The couatl Tlanextic saved the village of Pearlglen from a terrible plague many years ago, and now he has returned. But why is he hiding in an abandoned temple in the woods instead of working in town, the way he once did? And what exactly is the threat to the village this time? Does the mysterious death of the town's chief warden at the bony hands of skeletons have anything to do with it? Download this new adventure by Skip Williams and give your PCs a bit of detective work to do to find out what's really happening in Pearlglen. The scenario is set in a forested area, and the action takes place in the village of Pearlglen and a nearby, half-ruined temple. As always, feel free to adapt the material presented here as you see fit to make it work with your campaign.
The village of Sacrabad is a wretched place. Dark rumors abound concerning its steward, “His Lordship” Nim Sheog, who rules the place through terror and cruelty. Merchants who have passed through Sacrabad tell tale of how chaos thrives while the good folk wallow in misery. Nim’s guard are no more than a well-paid gang of thugs, hired to enforce his relentless and often bizarre laws and what’s worse, they seem to be in league with a nearby band of goblins, The Yellow Fang, who are often left to terrorize the villagers without reprisal. It is rumored that Nim keeps the rightful and lawful lord of Sacrabad locked away in the dungeons of the keep, the ominous Black Tower. An imposing structure that once afforded the village protection, the Black Tower has become a symbol of tyranny. But there is hope on the horizon. Hope in the form of a secret society who conspire to rescue the rightful lord and overthrow Nim and his guard. Can our heroes champion the cause? Tyranny of the Black Tower is a short (single session) adventure module. It is a classic “rescue operation” complete with a strong villain and espionage intrigue. It is an ideal one-shot adventure with room for expansion into an ongoing campaign. Bonus side-trek hooks and a bonus dungeon are included as a means to build up low-level parties. This module is setting-generic and can be dropped just about anywhere in the multiverse. Published by Verisimilitude Society Press
Night of the Scarecrow is a fairy-tale adventure for Tier 1 characters (Levels 1-3), loosely based on the Russian story Vasilisa the Beautiful. The party must seek for assistance from the ferocious hag Lucinda Lilywhite in order to discover how to defeat a monster of nightmares, and must complete three deadly tasks to gain her help. The village of Nalva is no stranger to creatures of horror. All kinds of bogles and shadows find their way there from time to time. But when a new and unfamiliar creature appears and starts snatching locals into an unknown dimension, their normal defenses are insufficient. The only solution they can think of is to brave the forest and beg the assistance of the local hag, Lucinda Lilywhite. A fearsome creature in her own right, Lucinda has a reputation for burning visitors to ash when they are insufficiently polite to her. But by all accounts she keeps to her bargains, and if found in the right mood, perhaps she will provide the advice and help they need.
Giants have emerged from their strongholds to threaten civilization as never before. Hill giants are stealing all the grain and livestock they can, while stone giants have been scouring settlements that have been around forever. Fire giants are press-ganging the small folk into the desert, while frost giant longships have been pillaging along the Sword Coast. Even the elusive cloud giants have been witnessed, their wondrous floating cities appearing above Waterdeep and Baldur’s Gate. Where is the storm giant King Hekaton, who is tasked with keeping order among the giants? The humans, dwarves, elves, and other small folk of the Sword Coast will be crushed underfoot from the onslaught of these giant foes. The only chance at survival is for the small folk to work together to investigate this invasion and harness the power of rune magic, the giants’ weapon against their ancient enemy the dragons. The only way the people of Faerun can restore order is to use the giants’ own power against them.
The party is enlisted to assist the Righteous Host, an army formed as a last resort to defend the world against the monsters of Elemental Evil. The host is greatly outnumbered. Its leaders send the party on a series of missions, each of which will give the Righteous Host an edge in the great battle to come. This epic adventure ends with the final push against the forces of Elemental Evil in the Meadows, and the outcome is informed by how effective the party is in their missions... and whether they are willing to risk putting themselves in the front lines. If the Righteous Host loses, players may decide to travel to Hommlet or other nearby towns to defend them. Whether the host is successful or not, players can decide to follow many different plot threads: exploring the Temple of Elemental Evil, finding the lich Kell the Eldest's lair and destroying his phylactory, or following the will of Bitbaern's Shield and discovering historical sites that were previously lost. Pgs. 44-69
The Lonely Coast’s most remote village, Oakhurst broods under the dark boughs of the Tangled Woods. Rumours of incest, murder and vile rites during the black of night surround its insular citizens. It is a place most wise people avoid as the very air seems inhospitable to strangers. Yet in the rumours is a grain of truth, for something dark does indeed stir in the shadow haunted trees and hunched homes of Oakhurst. An ancient evil, hungry with the thirst for blood, awakens from its eons long sleep. As disappearances mount and the Lonely Coast can no longer turn a blind eye to the blight that is Oakhurst, heroes are called upon to investigate the foul rumours and mysteries that plague the village. As the search for the truth intensifies, they may find themselves the next victims of a rising, bloodthirsty evil. Can they survive Against the Cult of the Bat God? Although designed for The Lonely Coast, a free mini-campaign setting available from Raging Swan Press, Against the Cult of the Bat God is simple to insert into almost any GM's home campaign.
The caravan master Santos Boromite was personally assaulted and his Euriduis, the symbol of caravan power, was stolen. The item signifies full authority over all legs of the caravan and in the wrong hands would wreak havoc. You have been summoned to speak with the Governor Lando Shardo at once to save Timel yet again! Can you find the bandits responsible for the theft and bring them to justice. Timel wants a caravan traffic and unless this matter is taken care of quickly that won't happen. Just when you think you have it figured it out it turns out you were wrong!
Daggerford is fairly quiet for a frontier town. Sure, lizard men raid the local baron's holding now and then, orcs sneak out of the Misty Forest to raid caravans on the Trade Way, and Lady Bronwyn has a few suitors who are a touch too passionate, but there's nothing going on that a member of the renowned Daggerford militia can't handle. Except that the Shining River has turned green, and cattle are dying. Except that the Elf King of Laughing Hollow, a place where no human dares go without fearing for his life, is asking the militia for help. Except that strange substances are oozing from the fissures caused by a recent earthquake. Except that the earthquake also has opened an entrance in the cliffs around the Laughing Hollow that might lead to the fabled dwarf mines of Illefarn. Suddenly, being a militiaman isn't quite as easy as it used to be. TSR 9212
Old Olga and Young Yvonne is a four- to six-hour adventure for 1st-4th level characters, designed for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, with a village theme, hags and witches, an abducted child to save, some horror, and mysteries to solve! Willow Creek, a remote farming village, is in trouble: livestock is going missing and reappears gutted in the woods, crops fail and fields blight - and now the bastard child of young Yvonne has gone missing as well. What no one in the village knows: Yvonne is a budding witch secretly feuding with Old Olga, an evil hag in the woods - who now demands a human sacrifice from Yvonne in return for her child. Who can sort out this mess, bring back the innocent child, prevent a murder, and return peace and quiet to Willow Creek? This adventure can also be used as a mini-campaign sandbox. With the branching and inter-connecting scenes, locations, and NPCs it provides, combined with the guidance on how to run a "village adventure", the material provided here on more than 60 pages can easily cover up to eight hours of playtime. Included with this adventure are: + an original custom creature, the young witch + 12 original fleshed out NPCs, including personality traits and roleplaying tips + a toolset for creating villager NPCs quickly + 7 hand-drawn maps of important locations + 4 alternative story rewards (depending on how the adventure resolves)
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.
Par1 – Opportunity to Shine brings your new group of PCs to Jayneville in the country of Pardor. A civil war is raging with neither side able to gain an upper hand. To make matters worse a third faction, “Green skins” has been running around the countryside taking advantage of the chaos. As your party is about to discover, these individuals need to be dealt with, severely!
A new threat preys on the local trade road. Rumored to have ties to the legendary undead wizards, Vecna and Acererak, Geoff the Dread Tailor has awakened to garner his revenge on the living. A group of stalwart heroes must arise to put an end to the Dread Tailor’s depravations or all will be lost. This adventure includes: a small village of friendly allies, an optional haunted ruin to discover, an entire lair of creatures (with map!) to explore, three new magic items, two new monster descriptions, interactive document links, and more fun than a bag of scorpions (don't ask)!
A plug in adventure that can be used as part of a larger campaign or run as a one shot for 3-4 Tier II characters. A village needs aid, as their small village is under a curse that they have been able to keep hidden from the villagers, but now that clock has run out and the piper demands to be paid. Can they find what is the cause of the curse and finally eliminate it.
From The Magazine: "Every summer, Duke Hightower holds a competition quite different from the traditional jousting and archery tournaments held by similar lords of his station. The rules of his tournament change from year to year, and, to oversee the games, the duke has appointed two wizard brothers who help choose the setting and create the rules and challenges of the competition. This year the competition is called the “Owlbear Run,” an overland race that requires each participating team to escort a live owlbear from the town of Telvorn to the town of Milvorn. The teams will face a variety of challenges; some are devised by the wizards, others by the competing teams or their sponsors, and some occur entirely at random. All of these tests are in addition to the challenges inherent in motivating a temperamental owlbear. Fortune and fame await the first team to cross the finish line, and the local lords sponsoring the race are eager to enlist skilled champions for their causes." Pgs. 2-27
The Cult & the Tribe Lizards and Goblins and Demons, Oh My! DUNGEON MODULE T1: THE CULT & THE TRIBE Goblins weilding magical blue fire are attacking the peaceful lizardfolk in the swamps near Timbertown. They've come to the humans for help, and Baron Ferrand needs heroes to head into the swamp and find out what's happening. As if that wasn't enough, demons are roaming the countryside, summoned by cultists of the Fraternity of Tharos, one of whom is secretly an important person in the town. Can you help the lizardfolk and keep the town safe?
You return to the peculiar village of Basht for one of their unusual festivals: the procession of the Straw Bears. While there, you meet some old friends and are asked to escort the brave villagers into the woods to continue the party into the night. It should be perfectly safe, shouldn’t it? A Two to Four-Hour Adventure for Tier 1 Characters. Optimized for APL 3. The Straw Bears originally debuted at U-Con on November 2020. (https://www.ucon-gaming.org/)
The knightly order known as the Glorious Reclamation continues its crusade against diabolic Cheliax, conquering the town of Kantaria, where the goddess Iomedae once ruled as a mortal. The villainous adventurers, now official agents of House Thrune, must retake the town, depriving the knights of a valuable holy site. Can the evil characters earn greater infamy and prestige by dealing the Glorious Reclamation a serious defeat in their most substantial territorial gain so far, or will the knights' rebellion continue unchecked across Cheliax?
A Welcome Scourge is a murder investigation for a party of 8th level characters. It takes place in an outpost town called Newfort, but you can easily adapt the adventure to your own setting. "There have been several high-profile vampire murders in Newfort, but the locals seem to be fine with them - probably because all of the victims have been infamous and despicable. It is up to your heroes to glean clues from around town, track down the vile creature, reveal a foul conspiracy, and beat out competitors hunting for the same bounty."
The ancient world of Harth withers beneath its dying sun…but it’s not dead yet. Welcome to the strange and dangerous city of Carcassay, huddled below the skeleton of a titan rat, sprawling above the ruins of countless dead civilizations. This is where folk come to find wealth, power, revenge, secrets, oblivion… and everything in between. Carcassay is a sandbox city adventure. There are many locations to explore in, around, and under the city. Players can explore any place at any time, and may radically reshape the city’s politics, economy, religions, and physical existence. There are standard dungeons stacked under the city, and GMs are encouraged to keep adding more dungeons… all the way down. Tone. It leans more toward low fantasy or sword-and-sorcery. Most shops look like real shops. Most people look like real people. But strange and horrible things lurk everywhere as soon as you start to scratch the surface. This is my Lankhmar. Carcassay is a vast, bizarre city. It has over 100 locations where you can meet Chaos cultists, Lawful knights, retired adventurers, shopkeepers, brewers, musicians, artists, scientists, hermits, royalty, beggars, doctors, space vampires, eldritch horrors, machine priests, crab colonists, mushroom farmers, mummies, assassins, and diplomats from distant lands… and the moon. And every one of them has goods or services to sell, and a quest (or three) to offer. What sort of quests? Fetch a relic, assassinate a rival, find a relative, steal a soul, implant an agent, cure a disease, stop a riot, solve a murder that hasn’t happened yet, hunt a thief, locate a shrine… the list goes on. And for every Quest, there is a specific Reward: money, weapons, relics, Chaos mutations, exclusive memberships, information, Angelic miracles… the list goes on. This is a place where you can make a lot of money, but also where you can spend that money on interesting goods and services. Factions? We have a few. Seven Chaos cults, five knightly orders, two mercenary companies, four wealthy families, six (seven!) Corpse Lords, foreign diplomats, rival innkeepers, rival tavern owners, plus all the dungeon-delving gangs currently mucking about underground. When you grow weary of all the adventures at ground level, there are three classic dungeons buried under the city to explore. This book contains months (if not years) of campaigning. Enjoy the Chaos.
This tongue in cheek adventure brings new PCs into a small town after an adventure. Upon arrival they quickly discover that the small agricultural community has just been robbed of its harvest supply. With the seasonal change coming those supplies are necessary for the town’s survival. One of the victims of the attack was an alchemist. Contained within his bag were a few Potions of Growth. The bitter taste of the potion disagreed with the bandit who discovered it and he flung it into a field. Unfortunately for the PCs oversized fowl must be overcome before dealing with the bandits. Used as a fun one-shot for my group this scenario can be quite deadly if played poorly. Will your players save the day and feast on a Giant Turkey? Gobble this adventure up for free!