A community for lazy dungeon masters
196 adventures found
Cover of Vampiric Squirrel
Vampiric Squirrel
OSR
Levels 3–10
2 pages
0

One page side quest, one page maps. For amusement, twenty years ago, a transient vampire passed its blood curse to a flying squirrel making it undead, intelligent, and immune to aging. The squirrel calls itself Darkfang and mostly enjoys preying on tiny humanoids, favoring halflings, elves, & young humans. DF often relocates as years ago it learned humanoids seek justice. To avoid notice, DF may move lairs after killing a humanoid. Three solid adventure hooks are provided. Published by Wicked Cool Games

Cover of Enigma of the Eryx Estate
Enigma of the Eryx Estate
OSR
Levels 1–3
16 pages
0

By a well-trodden road lies the estate of the Eryx family. At some point the estate was converted into a roadside inn. The merchant Robert E. Wardlove has received an urgent letter from his daughter Derleth. She begs of her father to arrive in haste to the faraway inn and take her back home safely for the Evening of Still Streets draws near... Enigma of the Eryx Estate is a break from the usual dungeon crawls of the Shadowdark RPG system recommended for characters of lvls 1-3. During this adventure players get to solve a murder and the mysteries that surround it. Exploration and intrigue are emphasized as player characters gain XP for uncovering secrets. Combat is in a more minor role during this adventure, but if the players don't figure out the mystery by midnight, they might be in a fight for their lives. The adventure is designed for ease of running with punctual room and character descriptions.

Cover of SM20 - The Ruined City
SM20 - The Ruined City
OSR
Levels 4–12
40 pages
0

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.

Cover of Tomb of the Serpent Kings
Tomb of the Serpent Kings
OSR
Level 1
22 pages
0

People keep asking for "beginner" dungeons. Everyone can name "classic" dungeons - Tomb of Horrors, Barrier Peaks, Ravenloft, etc. - but in order for those adventures to make sense, there needs to be some sort of introduction. It's like all the adventures we have are Bach concertos. People keep writing amazing works of staggering genius, but someone needs to write a book on how to play the piano. I had the same questions, and since I couldn't find anything satisfactory, I decided to write the kind of dungeon I would have loved to find. I wanted to write the best basic OSR dungeon for beginners that I could, and I also wanted to show the design process. If you like this dungeon, please share it, tell people about it, print copies and leave them lying around local game stores, or email this post to friends who have "always wanted to try D&D but don't know where to start". The entire thing is and always will be free.

Cover of Prison of the Hated Pretender
Prison of the Hated Pretender
OSR
Levels 0–1
20 pages
0

Prison of the Hated Pretender is an introductory adventure for 4-6 characters levels 0-1. Originally published on the Dungeon of Signs blog, it is a short drop-in location-based adventure with a couple of interesting puzzles, a lack of "book" monsters, implacable foes with an obvious weakness, and a very weird roleplaying opportunity. The new 2020 edition republished by Hydra Collective adds suggested guidance for new Dungeonmasters who grew up with 5th edition and don't know how old-school works. Stats for both BECMI and 5th edition, and setting neutral (though there are some implied things about the history of the world).

Cover of ASE1: Anomalous Subsurface Environment
ASE1: Anomalous Subsurface Environment
OSR
Levels 1–2
87 pages
0

"Put those dark elves back in their box and get your gonzo on! Riches, glory, and super-science await the bold and the clever in the deep places under the ground. This module describes the dinosaur- and wizard-infested future of the Earth, the city of Denethix, and the first level of the megadungeon that beckons from below: the Anomalous Subsurface Environment." Set in a post-apocalyptic future where Earth's remains are explored through dungeons filled with ancient tech, magic, and bizarre ecosystems, inhabited by various factions with their own agendas. This setting blends sci-fi and fantasy with a touch of the absurd, offering a playground for imaginative gameplay and storytelling. The module includes a gatehouse and the first level of the Anomalous Subsurface Environment, each designed with multiple pathways. Unique twists on monsters and magic items. Written for Labyrinth Lord

Cover of Stonehell Dungeon: Into the Heart of Hell
Stonehell Dungeon: Into the Heart of Hell
OSR
168 pages
0

Stonehell Dungeon: Into the Heart of Hell is the long-awaited sequel to Stonehell Dungeon: Down Night-Haunted Halls. This book contains the final levels of the megadungeon, revealing its most terrifying secrets. It contains almost 600 dungeon rooms for the players to explore, more than 70 unique monsters to challenge them, and 13 new magical items to mystify them. Stonehell Dungeon is a classic-style megadungeon intended for use with the Labyrinth Lord™ role-playing game, but adaptable to early versions of the original fantasy role-playing game and its retro-clones. It gives the game master the necessary information to run the dungeon, while offering enormous opportunities to customize the site. Published by Three-Headed Monster Games.

Cover of Castle of the Mad Archmage
Castle of the Mad Archmage
OSR
152 pages
0

A vast, sprawling mega-dungeon beneath the ruins of a nearby castle. Reports have surfaced of stockpiles of wealth within the passages. Regions previously devoid of monsters are reported to teem with renewed activity. Magical and mundane traps have brought foolhardy explorers to their doom. Changes within the passages and chambers have rendered old maps and knowledge dangerously unreliable if not outright useless. To the bold and daring, only one message needs to be heard: the castle and its dungeons are once more ripe for exploration, and new legends are ready to be made. Note: This adventure requires three books for it to be complete (sold as a package): Adventure Book, Map Book, and Illustration Book. Published by BRW Games

Cover of A Single, Small Cut
A Single, Small Cut
OSR
Level 3
11 pages
0

A short adventure of human greed meeting weird horror with a quite messy outcome. An encounter set in a church, with a Shoggoth like eldritch horror as the Boss.

Cover of The Globe
The Globe
OSR
Medium Level
12 pages
0

Among the snow globes that sit gathering dust there is one quite unlike the others. One is full of sand and an ancient library. Shake it and you’re transported to the dungeon. Here's what it has: Beautiful cartography from Dyson Logos 27 keyed rooms to keep your players busy for a few sessions A new enemy called the Mummies who do no damage but burst into sand that gets into armor and skin, spreading a deadly disease A sand golem Pharaoh who can multiply A twisted lich (or moderately low level) who collects teeth A sphinx searching for the answer to a riddle A few traps (including snakes and skin-burrowing scarabs) A treasure room that has roughly 10,000gp worth of assorted treasures, making it difficult to export It exists inside a magical snow globe, meaning it can fit into your campaign world with ease Has repercussions and ways to continue after the fact Basically this is a dungeon for a more Old School feel.

Cover of The Sea-Wolf's Daughter
The Sea-Wolf's Daughter
OSR
Levels 7–9
64 pages
0

An adventure in Hyperborea designed for from four to six characters of 7th through 9th level Your party finds itself in the employ of Ragnarr the Sea-Wolf, a jarl of New Vinland and a reaver of old. His daughter, a shield-maiden named Gunnhildr, has been abducted by a brute called Björn Blackbeard. During a desperate search, the Sea-Wolf crossed sails with a former rival, and from the blood-flecked lips of a dying foe, he learnt the location of Blackbeard’s stronghold. Now, deep in the misty fjords of Brigand’s Bay, where cutthroats, pirates, and freebooters thrive, you have been charged with liberating the Sea-Wolf’s daughter. The Sea-Wolf's Daughter takes players into an action-packed realm of adventure: the mythical world of Hyperborea, a sword-and-sorcery campaign setting inspired by the fantastic fiction of Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and others. This adventure is designed for Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea™ (AS&SH™), a role-playing game descended from the original 1974 fantasy wargame and miniatures campaign rules as conceived by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. Therefore, AS&SH is compatible with most traditional fantasy role-playing games (c. 1974 to 1999) and their modern simulacra, such as OSRIC™ and Swords & Wizardry™.

Cover of Imperial Vault 19 and Other Dark Places
Imperial Vault 19 and Other Dark Places
OSR
Levels 1–5
30 pages
0

A collection of five one-shot adventures for Cairn! Imperial Vault 19 A grieving widow in the forest begs you to save her baby. A hedge witch has taken the infant down into an old imperial vault where she uses the child’s Chaos tears in alchemical potions. And who knows what old treasures might still be hidden in the vault? Unless it’s not that kind of vault… Barrow of the Blood Baron Face off against vampire bats, vampire thralls, and a vampire noble, as well as a few other creatures that have clawed their way into this once-armored vault. Discover works of art, exotic wines, enchanted clothing, and filthy weapons. Negotiate with the guards and intruders alike, using clever words or whatever stake-like objects are close at hand! Tomb of the Tin Templar Encounter electric jellyfish, tinker gnomes, and the rusted corpse of the noble Sir Tristan, as well as a few other creatures that have drifted into this marvelous mechanical vault. Discover windup toys, clockwork companions, and baffling devices. Negotiate with the guards and intruders alike, using clever words or whatever rusty objects are close at hand! Priory of the Primate Priest Defy root trolls, monkey monks, and a beguiling dryad, as well as a few other creatures that have found their way into this marvelous living vault. Discover magical armor, haunted skulls, and the bonest of the apes' victims. Negotiate with the guards and intruders alike, using clever words or whatever living objects are close at hand! Fane of the Fey Fellmonger Match wits with guild goblins, pixies, and a living skin suit, as well as a few other creatures that have spirited their way into this disturbing leathery vault. Discover arcane clothing, deadly sewing tools, and a fey lord who isn't entire dead yet. Negotiate with the guards and intruders alike, using clever words or whatever sewing objects are close at hand! New PC Background: The Dungeoneer! In addition to some unusual delving gear, select one of 10 unfortunate results of a recent delve-gone-wrong, as well as one of 13 helpful boons or tools from a recent delve-gone-right.

Cover of Are You Familiar?
Are You Familiar?
OSR
Levels 4–10
2 pages
0

One page side quest, one page maps. For decades old Alma Scarlet-thorn and her cat, Ferox, entwined as witch and familiar, reveled in tormenting travelers passing near her lair. But, recently, Alma has favored her newly created mist golem more. Although Ferox has enjoyed the power of their bond, she now believes the magical connection is no longer worth this jealousy. The cat, Ferox, has been searching for a way to punish her mistress or remove the golem. Adventure hooks provided. Published by Wicked Cool Games

Cover of SM06 The Warren
SM06 The Warren
OSR
Levels 5–8
76 pages
0

Baron Ketterall’s lands are beset by a plague of marauding goblins! Goblins you say? Pah! Who's afraid of few poxy goblins? But two experienced parties have already gone looking for the goblin lair – never to be heard of again. Poxy goblins you say? Be afraid, be very afraid… The scenario is designed to be an extremely challenging adventure that might undermine a player’s bravado in dealing with low-level monsters such as goblins. Unusual traps, tricks and special weapons are used by the inhabitants of the dungeon to cause the party as much trouble as possible. Published by Dunromin University Press.

Cover of The Doom of Cear Ferros
The Doom of Cear Ferros
OSR
Levels 1–2
4 pages
0

"The broken outline of Cear Ferros emerged on the horizon. Its ancient walls stand silent and looming as you approach them, casting long and eerie shadows across the land." An adventure through a cursed castle crawling with undead in search of missing merchants. For Shadowdark Published as part of the Shots in the Dark collection.

Cover of BF1 Morgansfort: The Western Lands Campaign
BF1 Morgansfort: The Western Lands Campaign
OSR
Level 1
70 pages
1

Morgansfort: The Western Lands Campaign is the first published campaign setting for the Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game. This module includes a brief description of the Western Lands: A campaign adventure area consisting of the remnants of a once-great empire, a pair of important free cities, and a vast wilderness territory, plus Morgansfort, a detailed "home base" for adventurers set in the western lands. Also included are three adventures designed for a part of new player characters, comprising a total of six dungeon levels: The Olde Island Fortress: a two-level dungeon environment suitable for beginning adventurers, located near Morgansfort. The Nameless Dungeon: a three-level dungeon designed to be a bit more challenging. The Cave of the Unknown: a one-level dungeon filled with strange monsters led by a fearsome master. This campaign module combines: The Western Lands, a briefly sketched campaign area; Morgansfort, a detailed "home base" for an adventuring party; The Old Island Fortress, a two level dungeon suitable for beginning adventurers; The Nameless Dungeon, a tough three level dungeon; and The Cave of the Unknown, a dungeon controlled by an evil magic-user. This campaign module is highly suitable for starting a new group, even a group of new players. Published by basicfantasy.org

Cover of Ruins of the Immortal Warlord
Ruins of the Immortal Warlord
OSR
Level 3
8 pages
0

Standing 100 feet off the shores of the vast Sapphire Lake are the ruins of a small fortress standing atop a rocky islet. The fortress belonged to a lich posing as a warlord from the Kingdom of Old Hagada, but fell rapidly into ruin when the Shrouded Hero was able to pierce the lich with the Blade of Five Seals. The lich cursed the assassin and his incompetent guards with his final breath. He cursed them to the same fate, their bodies petrifying and all of their souls being sealed in the Sheath of Five Seals. Afterwards, the warlord’s armies were defeated on the battlefield and the fortress became abandoned. In this short 3rd level dungeon crawl, the party investigate a ruined island fortress to solve a mysterious puzzle box. You can run this as a one-shot or plop this into your campaign world with minimal effort. The adventure is designed for Shadowdark RPG and references the core rulebook. If you're an experienced game master, you could convert the adventure to whatever system you prefer.

Cover of Floating Gardens of Bahb-Elonn
Floating Gardens of Bahb-Elonn
OSR
Level 1
14 pages
0

This scenario was originally written for use as a competition event at Games Day 1987. We have published the adventure so that you will be able to reproduce the competition. The scenario also serves as an introduction to the forthcoming supplement detailing the land of Lustria. (see WFRP World Map, p272). At Games Day the party had to play the part of a small band of pygmies, and we have included details of this party so that you can use them too. You should carefully read the notes on Witchdoctors, Ancestor Spirits and the spell Control Spirits before starting play. If a conventional party is used here there is a significant chance that players will lose favourite characters. Much of the scenario is geared towards pygmies, (some tunnel heights, the presence of pygmy ancestors and so on), and a party without access to pygmy-magic may find some areas extremely difficult. Pgs. 11-27 Published by Games Workshop

Cover of Fever-Dreaming Marlinko
Fever-Dreaming Marlinko
OSR
Levels 2–4
72 pages
0

Visit Marlinko, a borderlands city where life takes a strange fever-dream cast, in this 72-page urban adventure fantasy supplement. Part city-setting, part full-blown adventure, Fever-Dreaming Marlinko is a stand-alone companion to the Slavic acid fantasy weirdness of the Slumbering Ursine Dunes. Contains background and hooks for the city's four city quarters, two complete dungeon adventure sites, two new players classes (Mountebank and Robodwarf), Chaos Index with escalating events/triggers scattered throughout the city, news generator with full news briefs and hooks, and tiger-wrestling mini-game.

Cover of The Dreams of Ruin
The Dreams of Ruin
OSR
Levels 12–18
260 pages
0

Designed to remedy the lack of "end game" content for Old School-style gaming, The Dreams of Ruin is a setting-neutral adventure supplement aimed at characters of level 12 to 16. The material can be used with groups from level 8 to max level (and beyond, if the system supports ascent to divinity for high-level character). Capable of challenging even the most experienced players and most powerful characters, The Dreams of Ruin are an unforgettable addition to any high-level campaign. But beware! The dreams are mighty and can overwhelm even fearsome warlords and powerful wizard-kings. One touch of them, and your campaign world will never be the same.