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.
Tall tales of hidden riches are common in the pirate-infested taverns of the Shackles, but when Captain Varossa Lanteri claims to know the location of the secret treasure hoard of legendary Captain Jemma Redclaw, it seems she may be telling the truth. Captain Lanteri hires the PCs on as crew to help her assemble the magic key that will open the door to Redclaw’s treasure... and the ancient cyclops stronghold in which it’s hidden! Can the PCs survive long enough to claim their share of the lost loot, or will their enemies—or their allies—send them to a watery grave?
Constructed into the side of an active volcano or buried deep beneath the ground lies the Temple of Pure Fire. Within its walls is enough flame and lava to make even the hardiest of adventures question their decision to pass through its doors. This temple contains grand constructs that have laid dormant for hundreds of years, but stir from their great slumber when they are needed to defend this former place or worship. Grand forges, lava-fueled smelters, and even an obsidian lava transportation vehicle wait within the walls of this ancient temple.
Beyond the western mountains, the orcs generally kept to themselves. Over the years they built their civilization. They enriched themselves through magic and music, and followed a doctrine of peace and acceptance that was empowered by the dangerous mountain range on one side and the swirling seas on the other. Their quiet society was shattered when a djinni named Hasteth was summoned by their elder mages. Hasteth was a creature of pure evil and perverted the wishes that it granted. In time, the orcs were able to trap the djinni within an enchanted ceramic jar called the Annihilation Hold, but not before their entire way of life was torn asunder. Many centuries have gone by and the orcs are scattered to the wind, with few recalling their proud nation. The hidden complex containing the Annihilation Hold has been discovered. Tales of wealth and magic fill the rumors the adventurers overhear. Will your adventurers brave the hazards inside to claim the riches?
The Terror of Screeching Hill is an adventure designed for a party of four level 1-3 characters. Introduce your friends to Dungeons & Dragons or take a break from your current campaign and save the town of Stonehollow in this early level one-shot! To the villagers of Stonehollow, the flight of bats warns of an impending disaster. Earthquakes, which riddle the small mining town, often follow this omen causing cave-ins and trapping miners underground. Thankfully, the ground hasn't shaken in weeks. However, every night at sunset, a colony of bats fly over the town as a haunting cry echoes over Screeching Hill, a mound on the southern outskirts of the village. Villagers have begun to go missing, including the town's doctors Simon and Kirk Bartok, and some have suffered terrible wounds after being attacked by a relentless creature out of the darkness. With no doctors to treat the wounded and the expectation of more attacks, the villagers of Stonehollow turn to you for help. Will you investigate the terror of Screeching Hill and save the town from its reoccurring nightmare? Included: - A 16 page one-shot designed for level 1-3 characters - Unique maps - Two player handouts - A simplified document compatible with screenreaders
This adventure takes place in the Moonsea of Faerûn. The players have been brought to Melvaunt to search for the missing scions of the city's great families. To the north, in Thar the orc tribes converge on the ruined fortress of Xul-Jarak, flocking to the banner of a charismatic warlord. There, he intends to sacrifice the scions of the great families of Melvaunt in a bloodritual to Gruumsh. The players will escape Melvaunt, search along the wilderness of Thar for the Fortress of Xul-Jarak, and then explore the dungeons of the ruined fortress and hopefully rescue the scions before they are sacrificed. There also is a Web Enhancement by Eric Cagle on the archives of wizards of the coast's website designed to scale the adventure to level 8. For example, it replaces the Owlbear with a Tyrannosaurus. This is an easy to scale adventure with much of the player's difficulty coming from intelligently avoiding problems, choosing how to approach each floor in the most tactical way, and quickly adjusting when something goes wrong. The adventure has sidebars including common orc battle cries (In Orc!), ready to use orc names, weather and random encounter table in Thar, a description of what happens if the party fails or partially succeeds, and suggested minis for each of the encounters. There is even an extended description of the bloodspear ritual, an event the party is not meant to encounter in a normal run. The appendix is detailed for all the humanoid characters including the scions and their equipment, the named villains, and variety of unnamed orcs the party will encounter. The fortress also offers an opportunity to introduce the players to the Underdark and the Zhentil Keep. There is a passage to the Underdark the players can accidentally explore, and return to later. Emissaries from Zhentil Keep have come to watch the ritual and have their own motivations. These npcs provide an opportunity for exposition and role playing at a point which otherwise might be combat heavy, acting as a valve for the first floor - helping or hurting the party with subtle magic should the difficulty be off.
In which the Many seek the One, and the Heroes must retrieve a Sword lost amid myriad Threats to the Flesh. Chapter II of the "Well of Worlds" adventure anthology.
The PCs are called on to assist in retrieving the legendary Scrolls of Thoth on behalf of Khemet III, the Ruby Prince of Osirion. Along the way, they discover the ultimate fate of the ancient Song Pharoah -- and potentially assist her in her journey through the Duat, the final series of tests that a Pharaoh must face in the afterlife. It was designed as a one-shot lasting approximately 5-6 hours, but could be run as a side-quest in the Mummy's Mask adventure path. See the site for notes on adjustments to make if you are using it in that way. It includes maps, handouts, stat blocks for all of the NPCs, and Hero Lab files for Hero Lab users. Because the adventure is born digital, the page count is a rough estimate based on print previewing the pages in the site. There is no source of a printed copy other than printing one yourself (which you are welcome to do). This adventure has not been published, and is made available under the terms of the Paizo Community Use License.
The characters arrive in Fallcrest just as a blizzard starts from the gloomy black clouds. the villagers gather to discuss how to survive the untimely and unusual blizzard. Suddenly between the roar of the wind and thunder, a ship descends filled with undead with one message: Return the ice scepter!. Afterwards, the characters must decide, find and return this relic to the Winter King, or bluff and plan to dethrone him. As they reach the tops of the mountains, possibly injured, the whole of the Winter King's inner domain stands before them. If they fail, winter will claim the Nentir Vale forever. Group of 4-6 players.
The Premature Burial is the first in a series of four interconnected stories that recall the themes and atmosphere of Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Terror. Baldur's Gate, year 1492 DR, a dark and terrifying sect works secretly in the slums with the aim of punishing all those who have long oppressed, marginalized and killed the city's poorest and weakest citizens. The patriars, unaware of anything, are the cult's main targets, and a magical plague is about to fall on them that can cause a veritable slaughter. The characters will find themselves caught up in these dangerous events and will be drawn into a spiral of horror, blood and madness that will strain their bodies and souls. The Prior who leads the mysterious cult has "a special plan" in mind for them and will do anything to achieve his goal. Players will be forced more than once to question their morals and make difficult choices in a scenario of complex social conflicts, personal revenge stories and tremendous machinations. What repercussions would the cult's plan have if it were carried out? And what would happen instead if it were averted and the patriars continued to run the city as they always have? Shadows as black as night once again loom over Baldur's Gate, and this time they may change its face forever. - Adventure: story lasting 4 to 8 hours for characters ranging in level from 4 to 6 - Setting: adventure set in the famous city of Baldur's Gate but easily adaptable to any setting - Narrative: detailed descriptions and an emphasis on story immersiveness - Roleplay: in-depth characterization of NPCs with biographies, descriptions of their personalities and their physical appearance - Bestiary: 3 new customizable opponents with the mechanics "Affixes," which can add an extra degree of complexity to confrontations, and " Weak spots," which grant a strategic advantage to characters who manage to discover them - Magic: obscure and unknown spells used by cultists to carry out their plans - Layout: designed to make it easier for DMs to browse information, featuring special attention to color coding and visual immediacy of text boxes - Maps: 3 maps available in high resolution, VTT and printer-friendly versions - PDF: available in high-quality, interactive, printer-friendly print versions - Playlist: a collection of songs selected by the authors to create the right atmosphere during game sessions
People from all over the world travel to the oracle of the dead, the Necromanteion, to commune with the spirits of the dead. Following a ritualistic preparaton of the body and the mind, a "Seeker", as they are called, enters the Adyton, and with the help of the Prophet comes in contact with spirits. Who would your characters talk to if they found themselves in the Necromanteion? Before you can answer that, you must first save it from a demonic invasion! With the temple in chaos, and foul fiends everywhere, will our adventurers be able to save the Necromanteion?
In Treasure of Talon Pass, the player characters explore an ancient mountain garrison in search of a jade chalice reputed to be worth a small fortune. But the path to the jade chalice isn’t easy. A dragon and its kobold minions have taken up residence in the garrison, and some undead soldiers from long ago still haunt its halls as well. Nor are the PCs the only ones seeking the jade chalice. A band of orc mercenaries known as the Nightfists are after the chalice . . . and they arrived at the dungeon only minutes before the PCs
Unearthed Adventures Volume I is a collection of six professionally written one-page adventures for Fifth Edition Dungeons and Dragons. They are designed to be modular, they can be tossed into an ongoing RPG campaign or run as a single adventure. They're easily expanded upon to fit every DM's playstyle. Published by Crit Academy
It's party time in Thyatis... And simply everyone is going to the magnificent Villa Osteropolus, home of the wealthy old senator, Helenites. Raucous fun, exotic food, and even advanced betting on the upcoming Arena games are expected. Even adventurers just in from the outlands may meet the powerful here. So don your festive togas, for in Thyatis City there are important connections to be made and deeds to be done, duels to be fought and fame to be won. (But beware, oh Adventurer! The politics of Thyatis can be as labyrinthine as mazes beneath the Coliseum...) This module is designed especially for the DM who wants to sharpen his interactive skills. Presenting the detailed layout of a Thyatian noble's mansion and maps of the multi-level Coliseum of Thyatis. Four four to six characters, levels 2-3 Brief guide to Thyatis legal system New optional class, the Rake Fast unarmed combat system, including disarming attacks Special appendix on creating Thyatian names Featuring the DM's Guide to Winging It TSR 9284
The Ghost Tribe of Orcs were driven from their home under Wyvern Tor by some terrible evil. They marched to Phandalin and attacked only to be defeated. Then, the heroes journeyed to the orc’s former settlement beneath Wyvern Tor and found the source of the orc’s sardonyx and the umber hulk that drove the orcs out. Now, the party has to go deeper to deal with the terror from the Underdark that caused all of this excitement.
Welcome to the picturesque village of Eveningstar, nestled at the foot of the Stonelands where the River Starwater winds down a gorge and snakes into the King's Forest. Here, the Knights of Myth Drannor began their famous adventures. Here, the Ladies of the Brazen Blade, The Company of the Singing Sword, The Steel Shield Band, and many other came, clutching royal charters from King Azoun with the ink scarcely dry on the parchment. Some fell, some went on to greatness-but they all came here first; to the Haunted Halls. Despite numerous infiltrations, the Halls have not yet yielded all their secrets or treasures. Many dangers lurk as deadly as ever in dark chambers herein, awaiting new companies of eager-eyed adventurers. Is it your turn to dare The Haunted Halls? Many come, but few survive to again see Eveningstar's beauty. Welcome, then. Enter in, and find in these pages: A challenging introductory level dungeon. A detailed countryside setting, including important local personages, local color, and guidelines for play. Suggested campaign plots and adventures. New spells. New magical items. New monsters. A splendid campaign can begin here. Adventurers in an ongoing campaign can stop by for a memorable visit. Those looking for an underground stronghold may even find a home in the Haunted Halls of Eveningstar. TSR 9354
The logging town of Falcon’s Hollow has been through rough times—first a kobold tribe abducted the town’s children for an evil ritual, then an unknown force reanimated the defeated kobolds to attack the town. Now a horde of zombies approaches and a mysterious evil gathers power in the north, tainting wildlife and the buried dead, its presence hinting at ancient evils better left undisturbed.
The Therayle farm, which has been in the family for generations, was the best producing in the region. It now faces ruin. Hugh Therayle, the current owner, is at wit's end trying to reestablish even a modicum of control over the disrupted land. But, when Hugh saw the ancient doorway jutting up from the middle of the field where his corn used to be, he knew that this wasn't the type of problem a plow could solve. More than two centuries ago, a red wizard by the name of Houn made a discovery that shook the foundations of magic on Toril. Yet, due to a considerable amount of effort on his part, it never saw the light of day. The exact nature of this discovery is unknown but it involves the location of the skeletal fragments of an ancient being. The weave, which governs all magic on Toril, reacts strangely to the fragments. More information existed before Houn destroyed his research and fled Thay. His current whereabouts are unknown but many of his peers have attempted to track him down and steal his research for themselves.
Gazing down from the pinnacle of Hardway Mountain, who would not be drawn by the far-off glint of the Serpent's Eye? The descent will be hard, the mountains know neither mercy nor compassion. Many are the lessons to be learned, but fate has left you little choice - are you equal to the challenge? "Eye of the Serpent" is a one-on-one wilderness adventure module for one player and one Dungeon Master, and has been designed to develop the specialist skills of a 1st-level druid, ranger, or monk character. It can also be used for a normal party of four to six 1st-level player characters. The perils of Hardway Mountain are unchanging, but the routes between them are not. This module includes a unique route planning system with different of routes linking the encounters to challenge the abilities of druids, rangers, or monks. TSR 9125
For centuries, Aelmor Monastery near the port town of Sestone was a safe haven for scholars, monks, and pilgrims seeking enlightenment, its renowned library home to an enormous collection of ancient manuscripts, tomes, and peculiar writings. After suffering a devastating attack at the hands of a possessed monastery elder, Aelmor fell into ruin, its troubled past forgotten. When villagers start disappearing and turn up horribly mutated days later, fear takes a grip of Sestone. What sinister forces are at work? And to what end? The Claws of Madness is a standalone adventure carefully designed for a group of 1st-level heroes, including new monsters, magic items, and a thrilling story arc. Edited by Michele Carter (co-editor of the 5th Edition Player’s Handbook), this dungeon crawl combines the best elements of classic adventures with fresh new exciting avenues. The story in this book also provides the perfect base for an epic, long-running campaign suitable for higher-level characters, in which the heroes unravel the dark mystery of the mythical Hand of Narkul . . . Published by LoreSmyth SmiteWorks.