For more than a hundred years, the demon-infested Worldwound has warred against humanity, its Abyssal armies clashing with crusaders, barbarians, mercenaries, and heroes along the border of lost Sarkoris. But when one of the magical wardstones that helps hedge the demons into their savage realm is sabotaged, the crusader city of Kenabres is attacked and devastated by the demonic hordes. Can a small band of heroes destined for mythic greatness survive long enough to hold back the forces of chaos and evil until help arrives, or will they become the latest in a long line of victims slaughtered by Deskari, the demon lord of the Locust Host?
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
The town of Sandpoint, Varisia, Inner Sea Region has put out a bounty on the nearby tribe of Licktoad Goblins in retribution for the goblins raiding traders and travelers near the quiet town. The party takes up the bounty and ventures into the swamp; eventually finding the goblin village in ruins and it's inhabitants scared in it's burned huts. The party finds out; either through investigation of the ruins or the goblins themselves; that a group of skeletons with eastern arms and armor had ransacked the village and took a stash of fireworks that the goblins stole from an old shipwreck. The party then makes it to this cave and finds it empty except for a half dozen skeletons. Further in past the skeletons is their leader, a skeletal samurai who fights the party in an attempt to defend his treasure. The treasure turns out to be a letter that reveals that secrets of the Kaijitsu family; the same family their good friend Ameiko who runs the Rusty Dragon inn belongs to; that lies in wait in the abandoned town of Brinewall to the northern boarder of Varisia. Ameiko along with several other important NPCs with a caravan north. It's recommended that GMs create encounters for the caravan trip north as it's essentially 3 weeks of travel with nothing in it. It's also recommended that GMs completely ignore caravan rules; they're not flushed out and they're not fun to run. The party and the caravan reaches the abandoned town of Brinewall where their friend Ameiko becomes possessed and is thrown into a coma; where the other NPCs agree to take care of her while the party explores the town and castle. The castle is a three floor behemoth of a dungeon populated by Dire Corbies, Troglodytes, and various other monsters all under the leadership of Kikonu, an Yamabushi Tengu Oni. The goal of exploring Brinewall Castle is to find the two keys to the vault; one of which is on the Yamabushi Tengu while the other is on a Half-Fiend Decapus that lives in the basement of Brinewall. Once the PCs enter the vault they find the Amatatsu Seal; one of the seals that cement authority to one of the ruling houses in Minkai of Tian Xia; as well as several visions that show that Ameiko Kaijitsu is the rightful heir to be ruler of Minkai and that they'll need to travel north to do so. Such ends the first book of six.
A storm of unparalleled fury has been ravaging the peaks of the Earthspur Mountains for a tenday, and the Monastery of the Yellow Rose sits in its eye for now. Some monks have fled the monastery to the safety of Mulmaster and beseech you to convince their more obstinate brothers to retreat to the city before the eye of the storm shifts, and the monastery is in terrible danger. Can you brave the elements and convince the monks to escape? An eight-hour adventure for 5th-10th level characters.
Stepping through a door can mean a grand adventure - or a horrifying death. The shortest distance between two points is not always a straight line. A number of magic towers connected by failing teleportation magic. Abandoned in ages past, other creatures now make the towers their homes and provide challenges to parties of varying levels. Pgs. 34-42
The Clockwork Queen and the Dame of Dirt have been fierce rivals for years--but a brazen abduction sees the situation escalate dangerously. To put matters right, the party must scale an ever-changing clockwork tower full of weird magic and mechanical mayhem, and attempt a daring rescue!
Wednesday's child... It's a blessed event only if you can end the curse in time. People have been disappearing form the town of Monetenapoleone and a swamp has appeared blocking the towns trade route. It is up to the players to find what is causing all of these strange events and to stop it. Pgs. 32-49
This is the second episode of The Black Tower, designed for use with Rolemaster or AD&D. The first part of the scenario appeared in issue 1 of ADVENTURER.
Beneath Castle Bergfried lies the vault of the grief-struck Baron – heavily infested with a crystalline virus from the past. Here an adventure party must choose between rival forces that seek to explore the vault and decide the future of the Inside World. ‘Vault of the Mad Baron’ is the second installment in a series of three modules in the Inner World. It can be played as a stand-alone adventure or be added as a small barony to an ongoing campaign. The scenario can be used with Swords & Wizardry or any other early variant of game rules and is suitable for PCs level 2-5. Inside you will find: A 60+ page old-school module with a layout optimized for fast and easy interfacing. An adaptable barony complete with town, castle and dungeon. Unique districts with encounters and sights. 6 major factions fully detailed with headquarter, plans, and missions for the PCs. Detailed description of a castle and associated dungeon levels. Downloadable maps for both players and the Referee. Locations allowing the PCs to travel to another era within the setting. Unique new creatures and magic items.
After a restful time in Queen’s Point you begin to hear rumors of some “lost city” being discovered. After speaking with some of the locals and visiting the library you become intrigued. Apparently Harvick was abandoned during the plague years and its riches were never recovered. Along with the regular valuables one would find in an abandoned city, it is rumored that an ancient artifact or two may also be present. Sounds like it’s time to strap on the adventuring gear and take a look around.
Once every decade, the tides of the Empyrean Ocean recede far enough to reveal the highest eaves of a mysterious undersea tower. Long ago this was an eldritch fastness of Sezrekan the Elder, the most wicked wizard ever to plague the Known World, but now the tower is known simply as the final resting place of the fabled Black Pearl – an artifact rumored to bring doom upon all who dare to posses it. Tonight the moon nearly fills the sky, and the tides have already begun to recede. Adventurers have eight short hours to explore the tower before the dark waters return. The fabled Black Pearl will be theirs for the taking…if they can survive the Pearl’s curse.
Stop the goatfolk, or watch the world be tread UNDER THEIR IRON HOOVES The goatfolk of Capra are a cruel, mericless race from the olden days. They sacrificed their souls to devils and swept the world like a plague, conquering and enslaving. The united races managed to enact a ritual and banish them out of time...but the Caprans have returned. Raiding parties strike from the wastes, stealing men, women and children in the night and dragging them off to Capran's black temples. Only the heroes can find out the Capran's true purpose and end the threat before the armies of goatmen sweep the world once more in iron and blood. Features 5 NEW MONSTERS designed to work together. Every combination is a new, interesting tactical challenge. UNIQUE MECHANICS: Each battle is presented on a unique battlefield. Will your players adapt or perish? ROLEPLAYING: How will players deal with the men who sell their brethren for a quick buck? Will they negotiate with the dark elves who have a tenous alliance with the goatfolk?
Crops wilt, leaves wither on the trees, and animals must leave the once-fertile Downs valley or die. All who dwell there must abandon their homes or perish-- unless your party can lift the curse TSR 9084
The Dark Tower A Worlds Without Number Compatible Adventure The adventure is set up so the Player Characters [PCs] can encounter diverse types of situations and different adventure styles, allowing for role-playing within a rural situation, with wandering monsters, and a dungeon/Deep encounter. The module offers a chance for the GM to immerse themselves and their players with as much, or little, detail as they want to put in. Rolling countryside surrounds The Dark Tower for miles. Giving you, the GM, the opportunity to fit the adventure into almost any setting within your game. I have left the ending open, allowing the GM to slot in further encounters or adventure twists to keep the game moving but with enough happening to turn it into more than one session if so desired. The Plot There are several options for the plot: A local innkeeper would like you to investigate the haunted tower on the hill. He is willing to offer a good reward. A local village Elder could ask the PCs to seek out/investigate/destroy the walking dead that have been seen around the tower. Please investigate the tower to see if the rumors are true. A Local priest would like the PCs to remove the possible undead worrying the locals from the tower.
Synopsis: Goblin Bathwater, a magical drug, has taken hold in a sleepy coastal town at the edge of the Empire. As the characters investigate the origin of the drug, they uncover an international criminal conspiracy, wild and ancient magic, and a threat to reality itself. Contents: This beautifully made, 54-page adventure offers: A fully fleshed out, setting-agnostic starter area, brimming with colourful NPCs and hooks for adventure. Balanced encounters to bring characters to level 2; then some more devious encounters on their way to level 3. Three mini-dungeons built on the design philosophy of the "5 room dungeon method" Multiple big, cinematic set-piece boss encounters what will make your players feel epic. A facetted intrigue, which does not immediately suggest a simple, ready-made solution but invites the players to come up with their own, personal approach. Why pick this adventure? Hey, my name is Marius. This is my first time publishing on the DMs Guild but I wouldn't call myself a newcomer. I started playing Pathfinder 1e back in 2014. When I took over as our group's DM in 2019, we swapped over to 5e. We have run many, many modules and adventures since. Currently I play three games a week. In short: You could say I'm hooked. I created The Goblin Bathwater Incident as the ideal adventure for in-between your big modules, but it isn't a simple little adventure. With a playtime of about 30 hours, it still manages to hit that sweet-spot, where it establishes context, makes you grow fond of NPCs, and makes those big bossfight wins so much sweeter, all without taking more than a few sessions. The Goblin Bathwater Incident is different from many of the 1st tier adventures in that it pits the characters against traps and monsters, but also asks difficult, open-ended ethical questions, where a simple strategy of "apply sword to head of bad guy" will not cut it.
Player characters attacking the lair of monsters that have been menacing the local village is a common D&D trope. This adventure turns the trope on its head. In Goblin Defense, the players create goblin PCs, and have to fight off repeated attacks by adventurers who are stronger and better equipped than they are. Starting at level 1 and running until level 7, this module encompasses 16 battles against unique and typically themed groups of adventurers built using player character classes and rules. The module is designed for 3 players, each of whom takes on an individual role within the tribe, granting unique bonuses or options for actions outside of combat. Goblin Defense can also be played with 4 players, but is not recommended for 5 or more players without substantial revision. The players aren't alone. Each commands a squad of goblin minions who can help in combat... but goblins are fragile, and adventurers hit hard. Life as a goblin is often brief and violent. Many will die, but as long as some survive, the tribe will carry on. A simple ruleset is provided for managing actions during the downtime between each attack. During this time, players can work to train their minions to use better gear, hunt for food for their tribe, recruit replacement warriors, brew potions, and - most importantly - improve their lair and its defenses by adding walls, traps, tunnels, doors, alarms, and anything else their creative minds can come up with. As the exact layout and placement of defensive features is critical, this is designed to be played on a grid. A PDF is included with the map scaled to print on 24"x36" (Arch D) size paper, available at most print shops. DMs may enjoy the chance to briefly try out many different character class and subclass combinations as they attack and eventually fall to the goblin pests they're trying to eliminate. Page count: Information for the DM only 6 Information for the players 4 Adventurer statblocks 37
Rumor has reached your ears that the legendary Amulet of Rafael is in this region. Further investigation has revealed that a reclusive nobleman in the north called Xantus is currently in possession of the item. While details are sketchy about the item, it is well known that quite powerful in the hands of a mage. You decide that you will go north and locate the “Ice Lord” and see if he is willing to part with the item.
The abandoned Tower of Ulvarum Orvernus stands atop an asteroid nearly a quarter mile in diameter, located roughly 5 million miles from the planet’s surface. The asteroid maintains Earth-like gravity and a breathable atmosphere, with habitable temperatures. This is all sustained through the harnessed power of a bound Air Elemental and Earth Elemental. If either of these Elementals are freed, the asteroid’s environment will quickly become inhospitable. The PCs may find themselves drawn to the asteroid through a forgotten portal, seeking a way to return home. Alternatively, they might be lured there by rumors of a powerful item or hidden knowledge within the tower’s extensive libraries. A multi-level tower filled with traps and strange encounters including animated armor, alien plant life, giant spiders, and a doppelganger.
This material was originally published as three separate adventures: G1 (STEADING OF THE HILL GIANT CHIEF), G2 (THE GLACIAL RIFT OF THE FROST GIANT JARL), and G3 (HALL OF THE FIRE GIANT KING). Contained herein are referee notes, background information, maps, and exploration keys for three complete adventures using the ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS rules. This module can be used alone or as the first in a series of adventures that includes Dungeon Modules D1-2 (DESCENT INTO THE DEPTHS OF THE EARTH), D3 (VAULT OF THE DROW), and Q1 (QUEEN OF THE DEMONWEB PITS). TSR 9058
You have been sent to watch over the destruction of an ancient artifact by your liege, but arrive to find the temple sacked and the item missing. You and the other abassadors must take the famed Pick of Zander across the Kamula Wastelands. There you must track down the agents of evil and, if possible, destroy the artifact...time to earn your hero status!