The leader of all the Shadow Guilds, the Ceta Consortium is gone, wiped out in a single night, without warning or witnesses. Their empire of control, secrecy, and soft-handed rule has vanished, leaving behind only rumors and blood. Now, the city of Lumina stands on the edge of something new... and something dangerous. Shadow Guilds is a system-agnostic tabletop campaign setting built for fantasy games that blur the line between ambition and morality. Set in a bustling metropolis of vice, corruption, and uneasy power, it invites players to step into the roles of underworld mafiosos, trying to make their mark—or just survive the fallout. Inside, you’ll find everything you need to run a campaign focused on gang politics, black-market enterprise, and the slow scramble toward power in a world that rewards the bold and punishes the careless. You’ll build a crew, carve out territory, and navigate a world where magic is outlawed, alliances are temporary, and opportunity lurks behind every closed door. This is not a story of chosen heroes or grand prophecies. It’s a story of clever rogues, ruthless enforcers, and ambitious criminals rising into the vacuum left by the old guard. The game leans into roleplay, style, and smart decision-making—but it doesn’t shy away from trouble when it finds you. Start small. Lie often. Watch your back. Shadow Guilds is a system-neutral campaign setting designed to drop into any fantasy world where criminal syndicates thrive in the shadows of power. Whether you're running a long-form campaign, a gritty one-shot, or threading a criminal conspiracy into your existing world, this guide provides the building blocks for a dangerous, decadent underworld full of secrets, turf wars, and moral gray areas. This setting assumes a single sprawling metropolis, where various criminal guilds operate openly or in secret. It leans into noir fantasy, urban intrigue, prohibition, and the uncomfortable alliances forged when justice fails.
After visiting a friend in a nearby town you head to the tavern to get some food. A recent storm has wreaked havoc and the residents are busy making repairs. Despite your offer to help the citizens politely refuse. After sitting down for your meal you quickly learned that some children found a ship that has run aground. The father tells you that the children are prone to exaggerate but you obtain directions to the supposed site anyway. Sure you’re alone, but you’ve got tons of experience already…
"The Riverfront Rat Gang" is a ratfolk lair, also featuring wharflings and a doppelrat, designed for five 1st level characters. This adventure can be completed in one session. The old dockyards once served as the primary center of commerce in town. Years ago, political pressure from an influential merchant who wanted the docks to be loser to her business forced shipping concerns to move their docks upriver. The new facility accommodates larger ships, and the old docks fell into disuse. Talk of converting the property into a set of riverside shops died when a rat infestation proved to be an unsolvable problem. Thus, the old dockyards have been decaying for years. This situation suited a former thieves' guild member, a ratfolk rogue, named Matimer Creel. A botched robbery (for which Matimer blamed his accomplice) turned the guild against Matimer, who fled from certain death at the hands of the guild master. He hid out in the old dockyards, confident that not even guild members bothered to go there. From there he began to exact revenge against the guild by ruining its plans or stealing directly from it. He also befriended the rat population, thanks to a golden rat's tooth he acquired, and the vermin help with his schemes. A trio of rat-like wharflings and a doppelrat, washed up on the riverbank near the docks, have joined Matimer's retinue.
The Full Campaign - Updated for 2020! On Shadowed Shores In a land few have heard of, and fewer still have visited, lies untold adventure, treasure and fame. The renowned Captain Farsail has sent out word that she will undertake an expedition to Serpent Isle, but is in need of a crew. Anyone able to hold a sword or cast a spell is welcome, but be warned, the island is as deadly as it is beautiful.
Ambushed on the road by goblinoids and then follow them to their lair in an old, abandoned hunting lodge in a forest. This is a short adventure that can be played in a session. The Goblins’ Gambit is perfect for situations where the party suddenly decides to go completely off the rails and the gamemaster does not have anything prepared for the destination. It is designed to be simple and the gamemaster is empowered to read and run it quickly. A 3rd level party is ideal for this adventure, but it can be easily tuned up to 5th level or down to 1st level by adding or removing a few simple enemies. This adventure can be used in three different ways - The starting adventure - This is a great adventure to start a new campaign with. A good option to use for a brand new group of players A random encounter - This is perfect for use for a random encounter along the road A retrieval mission - This adventure can also be used as a low level mission from a patron What is included? The adventure pdf DM's map of two different locations Two high resolution (8192x6144) maps for an abandoned hunting lodge and a roadside encounter (grid and gridless), which can be printed out as a tabletop map to play on.
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.
As first level PCs, your quartet begins to run low on funds and needs a job. A consultation with the local Alderman uncovers the city of Marshall is current in the grip of a crime syndicate. The ‘voice of the people’ points out that treasure and accolades would go to the group able to rid the city of this scourge. Eager to prove your mettle, you and your associates offer to help!
Attack the Shop! is a Dungeons and Dragons adventure optimized for four to five player characters. The adventure is designed to play in one session of approximately four to five hours. Five premade fourth level characters are included to facilitate getting into the action quickly. The adventure takes place in the city of Scornubel in the Forgotten Realms but can be placed in any city without trouble. The characters are mercenaries hired to take an overnight job that pays very well. The instructions from the employer, Malikhar, are simple. Keep the cargo safe in his shop for the night and get paid handsomely.
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
This DnD encounter also provides stats for Pathfinder system The tiny isle of Sandspit is a favorite place to maroon recalcitrant shipmates, for across the bay, the headland falls are visible to castaways. Wicked currents prevent escape from Sandspit, and the unfortunates discarded there slowly die of thirst in sight of the lifegiving waters.
THE FIRST SET OF DUNGEONS ON DEMAND ADVENTURES! The first volume of Dungeons on Demand includes the first four dungeons: Bandit's Nest - Level 1 Adventure Dungeon Insidious Experiments - Level 4 Adventure Dungeon Fierce Tempers - Level 8 Adventure Dungeon Lord of Gloomthrone - Level 12 Adventure Dungeon It also includes the following supplements: New Twists on Old Monsters - Gaming Supplement Imbued with Magic - Gaming Supplement The bundle includes hundreds of pages worth of materials and supplements sure to keep your gaming sessions busy!
Can you survive the Madhouse of Tasha’s Kiss? Or will you go mad trying? A small village, empty of villagers except for one boy found sitting and weeping next to a jester’s pageant wagon. The boy explains that the villagers, including his family, followed a jester into the wagon and never came out. A portal to a pocket dimension is found inside the wagon, leading to a brass door with the word Madhouse etched into it. What lays beyond the door? What madness could the adventurers face? Can they save the villagers, or will they go mad trying? Published by Jeff Stevens Games
Driven off course by a devastating storm, you crash land on an island where sailors are lured beyond the foreboding treeline. While searching for your comrades, you find yourselves trapped between two warring cultures. Can you unlock the mysteries of Locria before it kills you? Pgs. 51-59
The goblin, King Tatter-roo, and his tribe are plagued by an unseen hunter. They have placed an unusual plea to anyone who will listen. The promises of goblin wealth and peace amongst the free people is attainable for a limited time only. All King Tatter-roo requires is an inquisitive mind and a sharpened blade.
Far1 – Underbelly of Phoenix is an adventure based in the city of Phoenix in Fartook. The offering takes a group of would-be adventurers and has them start their adventuring career in the sewers below the city. Dangerous monsters and wanted men all inhabit the urban tunnels. Is your group ready to start their road to legend?
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?
An escaped duergar slave stumbles into the village of Elventree. With her she brings a malady that grips the small settlement in a bout of madness that seems unshakable. Can you find the source of the madness and save yourself and the village’s inhabitants? A four-hour adventure for 5th-10th level characters.
In the ancient town of Cragwatch, the first harpy reveals that the legend of her origin is a malicious lie. The story goes that she pined for unrequited love, but in truth she was punished for refusing to submit to a god’s will. The harpy cannot reveal this truth alone. The party has been summoned to stop her tale from spreading. Will they discover the true story, or will they help to silence it?
Lo! The corpse of poor, departed Scholar Zubayr, washed up on the shores of the River of Sand, lies in the charnel house…destined to become dinner for a cult of cannibals. Though distasteful in the extreme, this isn’t your concern—except that Princess Karima Gamila, the most beautiful gnoll in Per-Bastet, has begged you to rescue her friend’s body and help discover his fate. Still unmoved to action? Know then, adventurer, that the Scholar was hot on the trail of lost treasure! If you can claim his body from the cult and decipher the clues he left behind, long-buried riches and powerful magic might be yours. But nothing is simple in this city of dark wonders: others converge on the charnel house in pursuit of wealth, vengeance, or both. Can you out-fight and outwit vile cultists, undead catfolk, a cunning werecrocodile gnoll, and the deadly secrets that lie buried beneath the River of Sand? Set in the city of Per-Bastet in the Southlands Campaign Setting, it is meant for play either as the thrilling sequel to Cat and Mouse, or as a standalone treasure hunt! Also available in Pathfinder format.
The ancient world of Harth withers beneath its dying sun…but it’s not dead yet. The land is still riddled with villages in danger, cultists in caves, angels gone mad, eldritch horrors making strange deals, raging dragons, bandits in the woods, and cruel monsters lurking in every shadow. These 13 adventures span a wide variety of locations, environments, creatures, and genres. They are meant for use as quick-play sessions or one-shots, or to be dropped into campaigns as side-quests. These are linear dungeons and mini-quests full of interactivity and strangeness, encouraging exploration, risk-taking, and creative combat. ADVENTURE TYPE: One-Shot / Low Level / Combat / Exploration / Village / Wilderness / City / Subterranean / Dungeon Delve DESIGN NOTES These 13 adventures are intended for low-level characters around Level 3 Overall, these adventures tend to be linear dungeon delves in caves or single buildings 93 unique encounter locations 69 original magic items 71 original monsters (with 28 illustrations) 13 maps/diagrams Each adventure runs 2-4 hours in length