Written by the setting’s creator, incomparable RPG author Monte Cook, Ptolus: Queen of Lies is an action-packed fantasy adventure painstakingly re-designed for Ptolus: Monte Cook’s City by the Spire. Involving numerous challenging scenarios for characters of 11th level, Queen of Lies is filled with dozens of dark elf personalities, cunningly showcasing their alien culture—a world of merciless betrayal and sinister lusts. Deep below the surface, in the sunless lands of the Netherdeep, creatures of darkness build weapons and amass armies, dreaming of invasion. An attack on a peaceful elven shrine in Emerald Hill sends the heroes on a quest to retrieve stolen artifacts and kidnapped friends. All signs point to the actions of the dark elves of Ul-Drakkan, far below the city of Ptolus. However, even within that ancient fortress, there exists a deeper darkness.... Underground enemies lurk beyond every twisting passage, and strange creatures abound. The foul culture of the dark elves is both decadent and cruel, and the heroes may discover that they’ve stumbled into a web of deceit and treachery spun by the self-styled queen of the dark elves. Can the player characters complete their mission without being discovered, or will they find out, perhaps too late, that their actions been orchestrated all along by the wicked Queen of Lies? Published by Fiery Dragon Productions
The waters of a sunless sea meet a pebble-strewn shore, beyond which opens a wide Underdark vista shimmering with pale cave-light. Titanic columns as big as castles march miles into the misted distance. The wide, steeply sloping base of the nearest colossal column is carved with streets, walls, and elaborate structures, many with gaping, empty windows. A few glimmer with faint illumination. Are you brave enough to explore the spire-city and face the terrors that lurk within? Part 2 of the Barrow of the Forgotten King series. Followed by Fortress of the Yuan-ti.
Wherein the weather takes a turn for the worse. All hell breaks loose in the city of Cauldron, as a long-dormant volcano sputters to life. The heroes must deal with the terrible consequences, ushering citizens to safety and negotiating fiend-filled streets littered with collapsed buildings. And with the death of the Lord Mayer, who will lead what's left of the City? "Foundation of Flame" is the eighth adventure in the Shackled City Adventure Path. Pgs. 56-84
The fair Yayosei were the children of an ancient tribe of benign river spirits, until they tried to preserve their paradise by trapping the power of the Void Dragon. Their home was indeed preserved, but at a terrible cost. Today, the descendants of the Yayosei have degenerated into beasts, but what remains trapped within the Palace of Plenty is much worse. An Oriental Adventures scenario for 10th-level characters.
Deep in the jungles of Xen'drik, a relic of great power has lain hidden for thousands of years. Now, determined adventurers race against time and the nefarious agents of the Order of the Emerald Claw to locate the relic, overcome unimagined obstacles, and unlock its ancient secret. The Order's hunt for the parts of an ancient creation pattern nears its conclusion, but other groups also seek this powerful item. Once all of the pieces come within close proximity of each other, the ancient intelligence awakens. Suddenly all parties have a new and powerful enemy to contend with...
Despite the bitter cold that reigns here nine months of the year, the Timberway Forest has long been a source of prosperity for civilized folk who live nearby. Many trappers and hunters spend the better part of the year within its borders, stockpiling furs and meat to trade in the frontier towns to the south, where they spend their winters. Most feel that the value of these commodities makes braving the Timberway Forest worth the risk. Recently, though, a small group of trappers and hunters has awakened a terrible new menace in the forest. Based in a remote hunter's abode called the Bluerock Lodge, they hunted the animals of the woods more out of a deep-seated desire to be cruel than a need to feed themselves. In particular, they focused their hateful attention on the local Timberway lion population. Timberway lions are rather small (more like leopards), but they are known for being lithe and wary. Still, the trappers had the advantage of intelligence and tools, and before long they had slaughtered the entire pride save for its leader. As the winter worsened and game grew ever more scarce, this last surviving lion began to starve. At that point, the darker forces of nature took notice, and the Timberway Forest gained a predator like no other. Frozen Whispers is a short D&D adventure for four 3rd-level player characters (PCs). The scenario is set mostly in and near a remote hunter’s lodge in a snowy forest. The scenario can be placed in any cold area of your campaign world that features a remote tract of woodland—a copse of trees near the arctic circle, a swath of taiga near the treeline on a high mountainside, or even a normally temperate forest caught in the grip of an unnaturally snowy winter. As always, feel free to adapt the material presented here as you see fit to make it work with your campaign.
When four statues of unspeakable power were found in a tomb in Osirion and then stolen, the Pathfinder Society assumed they were gone forever. When they appeared again in the illicit inventory of a Qadiran smuggler in the massive trade city of Sedeq, the Society wasted little time dispatching you there to recover them. Finding the smuggler dead and a familiar face from Absalom responsible, your task quickly becomes a race to retrieve the statues before their brutal power can be unleashed on the citizens of the Satrap. Can you find the statues in time or will Sedeq be swallowed in a plague like none Golarion has ever seen?
A pair of leprous mountain dwarves plead for the rescue of their compatriots from a deadly ettin-wight
The sleepy village of Raven's Lake has a secret: A terrible god lives in the depths of the settlement's namesake. The citizens of Raven's Lake know that something lives in the lake. People who go out on the lake after dark go missing far too often and frequently turn up weeks later with no memory of where they've been. The local church of St. Cuthbert has been abandoned no fewer than seven times in the last two years, each time its lone cleric packing hastily and fleeing town without a word. Adventurers who come to Raven's Lake have a habit of vanishing forever. The truth is that something does indeed live in Raven's Lake but it is far from a deity. It's an exiled aboleth by the name of Zlorthishen. Pgs. 33-36
The isolated tower of the wizard Deros Frist is an example of a typical tsochari incursion into the human world. This short adventure site describes the lair of a tsochar noble that has successfully replaced Frist, a local wizard of some renown. The tsochar Yikk Tasst now pores through the wizard's libraries and spell books, eagerly absorbing all the arcane lore it can. Pgs. 130-134
Prince Zeech, the ruler of the town of Alhaster and lord of the domain of Redhand, is throwing a party. Bandits, slavers, pirates, and worse have been invited, along with a mysterious woman who holds the key to the coming apocalypse. "The Prince of Redhand" is the eighth 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. Issue #340 of Dragon presents guidelines for what the PCs can do to dress to impress, and perhaps eke out a few precious bonuses on their Diplomacy checks. Pgs. 48-79
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?
This new version of the classic adventure is completely updated to 3.5 edition. In The Lost Vault of Tsathzar Rho, a defenseless village asks the characters to slay an out-of-control ogre. Sounds easy enough. But the ogre, who used to be nothing more than a nuisance, has become crazed and psychotic. When the characters arrive at its cave, they find a subterranean portal has connected the cave to a much larger underground complex. Something in that complex has transformed the ogre and many other local creatures into fiendish marauders. In fact, it’s the lost vault of Tsathzar Rho, an ancient wizard and prophet of the Outer Gods, who are gathering their foul minions for battle.
The mighty dragon Oroshar lies dead, as does the barbarian king who slew him. Yet the dragon's spirit does not rest quietly. His wrath lingers in one of the teeth lodged in the dead king's corpse, awaiting only the caress of the funeral pyre to awaken into something far worse than a dragon of flesh and bone. A D&D adventure for 7th-level characters.
Magical trinkets, unusual creatures, strange and mysterious artifacts, and more can be had at a discount at Gwen's Relics on Church Street. Now, the store's most outrageous acquisition has arrived, and the resulting chaos threatens to destroy the shop and release a plague of monsters into the town. Can the PCs stop the catastrophe before it spreads too far? What happens when a vagabond finds a weird snake down by the river and gives it to the local curio shop? Find out in "The Menagerie," winner of the Origins/DUNGEON Side Trek Design Competition. Pgs. 78-83
When an old beggar shows up filthy and injured on the doorstep of the Augustana Pathfinder Lodge in Andoran and demands to be recognized as Andoran's one true Emperor, Venture-Captain Wallace is inclined to chase him off. But when the old beggar reveals a wayfinder and tells a tale of demons and portals to another world beneath the streets of Augustana, Wallace summons you from Absalom to investigate. Will you make it through sewers, swarms, and sanctuaries to uncover the truth or will the dangers of the Augustana underworld consume you forever?
A mechanical man discovers his ancestral fortress has fallen to a lunatic derro, but something worse than mad derro haunts the Clockwork Fortress' gears. This adventure is a sequel to Dungeon Issue #115's "Raiders of the Black Ice," although you need not have run that adventure to enjoy "The Clockwork Fortress." Pgs. 42-61
The hidden masters of the Ebon Triad have something special planned for the culmination of the Champion’s Games: a foul ritual designed to transform the arena into a stage of enormous carnage to honor their dark overgod. To stop them, the PCs must explore the dark complex of the arena’s master, and destroy his pet monster before it’s too late. An Age of Worms Adventure Path Adventure for 9th level characters. "The Champion's Belt" is the fifth 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. Check out issue #337 of Dragon for guidelines on what they can purchase in the Free City. Pgs. 30-62
I am the Set Rahotep No man was more potent when I was amongst those dwelling in the land of Khemit. In death I am greater still! Do you not fear serpents? I am the Aepep Rahotep! Who does not tremble before the monsters of the Duat? I am one! Does your flesh not crawl at the sight of a terrible wyrm? I am the Deathwyrm Rahotep! Does your blood run cold before the face of a fiend? Know then that I am Rahotep the Fiend! Who shuns not demons? Shun me, for I am the demon Rahotep, the Red Devil. And which fool listens? That one is wise! Praise Set and the Set Rahotep, that one, and pity the rest! An Epic Adventure and Sourcebook Gary Gygax's Necropolis is a vast campaign scenario that sweeps the characters into an epic adventure across the magical desert kingdom of Khemit. From a hidden evil in a desert village, to the secrets of ancient tombs, Necropolis takes the characters on a dangerous mission to thwart the plans of an undying archpriest-wizard who would be a god! Necropolis is also a campaign sourcebook, detailing the lands of Khemit, new classes and prestige classes, new spells and more than 60 monsters unique to the desert lands. This book also details over 50 new gods and new cleric domains, allowing DMs to run extended campaigns in the desert kingdom.
A terrible thunderstorm batters a seaside port, yet thunder and lightning are nothing compared to what is about to be unleashed by the diabolic crew of the Rabid Dawn. Casters with access to control water, control weather, or control winds will prove especially valuable, as will characters with strong Swim skills. The adventure is best suited to a predominantly good or neutral aligned party of PC's. Strike on the Rabid Dawn takes place in the port city of Hardby (Dungeon #109). As most of the action takes place within a lighthouse and on a ship at sea, however, any suitable port from your campaign makes an appropriate substitution for Hardby. Pgs. 12-32