Wise rogues join the government, where their larceny has the cover of “legality” and the cash comes in heaps and piles from deceitful receipts and pocketed procurements rather than in small, bloodstained purses from breaking windows, scaling walls, and risking traps and long-fanged guard dogs. Wise rogues do not, by choice, go up against towering giants armed with clubs larger than the tallest rogue in the guild. Nor do they try to nick treasure from dragons without a group of powerful fellow adventurers behind them, who can hurl mighty spells, hack and hew toe to toe with an angry wyrm, heal the injured, and (when things go as they usually do), resurrect the dead. There are wise rogues, and then there are player characters. Emeralds of Highfang awaits them with open arms, offering special challenges and rewards to rogue characters—but as always, the prospects are much better for a party of adventurers from a variety of classes, with wide skills and experience, and of high level. Some might find that a broad base of experience is not only helpful, but essential for survival.
Stories of misfortune are often exaggerated, especially when they have been retold many times. For that reason, most people aren't taking seriously the claim that a sea monster living along the coast is eating whole ships full of sailors and swallowing entire families. But there's no denying a few facts -- the town of Lochfell is losing its citizens to a sea monster (one that walks on water no less), someone is stealing that same town's dead, and ships are beginning to choose other ports for unloading their goods. Such a scenario could doom the residents of the small port town to either a monster's gullet or the poorhouse. No one seems to know whether the town's two ongoing problems are connected, but the sea monster never leaves behind a corpse to bury. Is it collecting bodies for some dark purpose? Or did some more powerful evil creature create the sea monster to do its dirty work? Someone in Lochfell knows the answer, and it's up to the PCs to find it out. Lochfell’s Secret is a short D&D adventure for four 15th level player characters (PCs). The story is set in and around the port town of Lochfell. You can place the action in any section of your campaign world where a coastal town on a bay might exist. If there is a small town that the PCs visited in a past adventure but haven’t returned to in quite a while, so much the better. As always, feel free to adapt the material presented here as you see fit to make it work with your campaign.
The Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path continues with “Sword of Valor,” by RPG Superstar Neil Spicer. The PCs, now invested with righteous mythic power, are poised to become the greatest heroes of this seemingly endless war against the demons of the Worldwound… provided they can succeed at their first mission. The citadel city of Drezen was once a symbol of the First Crusade’s triumph against the Worldwound, yet when a larger horde of demons attacked, they shattered Drezen’s defenses and captured both the citadel and the crusaders’ symbol of power. Can the PCs help lead an army north to reclaim Drezen and recover this potent relic, or are they marching their comrades and followers to a gruesome demise?
After escaping the oppressive rule of the hobgoblin empire, a tribe of goblins stumbles across a long-abandoned iron mine that would make the perfect home for them, if only it wasn’t already full of dangers. What lurks in the mine is however a secondary problem for the goblins, as they know that hobgoblin scouts will be hot on their heels. Looking to gain a valuable ally, they turn to the local town of Cathric for help. Under orders from the Marquess of Cathric, your band of adventurers is tasked with ensuring that the mine can provide a steady source of iron. Of course, this will mean helping the goblin tribe to get the mine working and defending them from their old masters. Your players will have to face off against the monsters in the mine, a hobgoblin scouting party and some over enthusiastic mining equipment, all while trying to put on a brave face in front of three trainee goblin fighters. Content warnings: spiders, enclosed spaces, displaced populations, authoritarian regimes. It is also implied that a monstrous creature is wounded by another monstrous creature.
Trouble stirs in the Borderlands. Khazra, Red Prophet of the Bull God, has united the fractious People of the Bull and proclaimed the promised time is nigh. The Bull God demands blood! Fanatics raid the outlying villages, farmsteads and towns for sacrifices. None are safe! Unbeknownst to Khazra, a power older than man stirs under the earth, fed by the blood of sacrifice. Can a band of unlikely heroes prevail where all before them have failed? Are they brave enough to face not just the minions of the Red Prophet, but the eldritch terror of the Obelisk that Thirsts? The land will suffer terrors lost to time--unless heroes step up and answer the call! A module for 3-6 characters of levels 3-5. This adventure includes a situation for a 4th level paladin to find their mount. The adventure includes new spells, monsters, and magic items.
Book 4 in the Iron Gods campaign: A great threat is rising in Silver Mount, but a precious item belonging to a mysterious entity called Casandalee has yet to be found. With the Dominion of the Black still an ever-present danger, players must navigate a dangerous canyon, the Scar of the Spider, in hopes of learning more about their enemies, and to accomplish their mission.
The gnome village of Clefton is built on the sides of a deep gorge, their homes built safely into the gorge walls. But for the past two nights Clefton has suffered the attacks of sightless creatures that crawl down the walls and steal away the gnomes’ loved ones. It’s up to the PCs to follow the creatures’ trail back to The Draigesgyrn Caves and put an end to their threat. As the PCs explore the unusual cave complex, they may discover the caves are the empty husk of a colossal dragon, buried many years ago beneath a landslide. In the depths of these caves they encounter the dread spirit of the dragon rider and an entrance to the Underdark. Will they seal the entrance or will they begin a new adventure deep underground? The Draigesgyrn Caves is a D&D 5th Edition adventure suitable for four to five PCs of 5th level and estimated to take 4-6 hours. The adventure could be set in any mountainous area. In the Forgotten Realms, it might be set in the Fairheight Range on the Moonshae Isles. The end of the adventure introduces an option to begin an Underdark adventure or campaign. Includes: A map of the dragon husk caves by EB Moreno Two new monsters for 5th edition – the ghoulish ooze and a grimlock shaman Four new magic items
Troubles simply mushroom in the Underdark. The alchemist would like some fungus and spores, but no one wants to get them. Perhaps you could help. The adventure begins with the party finding a caravan. In addition to being able to trade with these NPCs, the party also can be hired by an alchemist to bring bag some red fungus and some Myconid spores from underground. Underground, the party will have a chance to interact with friendly Myconids and venture through a large labyrinth of passages (this labyrinth isn't mapped and is dealt with through storytelling, random encounters, and roleplay). The adventure culminates in a battle between the Myconids and Flinds, and the players can participate. Pgs. 4-12
Your party of stalwart heroes must venture into a lost dwarven mining complex, fighting terrible monsters, bypassing deadly traps, and exploring chambers heavy with the dust of ages. Somewhere deep below the surface lies the heart of darkness--a corrupting evil that must be stopped before its influence can spread! TSR 9844
Chapter 2: The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh In this version of the adventure, the characters find navigational charts and logs aboard the Sea Ghost that implicate its crew as slavers. Ned Shakeshaft is a Scarlet Brotherhood agent. He makes an attempt to foil the characters, but his true intent is to surrender and implicate Gellan Primewater as a key villain. The distraction afforded by the lizardfolk and the looming sahuagin threat gives the Scarlet Brotherhood the opportunity to bring more agents into town. posing as mercenaries brought in by Anders to protect the town. If Gellan can be removed from the council, Solmor might ask one of the characters to take his place.
Conquest, not beauty, is in the eyes of this beholder. A promise of adventure and riches, with a hint of total annihilation. The party should also have several powerful magical items, since the challenge that it faces is great. The geographical background and the local population are left vague so that the adventure can fit any campaign setting. Pgs. 39-44
*THIS IS A D&D NEXT/5E PLAYTEST ADVENTURE* Imani, a Turmishan wizard and former adventurer, seeks the aid of heroes to infiltrate Dretchroyaster’s lair and recover the Diamond Staff of Chomylla—the key to powerful magic and wisdom locked away for thousands of years. In addition to his own sagely interest in the lore of lost Uvaeren, Imani recognizes the dangers of such powerful magic falling into evil hands. The dracolich has secured the staff in his lair’s cen- tral chamber, using ancient wards of protection that can be bypassed only by four artifact-idols once belong- ing to a cult of Bhaal. Each group of adventurers enters the dungeon through a different section of the dun- geon—a forgotten temple of Bhaal, a vast underground lake, a troglodyte village, or Dretchroyaster’s vaults. Dretchroyaster’s lair is no simple set of caverns and ancient ruins. It sits atop a source of great power and energy, which the dracolich and his Cult of the Dragon allies hope to use to unlock the secrets of the staff. Only by undertaking a unified assault against Dretchroyas- ter’s lair can the adventurers hope to recover the Diamond Staff and survive the dracolich’s fury. The adventurers must make their way through the lair and recover the Bhaalite idols that will help unlock the Diamond Staff, all the while dealing with the lair’s creatures and avoiding the dracolich as he pur- sues intruders. Entering the Chamber of the Diamond Staff, the heroes must overcome its magical wards and claim the staff before being slain by the dracolich and his servants.
A shrewd, spell-using green dragon has taken over the deepest chamber of a limestone cave as his lair. The dragon has persuaded a tribe of troglodytes to live in the outer chambers as a sort of "protective buffer" in return for gifts of magical treasure. The troglodytes cherish the useless bits of magic without realizing their modest worth. The outer chambers of the cave are protected by the troglodytes, the beetles and centipedes the troglodytes raise as cattle, and wild creatures. The green dragon uses traps, illusions and magical devices to protect his inner chamber. Wyrmhaven is the second dragon's lair to conquer. Part of TSR 1073 The Dragon's Den
The spire has existed for as long as locals can remember. Rising above the sand near the ocean, the spire is topped by a natural cave system. Stories about the place circulate around the docks and taverns of the nearby towns—dark tales of ritual sacrifice and the worship of long dead gods of lightning and storm. Many claim the victims of the old cult still crawl through the tunnels accessible at the peak of the spire. Others say a new scaly threat now lairs there, and the storms of late have been most violent near that place. In this explorative and perilous adventure, the party ascends a great rocky spire to face the place’s past and the blue dragon that presently resides there.
On the shores of the Sea of Fallen Stars, in a small and xenophobic coastal town, there is a mystery that must be unraveled. People have started disappearing during the past months, as a direct result of the criminal activities going on in town, under cloak and dagger. The players must examine clues, talk with witnesses, and investigate further, to help the people of Saltwater restore peace and order. The smuggling mastermind and his lackeys, including a vicious shapeshifter, will stop at nothing to stop the players from achieving their objective. This is a starting adventure for players and DM’s alike, which may also be used as a starting point of your campaign and easily adapted to any small coastal town in your game world. It involves a great deal of roleplaying and some degree of battle, depending on the player’s decisions. A cloak and dagger investigative adventure, for nerves hard as steel and fists tough as nails.
Centuries ago, the despotic Alphaks, ruler of Alphatia, was banished to another world. From his own sphere of entropy he learned to manipulate men, and now seeks revenge against the human race. The volatile region of Norworld, a perennial battleground between Thyatis and Alphaita, draws Alphaks's attention. The already existing frictions, small-time political players, and petty vengeances are the sparks Alphaks will use to ignite a huge war that will destroy man-kind. This is an adventure of politics and diplomacy, of treachery and treason. Only courageous and bold actions can save Norworld from the horrors of war and liberate its people from oppression. The Vengeance of Alphaks may be played as a sequel to module M1, Into the Maelstrom, or separately. The D&D Master Set Rules are necessary for running this game. TSR 9148
Ranked in 2004 as the single greatest adventure of all time by Dungeon magazine, this is a compilation of three series of modules: the G series "G1-2-3 Against the Giants" (G1 Steading of the Hill Giant Chief, G2 Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl, G3 Hall of the Fire Giant King), the D series (D1 Descent into the Depths of the Earth, D2 Shrine of the Kuo-Toa, D3 Vault of the Drow), and Q1 Queen of the Demonweb Pits. The characters begin by attempting to stop giant raids that have become prolific. They find out that the giant alliance is caused by the drow. They then descend into the Underdark in order to find the drow and stop their sinister plan. TSR 9179
The Heartland Scouts – brave defenders of the Coast Way – have been captured! What their captors haven’t counted on is the adventurers’ feisty animal companions. Left behind, they are nevertheless bound to spell trouble! In this entirely unique adventure, players take on the roles of trusty animal companions and familiars on a quest to rescue their adventurer masters. Surely leaving behind a druid’s harmless badger friend is no threat to one of the great evil powers of the world – or is it? Rescue: A Familiar Tale features a story and challenges designed especially for the animal companions. Players choose and customize their animal companion from over 20 options, with illustrated character sheets included for each one. This adventure does not require existing player characters and can be enjoyed by players of any experience level with the game. While it makes for a perfect “something different” one shot, Rescue can also serve as a session zero for any new campaign and includes guidelines for a fun and surprising way to create inspired new characters at the adventure’s end!
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
The seaside town of Ashenport has a troubled past and a dark secret. If you spend a night in Ashenport, you just might not wake up the next morning. "The Last Breaths of Ashenport" is an adventure of survival and alien horrors. The adventure is self-contained and can be placed in any setting. Pgs. 70-105