The night air is chilly, but the crackling fire you've started warms your bones comfortably. Crickets chirp, and you smile up at the stars, glad for the quiet evening. There is a loud roar, and you are blinded momentarily as the campfire suddenly surges up into the air. The flames split down the middle, revealing an abyss that leeches the warmth from your soul. Out of this hellish place stumbles a black-cloaked figure clutching a scythe. Quickly, you reach for your weapons. The strange apparition staggers for a moment. Then, gathering its strength, it pulls back the hood on its cloak. Beneath is a bleached skull with stars for eyes. "I am Azrael, Lord of the Undead," it hisses. "Or rather, I will be Azrael, after time itself has died." Even as Azrael speaks, decay begins to eat away at its body, and the god shudders. Holding one arm up to watch as tiny fissures form in its bones, the deity sighs, "Ah, sweet Entropy, come to claim me at last." It's gaze sweeps back to you. "But no, not just yet. First, I must set events in motion." Weakness begins to overcome Azrael, and it sinks to one knee. "Long ago, I became the most powerful of all the gods, in spite of my enemies' efforts to stop me. Delirious with power, I destroyed the other gods and eventually fell to feasting upon the souls of their worshipers. After devouring every living creature, I consume the planets and, eventually, the stars themselves, until I was left alone, in darkness." The god struggles to finish its message as its bones turn to dust and blow away, "Unexpectedly, I felt remorse for what I had done. I grieved for the universe I had destroyed, but I lack the power to recreate it. So, I have come to you, to beg you to do what I cannot." Azrael reaches into its cloak and produces a leather sack. "Take these items and use them." As Azrael dissolves, it gasps out, "Kill me tonight, or tomorrow will never dawn." All that remains is a pile of dust and a leather bag.
The nearby jungle is growing at a disturbing pace -- overnight, whole villages have been swallowed up by creeping vines. Rumors say the source is a corrupt and powerful temple deep in the jungle. In reality, the blight lords of Talona created a monstrous corpse flower and imbued it with the power of a cursed gem from an ancient temple of their goddess. After the blight lords released it into the forest, the corpse flower bent the surrounding jungle to its semi-sentient whims, recreating the temple out of plant life -- with an insatiable hunger for expansion.
The Cost of Beauty Deep in the snake infested jungle of Serpent Isle stands an ancient temple. Rumour has it that something still lurks in that place. Something evil from a lost era of devils and darkness. Now fishing boats are going missing off the island’s coast and dark shapes can be seen moving through the undergrowth. Could something have remained on that cursed isle?
Monster hunting is a noble profession for only the bravest adventurers. But when a monster queen hires the party to reunite her family and restore her honor, the traditional methods of death and dismemberment are no longer on the table. Melusine is missing her children and the party must recover them all alive.
Kravenghast Necropolis is hidden in a valley that was formerly part of a now dead city. It consists of a small cemetery that sits atop an abandoned necromancer's laboratory. The necropolis has been refitted as a temple to Vecna, the undead God of secrets. The mausoleum in the cemetery contains a secret spiral staircase that leads to the underground laboratory. The temple is populated by a twisted cult of Vecna, led by the lich-priest Mauthereign. Pgs. 96-103
This module was originally used for the AD&D Tournament at Origins '79. Your party is lost! You should never have abandoned the ship and struck out into the marshes, but your pursuers were closing on your trail, and it seemed the only way. Stumbling onward through the fens, your party makes for higher ground ahead. As you cross the ridge, you see a clearing before you. There in an ancient ruin - a worn and overgrown pyramid fills the courtyard, shining in the moonlight, seeming almost brighter than the moon itself. TSR 9032
An army has appeared from the desert wastes led by a sorcerer said to be immortal. Fearing imminent attack, the Border Kingdoms have sent assassins to slay this so called Ravager and find this terrible rumor is true. You are tasked with discovering the secret to the sorcerer's immortality, hidden amidst an ancient crypt.
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
When the PCs turn up in the village of Ditch Nettle, they are tasked with solving the mystery of various disappearances. Will they be able to uncover the culprit, a worshiper of the long-dead cult of Morloski, goddess of the Slithering Brood. Or will they get stymied by local politics?
The Temple of the First Fire is a 5e adventure in which a group of heroes must stop an ancient, evil witch known as the Raven Mocker from stealing the eternal flame that lights the sun. If the witch succeeds, it would plunge all humanity into endless darkness. It features a corrupted guardian, a temple suspended from the heavens by divine chains, and a series of unusual encounters, as well as four third-level pregenerated characters! Also available for Savage Worlds. Published by Sigil Entertainment Group.
The Plains of Dorack are generally controlled by the evil mage Faltor the Demented who resides in his magically created fortress. The Onyx Spire rises in the middle of the Great Plains and the land around it has been cleared for miles so that its owner can keep an eye on his domain. He employs a large number of humanoids as well as humans, and rules out of fear and intimidation. While the powerful mage does not need it personally he finds that having so many minions allows him time for personal research. Those who have met the secretive mage know immediately they are in the presence of great evil.
Deep in the wooded wilderness, the village of Grimmsgate is an outpost town on a seldom-traveled trail, right at the edge of nowhere. The village’s half-ruined temple of Law, dilapidated inn, drunken blacksmith, exiled trader and a few fur-trappers are enough to keep the bloody-minded denizens of the dark forest at bay, but nobody really expects the village to still be there in another ten years. The woods have become too dangerous for the trappers who once caught animals for fur, and merchants no longer travel the poorly-maintained road. What great evil and what fabulous treasures are to be found in these lands? A brave band of adventurers might make their fortunes here. Or perhaps they might never return… Grimmsgate is an introductory adventure for the Swords & Wizardry tabletop roleplaying game. The Swords & Wizardry rules are needed to play this adventure.
A short plug in adventure that can be used as part of a larger campaign or run as a one shot for 3-4 Tier I or II characters. The Twin Temple was once a place where the people of the city can come to and get help and guidance, but change has come to the Twin Temple now. The characters seek to find what poisons this well and how they can get to the bottom of it and who is responsible. This adventure is ideal for for 3-4 tier I and II characters. Playable as a one shot or the start of a larger campaign. The characters are sent to investigate the Twin Temple and see if they can find the root cause of trouble with various clues and encounters in most rooms this adventure is customizable and adaptable to fit into most campaigns as needed.
A bizarre journey into the realm of sleep. A casual visit to a living, nightmare theater. The King sends the party to speak to the Oracle, a Titan named Andromicus and ask about the fate of the kingdom. But the titan is asleep and sleeping he draws the heroes into his dream! This very weird adventure imagines the titan is dreaming three different five act plays whose stories intertwine and intermix randomly. The heroes find themselves in a random act of a random play and must "solve" the central tension of the act to put the Titan's mind at ease and move on to the next Act. Once they solved five different acts (which may happen out of order and each be from different stories) they exit the dream and the Titan wakes, allowing the players to ask the Titan Oracle a question. Some acts are short roleplaying encounters, some are full on combat scenarios. While the players can earn experience, and might get some cash, any magic items they find are illusory! A unique adventure with a lot of promise for an open-minded DM. Seems very like a classic Star Trek episode and in fact follows many of the same rules about Gods and Dreams. Pgs. 5-15
Locals on the edge of a mountain range are being harassed by brutal monks and their giant tiger pet. Travelling into the hills, the players find the hidden monastery of the Burning Tiger: an evil order of monks that only respect strength. To end the threat, the players must undergo 4 life-or-death trials to test their mettle. But not all is as it seems in the monastery. Can the players unravel the mystery, and survive the Trials of the Burning Tiger? Based on an encounter for 3.5th edition D&D written by Eric Cagle for Wizards of the Coast.
The rumors are true! The secret cave of the mystics holds a hoard of treasure vast enough to buy the kingdom seven times over. Gold coins piled as high as snow banks! Gleaming swords and jewel-encrusted wands crackling with arcane energy! Precious gems as large as your fist! The only thing standing between your present circumstances and a life of fabulous wealth is a pesky, slumbering elder god with a penchant for consuming entire worlds, an endless army of vat-grown hybrid monstrosities, a veritable tidal wave of disembodied eyes with awesome powers, giant acid worms, and a curse with the power to rip the still-living eyes from your skull. Do you have the mettle to stare down a god or will your eyes forever adorn the vault of The One Who Watches From Below? The winner of the Mystery Map Adventure Design Competition! In June 2012, Goodman Games sponsored a special adventure design competition. Our Free RPG Day 2012 adventure module included an incomplete adventure map. Readers could complete the map, send in their associated adventure proposal, and compete for a $1,000 contract to write that adventure. A panel of distinguished judges read the flood of proposals, and finally whittled the field down to a handful of contenders. After lengthy debate, a winner was chosen. This adventure is the winner of the Mystery Map Adventure Design Competition. There were many great submissions to the competition, but Jobe Bittman’s stood out above them all. This adventure has a strong Appendix N theme, unique encounters that your players will remember for a long time, many highly visual scenes that will stand out in your players’ minds, and some terrific twists and turns. It also features one of the most creative player handouts you have ever seen. Prepare for a very fun time. We think you’ll enjoy this adventure as much as we did.
Green Death... That's what old hands call the Great Dismal Swamp. For centuries, this tangled maze of sluggish watercourses, stagnant ponds, and festering marshes has defended Blackmoor's southwestern frontier. Large armies and smaller parties have disappeared altogether inside its vast, dripping, claustrophobic corridors. Among those who have dropped from sigh in this arboral hell is young Rissa Aleford, one of Blackmoor's most important leaders. Carried off to the sinister City of the Fron, she is now being held by the eccentric Monks of the Swamp. By making the baroness captive, the deranged monks have serioulsy weakened Blackmoor at a time when enemies already threaten it from all sides. Yet, even as the Froggies gloat, the king of Blackmoor dispatches a small band of bold adventures to the rescue. Deep into the Great Dismal Swamp they must go - far from sunlight and sanity - there to seek and save the swamp, there to find the Temple of the Frog. TSR 9175
Displace Beast Maze is an adventure that has one long encounter that is a combination of a puzzle (maze) and combat encounter (Displacer beast). The Displacer beast tentacle's ability to attack through the maze walls, knowledge of the layout, and hit-and-run tactics make the labyrinth both a useful and possibly deadly lair for the creature. Pgs. 27-29
Into the Forsaken Temple's Crypt is a short adventure for four 10th-level characters. The adventure takes place in a buried temple crypt, which has been sealed for centuries. Dungeon Masters can adjust it for higher-level characters by widening the dead magic areas and increasing the number and power of constructs and undead that inhabit the complex. The PCs had just entered the Forsaken Temple's crypt in the last episode. Now they can begin to penetrate deeper into the crypt, discovering more of its hidden dangers.
An Arch-Mage who can kidnap a dragon is one tough Arch-Mage. Definitely not for those who are afraid of heights. An evil archmage, Ezoran, has kidnapped a dragon in order to discover the means to seize control of a cloud giant's castle. The adventures are tasked with rescuing the dragon by the dragon's mate. The adventure revolves around tracking and navigating through dense jungle and working through a cloud giant's fortress. Pgs. 50-63