It's a horrible time to have a curse! Each wielding a powerful item to a family legacy, your players are a group of young adventurers who barely survive an attack on their order of vampire-hunters by agents of Dracula. After escaping, they discover Dracula has placed a curse upon the land which makes restful sleep difficult outside of hallowed areas. Dracula, "alive" on another plane but dead on this one, must be resurrected so they can kill him, end the curse, and avenge their dead. To accomplish this goal, the player characters must journey through forest, marsh, hill, and underground paths to retrieve relics of Dracula's last life from keeps and fortresses overrun by monsters and the undead. If they can resurrect him, he will be weak and easy to kill... but the adventurers aren't the only ones who want Dracula on the Material Plane, and Dracula is not the only vampire in the world. Gameplay overview This adventure takes the players from 2nd through 9th or 10th level on a milestone basis as they choose where to travel in what order to retrieve what they need. Starting at a happy gathering at the Belmonte Order, which the characters are hereditary members of, the campaign kicks off with a bang as the group retrieves their chosen legacy items, salvages what other gear they can in a race against time and a growing number of foes, and then escapes to begin their quest. In addition to the six main "dungeons," there are two optional regional lairs, traveling vampires, and many foes along the way. Most of the towns in the area have managed to survive, providing points of light at which the party may stop, long rest safely, acquire supplies, and socialize. Travel is hazardous! 5e classes are balanced for resource management across a 5-8 encounter adventuring day. The campaign is designed to have a semi-variable flow of encounters as the party traels around the area. Encounters grow progressively more difficult as time passes and the party spends more time within a region. These are not random encounters rolled on a table, but encounters designed to be unique to each area's geography, combat terrain, and mix of foes. As the party spends more time in a region or revisits it, the encounter difficulty increases. Dracula's curse requires a Constitution saving throw to successfully long rest outside of Hallowed areas (towns). The difficulty scales up over time, forcing the party to balance speed and safety as they try to accomplish their goals without pushing beyond the limits of what they can handle. The game concept, general map layout, and some enemy distributions are loosely inspired by Castlevania II for the NES, one of the forerunners of the "Metroidvania" genre. Dracula's Curse is indeed a game in which the forests are dark and full of monsters, and every night is a horrible one to have a curse. Includes 15 Legacy items, from weapons like whips and swords to a shield, a belt, or a decanter of holy water 60+ enemy statblocks 8 unique dungeons with unique layouts & challenges 5 inhabited towns with multiple named NPCs 100+ travel encounters (expect to use 30-50%) The module is printer-friendly with no artwork and straightforward grid maps for location-based encounters which require one.
Have you ever wanted to raid your neighbor’s garage for that tool they “borrowed” a year ago? Or dig through your friend’s closet because you know half your wardrobe is hiding in there? What if you had a band of adventurers to do it for you? The wizard Rastakeen needs a book returned that he lent his not-so-esteemed colleague, Frex, some time ago. Apprentices are for running errands you don’t want to do yourself, right?
Even bad guys have heroes they look up to. The Silver Knight is a champion among the orcs, a title that is passed from orc to orc. As one falls in battle another rises, and the lineage continues. Forged of an ancient compact between deities of fate and heroism, the secret to the Silver Knight’s immortality lies in the signet ring worn by every Silver Knight. Tyrants and Hellions is a Dungeon Master's aide, containing fifteen villains complete with schemes, lairs, backstories, and everything else you need to drop them into your own 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Within its 400 pages you'll also find the methods, both mechanical and thematic, used to create villains that spark the imaginations of your players. The Silver Knight is one of these villains, and their adventure takes up 17 pages (pg 180-197). Published by 2CGaming
There is no particular overarching story here, just a prospect gate keep dungeon you can drop into your own sandbox and run as you see fit. This adventure is formatted to both 1E & 5E gaming rules.
Built high on cliffs overlooking the confluence of two rivers, Gurthap Keep was a bastion of strength and a haven for the Cult of the Red God. Here, priests of old sacrificed over the tomb of long dead Kha M Thir, honoring him for his long service to the Red God. They added bastions to the keep, walls, a temple and barracks. From there they terrorized the surrounding country, raiding the villages of Alice, Greenbriar and Ends Meet until at last the rangers gathered against the Cult and overthrew it. They drove them from their walls and those they did not slay, fled into the Darkenfold to the south. The castle has sat thus ever since, a grim testament to the gods of the old world. The forest has consumed it and only the memories of men keep it alive. But within its abandoned walls lie the shadows of yesteryear. For the tomb of Kah M Thir was never found and the secrets of the priests of the Red God never fully revealed.
The increasingly erratic behavior of Lady Selyse, Knight Captain of the small, but strongly held frontier outpost Fort Selsmire, is provoking unrest among her soldiers and fear from passing supply caravans. Many whisper of how the Captain now goes without sleep for days at a time, pacing the walls of the keep long into the night. Despite these rumors, the party has found employment at Fort Selsmire, conducting additional patrols of the nearby forests. While patrolling, they find evidence that may lead to the strange creature who seems to be provoking the Captain to madness. Pgs. 69-73
The heroes have spent the last several days in the quiet, secluded town of Relvaunt. Relvaunt's vineyards, wines, and scenic beauty are the subject of bards's songs, and many travelers journey long miles to visit them. Another site receives far fewer visitors--several miles east of town, partially obscured by woods and hills, stands the wondrous Castle Freitstein. As the heroes depart the town in search of adventure, an elderly couple approaches them. The woman suddenly clutches her chest and collapses in the street and the old man calls out to the heroes for help. Includes castle random encounter chart, a map of castle grounds and isometric castle level maps (four main levels, a tower level and a cellar level).
In Necromancer’s Last Stand, your high level party is placed into the middle of a several decades old conflict. A new plan has developed as the forces of good begin to make headway. Called to the general’s tent you and your associates are asked to accept a hazardous ‘end around’ move to attempt to take out the evil leader. The way will not be easy and a plethora of challenges lay between the general’s tent and victory. There will not be attack and retreat opportunities and you know you’ve only got one shot at ending the violent conflict.
A 1st-level dungeon crawl for Shadowdark RPG where the characters delve into a ruined citadel hunting for legendary treasures while avoiding the wrath of the infamous scarlet minotaur! Inside the citadel are secrets about the downfall of the warrior-cultists who once ruled it, three legendary weapons they wielded, and several factions of intelligent creatures to turn into allies or enemies. This adventure is part of the free, digital Shadowdark RPG Quickstart Set, which comes with two 68-page booklets (Player and Game Master guides), 8 pre-made characters with gorgeous art, and a form-fillable character sheet. Shadowdark RPG is what classic, old-school fantasy gaming would look like after being redesigned with 50 years of innovation. It's the world's greatest roleplaying game in a whole new light! Download the free Quickstart set here: https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/pages/shadowdark
Bringing Diablo II to the tabletop. The legendary Diablo and Diablo II computer games come to life with the release of the tabletop Diablo II: To Hell & Back roleplaying adventure. All a player needs is the Dungeons & Dragons(r) Player's Handbook (0786915501-8/00) to accompany the Diablo II game. Every level and all 4 acts of the computer game are represented in the tabletop mega-adventure, which will also include 64 pages of monsters, information for levels 1-30, and over 60 maps!
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. This adventure sees the characters allied with the Fated of Sigil, and tasked to travel to the titular Tower of Pillars to conduct a heist from a Time Dragon.
With the docks of Distant Turtle City behind them, the challenge of the city's castle still lies ahead. Ancient dwarven samurai were lords of the mighty estate, but now it has fallen to darkness. What secrets and horrors might be found there are disheartening enough, but with a city of the shadow dead at their backs, the adventurers have little choice but to put an end to Molo's corruptions once and for all. Come join the battle against legendary tortoise oni, stealthy gaint mantises, corrupted beasts, undead half-dwarven guards, and even a rumored shadow dragon! This adventure is formatted to both 1E & 5E gaming rules. Also available in PDF.
The king summons the heroes to investigate the death of a knight, and the final fate of the king's long-missing son. The knight and his entire order was killed by a Dragon! Yay we get to fight a dragon in the first issue of Dungeon Magazine! Much travel over many different terrain types featuring avalanches, volcanoes spewing lava, and many random encounters (not detailed here) before the heroes reach their real goal: A lake with a ruined wizard's tower and dragon's cave. Opens with a particularly byzantine Background section for the DM involving a prince you never meet, pirates you never meet, knights you never meet, and deep gnomes you never meet. See Out of the Ashes in Dungeon #17 for sequel to this adventure. Pgs. 42-60
"For untold eons, Eshebala ruled over Vulgarea, the 193rd Layer of the Abyss...content to revel in hedonism, corrupt the hearts of her dwindling followers and inflict petty cruelty. Yet, if there are days in the Abyss, there came one when she realized she despised her own province. She hated demonkind. She hated the Abyss. It had become unbearably tedious, spent...done. The burgeoning goddess decided she would dip her toe back into the lives of mortals, and quest to remember...to understand her own existence...But that was a lofty goal for a mind that had long ago begun to unravel. Instead...She is learning that all she has left is cruelty...and it was always cruelty that gave her power, so she now believes, to the woe of any who cross her path." Partly inspired by a scant notation by Carl Sargeant in 1992's TSR book Monster Mythology: "Eshebala is the foxwoman deity of vanity, charm, greed, and cunning. Her symbol is a female fox. Eshebala appears as a foxwoman, a shapely fur-covered female with a fox’s head, or as a beautiful young elf maiden. She is bedecked in rich clothing and jewels, and carries a silver mirror. Eshebala’s realm of Vulgarea can be found on the 193rd layer of the Abyss. She is wily and vain. She favors beautiful things and collects jewelry and art, the tackier and flashier the better. She prefers to overcome her opponents using subtlety rather than force, seducing and devouring out of boredom. She loves gossip, and always insists on being the center of attention. Eshebala is a patron of evil shapeshifters who use their wits and wiles before resorting to violence." Eshebala is a true chaotic evil demon goddess, behaving 100% true to form, and an extremely challenging opponent to take down for your players. An unforgettable 262 page jaunt for Levels: 15-17, with multiple possible modes of play, including Party Mode for up to 12 players. Profusely and paintstakingly illustrated over the course of several years by an award-winning professional illustrator. No stock illustration in this beast! A loving, dark & insanely detailed exploration of the 193rd Abyssal Plane An exuberant nod to the most grueling, deadly dungeons ever created Rich encounters that play out in a unique way each time 100 + NEW CREATURES 200 + NEW TREASURES (& possibly the most illustrated treasury ever provided) 82 BOOKS for PCs to discover 70 + NEW SPELLS & RITUALS, INCLUDING DETAILED OPTIONS FOR DEMON SUMMONING 50 + NEW TRAPS, HAZARDS & EFFECTS (guaranteed to run amuck) 4 RANDOM TREASURE TABLES, including a TABLE OF GEMSTONES that would be useful in any campaign 2 NEW CLASS SHIFTS: the Demonologist & the Exorcist!
As the floating cities of Netheril hover peacefully in the air, the winds of intrigue boil all around them. The phaerimm continue to plot the downfall of the Netherese even as Karsus prepares for the casting of his greatest spell. Undead walk the land, driving orcs and humans before them. And somewhere below the greatest nation of Faerûn, the Tarrasque awakens from a long slumber. How the Mighty Are Fallen, is an adventure designed for use with the Netheril: Empire of magic boxed campaign setting (which is required to play this adventure). Within these pages, the final heroes of Netheril can : Gather the spell components, that Karsus requires for casting his "most wondrous" spell, the only 12th level spell ever known. He just needs a few body parts from two creatures - A gold dragon and the Tarrasque. Reuinte lost lovers after they have been separated by death. Nopheu's wife was killed in a magical explosions, and now he's finally saved enough money for her to be resurrected. Certainly a dead body couldn't pose a threat to a band of stalwart heroes?! Follow the winds of fate to wherever Tyche delivers them. Numerous side adventures allow players to take their characters to a variety of different locations. Some heroes might want to follow the trail of the missing nether scrolls, while others might want to join the resistance and fight Karsus and the other archwizards. But only the bravest hearts can take the first step... TSR 9540
In this prelude to the full Princes of the Apocalypse campaign book, adventurers face off against the influence of Elemental Cultists in the hills and canyons of the Dessarin Valley. The four mini-adventures within are only tangentially related to each-other, and instead serve as starting points and hooks for the plots of the complete Princes of the Apocalypse Campaign. Players start in the well-described town of Red Larch; first investigating a local necromancer, then uncovering cult influences within the town, and finally heading off to infiltrate or do battle with two small elemental cultist strongholds. All parts of this adventure can serve as great places to seed hooks for other campaigns.
A gang of ogres is raiding a farming community, stealing crops and livestock, and advancing closer and closer to the town, and the townsfolk need your help!
Retrieve the bones of a dracolich to save the life of a paladin. The epic conclusion of the Mere of Dead Men series. Set in the Mere of Dead Men region of the Forgotten Realms.
The Sea Witch is a short adventure for four 10th-level characters. The difficulty of the adventure can be adjusted by changing the level of main antagonist (Black Molly, the sea hag pirate) or by altering the number of her ogre servants. To tailor the encounter to groups of different levels, refer to table 4-1 in Chapter 4 of the DUNGEON MASTER’S GUIDE. The adventure is set off a lightly populated coastline known as Misty Bay, but adapts easily to any coastal region in existing campaigns. The sea hag known as Black Molly is a notorious pirate who has plagued the coastal cities for the better part of a decade. A successful Knowledge (local) check (DC 15) will reveal that Molly and her ogre crew have a filthy reputation as merciless killers who delight not only in plundering vessels for their riches, but also in destroying the ships themselves and sending all hands to the bottom of the sea. Now the villain and her followers have seized control of the Old Lighthouse of Misty Bay located off a lightly populated coastline. For generations the lighthouse beacon has protected the fishermen of this region, warning them of the dangerous rocks that lurk just below the level of the high tides. Recently, the hag has put out the beacon, darkening the lighthouse; misery and destruction are sure to follow as ships start to blunder into the rocks. Blackmail is apparently Black Molly’s aim in this venture: She conveyed a message to the nearest shore community, the fishing village of Poisson, demanding the princely sum of 50,000 gp. Until she receives this ransom, she intends to hold the lighthouse and its beacon hostage. The fate of the human keepers who tend the lighthouse is unknown to the seaside communities at this time, but they fear the worst. The Sea Witch is ostensibly a rescue mission: The PCs are pitted against the evil of Black Molly and the brawn of her savage ogre crew. It is the heroes’ task to retake the lighthouse and, if possible, free its captives from the clutches of their jailer. What neither the PCs nor the shore communities yet realize is that while she 1would be pleased to have the gold, Black Molly is in fact after bigger treasure. Molly has no intention of giving up the lighthouse — at least, not until she finds what her master sent her here for. Lying on the sea floor practically at the base of the rock on which the lighthouse sits is the wreck of the war galley Flying Cloud, which according to popular legend was captained by a cleric who wore around his neck an amulet of the planes. Black Molly wants this prize, but so far she hasn’t been able to find it. She’s scoured the wreck without finding any sign of the magic item. Now she’s trying to determine where to search next, for the item might well be somewhere near the wreck. If she can’t find it, she’ll start torturing her captives to find out if they have any useful knowledge about the amulet.
A Pathfinder Roleplaying Game adventure for 10th-level characters, this volume of Pathfinder Adventure Path is part 4 of 6 of the Kingmaker Adventure Path, in which the heroes win and defend a small kingdom from threats foreign and domestic. PCs should advance to 13th level by the end of this adventure. “Blood for Blood” begins with the PCs having returned home from solving the mystery of the Varnhold Vanishing. Shortly after their arrival, they learn that new problems have developed during their absence—there are rumors of an army marching toward their nation!The PCs race to the village of Tatzlford, where they help defend the village from an attack by a small but earnest force of bandits, barbarians, and several lumbering trolls after being warned in advance by a troubled woman who has fled from Fort Drelev to the west. Following the skirmish, she pleads with the PCs to save her father and sister from peril.From there, the PCs strike out into the swamplands of the Slough to the west, exploring new lands and finding opportunities to make new allies and eliminate long-term threats to the region. Their initial goal, though, should be infiltrating Fort Drelev, where they’ll have a chance to confront the traitor Drelev with his crimes and rescue the Fort’s beleaguered settlers. During this time, the PCs learn where Armag’s tribe has been holding the daughters of Drelev’s senior officers hostage. Arriving at the ancient site, the PCs attack Armag’s barbarian encampment and overcome the sinister powers of the Black Sisters to free the girls. Then, entering the tomb, they face deadly traps, ancient undead horrors from a war-torn age, and the trials of the tomb’s immortal, divine guardian. In the final chamber, the PCs encounter Armag himself, armed with the ancient sword of his namesake.