclave, Lords' Alliance , and even the Zhentarim--must untite to stop the cult from fulfilling its dark purpose in the city. Join the fight by participating in any one of five different missions aimed at stopping the cult.
"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."
Where have the staff gone? Why do the doors not lead where they should? What dark experiments were performed here? And what has become of the asylum’s enigmatic owner? During a routine train ride, the characters are halted by a powerful force within Enfri Asylum. Haunted by murderous doctors, revolutionary patients, and creatures beyond description, the characters must venture into the old hospital and put an end to the madness to reach their destination. The Monsters of Enfri Asylum is a 8 to 12 hour horror adventure for 1st to 5th-level characters.
The party's objective is to steal the gold that a tyrant would use to pay the mercenaries he has hired to take over the town of Elderwood. The adventure plays out as a caper over three in-game days.