A band of heroes is drawn to Icewind Dale following rumours of strange magic and terrible deeds. Auril, the cruel goddess of Winter, has been driven to desperate acts by the death of her daughter, Nalkara. As Auril pursues brutal blood rituals to resurrect her loved one, the quest begins when one of Auril’s oathsmen convinces her to enlist the characters in pursuing a less bloody solution.
Your time at the Riverside Cafe is cut short as you witness the wanted criminal Jessy Jane tearing through the area. As the guards fumble the pursuit you recall a hefty reward for this nefarious woman. What the hell, the Etharia Tea was too hot anyway. Rising from your seat, you head off after the woman!
An artifact belonging to an ancient couatl god has been stolen from his shrine. Can the characters recover the Fangs of Oatali before the god's wrath unleashes a devastating cataclysm upon the jungle? Fangs of Oatali is a pulp-action adventure set in the jungle and includes: -Stealthy raids, hidden enemies, and the clash of two primal gods -Angry pterodactyls, massive sinkholes, and earth-quaking magic -Combat cards for each monster, PC, and special treasure -Beautiful, hand-drawn maps by Beware the Wizard, as well as high-quality digital maps for use with virtual table tops
The duchy of Velen is a bastion of law and order in an otherwise untamed land. Its ruler, Duke Calchais, holds his citizens and visitors to his city to a high standard of conduct. When Velen's harbormaster is murdered, the duke enlists the aid of adventurers to see that justice is served. Was the harbormaster a victim of larceny gone awry, or is something more sinister afoot in Velen? Murder in Velen is a 4-hour standalone adventure set in and around the port city of Velen, which is located in the peninsula nation of the same name in southwestern Faerûn. Velen is designed for a party of five 10th-level player characters, but it can easily be scaled by adding or removing creatures.
Mykon Drift, genius inventor and entrepreneur, has disappeared on the eve of his greatest ever product launch, and nobody seems to know why or where he’s gone. Certain jaded onlookers might think this is for the best, for Drift is a disrupter in the truest sense, and the technomantic marvels he creates often wreak havoc on the guilds and economies of the Sword Coast. But titans of industry like Mykon Drift don’t just disappear for no reason, and his most loyal apprentice is willing to pay to find him. Unfortunately, that apprentice isn’t willing to pay very well, so what they get is the Grib-bits Detective Agency. "The Gribbits Detective Agency Part II" is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure for four 2nd-level characters. It is designed to follow on from "The Gribbits Detective Agency", and should be played in a single sitting.
Delve into ancient ruins of civilizations past in this one-session adventure for 4th level heroes of the world's greatest roleplaying game! The Corwyn Catacombs is a one-shot adventure that sees characters delve into ancient ruins of a precursor civilization to rescue citizens of Corwyn and keep the village safe from harm! Will the heroes succeed in vanquishing the evils that lurk within? Or will they meet a grisly end, to rise again as servants of the undying Chiran Empire? Published by Animancer
A city deep in the woods is plagued by a series of beheadings of the leadership. A twisted bargain and a dark secret are threatening to destroy this town forever. Your adventuring party finds themselves brought in to help stop the Dullahan who has been summoned against her will to enact political revenge.
This 4 to 6 hour module goes from Saltmarsh to Baldur's Gate in a race against time. A dark vision warns of a terribly cataclysmic event in Baldur's Gate and the characters are hired to deliver supplies before its too late. This adventure can be adjusted for any Tier 1, 2, or 3 party. It is intended to help usher characters from the Saltmarsh area to Baldur's Gate, just in time for Descent into Avernus. A challenging voyage they should give them a wild ride with new challenges at sea.
In the frontier stronghold of Purdey’s Rest, rumors of mysterious lost ruins lead a group of young adventurers into the wilderness — and the forgotten dungeons of a legendary dark mage. Facing off against evil bandits, foul undead, and ravenous monsters, the characters seek the rewards of wealth and fame. But before they can claim either, they must survive all the deadly threats of Hazakor’s lost halls. The Hidden Halls of Hazakor is a starter adventure for fifth edition fantasy roleplaying, written with a special focus on young, beginning Gamemasters of ages twelve and up. In a friendly and straightforward fashion, this adventure explores some of the ways a good fantasy RPG dungeon crawl can be put together. It offers advice on how to just let things happen during a game session, and how to not be overwhelmed by all the directions in which an adventure can go. It talks about how to bring nonplayer characters to life, how to have fun running monsters, and how to challenge the other players and their characters alike. The Hidden Halls of Hazakor is for any player who’s ready to sit in the GM’s chair for the first time — and who is ready to learn some of the tricks and techniques that help all GMs run great games. The PDF download also includes untagged maps for Purdey's Rest and the Hidden Halls of Hazakor dungeon, making it easy to run the adventure in a virtual tabletop setup. These maps are missing the number key and any features that should initially be known only to the GM (including traps and secret doors). The publisher's website offers free pregenerated characters for the adventure, but they are not included in the adventure. The website also has a free GM Guide as well. Insane Angel Studios
Throw your party into an action movie in this pulse-pounding, single-session adventure inspired by Die Hard. This adventure sends your party to celebration of the winter solstice, on the top floors of an archmage's tower. When a group of mercenaries led by a revenge-seeking criminal mastermind crash the party and take the guests hostage, the adventurers are plunged into their own real-life action movie. Yipee Ki-Yay! General Features - Designed for a level 3 party - Playable in 3-4 hours (and playtested) - Gritty and dangerous; the party starts without any weapons or spellcasting and must ambush the mercenaries to arm themselves. - Includes 8 new magic items and 3 new stat blocks. - 7 fully-mapped floors of the wizard's tower, modeled after the floorplans of the real-life building where the original Die Hard was filmed. Why Players Will Love It - Your choices matter! This is not a linear adventure by any means. You're dropped in a dangerous situation, deprived of your gear, and what happens next is up to you. - You're in an action movie! Ever wanted to crawl around air ducts or up elevator shafts, or swing from a roof and smash through a window? Now you can! - Deadly, but with a safety net. The first to die gets a fun surprise, and stays in the game. - Fun loot! If you continue with these characters after this adventure, you'll have some fun new toys to play with. - It's Die Hard! If you're a fan of the movie, you'll be a fan of this adventure. Why GMs Will Love It - It's flexible and easy to run, and rewarding without being overcomplicated. - A quick-reference page contains all the information you might need at a moment's notice, including suggested on-the-fly combat encounters, NPC names, and a cast list with roleplay suggestions for each character. - A plot checklist to help keep you on track during the game. - Most importantly, information is right where you expect to find it.
A member of the Thieves Guild Ebonclad has betrayed the guild and left a trail of bodies in his wake. The incident leaves the guild in a vulnerable position, and now a cleaning crew is necessary to find the rogue agent and cover the guild’s tracks. The party has to track down and eliminate Rikus Nickol, a guild defector. Rikus violated the honor among thieves when he murdered his teammates and made off with an enigmatic coral tablet that they were sent to steal from a building on the Ohlrise campus. The party is encouraged to retrieve this tablet as well, though eliminating Rikus is the most important goal. The party plays the role of investigators. The mission primarily deals with investigating a botched job on the Ohlrise (College/Wizard) campus, though it culminates in searching for a thief who defected from the guild. The characters are confronted by the rogue agent, forcing them to react to the situation as it unfolds.
Elmwood village has had its fair share of corruption and destruction, and the villagers won’t take anymore, not even from fearful hags. Manipulation, lies, and greed are at the heart of their woes, but what if the rumors about hags are wrong? What if the most untrustworthy person is the one the villagers trust the most? Can the party sift the truth from this appalling morass and put an end to the threat?
As winter releases its grip on the region surrounding the town of Phlan, secrets are revealed within Glumpen Swamp. Strange landscapes and sigils have been found beneath the mud, and the wildlife around the swamp has become greatly agitated. At times a spectral figure can be seen in the distance, only to disappear upon approach. Can you discover what is happening in the muck and gloom?
"You sneak into a museum filled with all sorts of strange displays, from fierce weaponry and intricate jewelry through to demonic statues and a strange obsidian monolith. You begin to take a couple of steps towards the monolith when darkness swirls around you as the museum's protections jump to life..." This is a one-shot heist adventure in which the players must infiltrate a high society event and steal a powerful magical item from right under the nose of an accomplished wizard. They will encounter mind-bending illusory defenses and compete with a secondary heist party, all while avoiding the gaze of the guards. This adventure is for four level 5 players (though adjusting for 3-6 players would be minimal effort) and is expected to take around five hours. It includes: * An exciting heist with several twists * Two new heist-based mechanics: Flashbacks and Guard Alert Level * Two optional objectives for the players to complete * A new monster to fight: the shadow duplicate * Two new items: the rod of illusia and the jade figurine of the deinonychus * Simple rules for running a skill challenge * Detailed maps of the manor as well as schematics for planning
Long abandoned and all but forgotten, Ridgeway Watch has fallen to lawless hands. Travellers talk of ambushes on the high pass, but few dare challenge Kessel’s gang. Can the heroes reclaim the ruin, or will they join the list of the missing?
The party approaches the Dwarven Kingdom of Narol'Duun, where things are far different than in your typical dwarven empire. The first major difference is that Narol'Duun is split into three distinct categories of dwarven tribes based on the main type of ore that they mine and refine. The dwarves take on characteristics of these ores - the Cobalt Dwarves having a tinge of blue to their hair, the Copper Dwarves having tough skin and beards of shining reddish-brown, and the skin of the Iron Dwarves is a deep grey in color. These dwarves engage in trade and drink, but the one thing that they are sure to never do is breed outside of their respective tribes. To be found in a relationship with a dwarf of another tribe is to be exiled to the surface - a punishment worse than death for most of these dwarves. On this particular adventure, the party finds themselves caught up in a case of forbidden love between a royal member of the Cobalt Dwarf family - Nadom Glintstone - and a simple merchant woman from the Copper Dwarf tribe by the name of Lajeera Copperfist. They have been doing their best to keep their love a secret for they both know the risks, but the Cobalt King, Norgith Glintstone, has suspicions and is deeply afraid of the damage such a scandal could have on his family's reputation. He doesn't want to draw any attention to the situation, so it is difficult to find a dwarf of his own tribe that could look into it further, so when the party comes along he sees it as a perfect opportunity. He will hire the party to look into the situation with Nadom, offering grand rewards in exchange for the truth if they can provide proof. The party will be torn between multiple threads of possibility in this adventure – telling Norgith the truth about his son's affair with Lajeera, helping Lajeera to permanently change her form to that of a Cobalt Dwarf so they can be together, or perhaps even trying to end the tribalistic ways of the dwarven kingdoms all together. This is a heavily role-playing based adventure, perfect for those who would rather talk their way through a difficult situation than cut their way through it, but there is still some combat along the way depending on the party’s choices. This story will decide if love can win out against all odds or if the temptation of coin is greater than the happiness of others.
Years ago a Gnome female named Carlota retired from adventuring and built a small tower not far from Dano’s Point. While the illusionist/tinker kept to herself her home was reputed to have a cache of magical items from years on the trail. It has been several years since anyone has seen the diminutive woman and she is believed to be deceased. As you begin your adventuring career you decide that a trip to the tower is in order. If Carlota is alive, perhaps she can give you advice, if she isn’t perhaps you can help yourselves to some of her items.
After having one adventure under your belts you set sail to deliver a package across the open seas. A problem with nature causes their vessel to make an unscheduled stop on a small island that was home to a spice dealer for water. Problems ensue on the island and the party quickly discovers they aren’t “feeling themselves”. This item was played at WhosYerCon convention this past year in Indianapolis!
Have You No Heart? is a standalone adventure set in the peculiar village of Basht. Olivia Alfera calls the party back to Basht to help Robin Goodman reunite a girl with her father. A Four-Hour Adventure for Tier 2 characters, Optimized for APL 8. Featuring a new domain: Nepenthe, a domain of forgetting. Content Warnings: Grief, Loss of a Relative, Memory Loss Have You No Heart will debut at U-Con in October 2022 (http://www.ucon-gaming.org/) The story continues shortly after The Party that Split. It continues the tale that started with The Goat Mayor, but each episode can be played on their own. 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 The Party that Split (by Daniel Chapman) takes place before Have You No Heart, and sets up the events that lead to Robin Goodman's current situation. 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. 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
A venom maw hydra lair suitable for four or five 10th-level characters. The Red Craw Marsh, so called because of the delicious and plentiful red crayfish that live in the area, is a boon to the nearby village. More than a few intrepid souls brave the swamp each season to collect the crayfish. They either sell the crayfish to local establishments or ship them to nearby cities, where they earn a good price as the crayfish is a delicacy among the wealthy. The villagers have established a tentative peace with a clan of trollkin that inhabit the swamp. The crayfish collectors pay a small fee to the trollkin, who allow them to ply their trade in the marsh without (much) interference. It is a tense but profitable relationship for all involved. A powerful creature has moved into the marsh, however, threatening the delicate balance. When a venom maw hydra decided to move to the area of the marsh between the human and trollkin villages, it brought along a number of creatures that worship and serve it. This hydra and its allies have killed some of the crayfish hunters and some of the trollkin. Each side, unfortunately, believes that the other has broken the truce, thus stirring up animosity and putting both groups on the verge of war.