There is a Ruined City in the central northern Borderlands, often called Ghoultown by explorers of the area, but its original name is Ust Lesesi and it was once the second city of the Empire of Karan. Long since plundered, ruined and abandoned, the place has become home to a sinister mix of creatures, some are trading with each other, some are resting between skirmishes, all are schiming and all of them are trying to survive. This is a toy box for the GM - there are three settings in one - the Abandoned City, with stange creatures wandering the streets; the Monstrous community with several significant and detailed NPCs and their followers all trading, quarrelling and trying to get along with each other; and the city of the (un)dead - there's a whole army hidden in here, what are they being prepared for? The Ruined City is a 40-page game resource rather than a complete adventure, although it has almost everything you need for a simple hack or a more complex web of intrigue. Along with a sumptuous set of maps is a set of encounters, monster and NPC stat-blocks, and ideas for how to use the place in a campaign. If you need a ruined city in a hurry, this is the supplement for you! The Ruined City is designed for OSR but is also compatible with AD&D 1st and 2nd edition and pretty much any TTFRPG you fancy. The encounters are all pretty high level but most of the encounters will not be immediately hostile. There is scope in this setting for far more than simple hack and slash. These resources allow you to build a set of encounters as complex as you like. You can simply try and hack your way through, but there are some VERY nasty encounters in here. You could maybe set up your own base here, or just try and take over an existing group. Perhaps you want to start up a trade route, or maybe even start a Civil War! All of these possibilities, and many others, are catered for here. SM20 The Ruined City is released by Dunromin University Press. We are a very small publisher based in the UK and our aim is to produce VERY high quality products as the best value possible.
Establishing themselves in the cyst left by their dead god, a zealot band of Shrooms, a race known for bizarre projects and subtle objectives, have been working for decades on the strangest task in their strange history. They are growing themselves a new god.
In Claine Forest near Padduck Village there has appeared a pit. No-one knows where it came from, it just did. It is not so deep that you cannot see the bottom, but people fear it and avoid it. No-one who has climbed into it has come back, having been dragged beneath the surface by unseen hands. A necromancer has come to the forest, seeking the pit. She does not quite know what she expects from it, but what she hopes for is protection from death. Player-characters may wish to get involved, and thus this constitutes an adventure for old-school systems, for 5-6 PCs of 2nd level 2 or slightly fewer of 3rd. The PCs won’t necessarily all die, and the players will almost certainly survive. Reviews elsewhere: "It pours out flavour in nearly every word, creating delicious situations for the party to interact with. ... We got a village, two rival groups of adventurers, a weird-ass forest, and somewhere in the forest a pit, your final destination. From this, joy is made. Each one of those elements has their component parts well done and, because of this the whole is a wonder." — Bryce Lynch of tenfootpole
Things are not right at Du Sharid Manor. Months ago, a deranged parish priest and his most devout followers formed a heretical cult. These self-proclaimed “Seekers of the White Heart” chose the desolate Wild Hills to practice their secret rites; but the strange goings on at the Wild Hills did not escape the prying eyes of the more pious villagers who set out to confront the cultists. Once there, the villagers witnessed something terrifying and unexpected. Since the events of that night, the cultists have vanished, but the remaining serfs of Du Sharid now live in constant paranoia. Your party has been hired by the local bishop to to learn the truth about what happened at Du Sharid Manor. For use with Swords & Wizardry (or the like) and designed for the experienced Referee, Jewel of the Lunar Rift is a first-level campaign-starter and an introduction to the Messoria setting. Included as a bonus are campaign journals from the author's own sessions.
The lost city of Archaia - an ancient ruin sunken into the earth - lies deep in the badlands. In recent years, caravans from Eastdale have come under attack from orcs, goblins, and worse. Some say these blood-thirsty warbands have made lairs in the deep caves and ruins. Sill others say the ancient halls are filled with magnificent treasures left by the Archaians. Are you brave (or foolish) enough to delve The Forbidden Caverns of Archaia? The Forbidden Caverns of Archaia (FCoA) is a 296-page classic megadungeon for use with any old school fantasy role-playing game. The pages of Forbidden Caverns are crammed full with new material, maps, amazing art (including special surprizes by former TSR artists), as well as an amazing colour cover art by Ex-TSR artist Erol Otus that matches Barrowmaze Complete as a sister-book. The Forbidden Caverns of Archaia will keep your players on their toes and your campaign going strong for years. FCoA is brought to you by the Old School Renaissance (so don’t forget your 10’ pole).
A level 1–3 dungeon adventure by Giuseppe Rotondo. The secret workshop of a long-dead jeweler-magician is now open, as his grandson wants the place finally cleared of all dangers. What treasures might remain within, and what might be watching over them? This adventure combines classic dungeon crawl elements with the intrigue of uncovering a magician’s legacy, making it a rich experience for both new and seasoned players. For Old-School Essentials (OSE) Included as one of four adventures in "Old-School Essentials Adventure Anthology 1"
An investigative city crawl adventure for Shadowdark RPG (or any OSR-style system), designed for experienced players levels 1-2 Set in the decaying city of Brannam, players unravel a web of fear, blood, and buried secrets. A local alchemist has begun killing in secret, rekindling old fears of an old terror. The city's decline threatens to spiral into collapse, and far below, something older and hungrier waits to wake. This adventure includes: 3 separate dungeons (The flooded Sewers, the forgotten Catacombs, and the cursed Ruins of Edric von Braech's keep) Open ended design and layered mysteries with multiple outcomes and failure states A fully explorable city with random encounters, evolving factions and escalating panic. Custom rules for spell mishaps, nightly murder checks and decay events as Brannam unravels Modular content designed to drop into your campaign
The Archpriest, leader of the Church, has defied a summons to the Immortal Capital. You have been chosen to retrieve the recalcitrant pontiff. Kidnap the Archpriest is designed to be an implicit tutorial for diplomacy, stealth, theft, bluffing, and cunning. It is a system-less, setting-less heist module featuring: a city (with a map) a fortress (with interior and exterior maps) two hectic days and nights a guide to designing your own heists. glorious black and white art by Luka Rejec scheming cardinals, frantic servants, and secret plots By the author of the CoinsandScrolls blog and Tomb of the Serpent Kings.
The hunt is on! Agents have hired out the infamous Redcaps to raid along the Hruesen River and Baron Botkin wants them brought to justice. A mad run by the goblins left a trail of ruin along the river road but the time to act is now, before the trail goes cold. the evil doers broke off the raid and now lie in hiding somewhere in the Barren Wood. There in the deeps of the forest stands the legendary Slag Heap - an ancient complex of unknown origin and terrifying reputation for years ago the Heap served the Horned God's minions as a bastion against the fey of the Barren Wood. But now all the forest is hostile to outsiders, whether good or ill. The men of the Barren Wood are fierce, independent, and distrustful of outsiders. Facing them is a daunting task in the best of times and now they seem to be protecting one of their own. Discovering the real powers in this region only brings the characters closer to doom as they travel to piles and heaps of slag and detritus that was once a glorious abode and temple to the dark powers before the age of man. Also available for 5E
‘Wyrd’ things are afoot. This town might seem like your ordinary, post-apocalyptic-now-turned-fantasy locale, but it is not! Fell Cults have begun to take over and it is up to the brave adventurers to stop one in particular: the Cult of the Shield Ghul. But the ‘Wyrdness’ doesn’t end there. Though this adventure can be used to facilitate your typical wander-around-and-kill-everyone-to-take-their-stuff-type scenario, it also includes a sinister (and frankly genius) plot, feuding factions, plenty of hyphens, not to mention bizarre NPC’s and situations to either interact with or stab to death.
It is said that when the largest and most ancient of purple worms know that the time of their death is near, they make their way through rock, earth, and water to the legendary Purple Worm Graveyard. Canny adventurers can return from this quest with a fortune in purple ivory. Foolish ones will die. The Purple Worm Graveyard is a short dungeon crawl adventure that’s best for levels 1-4. The adventure has 15 entries and is designed to provide a variety of challenges for a new adventuring party or one-shot game. The adventure is designed to provide interesting monsters, traps, tricks, and treasures.
A museum of the Mad Archmage, it contains curiosities and treasures from all over the multiverse, and the challenges of the Watery Caves, which are a series of living caves connected by an underground river. This adventure can be used as an expansion to the Castle of the Mad Archmage mega-dungeon adventure, or as a stand-alone adventure. Published by BRW Games
No introductions are necessary for I know well who you are, my intrepid adventurer. A weary traveler indeed. Have a seat, my friend, before you enter the Graffenvold and traverse its byways. Have you come here to rest, to leave the muddy tracks and sharp edges of the world behind? Is that, it my fine fellow? Or have you come to beat down the Lords of this Land and submit them to your will? Which is it fellow, the easy or the hard road you are after? I fear you have gone beyond yourself, and here in Inzae your mistake may be your doom. For beyond yonder door is a fearful world clinging desperately to life. Its denizens struggle against a vast array of malignant forces that seek to drag them deeper into the pits of the Maelstrom. And even here, in this backwater called the Reintier, you will find no respite from this meaningless and overwhelming struggle. So take heed traveler, take heed as you enter the Graffenvold, it will do you well to remember that this is a deadly world and lest you take care, you will be engulfed in its dying spasms. Traveling south in the goblin kingdoms is always frought with danger. So many will go only so far as the Baron's outpost, The Vakhund, The Watchdog Tower, and reside there in safety while merchants and others fare their way down the road. But what happens when the Vakhund is attacked by goblins, orcs and bandits? A princess is kidnapped, and only a dangerous trip into the dark, infested goblin kingdoms will reveal the answer. A Castles & Crusades adventure intended for 4-8 characters of levels 1-2, Vakhund: Into the Unknown marks Part 1 in the thrilling Death on the Treklant Trilogy and introduces the grimly realistic World of Inzae. Those brave enough to enter her Maelstrom and become heroes shall linger long in the halls of valor and memory.
Why Go to the Ruinous Palace? 1. Old Gold to be Stolen from Old Places 2. Rumors of Supernatural Fecundity and Ruination. What wizard would not wish to study such? 3. Nearby communities are hemorrhaging Livestock. The Dragon learns to hunt and gather. 4. A forest Unmolested for centuries… could become a fortune in Timber. Ruinous Palace of the Metegorgos is a new adventure from In Search of Games for your standard dungeon fantasy game. It's easily inserted into any campaign, requiring little modification to adapt to any of a number of dungeon fantasy systems (we recommend Lamentations of the Flame Princess). While written for levels 1-3, the adventure works well with parties level 4-6 as well.
Precis Intermedia brings back this follow-up to the first known commercially-published adventure (Palace of the Vampire Queen) for the original Roleplaying Game (First Edition/OD&D/0E). Originally released in 1977 by Wee Warriors, The Dwarven Glory provides 8* map sections that can be arranged as desired and containing pre-factored creatures and treasures (in other words, this is essentially a geomorphic stocked dungeon). While hit points are provided for the creatures, the First Edition RPG or an OSR equivalent (B/X recommended) is required for actual rules and their descriptions. At one time, the community of Dwarven Glory was a thriving and wealthy one. The community became easy prey for Mortoc and his Ten Orc Tribes. Although the Orcs conquered Dwarven Glory, they could not completely destroy it. There were parts of the caverns they did not even penetrate. Now the caverns echo in the misty gloom, offering refuge to the forgotten and promise to the adventurer. This piece of gaming history is a must for collectors and old school gamers. With the original on the extremely rare list, this classic reprint of The Dwarven Glory has been remastered for a clean print, and is readily available at a low cost. * The original printing included only 7 map sections, designated Sections B through H. The mythical Section A has been added as a bonus. Wee Warriors and The Dwarven Glory are trademarks of Precis Intermedia. All rights reserved.
(EQ1) The Cursed Ring is a generic fantasy short adventure for low-level players, themed around puzzle hunting, traps, and monster combat. It is designed to be solved in approximately 5-6 hours, depending on the size of the party and skill of the players. This adventure takes place in a cursed fortress, where they must find a powerful mythical ring capable of granting great power, in exchange for enormous sacrifices. Players must recover the ring and get out of this dangerous place alive.
Three dungeons in one! The party is given a "dimension shifting device" and sets out to explore a 15-area cave, simultaneously occupied by the DEMON CORSAIRS, the remnants of an ASTEROID MINING OPERATION, and the MONASTERY OF TRANQUILITY & TRANSCENDENCE! The three dungeons are presented in three columns, so when the characters shift from one dimension into another, it's easy to find the corresponding area description. For use with old-school or OSR RPG systems. Recommended for character levels 3-4. Published by Eldritch Fields.
The Submerged Spire of Sarpedon the Shaper lies to the west of the Isle of the Dismemberer. On the northwestern shore of this island, crumbling steps spill from the shore directly into the sea. There, a seaweed choked stone path can be glimpsed winding down into the depths. At low tide, a quarter mile along the path, a lone onion dome may be seen poking through the waves. In the twilight of the sorcerer lords, The Submerged Spire was the jewel of the Shattered Isles. Within his submarine redoubt, Sarpedon penetrated ever deeper into the organic mysteries. Now, its for- lorn dome the roost of seagulls, its secrets slumber beneath the waves.
“Down below, beneath Cassidum’s stinking alleys and crumbling palaces, lie twisting passages and musty chambers with the secrets of the old days, and the subterranean dens of lowlife scum. But now, sordid disappearances haunt the Piazza dei Rospi, while the Literators’ Guild and Barbers’ Guild wage a bloody turf war for the surrounding streets. The key to these mysteries is a richly carved marble well decorated with the carvings of four ugly bullfrogs, whose depths hide things worse still. Some who descend shall win riches and battle-glory, while others will only find horrid death… down in The Well of Frogs!” A 32-page city and dungeon adventure for 1st to 2nd level characters by Istvan Boldog-Bernad, The Well of Frogs describes a neighbourhood of the crumbling city of Cassidum, its teeming alleyways the haunts of thieves and lowlives. But below the surface lie worse things still, left over from the days of the old empire or repurposed by dangerous eccentrics. Visiting the underground could not be easier: the Well of Frogs, in the middle of the infamous Piazza Dei Rospi, lies in plain sight, and nobody will prevent the brave and very foolish from descending into its maw. This is a module which has killed a respectable amount of player characters in playtest, more at its debut at North Texas RPG Con, and is ready to kill again. It can be used as a one-off, or as a nexus point for an extended campaign. The adventure features illustrations by Dorottya Fulop (who also did the cover), Ferenc Fabian, Vincentas Saladis, Graphite Prime, as well as the Dead Victorians and the Robot Overlords.
Once a paradise at the heart of dwarfdom, the Valley of the Cracked Helm has lain forgotten for ages, lost to the vagaries of natural disasters, goblin invasions, and generational benders. Over the years since, its name has invoked only shame—furtive, deep-seated dwarven shame—for the valley is where the wild dwarves dwell. . . Valley of the Cracked Helm is an off-beat scenario for old-school style games involving a hidden valley filled with tribal dwarven nudists and exploitative prospectors. It is formatted as a double-sided tri-fold brochure that contains everything needed to run the module. It includes: A ready-to-run module suitable for ongoing campaigns and one-shots. A detailed pointcrawl of the Valley of the Cracked Helm. Dwarves Gone Wild! (This pointcrawl scenario can be dropped into any classic fantasy campaign allowing gratuitous dwarven nudity. More setting than adventure, it encourages/requires referees to improvise or develop content further to fit their own needs. Low-level PCs may need to be lucky or clever to survive.)