After arriving at a seemingly abandoned trading post, the heroes discover to their horror that all the inhabitants have been transformed into black trees! Upon further investigation, they find clues that lead them to the hidden lair of Nockmort, a treant gone bad. Nockmort has been transformed by the strange radiation of a meteorite he discovered, and now he is a terrible force of evil. The characters must enter his sunless garden to save the town. And along the way they just might discover fabulous treasure...
The wizard Allustan requests the party's company on a trip to Blackwall Keep, a militia outpost on the border of a treacherous swamp. But what of the green worms and unkillable zombies plaguing the region, and what fell secret is locked in the keep's forlorn basement? "Encounter at Blackwall Keep" is the third installment of the Age of Worms Adventure Path, a complete campaign consisting of 12 adventures, several "Backdrop" articles to help Dungeon masters run the series, and a handful of poster maps of key locations. For additional aid in running this campaign, check out Dragon's monthly "Worm Food" articles, a series that provides additional materials to help players survive this campaign. Check out issue #335 of Dragon for three sample cohorts that they might want to take on. Pgs. 16-40
"And they bade their slaves, 'Build unto us tombs to rival the palaces of the gods, for there shall we live or lives and sleep our deaths in splendor.' And the people of Maru-Qet wore their fingers down, broke their backs, burst their hearts to obey. Indeed they raised up great tombs to rival the palaces of the gods. And their masters were well pleased, for it was as gods they saw themselves." The brown dragon Urum-Shar lurks in a strange tomb, plotting schemes only a wyrm of incredible power could understand. Expanding on content from Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons, this adventure takes the heroes into Urum-Shar’s dark and trap-filled lair, where they will eventually face the powerful dragon herself. The dungeon heavily employs the use of traps, with fewer monsters. The upper tomb consists of a great puzzle of twelve rooms, and the lower tomb contains the dreaded Urum-Shar, an ancient brown dragon and heir to the lost draconic empire of Maru-Qet. The dungeon has special protections against scrying and other divinations, as well as teleportation. Pgs. 55-90
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 Triad Series continues with Lion’s Breath Prison. After success against the Order of the Goat troops your next challenge awaits. The spiritual arm of The Triad is known as the Lion’s Breath. With some unfinished business in the form of Marquis Forten, the PCs continue to seek out their quarry. Can they locate the elusive traitor and bring him to justice? This adventure continues to send the party across the fields of Neville!
The Black Rose Inn has a spectral resident prowling its halls and a cultish secret under its floorboards. Can the characters delve beneath the Black Rose and bring closure to a decades-old tragedy? Beneath The Black Rose is a haunting horror adventure for 6th-level characters. It's a one-shot that takes about 3-5 hours to complete and includes: -A ghostly mystery and a murderous cult -Two new monsters to bedevil your players -Combat cards for each monster, PC, and special treasure -High-quality digital maps for use with virtual table tops
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to actually encounter an area where someone has used Guards & Wards, Symbol, and other spells to actually fortify a location against casual intrusion and thievery? If you want to find out just how deadly a wizard's "getaway cabin" in the mountains can be when the owner isn't there to let you in, this is the adventure for you and your players. Suitable for a single session of play (unless characters get killed, forcing a retreat and later return), there's only one combat encounter, but the traps are deadly. Not recommended for parties below level 12. All of the defenses are based on actual PHB spells, although a couple are assumed to have been bound into items or interactions within the dungeon. This dungeon is originally from the "Against the Idol of the Sun" high-level hexcrawl campaign.
A centuries old evil has been cultivating an environmental disaster deep under the earth, waiting for the time when it will be unleashed on the world. A new mine has been created above and has broken the seal. The owner of the mine has lost contact with their foreman and shipments have stopped, and it’s up to an inexperienced but eager group of adventurers to investigate. This adventure is designed to present a challenge for a group of four veteran players using first level characters. While there are opportunities for roleplay scattered throughout, this adventure is heavy on the exploration and combat pillars of fifth edition. Death is a real and ever-present threat as they investigate the mine and the dangers below. Success and survival should bring them to the third level, and they may have found some treasure well worth the effort. So much so that they may become targets themselves from unscrupulous and more experienced NPCs. Written to be a seed for a larger campaign in any high fantasy setting, the outcome of this adventure could have world-changing consequences. It introduces a new and growing threat that, given enough encouragement, greed, time and apathy, could consume the world and beyond.
History states that Zobeck was reborn in blood 80 years ago, thanks in part to the creation of gearforged by a revolutionary coalition of workers and mages. Unfortunately, history has recorded only part of the truth, and the Praetors will do anything to make sure the rest remains buried.
Explore a cult-ridden village in this adventure for 2nd-level characters set in the world’s greatest roleplaying game! Syra Fallbrook, a talented blacksmith, is due to be executed. Her only crime was trying to prevent the Cult of the Engine from taking and sacrificing her daughter, Ariadne, in a dark ritual beneath the town. The party find Bleakwash a closed off and inhospitable town, with zealous cultists and downtrodden citizens so tightly entwined that nobody trusts anybody else, and nobody can be trusted. Eventually, the quest takes them to the dungeon beneath the town, a dank, sodden crypt where the cult’s enigmatic leader seeks to awaken The Engine Of Salvation. This second-level adventure is perfect for new DMs and players alike. Visit the grim portside town of Bleakwash, save Syra and her daughter, investigate a dark cult, and do battle in the salt-crusted catacombs! Included in this adventure: A quest to clear a town of corrupting influence. An open-ended investigation in a full town map. Broken, sea-washed catacombs. 5 random encounters to support you during travel. Approx. 4 hours of fun. A gripping adventure for 2nd-level players. Visit the grim shores of Bleakwash for a holiday you'll never forget!
The Zhentarim ask the party to investigate what happened in one their most important underdark outposts. If the party accepts, they'll have to deal with maddening darkness, grimlocks, an insane kenku assassin and unpredictable mixtures of potions. A short, fun dungeon romp that is easily adapted to other settings and other patrons. The combination of utter darkness and a villain based on sound makes for fun shenanigans on the side of the DM. Feasible as a one shot for an efficient party. Two tendays ago, Zhentarim agents were to transport a shipment of rare potions between their Underdark outpost and the surface world. The shipment has yet to arrive, and the outpost is not responding to any sending spells. Growing worried, the outpost’s overseer sends a group of hireswords to investigate and return it to Zhentarim hands. This particular adventure deals with the delusions of madness of Fraz Urb'luu. It also features Muurmic, the mad kenku first described in the December 2015 issue of Dragon+.
Three months ago the township of Durgon’s Rest exiled Elia Fenfrost for practicing witchcraft. Now as the first harvest approaches there are signs that something is amiss. The crops are failing, local farm animals are becoming sick with disease, and all of the food stores have gone foul. The town’s folk suspect that the accursed blight is the work of Elia - exacting her revenge for casting her out into the wild. The PCs are the villager’s last hope, but can they find Elia and end the evil curse that has been laid upon the town before all comes to ruin?
Thail Donnodol, an eleven scholar, has been imprisoned for crimes he did not commit. The law is no refuge. Only by breaking into the fortress prison of Granite’s End can the player character save Thail from a lifetime of misery. There’s only one problem: Thail Donnodol does not want to be saved. At least not until he finds the Vengeance of Olindor. Part 3 of the Olindor Trilogy.
Last Gasp is an adventure set in a desert setting, exploring the cursed tomb of an ancient king of great magical power, a magical river, and includes both deadly combats and mysteries to confound tomb-robbers. Seek out the riches of a king, and may fortune favor you!
Vault of the Blood Mage is a deadly one-shot dungeon adventure for 4-6 8th level characters. Player Characters find themselves locked in a dungeon room with no memory of how they got there. Inflicted with a magical disease that is slowly turning them into mindless zombies, the dungeoneers have to work quickly to find the antidote and escape the vault before succumbing to the deadly affliction. To do so, the characters must avoid deadly traps, fight unique monsters, and solve fiendish puzzles.
What began as a subtle sickness has now spread into a full-blown contagion of magical origins around Roslof Keep! Although protected from the outbreak by their Mithel Standard, the Company of the Ivory Scimitar is now challenged with not only continuing their quest to defeat the Dungeon but also saving the town that they have grown to love. With unlikely allies forming from the other Mithel Companies, as well as unforeseen help within the labyrinth itself, the Ivory Scimitar must now take on the perilous task of curing the Violet Corruption while trying to discern the nature of its cause from somewhere deep within Mithelvanr's mad dungeon of self-propagating monstrosities! This adventure is formatted to both 1E & 5E gaming rules. Also available in PDF.
A trek across the Shadow Marches leads weary travellers to Blackroot, a quiet village of ramshackle huts nestled among the darkwood trees. Here, orcs and humans live in peace. However, all is not well. Something evil has crawled up from below, threatening to devour the village and its denizens. Only a party of brave heroes stands in its way. In Khyber’s Harvest, the PCs battle an ancient evil threatening a remote village in the Shadow Marches. The dark power of the planes has grown strong in this place. Depraved cultists and twisted aberrant creatures are dragging innocents down into ancient caverns to undergo a horrific transformation. To save these helpless villagers, the PCs must overcome the terrors of Khyber—a quest that brings them to the attention of the dreadful Belashyrra, the Lord of Eyes.
Dracula, the Lord of Shadow and Darkness, has covered the land in shadow and dispatched armies of monsters and undead from his magical castle. His armies threaten to overrun major cities and plunge the world into a literal Dark Age. The last of the vampire-hunting clan that traditionally opposed him has disappeared, and still the armies advance. He must be stopped. If that's not enough motivation, it is well-known that his castle is full of magical items and great riches... but also great danger. If you've ever wanted D&D and Castlevania to meet, look no further. This adventure is exactly what you wanted. Every area of the castle poses different and unique challenges to keep the party engaged and on their toes. Written for the DM as a ready-to-run adventure, it is designed for four to six characters. The adventure starts at level 3 at the outer defenses of the castle, and ends with the party advancing to level 13 after defeating Dracula in an epic battle. The adventure includes documentation to help even a new DM succed, including suggestions for how to run each of the area "boss" monsters in combat. There are approximately 50 new enemies and over 3 dozen new magical items. It also comes with a list of suggested music for many areas of the castle, and a 25-page campaign log recounting an actual tabletop play-through of this adventure from the DM's perspective.
Characters explore a dangerous, but sparsely populated temple in search of the Staff of the Dragon. They will encounter traps, environmental hazards, and a nest of lizardfolk. The characters are rewarded for a 'look but don't touch' approach to the temple's features. The real highlight, though, is the closing encounter. Once the staff of the dragon is retrieved, it can transform the characters into dragons for a set period of time. As they exit the temple, they are beset by an ancient dragon and the stage is set for an epic brawl as the characters take to the sky in dragon form. Can be completed as a one-shot.
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