"Night falls on the Border Kingdoms, a land rife with conflicts and schemes, where lords, counts, dukes, kings, and emperors rise, proclaim themselves, and are swept away with the speed and regularity of waves crashing upon a shore. As you settle in for the evening at a quaint little roadhouse by the name of Harker’s Cleaver, all seems quiet. Were the stories of this turbulent region just that, or have the Border Kingdoms yet to reveal their true nature?" A Two-Hour Adventure for 1st and 2ndLevel Characters The tavern the characters are staying at are attacked by skeletons. Where have they come from and why have they attacked?
The Party that Split is a standalone adventure set in the peculiar village of Basht. This quiet town keeps having problems that only adventurers can solve. The village's children have gone missing from a birthday party, the only thing that was left behind was a note saying "Your move, Adventurers -- MS." Has the mysterious stranger struck again? Where did the children go, and will you be able to return them? A Four-Hour Adventure for Tier 1 characters, Optimized for APL 3. Seed used: Party Time! Content Warnings: Children in Peril, kidnapping The Party that Split originally debuted at U-Con on November 2021 (http://www.ucon-gaming.org/) The story continues where The Goat Mayor and Straw Bears leave off, a year later. Many of the things that adventurers in past adventurers have done in previous adventures have an affect on this adventure, and the events in this will affect adventures in the future. The village of Basht is a little Grimm's Fairy Tale village that was used for several CCCs and DungeonCrafts U-Con. I hope that your players enjoy the whimsy and dark undercurrents as much as mine have, and I would love it if you share your experiences in Basht with me! I've included VTT-friendly maps and handouts in separate files to help with running your games virtually because we can't let a simple thing like physical distance prevent us from sharing our stories. I also have a printer friendly version included for those that prefer their works to be printed on the flesh of dead trees. Please see other adventures written for U-Con: The Goat Mayor (by me, Daniel Chapman) is the first introduction to Basht and it's peculiar traditions The Straw Bears (by me, Daniel Chapman) takes place just a few tendays later, describing the strange annual tradition of the procession of Straw Bears Blood and Fog (by Alan Patrick) was the first CCC written for U-Con and the first mention of the Blood Lord. Rescue Down Under (by Alex Lown) continues the story of Basht and revisits the friendly tinkerer Yul Khahan. The story will continue in Have You No Heart? If you see any errors or have any suggestions, or just wish to retell the tale of how your group went through the story, feel free to contact the author at: http://hoshisabi.com
Night of the Scarecrow is a fairy-tale adventure for Tier 1 characters (Levels 1-3), loosely based on the Russian story Vasilisa the Beautiful. The party must seek for assistance from the ferocious hag Lucinda Lilywhite in order to discover how to defeat a monster of nightmares, and must complete three deadly tasks to gain her help. The village of Nalva is no stranger to creatures of horror. All kinds of bogles and shadows find their way there from time to time. But when a new and unfamiliar creature appears and starts snatching locals into an unknown dimension, their normal defenses are insufficient. The only solution they can think of is to brave the forest and beg the assistance of the local hag, Lucinda Lilywhite. A fearsome creature in her own right, Lucinda has a reputation for burning visitors to ash when they are insufficiently polite to her. But by all accounts she keeps to her bargains, and if found in the right mood, perhaps she will provide the advice and help they need.
In this climbing adventure, characters journey into the White Peaks mountains to find the source of a rare gem, which is driving the coup in Whitehorn.
The shipping lanes south of Candlekeep have been disrupted. Unknown to anyone, an incredible alliance between a terran and a waterfolk tribe has caused the lamp at Gloomhaze Point lamptower to be extinguished. Merchant ships are being wrecked and plundered. The story unfolds in the nation of Amn. Adventurers will face a formidable kobold tribe that knows how to maximize its tactics, its smaller-than-human size tunnels, and an abundance of unique traps. The bloodthirsty sahaugin won’t be defeated without the adventurers taking a dive.
Locals on the edge of a mountain range are being harassed by brutal monks and their giant tiger pet. Travelling into the hills, the players find the hidden monastery of the Burning Tiger: an evil order of monks that only respect strength. To end the threat, the players must undergo 4 life-or-death trials to test their mettle. But not all is as it seems in the monastery. Can the players unravel the mystery, and survive the Trials of the Burning Tiger? Based on an encounter for 3.5th edition D&D written by Eric Cagle for Wizards of the Coast.
Desperately needed supplies have failed to arrive at the suffering frontier settlement of Ravendale. Rumors are flying that the supply wagon must have fallen afoul of the legendary troll of Stonebottom bridge. The townsfolk are in desperate need of heroes to reclaim their supplies or the town won't survive the encroaching winter! A 2-4 hour adventure for four to six players of 1st or 2nd level characters
For ages, “the old monastery on the hill” was simply that and nothing more to those that knew of it – a small building of a forgotten age and purpose, overgrown by the land around it. But recently, rumors have been making way among the educated that there is a wealth of knowledge that hides within the old monastery, waiting for someone to find it. Most dismissed these rumors as hearsay... but those with their eyes on the prize continued to pay attention. There must have been some merit to these claims, because seemingly overnight a monstrous creature has appeared on the monastery grounds - a serpent the size of a dragon, with a dozen legs and breath that crackles with lightning! There's no doubt the rumors and the monster's appearance are related somehow, and the PCs are tasked to put their skills to work to figure it out!
A 4 hour adventure on the high seas and in the Shadowfell optimised for 8th level characters A dangerous fugitive is on the run from the Lords Alliance and the Order of the Gauntlet. As the net closes in on the fugitive, the heroes are deputized by the order and boards a departing ship to flush out the target of the manhunt. Shore Leave is a product of the ENNIE 2020 Silver Winner RPG Writers Workshop. The first half of the adventure takes place on the high seas where the characters search for a dangerous fugitive hiding onboard a ship. When sahuagins board the ship and a kraken appears from a maelstrom, things get desperate. The second half of the adventure starts when the characters are shipwrecked in the Shadowfell where the manhunt continues through a dangerous bog. This adventure can be used as a: * Stand-alone one-shot adventure * Starting point for a Shadowfell campaign * Filler adventure to transport characters across vast distances via Shadowfell or dilate time
For centuries, the dragon Storm has ‘peacefully’ lived off the eastern coast of the Klavek Kingdom, sinking or collecting any ship that ventured into her territory and eating sailors and sea-creatures alike. Now, however, she has moved inland and invited a host of problems, devastating trade and nearly blasting the city of Cherr’s Landing from the map. The PCs have to save the city, and re-open trade along the Klavek Kingdom’s eastern coast, or the mysterious forces gathering in the background will only gain more of an upper hand! Also included in “Storm’s Wake”: A new template for Titanic creatures, larger and more powerful than any of their kind A new type of dragon, the Swampscale, whose dragon eggs can be captured in this adventure and trained Two new magic items, the fleetmaster’s compass, and the spade of excavation A new deity, Perenna, the god of spring and vanity Maps and Illustrations by 3x ENnie Award winning Cartographer Todd Gamble
There have been disturbing signs over the last few months, signalling that something is wrong in Humblewood. The troubles appear to originate from activity in the Scorched Grove, an ashen plain that was ravaged many centuries ago by a destructive fire. Whatever caused the fire has scarred the land with elemental magic, making it inhospitable to all but strange fire-based creatures. Of late, the Grove has begun to expand. At first, it was hard to notice the slow expansion, but those in tune with nature (especially the Tenders) could see the imbalance in the elemental forces of Humblewood. For many common folk, this imbalance has been experienced as unseasonal dryness, which has led to crop failure and an increased frequency of forest fires. There have also been a number of unusually aggressive emberbat clouds reported far outside of their natural ranges. The true nature of the danger still remains hidden from the people of the Wood. A corvum necromancer named Odwald Ebonhart has stirred the elemental aspect of fire, which has lain dormant beneath the Scorched Grove since its first burning. The aspect’s energies have begun to empower fire-based creatures within the Wood. The increased range of emberbat swarms have brought fires that have expanded the Grove. Many forest-dwellers, who have been left without homes, have turned to banditry to survive. Soon the elemental incarnation will break free, and players must find a way to stop the aspect of fire before it reduces the Wood to ashes.
The Dysmal Swamp is a coastal wetland that stretches over 100 square miles. Devoid of any urbanization, the ecosystem enjoyed its dank sanctuary. A community of bullywugs called the swamp home for generations, hunting and maintaining the balance of the land. The land also appealed to the Belange Company, a wicked fey-run enterprise making cheap magic items, who needed a secluded location far from both thieves and oversight. When the Belange Company established their magical workshop in the swamp, the bullywugs attempted to drive them off. However, the Belange Company’s supply of magical items provided enough firepower to protect their endeavor, and many bullywugs fell in the initial conflicts. The Belange Company began crafting scores of magical items to be sold across the region, using a cheap alchemical process that produced a nasty liquid byproduct glowing with chaotic magical energies. Rather than devise a new process, the Director decided to discharge the waste into the swamp. As production increased, so did the pollution, and the sludge began to warp the wetland. The region’s typically reclusive bungisngis population became aggressive. It is only a matter of time before these mutated swamp giants lay waste to bullywugs.
The wizard Abracadamus hid the Forever Stone in the darkest depths of a failing mine, coerced monsters into serving as guardians, and rigged the dungeon with traps galore. Then he died, as all good wizards do. Many heroes have fallen prey to the Forever Stone’s lure of immortality. To date, only one stalwart band has plunged into the Mines of Madness and lived to tell the tale. You think you’re better than them? You think you got what it takes to grab life by the stones and conquer the dungeon that won the 2012 Gygaxian Award* for Bonecrushing Awesomeness? We seriously doubt it, but go ahead . . . prove us wrong! Mines of Madness is a Very Special D&D® Next Adventure written for PAX East 2013 and designed for four 3rd-level characters.
The Thieves Guild Ebonclad has welcomed its newest team to the fold, assigned to the Keeper Reese Kincaid for instruction. The recruits are green, but capable. Their Keeper has devised a job for them to assess their talents. If his new team is successful, he gets some insight as to how his new Scraps operate, in addition to scratching something off his to-do list. If they die trying, well, then Reese has one fewer thing to worry about. The party must track down the slum thief Dale E’ssio, and reclaim valuables marked for the guild. Should anything unfortunate happen to Dale, there must be no evidence tracing things back to Ebonclad. The mission will require the party to enter Kintalla’s sewers to ultimately confront Dale E’ssio in a ruined slum house. Characters may have to explore the city while trying to get a lead on him.
Welcome to Cirria’s Gambit, a four- to six-hour adventure for 2nd-4th level characters, designed for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition! This adventure invites you and your players to a fiendishly fun party with revengeful devils, a succubus who just wants to go back to hell, snobbish nobles, intoxicated socialites and one really irritated banshee! Cirria wants to go to hell! There is only one tiny problem: her mistress Glasya, archdevil of the sixth layer, has banished her for insubordination. So, what’s a succubus to do in Cirria’s place? Take over a local noble family and organize a grand feast like this boring plane has never seen before to channel the emotional energy of her guests into a ritual to open a portal, of course! Isn’t it obvious? Cirria’s plan only had one tiny unaccounted for issue: Lady Kaera, matron of the noble house Cirria targeted, is a banshee. Cirria found a momentary solution – but that will only hold so long as no intrepid group of adventurers disrupts it… This adventure can be run as a one-shot or inserted into an on-going campaign. The theme fits Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus particularly well!
The Maimed Virulence has come. The future of the Cinnabar Throne and the lives of the denizens of Phlan are in jeopardy. The Cult of the Dragon rejoices, and the Black Fist is powerless to stop them. How will the factions of the city respond to this threat? Can Phlan be saved this time? Part One of Under Emerald Claws. An adventure for 5th-10th level characters.
"The Spectre of Sanguine Isle" is an adventure included in the product "Calpurnia's Guide to Practical Traps". It's an adventure that features traps from the document. The isolated town of Cupidinum has been shaken by a senseless murder. The culprit has fled to Sanguine Isle, and it's up to the heroes to find him and bring him to justice. But the fugitive doesn't want to be caught, and he knows a thing or two about guerilla warfare. Can the heroes catch their elusive prey? And was his crime quite as straight-forward as it was made out to be?
Goblin attacks have always plagued the farmers and merchants who live and travel along the roads leading to Whitesparrow. But a recent rash of new attacks are something different. The goblins of one particular tribe have gotten particularly smart, attacking with careful tactics and cunning ambushes. The village guards haven’t been able to outwit the goblins, even when laying traps of their own and hiring mercenaries to stop them. Even as goblins go, Rosethorn isn’t much to look at. He’s small and runty, and yet a lucky break placed him in charge of the Brownleaf goblin tribe. When he claimed a powerful magic relic from a dead wizard three months ago, Rosethorn found his intellect multiplied many times over. The world began to make a more intricate kind of sense to him, and he saw patterns in the ways other folk traveled the roads. After hiring a spy in Whitesparrow to tell him which wagons to pursue, Rosethorn cunningly bribed the wagons’ guards to throw battles in the goblins’ favor. He then moved the lair of the Brownleaf tribe away from their dank caves and into the ruins of the Bearded Man—an enormous dead tree at the center of the Howling Wood. There, Rosethorn continues his campaign of ambush against the foolish villagers, increasing his wealth and power with each robbery.
The Ghost Tribe of Orcs have been driven from their home under Wyvern Tor by some terrible evil and have traveled to the top of the hill overlooking Phandalin where they camped last night. Their chief, driven mad by unknown horrors, prepares to attack the city and claim it as his new home. The heroes, who raced to the town ahead of the orc tribe, spend the night helping to prepare defenses and rest when they can. Can the heroes help defend the town or will the orcs wipe out the inhabitants of Phandalin? Once the town is safe, how will the PCs handle a moral dilemma? Orcs Invade Phandalin is the second of four parts in the After Lost Mine series. It will play out the invasion of Phandalin using the new mass combat rules from Unearthed Arcana. Part III will be the trip to the orc’s former cave settlement and then into the darkness beneath. Part IV will have the party deal with the terror from the Underdark that drove the orcs out.
It isn’t just the weather outside that’s frightful! Now that winter has arrived in full force and the predators of the wild have grown desperate, it’s more important than ever that shipments of vital supplies be given proper escort – especially around the Midwinter holiday, when such shipments become all the more frequent! A sleepy town on the far side of a mountain range is counting on you to make this Midwinter a joyous and healthy one! Some greedy and cheerless monsters may have other ideas… “A Miraculous Time” includes: The fourth leg of the BASIC series The return of Ronius, Willow, Meeris, and Kale, fully upgraded for level 4 play. Magic items that give reference to prior adventures A spin on an oft-overlooked character in the Christmas tradition A grading system to let you know how well you’ve done!