The trade coster Commus is up to something big, and its rivals want to know what it is. The PCs must investigate the situation before things get too hot to handle. Where There's Smoke is a single session adventure for four to five 1st level characters. It is an urban adventure, taking place in a large town or small city. The adventure also includes 5th edition write-ups of two creatures from the 3rd edition Monster Manual II - the Ash Rat and the Grimalkin.
East of the great city of Filbar is the Village of Xer. This large village is the gateway to the Eastern lands and the humanoid tribes. Xer was originally the army base for the Bloodrayne Conflict of 715. After the battle the wounded returned to the serene woods and some remained after that. Since then it has been a comfortable caravan stop for many weary travelers.
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/)
Phandalin is a great location from which PCs can adventure. The information in this supplement can be used in conjunction with Lost Mine of Phandelver, After Lost Mine, other adventures set in and around Phandalin, or used to add more flavor to any town. Nine of the NPCs featured in this supplement can be found in Lost Mine of Phandalin and ten others were introduced in After Lost Mine, but each has added information. The rest of the material here is new. 2 New Backgrounds; 2 New Feats; 3 New Adventure Hooks
The journey continues on the high seas as the ship crosses the equatorial reach and heads into waters rarely visited by the children of the North. While plying the trades far off the coast of the mysterious T'ung Empire, the characters encounter a derelict ship caught in a thick seaweed sargasso. The ruins of the craft point to Molo and his deadly plot, and the chase continues to a new port of call, that of Distant Turtle City. Can the city be freed of Molo's dark influence? Do the brave adventurers have what it takes to challenge shade ninjas, ogre magi, bushido goblins, and even a rumored eye tyrant? Only time and dice will tell! This adventure is formatted to both 1E & 5E gaming rules. Also available in PDF.
About: This encounter was cooked up in the Write your First Encounter workshop by the Storytelling Collective. It CAN be slid in as a side quest in any urban or sub-urban context, or be adapted to add confusion to any rescue mission you are presently running. Synopsis: Through the doorway a young woman shackled to the wall matching the description of Helena can be seen. Though disheveled and looking to be in great discomfort, her beauty is remarkable. But on closer inspection, there are other people here — three identical Helenas! Noble woman Elize Cleron has hired the party to infiltrate the catacombs under the Schaefer Estate and free her twin sister Helena. Helena is being held captive by the Schaefer family, trade rivals rumored to have ties to the underworld. Elize has been unable to free her sister herself because of her identical appearance. Rather than pay an unrealistic ransom, Elize has provided the party with what they need to break her out. This encounter is intended for 3rd level characters.
A group of beginning adventurers sets out to help the small town of Torlynn. This village has mysteriously fallen under a dreadful curse, a curse that has locked the area in a terrifying state of perpetual winter. The Burgomaster of Torlynn has discovered that the creature responsible is hiding in the ruins nearby, but he has been unable to do anything about it. Everyone he has sent to investigate has thus far failed to return. TSR #9342
"I can’t stand to lose again..." The small farming village of Devil’s Run is about to have its yearly pumpkin festival. Unbeknownst to many, Old Pete Barker, a pumpkin farmer of many years, was having difficulty growing his pumpkins. Pete doesn’t have an ample water source, unlike Molly Simms, his primary rival for the festival's coveted largest pumpkin award, whose farm lays near a stream. Fixated on winning the grand prize, Old Pete made a deal with a dark force, the Feeder of Desires, but the deed cost him and the village dearly. “Plant me in the ground and I will make you strong." Peter Barker's body transformed into a vine-like creature with a jack-o-lantern head, and he now ‘waters’ his thriving pumpkin fields with the blood of kidnapped villagers, binding them below the earth while the pumpkin vines burrow into their flesh and feed. These vines have started to enter the town, creating pumpkin-vine creatures which snatch villagers and drag them to his underground lair. Will the adventurers save the village of Devil's Run and put a stop to Pete's pumpkin-patched plots? Let the Pumpkin Festival Commence! ►2– to 4–hour adventure for three to five characters ►Scalable for 3rd—7th level (optimized for 5th) ►5 beautifully mapped areas for your adventurers to explore ►7 new monster stat blocks, including the Pumpkin Terror, Vine Hound, and pumpkin-headed Pete Barker himself! ►Ripe for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Fall adventuring! PDF Purchaser Bonuses ►HDR map files for each area (both gridded and gridless) ►Virtual Tabletop Tokens for the monsters Also for Roll20 and Foundry VTT
The Mists of Ravenloft draw close, surrounding unfortunate travelers in their clammy embrace. When they part, they reveal the land of Mordent, a domain of rolling moors and woods, beautiful by day and terrifying by night. A new danger lurks in the haunted moors: hounds whose mournful howls and murderous jaws trap the townsfolk in their homes at night. At the heart of it all lies a curse laid a century ago, and a tale of bitter tragedy. Even now, you can hear the howls in the night... Howls in the Night is a dark fantasy murder mystery - but one in which the victim has been dead for 100 years! Alternate adventure backgrounds allow the Dungeon Master to choose one of four possible conclusions. TSR 9466
When the priestess of Ehlonna was murdered by a werewolf, the townsfolk of Deepwood lost no time in meting out justice, even though the shapechanger turned out to be a trusted friend and neighbor. But his journal has the town worried. Written in an unknown tongue, it seems to contain important pieces of information. Is it a list of other werewolves? Is the threat to Deepwood over, or has it only just begun? Cries of "Murder!" brought the villagers of Deepwood running to the temple to witness a grisly sight. The priestess of the Temple of Ehlonna lay murdered on the floor, savaged by some vicious beast. Above her body stood a large wolf. Then, before their horrified eyes, the wolf turned into a man -- their friend and neighbor Trammil! The villagers lost no time in giving Trammil the justice he deserved at the end of a rope, even over the objections of those few who thought he deserved a trial. But Trammil's death has not made the villagers feel safe. No one suspected his dark secret until the day of the crime. Could there be others? Can anyone in town be trusted? Only someone who can translate Trammil's journal and fully investigate the murder can solve the mystery.
Folk tales warn of strange noises from the Cormanthor Forest when winter fogs are thickest and the black of night has no shadows to cast. When such noises are heard on a late summer’s afternoon, perhaps it’s time to turn once again to the old stories? Part 1 of the Evenflow Saga
After hiring a group of brave adventurers to help him "acquire" a beholder specimen, the mage Velinax disappears! Rumors blame an insidious thieves' guild called the Unblinking Eye for this turn of events. Why would the Unblinking Eye wish to "take care" of the mage? Why does the guild want to speak to anyone involved with Velinax? Finally, what dark goal does the guild truly intend to accomplish? Finding out the answers to these questions will lead doughty adventurers straight through the shadows of a crafty thieves' guild and onto the threshold of an even deeper and more dangerous darkness. "Eye of Doom" is the second of three adventures featuring the nightmarish beholder. It can be played as an individual mission or as part of the series that began with "Eye of Pain" and concludes in "Eye to Eye." TSR 9530
When local farmer Jonas Cappa goes missing while hunting mushrooms and then reappears, hours later, naked and without any of his belongings, his wife goes to the party to investigate. Jonas claims to have fallen into a hole in the ground, but none can be found. What really happened to him and can it be stopped before things get worse? (Spoiler: they are probably going to get worse). A one-shot adventure for characters of levels 1-4 designed to be dropped into any campaign, inspired by the X-Files (but firmly D&D).
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.
"The Spectre of Sanguine Isle" is an adventure included in the product "Calpurnia's Guide to Practical Traps". It's an adventure that features traps from the document. The isolated town of Cupidinum has been shaken by a senseless murder. The culprit has fled to Sanguine Isle, and it's up to the heroes to find him and bring him to justice. But the fugitive doesn't want to be caught, and he knows a thing or two about guerilla warfare. Can the heroes catch their elusive prey? And was his crime quite as straight-forward as it was made out to be?
PL1 – Encounters at Gormell is the initial adventure for the campaign in the Principality of Lockerbie. This series of adventures are set in the land known for the large city of Kettlespit and the capital of Xado Keep. The land resides to the south of the mountain range called the Spines, home to a devastating series of magic wars years ago. This land was the site of many battles and skirmishes and the western reaches are still very dangerous. This offering provides information on the village of Gormell and a variety of different scenarios to get your first level players up to second level and beyond!
The Assassin's Knot is a sequel to The Secret of Bone Hill, picking up on themes from that module and shifts them to a new locale. The player characters must solve the mystery of who killed the Baron of Restenford, with evidence pointing to somebody from the town of Garrotten. The scenario describes the town and its castle. The Assassin's Knot module is different from most of its contemporaries in that it contained no dungeon or dungeon-like area. The longer the players take to find the murderer, the more unfortunate events occur in the village. The village, Garrotten, is reputed to be the place to go to have someone killed. The entire village shuts down when the Baron of Restenford is found dead, mutilated beyond the possibility of magical restoration. Three small clues are all the player characters have to unravel the mystery. TSR 9057
For many years folks have gazed into the churning black vapors of the Shadow Rift and wondered at the horrors that might lie within. Some have speculated that it might be a realm of the doomed, where tortured spirits suffer the hours of eternity. Others have speculated that it might be an empty domain, waiting for the arrival of a master who is evil enough to claim it and shape it in his own image. Ever the mysterious Vistani do not know what secrets are hidden in the depths of this gaping chasm. Now, the time has come for the veil of Shadows to be parted. Loht, king of the shadow elves, has reclaimed the mighty Sword of Arak. With this relic, he intends to set in motion a plan that has taken thousands of years to form. He will throw open that vary gate of darkness and invite one of mankind's greatest enemies to walk the land of the living. And if he is not stopped, the rivers of Ravenloft will run red with the blood of the innocent. The adventure can be played independently or in conjunction with the Ravenloft Adventure Servants of Darkness. TSR 1163
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
Tonight, a ceremony of light is taking place on the surface. Meanwhile, a world away in the city of spiders, a drow matron solidifies a pact with soul-consuming entities who require great sacrifices in trade for unimaginable power. Drow eyes turn to the surface. This book contains a mega-adventure and setting, taking characters across the surface and into the depths of the world. Adventurers will meet unique denizens, battle horrors of the Underworld, explore epic locations, and fight to stop the rise of the drow.