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.
Hubrimort is a small, respectable town whose only claim to fame is a local governmental position bestowed by five of the king’s chosen officials, known as the Cavaliers. The position is given to the head of one of four noble families once each decade. While competition for the mysterious position is always fierce, this year there are rumors of underhanded deals with criminals, rigged tournaments, and a nasty case of blackmail. Which of the ancient families deserves ten years of power and privilege? Only the Sixth Cavalier can help the five officials make the right choice!
Part 5 of the Carrion Crown Adventure Path takes place in Ustalav's capital Caliphas. The heroes are in the city to follow the trail of evidence left by the neromantic cult The Whispering Way and strengthen their bonds with the mysterious Order of the Palantine Eye. Whilst in the city, they uncover a string of murders. When they discover that all the victims were vampires, they descend into the underground vampire city and have the possibility to form a tentative alliance with the vampire clans. If they help solve the murders, the vampire lord promises to help them on their quest. What role do the deadly necromancers have in the undead murders plaguing Caliphas? What secret grudge exists between the cult and the rulers of the night? And will the heroes be able to save the capital without sacrificing their very souls? This book includes: - “Ashes at Dawn,” a Pathfinder RPG adventure for 11th-level characters, by Neil Spicer - A gazetteer of fog-haunted Caliphas, the mysterious and deadly capital of Ustalav, by F. Wesley Schneider - A terrifying look into the blasphemous church of Urgathoa, goddess of gluttony, disease, and the undead, by Sean K Reynolds - Laurel Cylphra’s attempt to steal a soul stealer in the Pathfinder’s Journal, by F. Wesley Schneider - Six new monsters by Crystal Frasier, Patrick Renie, and Sean K Reynolds
Nestled on the coast of the Azure Sea is Saltmarsh, a sleepy fishing village that sits on the precipice of destruction. Smugglers guide their ships to hidden coves, willing to slit the throat of anyone foolhardy enough to cross their path. Cruel sahuagin gather beneath the waves, plotting to sweep away coastal cities. Drowned sailors stir to unnatural life, animated by dark magic and sent forth in search of revenge. The cult of a forbidden god extends its reach outward from a decaying port, hungry for fresh victims and willing recruits. While Saltmarsh slumbers, the evils that seek to plunder it grow stronger. Heroes must arise to keep the waves safe! Ghosts of Saltmarsh combines some of the most popular classic adventures from the first edition of Dungeons & Dragons including the classic ‘U’ series and some of the best nautical adventures from Dungeon magazine: The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh Danger at Dunwater The Final Enemy Salvage Operation Isle of the Abbey Tammeraut’s Fate The Styes All adventures have been faithfully adapted to the fifth edition rules of Dungeons & Dragons. Furthermore, this book includes details on the port town of Saltmarsh, as well as plenty of hooks to kick-off each adventure. Play through each story in a seafaring campaign leading characters from level 1 through level 12, or pull out sections to place in ongoing campaigns in any setting. The appendices also cover mechanics for ship-to-ship combat, new magic items, monsters, and more! “The Saltmarsh series consistently ranks as one of the most popular classic D&D adventures,” said Mike Mearls, franchise creative director of D&D. “With its ties to ocean-based adventuring, it was an obvious step to augment it with additional sea-based adventures and a robust set of rules for managing a nautical campaign.” Hoist your sails, pull up anchor, and set a course for adventure!
Always living in the shadows is hard when you're a clever and regal creature like a kobold. Now it's time to make a name for yourself and bring honor and prestige to your clan. In Little Trouble in Big Absalom, you take on the role of one of five kobolds from the Hookclaw clan tasked with exploring a treasure-laden vault discovered by a team of Hookclaw diggers. Enticed by the potential wealth, the kobolds brave terrible dangers in what turns out to be a grandmother's basement before being asked by the kind old lady to retrieve her magical hedge trimmer from a neighbor's garden. Little Trouble in Big Absalom includes two mini adventures that can be played back to back or alone—filling as much or as little time as you have for madcap adventure. In addition, the five pregenerated kobold characters provide a preview of the upcoming Pathfinder Advanced Player's Guide in this exciting offering for Free RPG Day! Grab some dice and some friends and play the role of determined kobolds!
Displace Beast Maze is an adventure that has one long encounter that is a combination of a puzzle (maze) and combat encounter (Displacer beast). The Displacer beast tentacle's ability to attack through the maze walls, knowledge of the layout, and hit-and-run tactics make the labyrinth both a useful and possibly deadly lair for the creature. Pgs. 27-29
An omnious encounter with a fortuneteller sends a party of adventurers on a 200-mile journey across the Lands of Intrigue. While traveling throught the towns and terrain (detailed here for the first time) that lie in their path, they hear rumors and obtain clues about their mission. Their ultimate destination is Castle Spulzeer, a once proud stronghold that has become a den of terror. When the heroes enter the haunted keep, they meet a terrifying trio of residents: a madman armed with stolen magical power, a liche whose secret laboratory houses untold horrors and treasure, and a furious ghost bent on revenge. These three ensnare the party in their fight over an ancient weapon. Each will stop at nothing to keep it from the other two. The heroes must choose with whom they will ally - and the wrong choice could lead to their doom. Castle Spulzeer is an adventure complete in itself. However, as a crossover story, it offers every Dungeon Master a choice between two endings. The first leaves the party in the Realms. The second transports the characters to the Demiplane of Dread, where the plot continues in the Ravenloft adventure The Forgotten Terror. For 4 to 6 Characters of Levels 8-12 This conversion guide allows DMs to run the original module with 5th Edition rules. To use this conversion guide you will need a copy of Castle Spulzeer, originally available in hard-copy and now for sale in digital format on the DMs Guild. Visit Classicmodulestoday.com for instructions on creating your own classic module conversions and selling them on the DMs Guild. Castle Spulzeer was originally scheduled for publication by TSR in June 1997. Then, near-bankruptcy caused a total failure of TSR's schedule, resulting in no books being published from February through the very end of July. Some books would be delayed for over a year, and others would disappear altogether, but Castle Spulzeer was relatively lucky: it was just delayed four months, until October 1997. The reason may well have been its theming, and its crossover with the Ravenloft line, which made Castle Spulzeer a great Halloween release. Castle Spulzeer has an even more far-reaching connection: its ending can lead players to the demiplane of Ravenloft and The Forgotten Terror adventure. This was probably intended as a bit of advertising for Domains of Dread (1997), the third edition of Ravenloft which was released in August 1997. In other words: in their last days, TSR was working very hard to cross-market their products, but they didn't live long enough to see the success of the Spulzeer-Intrigue-Dread connection.
The PCs are singled out by happenstance as prophesied heroes who will find and return a great wizard to his family. Once brought back to the the family chateau, they are brought on as paid companions and free to explore the location as they wish. This is a large sandbox style adventure with several plots going on, including assassination, a wedding, false accusations of murder, and many machinations of the nobles to solidify or gain power. Whole this is going on the PCs are dropped into dream sequences where they learn more about the missing wizard and learn how and where to find and free him
“Where did all the villagers go?” “Into the dollhouse,” giggles the toddler giant. A series of disappearances leads to a cabin deep in the forest—now transformed into an oversized nursery by wild magic. A lonely toddler, turned into a giant by unstable alchemy, believes the world is his toy box. The players must brave enchanted playthings, a colossal cat, and the whims of a magical child to rescue the kidnapped villagers… all without becoming toys themselves. Inside the Nursery: An expansive giant-sized playroom filled with towering furniture, magical puzzles, and oversized hazards. A mischievous Construct Doll boss fight, complete with toy-tossing chaos and a giddy toddler interfering with every round. A magical paper fortune teller, twitching puzzle pieces, and a mouse-run resistance hiding stolen treasures. Includes a custom stat block, magical item (Bracers of Giant Growth), and multiple resolution paths depending on how the party handles the toddler. Perfect for groups who love whimsical danger, creative environments, and a touch of chaotic cuteness.
"Deeptown lies in the shadow of mountains, a town where anything is for sale if you can only meet the price. But in the wild surrounding valleys of the Deeps, it's the bandits who make the darkest deals - and their ambition comes at a cost far greater than the contents of any wayward caravan. You and your team have just been handed a new job: disrupt a meeting between a bandit lord and his mysterious new allies. At a remote mountain villa, you will strike hard and fast and leave terror in your wake. They give you the tools. You provide the talent. Survive, and you'll be well rewarded. Fail, and you'll pay the price. You've got three days to raise some hell." This was one of the first third party adventures under the OGL for 3rd edition published by Atlas Games under the Penumbra line. The attack on the mansion is not a dungeon crawl, but feels like a commando raid aided by some unique magic items.
A haunted house, a missing person, and a hint of wild fey magic. In the kingdom of Norland in the Moonshae Isles, King Keethan rules by the will of Torm the True, though in Glen Dourn folk still hold true to the old ways—a dense and layered folklore of monsters and tales to frighten children. It is to this remote valley that Keethan bids you make haste to seek out signs of his beloved cousin, Lady Sorcha Hannigard. Sorcha vanished on her wedding day three years ago, sending her groom and neighbours alike into mourning. But where can she have gone? The only remaining clues to this mystery lie in her abandoned mansion home, where powers less wholesome have now taken up residence. The Dread Coven will not give up what they know so easily, although they will strike a bargain if you’re willing to pay the price in pain.
About a year ago, an adventuring party found themselves encumbered with more treasure than they knew what to do with. After brief deliberation, the group buried their hoard in a remote grotto inhabited by water birds. It was only a matter of time until one of the resident scavengers exhumed a most unfortunate item. Armed with a headband of intellect and a stash of other equipment for the taking, Belladonna the Bin Chicken began to study the abandoned spellbooks. The ambitious fowl quickly advanced as a mage, and set her sights on conquest of the surrounding areas.
A fearsome hound has been seen prowling the mist-soaked moors surrounding Cabell Manor, but what is the foul beast searching for? Is there any truth to the rumors tying the family to an ancient devilish evil, or is it just a local superstition? If the want to solve the mystery our adventurers will need to keep their wits as sharp as their swords. NOTE: The title of this adventure is incorrect in the store. The version you will receive upon purchase and download is titled as this entry suggests.
The community of Lukestown has been haunted by a vengeful spirit, Lilian. She is intent on keeping her widower Marcus from ever enjoying marriage without her.Today is Marcus' seventh wedding after his late lover passed. Will this ceremony end in celebration or death? The answer rests in the hands of a small group of adventurers. This urban one shot adventure involves some murder mystery and puzzle solving components.
Brambletoe Hall has ever been deep, warm and filled with mirth. Here, the good mayor Willie Brambletoe has long presided over a board of warm mutton, fresh apples, berries, peaches and the like, as well as wondrous breads, warm butter and cool drink. Mayor Willie invites all, inviting may various and sundry folks to sit and eat with him, or to gather about his great hall and make merry, pass the time and exchange news of distant happenings in exotic lands. But something has changed in that noble Halfling's Halls and a Shadow of Evil has taken up abode there. Not many days past, in those deep hours before the dawn, the sounds of merriment changed to cries of despair. A haunting came to the Good man's home and left an air filled with the noise of terror and a foul odor of unrepentant evil. Abandoned now, a shadow has hung over the hall ever since. Foul play or murder, none knew. But the Shadow of Fear has spread, stalking the environs of Newbriar. And the locals now say Newbriar has come at last to know the shallow welcome of the other world. In fear, the folk of Newbriar have called for aid, sending riders forth to find courageous heroes willing to rid the town and its sufferages of the terror of the Shadows of the Halfling Hall.
About: This encounter was cooked up in the Write your First Encounter workshop by the Storytelling Collective. It CAN be slid in as a side quest in any urban or sub-urban context, or be adapted to add confusion to any rescue mission you are presently running. Synopsis: Through the doorway a young woman shackled to the wall matching the description of Helena can be seen. Though disheveled and looking to be in great discomfort, her beauty is remarkable. But on closer inspection, there are other people here — three identical Helenas! Noble woman Elize Cleron has hired the party to infiltrate the catacombs under the Schaefer Estate and free her twin sister Helena. Helena is being held captive by the Schaefer family, trade rivals rumored to have ties to the underworld. Elize has been unable to free her sister herself because of her identical appearance. Rather than pay an unrealistic ransom, Elize has provided the party with what they need to break her out. This encounter is intended for 3rd level characters.
Our heroes are approached by Tristan Harpell, an entitled young mage and heir to a suite of rooms in Ivy Mansion, the ancestral home of the Harpell wizard dynasty. His inheritance is “infested” with the wacky experiments of his dead great-uncle, Siegfried Harpell, and Tristan needs the party to clean things up. The party will have many wild and bizarre encounters while digging through Siegfried Harpell’s derelict magical concoctions - and along the way they might even discover the astonishing truth behind Siegfried's disappearance! Into Ivy Mansion is a Dungeons and Dragons one-shot adventure for a 3rd-4th level party. It features exploration, role-playing and thrilling combat encounters...
Few are the wizards that seek to prolong their lives with dark rituals and foul magic to become the powerful undead beings called liches. But far fewer are those that seek to undo what necromancy what done and take back their lives after initiation to lichdom. Balipur is one of those few. Turned to a vassalich by the darklord Azalin against his will for impersonating him, Balipur, after Azalin's departure at the destruction of Il Aluk, seeks to imitate his former master's Grim Harvest project, inverted, in a smaller scale to forge a soul from the lives of other men.
Solve the Mystery! A series of unfortunate events wreak havoc in the small village of Cloudhost. From strange noises at night to temporary madness, from painful nightmares to freak accidents in the local temple, everything is going wrong and the people believe the city is cursed. Who is behind these events? Are they natural or magical? Discover the secret of Cloudhost with your party! A 1st level mystery adventure for 5th edition. After being caught in a fight on the Winter Festival, the party must investigate what is happening at Cloudhost, with a big showdown with evil! Meet reclusive merchants, fierce priests, and undead! Written for the RPG Writer Workshop.
In the kingdom of Keystone, at the mouth of the Manyforks River, stands the port city of Barnacus. It was founded two hundred years ago, and its strategic military and commercial location has made it the second most important city in the kingdom. The city is under the rulership of Haermond II, Duke of the province of Elcadan, a half-elf of high esteem who has been in charge for more than a century. His outstanding commercial politics have made the city very prosperous; almost every trade company in this part of the continent has a counting house in the port of Barnacus. Because of this prosperity, the city has suffered many pirate raids, and thieving activity is a fact of life for residents and visitors alike.