A great evil force descended on the town of Phlan years ago. The townspeople were all either killed or driven away, and Phlan became (literally) a ghost town. Fifty years later, the survivors are ready to reclaim their town. But they need a band of strong and brave adventurers to lead the fight-they need you. Ruins of Adventure is a set of connected short adventures written by James Ward, David "Zeb" Cook, Steve Winter and Mike Breault-four names familiar to all AD&D game fans. It uses the same setting, locations and characters as the classic computer game Pool of Radiance by Strategic Simulations, Inc. In fact, many of the scenarios here in Ruins of Adventure will provide important clues to the successful completion of Pool of Radiance. TSR 9238

A bizarre puppet master pulls the strings in this introductory RAVENLOFT® adventure for lower level characters. "Beware what you wish, for it might come true" is an old Vistani saying. In the small town of Odiare, a toymarker has wished a puppet to life--only this puppet is not a friendly, playful toy. It is a thing of evil, bent upon killing all the adults of Odiare. When the player characters are trapped within this town, Maligno the puppet and his animated toys begin to hunt them down. The PCs' only chance for escape is to defeat the mad marionette.

Travellers are going missing on the Long Road, on the 100 mile stretch between Triboar and Longsaddle. Our heroes investigate and discover a haunted mansion with a dark history and a gruesome secret. Their quest brings them to the very gates of hell itself, where an infernal abomination presents them with their greatest challenge yet... Inspired by a Clark Ashton Smith story.

Ten years ago, the local hunting lodge was shuttered after a series of tragic accidents. Now, a local lord has hired the adventurers to investigate the site. The catch: a medusa has been running an exotic creature smuggling ring out of the abandoned lodge—and was involved with the past tragedy. Pgs. 147-155

Up here in the mountains, the sun sets fast. The path has narrowed yet again as it diverts into this small slot valley. A gentle stream parallels the path; it’s pretty, but the smell of rotting vegetation dissuades from lingering long. In the lengthening shadows, birdsong seems oddly muted. As the forest clears a bit up ahead, a small manor upon a little pond comes into view. The birds have gone completely still. K1: Night at Fausen’s Manor is an investigative adventure designed for player characters around 3rd level. The players have been invited by the reclusive Lord Fausen to dine with him and discuss a job; Fausen is troubled by odd bumps and sounds in the night, something has been interfering with his mail, and recently his butler, Grimly, has disappeared. The players investigate during a night at the manor, where dark secrets lurk around every corner. Published by Coldlight Press

A book donated to the library-city of Candlekeep details how the previous owner created a mansion in a pocket dimension and what the command word to enter is. The gateway was recently discovered, and the characters need to enter the mansion to retrieve the researcher who rediscovered it.

By a well-trodden road lies the estate of the Eryx family. At some point the estate was converted into a roadside inn. The merchant Robert E. Wardlove has received an urgent letter from his daughter Derleth. She begs of her father to arrive in haste to the faraway inn and take her back home safely for the Evening of Still Streets draws near... Enigma of the Eryx Estate is a break from the usual dungeon crawls of the Shadowdark RPG system recommended for characters of lvls 1-3. During this adventure players get to solve a murder and the mysteries that surround it. Exploration and intrigue are emphasized as player characters gain XP for uncovering secrets. Combat is in a more minor role during this adventure, but if the players don't figure out the mystery by midnight, they might be in a fight for their lives. The adventure is designed for ease of running with punctual room and character descriptions.

Part 4 of the Carrion Crown Adventure Path brings the heroes to the small fishing village of Illmarsh. The party is searching for a dark rider of the necromantic Whispering Way cult and will discover the strange practices of the deeply religious inhabitants of Illmarsh. Rumors of madness, strange disappearances and human sacrifices to things best left unnamed lead them to investigate the town church and its history. They'll find a desperate people, caught in a war between beings from beneath the seas and invaders from the darkest corners of the cosmos. Can the heroes save Illmarsh from its tradition of terror? It is worth noting that this story is heavily inspired by The Shadow over Innsmouth by H.P. Lovecraft and the role playing game Call of Cthulhu. If you're planning on going through the whole adventure path of Carrion Crown, the module Carrion Hill could easily be fit between book 3 and 4, as the party will travel directly through the area where this one shot adventure takes place. This book includes: - “Wake of the Watcher,” a Pathfinder RPG adventure for 9th-level characters, by Greg A. Vaughan - Blasphemous secrets of the foul faiths known collectively as the Old Cults and sanity-shattering gods such as Azathoth, Nyarlathotep, and Cthulhu, by James Jacobs - A giant bestiary filled with eight classic monsters inspired by the writing of H. P. Lovecraft and the tales of the Cthulhu Mythos, by James Jacobs and Greg A. Vaughan - Laurel Cylphra’s discovery that the dead aren’t the only dangers in Ardis in a new entry into the Pathfinder’s Journal, by F. Wesley Schneider.

For months, the dreams of the people of Emystrell have become dark and terrible. It seems their nightmares have come to life as in recent weeks, people have mysteriously gone missing, vanishing in the night without a trace! Everyone is too paralyzed by their own despair to do anything or venture far from the safety of their homes. Emystrell is on the brink of collapse. The baron is offering a handsome reward to anyone who can show proof of the end of whatever evil curse that has taken hold of their town. This adventure is designed for a party of 3-5 heroic characters from the 2nd to 3rd level. It has elements of mystery and investigation in the first section which can be detailed and highly involved for groups that enjoy the process of searching for clues and solving mysteries or just as easily glossed over for groups that are more tactics focused. The second section of the adventure features the dungeon: a labyrinthine complex of an ancient elven crypt which the thieves guild has used as a base of operations for a decade...until the serpent worshipping cult arrived. The third section of this book is the detailed map and notes on the town and surrounding area of Emystrell. Roleplaying notes are kept light to allow for room for your own interpretations and details to NPCs remain as free to do with as you choose unless I felt inspired and hoped to give you a cool idea. This adventure has hooks for Dungeon Masters interested in a larger campaign involving the sinister plots of the Yuan-Ti (snake people) as well as other interesting adventure hooks (such as the giants in the nearby mountains or the stolen gem: The Eye of the Dragon). These plot points are intentionally left vague for you to fill in the gaps based on what your players seem interested in. You are invited to use this as a launch point adventure to lead your heroes on a larger adventure that might someday set them against an Anathema Serpent demigod, or it may simply be the adventure that begins their journeys and the evil of Yargoth stops here at Emystrell. If your campaign is set in a pre-published setting, this town of Emystrell can be replaced or fit into any campaign with a few tweaks to local gods and names. If you are playing in Dragonlance, you could replace Yargoth the Dread Serpent with Tiamat, or Dendar in Fearun. The local goddess, Tyr, could be the Tyr from the Forgotten Realms or even Norse myth if that is your campaign setting.

The Golem Master, creator of pricey artificial servants, hasn’t been seen around for some time. His house stands dark and silent. Dare you enter?

Sehvain Malual is renowned for his work in necromancy, using the dark art to destroy the undead pestilence polluting the world. However every warrior must hang his proverbial sword and retiring from adventuring life, the wizened elf settled down in a nearby town purchasing a small townhouse. Here, he would finally find the peace he so craved, or such he hoped before he found The Black Lexicon. What dark intent consumes Sehvain’s time is anyone’s guess, but only the PC can uncover the Legacy of Darkness.

The Mists of Ravenloft draw close, surrounding unfortunate travelers in their clammy embrace. When they part, they reveal the land of Mordent, a domain of rolling moors and woods, beautiful by day and terrifying by night. A new danger lurks in the haunted moors: hounds whose mournful howls and murderous jaws trap the townsfolk in their homes at night. At the heart of it all lies a curse laid a century ago, and a tale of bitter tragedy. Even now, you can hear the howls in the night... Howls in the Night is a dark fantasy murder mystery - but one in which the victim has been dead for 100 years! Alternate adventure backgrounds allow the Dungeon Master to choose one of four possible conclusions. TSR 9466

This Christmas, Santa Claus must die! Adopt the role of one of history’s iconic Christmas villains and raid Santa’s North Pole base in order to destroy Santa’s corrupted form. Due to Grinch’s machinations, Santa’s jovial form has been corrupted and he’s called off his annual gift-giving journey. Now, the Spirit of Christmas gives Grinch an ultimatum: he must assemble a team of other famous villains, infiltrate the North Pole base and destroy the corrupted Santa Claus so he can be reborn and deliver presents. The team will have to navigate environmental hazards, deal with four factions of Santa’s elves and finally battle the Man in Red himself. However, each team member has their own secret agenda to complete … and time is running out!

The party has been contracted by House Tor to provide 'extra security' during a ball. Unbeknownst to the players or House Tor, a spy from another house of an attending noble is going to try to sabotage the night in an attempt to ruin the evening. Can the party stop the spy? Will the nobles finally snap?

Stupid dwarves. You visit their delve, and they announce that they are all off to belt the living daylights out of some troublesome goblins. And can you go along? No chance, it's some sort of 'crusade' and they don't want outsiders along. So, all they are prepared to offer you is the honour of defending all the old dwarves and the kiddies and the others who haven't gone off on the goblin-bash. So, it looks like you'll just have to sit around and drink all the beer and be bored until they - Wait - what's this? A raid on a neighbouring delve; that's a stroke of luck. Now you can chase the raiders, beat them up, and then the dwarves will be grateful and you can drink some more of their beer. What could be simpler?

A magic shop, The Travelling Salesman, has appeared in town just in time for the party's arrival. This shop specialises in being in the right place, at the right time, with the right equipment, for the right adventurers. Its wisteria-covered frontage adorns any old blank wall space, and immediately looks like it's been there for decades. Large paned windows are smeared with age-old dirt and hint at the vast array of interesting objects inside. The shop belongs to Yannik Willowbough, an exhausted-but-jovial halfling with a passion for helping others. At least, it belongs to Yannik now. It was once home to a lich, Verdenia Siskin, who has recently concocted the perfect way to exact her revenge. She just needs a party of adventurer's to turn to her point of view. This adventure contains: - A (hungry) planes-travelling magic shop and former home of a powerful lich. - A lich who takes particular delight in winding adventurers around her little finger to do her bidding. - A planar tear that threatens to pull the whole town (or more!) into the Shadowfell. - A spooky house of delights. - NPCs whose motives will be thoroughly questioned by the party. - A 3—10 hour adventure for a party of any level and composition - Depending on the outcome the party may also benefit from: - A planes-travelling base of operations - A recurrent NPC quest-giver and/or helper - A devious, and eternally patient, antagonist. - Four original hand-drawn maps to support combat and exploration, with seperate versions suitable for VTTs. - Advice for new DMs to run this adventure smoothly. - A separate accessible adventure pdf. This adventure was written as part of the Storytelling Collective's Write Your First Adventure workshop. Content warnings: Horror, gore

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.

Prince Thorgrim rots in jail, wrongly accused by the corrupt sheriff and his cruel gaoler. Whispered rumors speak that those in his keep are tortured and sometimes murdered. Only the truly brave or fantastically foolish would try to storm the jail and free the prince. A Compleat Encounter, scalable to any level, featuring the shackled dwarven prince, the elven sheriff, and his foul gaoler. CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE FROM THE PUBLISHER!

A gnome tinker summons the heroes to his workshop, but before he can explain his request a vengeful fey creature arrives and disrupts the meeting. Estimated play time - 1 hour. This product contains a combat encounter designed for 4th level PCs, an extensive backstory, detailed NPC descriptions, new monsters and new magic items. Easily adaptable to almost any campaign setting. This side trek encounter is the first of a three-part Fey's Bargain encounter series.

Faced with an unusual alliance of giants raiding the countryside, the party must venture into the steading of hill giant chief Nosnra and uncover maps to the locations of the other giant strongholds. “Steading of the Hill Giant Chief ” can be run as a stand-alone adventure, or you can play it as the first part of a four-part series that continues with “Warrens of the Stone Giant Thane” (Dungeon 198), “Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl” (Dungeon 199), and “Hall of the Fire Giant King” (Dungeon 200). The adventure is part of the Against the Giants series originally by Gary Gygax, hence the writing credit.