Death and taxes. Only two things in life are certain. The PCs must deal with a corrupt tax collector and his band of thugs in order to save a small village. Pgs. 48-61 & 66
This adventure introduces characters to the land of Barovia. It expands what we know about the lands around Castle Ravenloft and sheds new light on the dark past of the castle’s lord. Players will investigate mysterious happenings in a small haunted house in Barovia.
The Horror of Horticulture Valentine Manor is beauty entrapped in architecture. The lavish stately home is renowned throughout the realms, and its gardens even more so. However, despite its famed beauty something has found its way into the garden and corrupted its allure. Could it be something to do with the new gardeners, or something even more sinister? Free adventure!
Inspired by the "Happy Fun Ball" from the web series Critical Role, The Cube of Vanya is a magical adventure through demi-planes created by an ancient wizard, now destabilized by a malevolent dragon. The adventurers find themselves trapped within a series of themed planes with no idea how they got there. Navigating these planes to find a means of escape, they uncover the secrets of the cube while piecing back together their own memory. During the campaign the adventurers may fight shadow demons in an inn which is really a prison, flee a tornado while perched perilously in the sky, forge a weapon within a volcano, and much more. The module is structured in a non linear manner allowing the adventurers to choose their own way, or for the DM to pick and choose their favourite bits to highlight. The adventure was written with four level 5 players in mind but it would be easy to tweak for different sized groups around that level.
"You sneak into a museum filled with all sorts of strange displays, from fierce weaponry and intricate jewelry through to demonic statues and a strange obsidian monolith. You begin to take a couple of steps towards the monolith when darkness swirls around you as the museum's protections jump to life..." This is a one-shot heist adventure in which the players must infiltrate a high society event and steal a powerful magical item from right under the nose of an accomplished wizard. They will encounter mind-bending illusory defenses and compete with a secondary heist party, all while avoiding the gaze of the guards. This adventure is for four level 5 players (though adjusting for 3-6 players would be minimal effort) and is expected to take around five hours. It includes: * An exciting heist with several twists * Two new heist-based mechanics: Flashbacks and Guard Alert Level * Two optional objectives for the players to complete * A new monster to fight: the shadow duplicate * Two new items: the rod of illusia and the jade figurine of the deinonychus * Simple rules for running a skill challenge * Detailed maps of the manor as well as schematics for planning
“Come! Sit! Be my guests. You will find that dinner is up to the highest standards, and I’ve even provided a show.” When the adventurers entered the manor of the old mayor they did not expect to fall into another plane of existence. It seems Archmage Lonore was ready for their arrival, and had arranged the finest entertainment... for herself. Can the adventurers survive Lonore’s death trap and capture the mad mage once and for all? This one-shot adventure is designed for characters of 6th level, and contains plenty of traps, encounters and misdirection. Adventure Synopsis Chasing the bounty on a murderous archmage, the characters find themselves plunged into an arcane deathtrap. Their quarry was prepared for their arrival, and had devised entertaining challenges (for herself) in this magnificent mansion demiplane. The characters will fight through various arcane hazards on their path to the inner sanctum of Archmage Lonore. As they get deeper and near the sanctum, the characters will meet the mage and her mother, possibly learn a bit about the relationship between them. This encounter leads to the final showdown in the archmage’s sanctum, where the orb of reality is located. The adventure includes a map for every encounter! (Print & VTT versions) Published by Beyond the Screen
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.
At the request of a stranded djinni, you have three days to steal a diamond from the marbled, enchanted vaults of the Modern Artworks Museum. Investigate its defenses, disable magical wards, bamboozle the staff, battle a golem, and escape with the prize! A group that succeeds is rewarded with a single wish - the power to bring about almost anything you desire. Highlights of the adventure include (and are not limited to): - An alternate skill check system that keeps clumsy characters involved in the heist - A fight to the death with fantasy Botticelli's Birth of Venus - The Modern Artworks Museum, a trove of sculpture, frescoes and tapestries - Museum events: sketch and sip, a gala, seminars! - Museum brochure, including handy map and exhibit descriptions - A wish Clever and light-hearted, Diamond Heist adds brains and Renaissance style to any urban campaign. This adventure centers exploration, planning and roleplay. Players match wits against various spell effects, discovering and disabling magical wards to access their prize. A cumulative alarm level system replaces pass/fail steath skill checks, so one bad role doesn't ruin the heist. The artworks described are based on those of Renaissance Italy, with frescoes, marble sculpture, and haughty nobles aplenty. Content warnings: Death of a loved one, mentioned.
"An ancient curse has fallen over the righteous Kelemvor's Dead House! Among the infested corpses, a mystery awaits to be solved." Flowers in the Dead House is a 3-4 hour urban adventure for 1st-4th level characters. Adventure features: - A mystery-centered urban adventure. - A setting-neutral proposal, with guidance to play it in Baldur’s Gate or Waterdeep - Scaling guidelines for Average Party Level (APL) - A new item (Kelemvor’s gas mask) - A new creature (Primordial vengeful spirit) - Digital maps for each area with a printer friendly version
"A dwarven prince has requested your party's aid in quelling the coming invasion (if there is one, of course). Do you take him at his honorable word, and gird yourselves for battle? Or do you listen to the street talk, and take the side of those who disbelieve the warmongering? Most importantly of all: what if you make the wrong choice?" Patriots of Ulek is an adventure set in the world of Greyhawk - designed for a party of six to eight characters of first to third level who must help defend the Principality of Ulek against the despot’s horde and uncover a conspiracy which could lead to Ulek’s defeat. Fighters and clerics with healing spells are best suited to this adventure, as it involves a substantial amount of combat. Mages are helpful, but not required. Thieves will find minimal opportunities to practice their trade, although their skills as spies and scouts may come in handy. This adventure was designed specifically for inexperienced players and beginning dungeon masters. TSR 9385
It's a frigid New Year's Eve, and the heroes gather near midnight in a small condemned tavern wihtin the Free City-State of Gate Pass. Located in the mountain pass which separates two hostile nations. Gate Pass has been neutral since the end of their last war. That neutrality is about to be put to the test, as a scourge comes for the city from the nearby empire of Ragesia. By now, every magic-user in Gate Pass knows of the Scourge. The Emperor of Ragesia died barely a month ago, and a witch named Leska has moved to cementer herself as the next empress. Leska leads the Ragesian Inquisitors, clerics specialized in countermagic and has decreed ass disloyal mages to be tracked down and killed to prevent future threats to the empire. Their first target is Gate Pass, whose neutrality has long been viewed as an insult to the nation's honor. This is the first of twelve adventures in the War of the Burning Sky adventure path from E.N. Publishing.
"House of Reeds and Whispers" is the lair of a pair of red hags, suitable for four characters of 8th level. This adventure can be completed in one session. Two red hag sisters recently exsanguinated an eccentric collector named Nahl Fry and took up residence in his swamp-side home. Liori and Ijith were seeking an artifact from the ancient city of Talitheos, the sunken stronghold of the red hags. They found the artifact, a pair of knitting needles made from blood-infused coral. in Nahl Fry's collection. The sisters yearn to understand how the artifact works, and so they are testing its dark powers against a nearby hamlet. They have knitted rapidly growing crimson reeds that funnel the blood of fauna and farm animals back to the house. The hamlet's leader, Galnas, hires the PC's to investigate. The party must press through the reeds, defeat the sisters' guardians, face the hags, and end the reedy infestation.
A Deadly Curse is Spreading! Morrick Mansion and the surrounding vineyards were deserted years ago when a terrible curse twisted every living thing on the property into a mockery of its prior form. Once whispered about and avoided, fear now grips the land. The curse spreads and someone needs to stop it. Can you find its source and cure it forever, or will the very curse you are investigating touch you with madness? Hatred, Death, and Danger! Morrick Mansion challenges adventurers to battle strange, mutant creatures in an effort to solve a mystery and stop an insidious curse. Do your players dare enter the mysterious mansion and can they survive long enough to discover the source of the curse?
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!
Welcome to Baldur's Gate, a city of ambition and corruption. You’ve just started your adventuring career, but already find yourself embroiled in a plot that sprawls from the shadows of Baldur's Gate to the front lines of the planes-spanning Blood War! Do you have what it takes to turn infernal war machines and nefarious contracts against the archdevil Zariel and her diabolical hordes? And can you ever hope to find your way home safely when pitted against the infinite evils of the Nine Hells?
You are hired by a merchant to protect a rare item, a crystal crown, for one night against the attempts of the city's thieves guild. The arrogant guildmaster has informed the merchant that he will steal the crown and he cannot be stopped. Continues in Part 2 in Polyhedron #23 Pgs. 13-20
We get it. Factions are an integral part of D&D, but it's not always clear how to use them in your campaigns. Luckily, Factions of Sigil has you covered for each of the twelve main factions found across Sigil and the Outlands! This supplement goes over the various rules and lore around the primary factions found in Sigil and the Outlands, making it easy for any new or veteran DMs to integrate the factions more into the core stories being told, and making them feel more useful for the players that choose to join. Complaints have been made to the Transcendent Order of a Slaad and its Bladeling allies that are disturbing the peace in Sigil, who in turn have tasked the characters to restore a sense of tranquility to the old Mastervale Manor.
Doomguard factioneers steal an ancient relic from the church of Fharlanghan as part of an apocalyptic plot involving the Harbinger House, and a group of Clueless adventurers chase them into Sigil on their quest to recover it. Celestian's Compass is a free one-shot adventure that was released for Free RPG Day 2017.
Long ago, a local priest created a warded graveyard on a remote hillside. As the years passed, it gained a reputation as a spot whose defenses were powerful enough to keep undead in and tomb robbers out. Adventurers began to bring the remains of any creatures they suspected might become restless in death to the Tomb Steppe for interment, and in time they also sought aid against such creatures from the friendly priest. After his death, a brief spate of undead activity commenced, then died away once again. As the years passed, the tales of undead activity in the Tomb Steppe faded into legend, and colonists began to move into the lands nearby. The town of Night Falls was founded a short distance from the graveyard, and it grew quickly into a thriving trade center and farming community. Realizing that the Tomb Steppe was safe enough during the day, the citizens began burying their dead there rather than building new crypts on pristine farmland. Because this method of interment was cheap and easy, people from many surrounding communities brought their dead to the town as well. The business of burial brought new prosperity to Night Falls, and a guild called the Funerary House sprang up to control the trade. But it seems that the threat from the Tomb Steppe has not entirely been laid to rest. The Great Mausoleum -- the largest and finest tomb in the steppe, has been unsealed, and an apparition has been seen within. Who will go to the Tomb Steppe by night and reseal the tomb? Lest Darkness Rise is a short adventure for four 7th-level characters. In keeping with the season, it has a stronger horror theme than most D&D adventures. This scenario can be used as the climax of a series of adventures featuring its secondary characters, or it can simply be a site-based adventure that the PCs stumble across at the right moment. The scenario is set in a semi-civilized area in the far north, far from cities and churches, where winters are harsh and summers never get very hot. These inhospitable conditions have resulted in a low humanoid population. The scenario need not be set in such a wilderness; a rural farming community far from cities works just as well. The only real requirement is that the area have few settlements. The action takes place in the small town of Night Falls and a nearby necropolis of tombs, mausoleums, and graves known as the Tomb Steppe. As always, feel free to adapt the material presented here as you see fit to make it work with your campaign.
Desolate and abandoned, the evil alchemist's mansion stands alone on the cliff, looking out towards the sea. Mysterious lights and ghostly hauntings have kept away the people of Saltmarsh, despite rumors of a fabulous, forgotten treasure. What is its sinister secret. Made for 5-10 character of levels 1-3, contains maps, handouts and encounter descriptions. The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh is the first installment in a series of three modules designed and developed in the United Kingdom for beginning adventures with the AD&D rules. TSR 9062