Settling down as the sky turns black with rest, you gather by the heated campfire and swap stories to pass the night. You hear tales of wonder and worry, descriptions of distant lands, plants, and beasts. Exchanged this night are stories of thieving travellers, worried giants, and godly squabbles. Ever wanted small stories to make travel more interesting than random encounters? Ever just wanted to run shorter games? Maybe you’re just low on prep time for your next session. In this volume of campfire tales you’ll find eight half-a-session length adventures that help with all these classic DM worries. Also included is an in-depth appendix of fauna, flora, locations, and more to help boost your game.
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.
For as far back in time as the tales of history stretch, the area bordering what is now the Lands of Launewt has been a foreboding, practically impenetrable forest. When the lords who ruled the various borderlands united to form the Council of Launewt a century ago, the forest was in the same physical condition as it is now: thick, dark, and expansive, said to be so dense at the center that sunlight pervaded the foliage only on the brightest days. Pgs. 41-56
Side-Trek adventure When your PCs gain access to the teleport spell, their whole world changes. That simple spell opens up instantaneous, long-distance travel. No more long overland journeys or dangerous retreats through hostile territory. All it takes is clasped hands and a word from the wizard, and poof! The PCs are where they want to go. Except that it isn’t that simple, because teleport isn’t foolproof. The off-target teleports are a matter of scattering your PCs someplace else on the map and forcing them to get their bearings and make the long overland journey anyway. But this Side Trek focuses on the really intriguing column on the teleport chart: “similar area.”
Grave Detail has your mid-level PC asked to retrieve the remains of Sir LaGain from the nearby battlefield. The relatives have learned of the man’s demise and are willing to pay a sizable sum for the body’s return. While the battle has ended, dangers remain. Can your solo PC bring closure to a noble death?
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
The Ogre Magi of Jade Rock is a companion adventure made to go along with the events unfolding in Folio#16 (WS3 Distant Turtle City). It contains information needed to run a side adventure that will help characters in their journey through Distant Turtle City. The Ogre Magi of Jade Rock has invited the characters to reclaim his lost home, and in turn collect valuable supplies of magical healing that will certainly be required to win the day against the corrupted forces of the city's fortified castle. This adventure is formatted to both 1E & 5E gaming rules.
AL19 – Junket to the Southlands has the PCs enjoying a little R&R in southern Allatrama when a caravan comes into town. Scuttlebutt has it that some famous Bard came in with them and is giving a performance later. With nothing else to do you opt to take a listen. After hearing the tales recited by the incredible poet you opt to visit the location of her stories. Saddle up folks, you’re heading into the frozen land to the south!
A vibrant circus has just arrived, setting up on the edge of town. Run by the charismatic half-elf ringmaster, Marlow, the performers bring with them dazzling displays of magic and talent, artifacts with incredible powers to behold, and strange creatures most people would never get the chance to see close up. Behind all of the joy and revelry, the circus holds a dark secret, for Marlow keeps tyrannical control over his performers with both whip and word. As this latest performance reaches its height, two acrobats decide to take their chance at freedom, making use of a distraction to steal something valuable from Marlow and make their escape. Marlow will do anything to get the two back under his power, and so turns his significant charms upon a hapless band of adventurers attending his circus.
Lightning rail rides in Breland are never as relaxing as they should be, especially when the coach is being used to transport a monolith hauled from the mysterious depths of Xen'drik Can the unsuspecting PC's overcome their surprise in time to repulse the invaders from the inside, or will they finish their journey in chains? Pgs. 18-27
As a pair of fresh faced adventurers yearning to show the world what you have you can almost taste the action, but you haven’t found any yet. While on the road a local farmer tells you that the Thorp of Templeton is looking for someone to find their missing ferryman. While the farmer doesn’t have many details the thorp in question is less than half a day’s walk from where you are. As you wander down the road with your friend you both revel in a job as easy as finding a drunken boat captain!
Rumor has it that an evil temple resides in the forest as well as a mad mage who may or may not consume children. While these rumors abound speculation of the existence of such is frequently countered with the tenacity of the elves watching over the forest and how it would be unthinkable for them to allow such issues to occur. Note: This seems an incomplete adventure. While the evil temple is mentioned, there are no maps for it. Also the mad mage is given back ground, there are not stats for an encounter.
Different worlds have different laws. But everywhere you go, you're going to find people who bend and break those laws and turn a healthy profit doing it. Whether sailing the high seas or the Flow, they are called pirates. It's these pirates that you've been hired to hunt. With letters of marque in your mapcase, your job is to track down and capture, alive or dead, some of the most dangerous characters in the known( and unknown) spheres. Of course, not everyone in space is a pirate. You'll also meet Torgan Betz (a man famous for bending the laws, rarely breaking them), Tiktitik, the Thri-kreen crusader, " Thought Taker," the illithid, and the feared Drow commander Teela Darkcloud. Even so they all have their personal agendas, and it's often hard to tell enemies from friends. TSR 9286
Prison of the Hated Pretender is an introductory adventure for 4-6 characters levels 0-1. Originally published on the Dungeon of Signs blog, it is a short drop-in location-based adventure with a couple of interesting puzzles, a lack of "book" monsters, implacable foes with an obvious weakness, and a very weird roleplaying opportunity. The new 2020 edition republished by Hydra Collective adds suggested guidance for new Dungeonmasters who grew up with 5th edition and don't know how old-school works. Stats for both BECMI and 5th edition, and setting neutral (though there are some implied things about the history of the world).
"Dreams Within Dreams" provides a group of heroes with the first hints that ther eis something more to dreams and nightmares than images caused by eating a big meal right before bedtime. It brings them into contact with the first level of reality. One here who experiences a nightmare also catches the interest of Hypnos, a member of the Nightmare Court. This leads to another revelation - dreams can have profound and even dangerous affect on the waking world. Adventure I: Dreams Within Dreams From Book Three: Book of Nightmares: https://www.adventurelookup.com/adventures/the-nightmare-lands TSR 1124
After the last adventure you are now on a quest to find a warm bed and good food. Passing travelers have pointed out that you are quite close to the Thorp of Marstan, a small settlement in the area under the control of the Earl of Sakov. His troops are well known for their horsemanship skills and after all your walking perhaps you may find proper mounts! What the party will find is a community fearful from recent humanoid attacks but with the passing of a guard unit they have hope….except the guard unit hasn’t been heard from since.
In these lands of eldritch goo, it's a fine line between victory and a sticky situation Tzork, the sentient globe of glass, wasn’t exactly born from a grand spell—it was more of a cosmic "oops". After a backstabbing disciple named Theridus offed his master and snagged the relic, he promised his followers unimaginable power. But instead of turning them into terrifying demons, Tzork turned them into puddles of goo. Now, the once "glorious" cult's mansion is less a temple and more a swamp of melted, failed adventurers, attracting only the most reckless of treasure hunters. 'Morass of the Melting Men' is an adventure for Knave 2e, suitable for low-level PCs. The adventure revolves around an extremely powerful sentient magical item that has gone out of control, melting all the nearby people and turning what was once an evil temple into a swamp of slime, filled with bones and eyeballs. In Morass of the Melting Men, players enter a location flooded with a magical liquid exuding chaotic energy. The longer the PCs remain within the swamp, the more they suffer the unexpected effects of this alien magic. Step inside this morass if you dare — goo and treasure awaits... but mostly goo What you'll find here: A complete 40-page adventure A 20 room dungeon map Several new (and bizarre) magic items such as the magnificent Tray of Force and the powerful Theridus' Head. Several wild random tables of weird and gooey outcomes
SQ2 – Cesspool of Redrook takes a group of initial adventurers on their first challenge. Your new group wants to be big-time adventurers but don’t really have the money to wander out from the safety of the city of Redrook. As you question your options a wanted poster gives you just the opportunity you have been seeking. Can your party capture the notorious “Briny Pete”?
The humanoids of the north are preparing to attack! Reports of large gatherings of evil creatures are coming in near the Holdfist Mountains. With more and more verified reports coming in something needs to be done quickly. With your fame firmly intact the people have asked your group to once again save the day....are you ready for your next challenge? Ya know....wasn't there an old castle around here somewhere?
This book goes over the various rules around the faction of the Zhentarim in Phandalin and the Forgotten Realms, making it easy for any new or veteran DMs to integrate it more into the core stories being told, and making the faction feel more useful for the players that choose to join. The adventure, Barrhindlun sees the adventurers working for the Zhentarim and traveling to the town of Leilon and finding their way beneath to the muddy lost city of Barrhindlun, where bandits of the Xanathar Guild have been sent to reclaim a Crystal Orb.