Ruins of the Grendleroot is a book of ten easy-to-prep and easy-to-run adventures for the fifth edition of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game. Designed for characters of 1st to 5th level, these adventures take place in the caverns, chambers, tunnels, and ruins of Blackclaw Mountain, within which lurks a strange otherworldly sentience known as the Grendleroot. Ruins of the Grendleroot focuses on the sense of mystery and wonder that comes from exploring ancient ruins and lost chambers. The central hub of these adventures, Deepdelver's Enclave, is a frontier outpost overlooking the ruined city of Shadowreach, set deep within the mountain. In Deepdelver's Enclave, adventurers and explorers recount tales of their explorations, trade treasure and artifacts, and enjoy their shared love of uncovering the mysteries of the mountain.
How’d you get here? Let me explain... No, there is too much. Let me sum up. Rescued a retired hero's hapless nephew from goblins at some ruins on a hill Found out that there aren’t any goblins, but spider creatures called chitine instead Uncovered a chitine plot to start a war between the surface world and the drow Got convinced to try to stop that war Got trapped in the caves under the ruins Chased the chitine’s leader, a choldrith, further down into the cave system Nearly got crushed in a cave-in Fought your way through an undead infested mine Nearly got eaten by a colony of chitinous reptiles Picked up the choldrith’s trail and followed it deeper into the earth And now you stand at the entrance to a massive cavern filled with all manner of aggresive creatures. Yep, that about sums it up! And now, here you are, in this giant cavern thousands of feet beneath the surface. All you have to do is pick up that choldrith’s trail again, and manage to navigate the many factions vying for control of this little section of the Underdark. Good luck! And have fun storming the Hollows! This Gazetteer contains: Descriptions of the factions that live in The Shadowed Hollows, a massive cave complex far below the surface The underground city of Naakrasad and the important NPCs that live there Three quests leading to brief adventures within the Hollows for characters of level 4 to 6 7 custom maps of the Shadowed Hollows, Naakrasad, and the quest destinations All necessary monster stat blocks Everything needed to set the scene for the upcoming second chapter of the Into the Underdark Adventure Series
A dwarven expedition has stopped in Mulmaster for much-needed supplies. Furgis Boltsmelter, their founder and leader, is looking for some “no questions asked” protection for the duration of his stay in the city. Whatever he is trying to protect may not stay hidden for long. Can you keep his secret treasure out of the wrong hands? A four-hour adventure for 1st-4th level characters.
The Fate of Faerûn Lies in Shadowy Darkness! Daggerdale is reeling from a sudden series of murderous drow raids. As a grave threat to the entire surface world develops in the war-torn dark elf city of Maerimydra, intrepid heroes must discover its source and destroy it, if they can.
A Beholder Love Story A dwarven mineshaft has become the new home of the heartbroken beholder Sindryl. Discover who could be wicked enough to separate Sindryl from his love Prix'am, put a stop to their plot, and restore Prix'am's missing heart. A 3-6 hour Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition adventure for Tier 2 characters. This adventure includes: 2 New Monsters (including 1 New Beholder!), 3 New Magic Items, New NPCs, a Minecart Skill Challenge, Romantic Random Encounters for the Underdark!
The Shattered Circle is an AD&D® adventure for four to six player characters of 1st to 3rd level. For many ages, the standing stones known as the Circle of Cahervaniel have stood on a grassy hilltop, unremarkable and unmenacing, but something has changed. A powerful artifact deep within the earth has been uncovered, and its evil power has corrupted the recent inhabitants of a dungeon complex. The chitine live within, a cross between humans and spiders created by the drow, but trying to live a quiet existence. The evil Foundingstone has corrupted some of the chitine, and split their society in two, bringing them to conflict. Adventurers who navigate the chitine factions and dangerous dungeon will need to end the threat of the Foundingstone and the solve the mystery of the strange dark unicorn Mizar that has appeared recently around the stones. Interestingly, one of the unique magic items in this adventure, Icerazor - is said to have grown from a shard of Frostrazor, a sword that appears in a famous later adventure - Return to White Plume Mountain. There is a brief mention of Suloise, so it can be considered a Greyhawk adventure, but clearly states it can be placed anywhere.
Sarkt is an illithid sorcerer. It was cast out of its community for its heretical studies (Sarkt was in fact, lucky to escape alive). It didn't take the cunning creature long to pick up a few thralls and find a new place to live, safe from the murderous intentions of its companions. Sarkt dwells in the subterranean ruins of an ancient shrine to Blibdoolpoolp, the crustacean-headed deity of the kuo-toas. This shrine lies on the fringe of a region controlled by kuo-toas, but since Sarkt's arrival, the fishmen avoid the area. A few unfortunate kuo-toas now serve Sarkt as thralls and maintain the illusion that the shrine serves Blibdoolpoolp. Pgs. 82-88
Under the Flooded Forest grows a toxic maze of magical fungi called the Nidus. From this horrid realm a cult has struck a terrible blow against the wood elves struggling to regrow the trees in the forsaken swamp of the Flooded Forest. The elves, on the brink of extinction, need the adventurers to navigate this deadly labyrinth and recover a precious object. But the tunnels here crawl with spore-laden beasts and demons, and the very air itself is poisonous.
When her father goes missing, a young adventurer has no other choice than to gather her friends and head for the city of Loudwater. Soon after she gets swept away in an obscure design threatening to drag the entire region into chaos and war. At the heart of this mystery, lies not only her father, but the long-forgotten history of her once-despised family and a primordial beast influencing events from the shadows, moving her family like pieces on a chess board. Visit www.perfumersdaughter.com for more information. You can also address me directly on The Perfumer's Daughter Q&A on Facebook. All battlemaps and dungeons are free to download for use in digital platforms (such as roll20) on the aforementioned site.
In the Anauroch desert, darkness is growing. The followers of the Vile Spore Goddess Zuggtmoy have stolen the dreams of the Bedine Seeress Deja, trapping them in an eldritch artifact. Unless her dreams are returned, the Seeress will descend into madness, and her people along with her.
The Case of the Kidnapped Cartographer A dear friend of the party has gone missing; Boddyknock the gnome cartographer, supplier of maps and charting equipment. Can the party solve the mystery of his disappearance? Do they have the bravery to delve deep to recover their lost ally? What horrors will they uncover in the cavernous expanse beneath their feet?
A fast-paced one-shot from the bestselling author of The Secrets of Skyhorn Lighthouse! A shadowy force gathers inside the abandoned halls of Lastwatch Keep. Can the players defeat the drow invaders before they escape to the underworld with sinister intelligence about the surface? Shadows of Lastwatch Keep is a one-shot adventure for four or five 4th-level characters. It takes about 3-4 hours to complete and includes: -A drow strike team desperate to escape the keep’s surprise foe -A new monster, the drow commando -Combat cards for each monster, PC, and special treasure -A beautiful, hand-drawn map by Jake from Beware the Wizard
Centuries ago, a powerful wizard locked himself in his inner sanctum to dedicate his life to the pursuit of knowledge. His discoveries and magic remain sealed inside to this very day. Solve his riddle and unravel the fate of the wizard Maalzinabar and the sinister evil lurking in the depths. A 2-3 hour adventure for 5th-12th level characters
Deep beneath the Isle of Dread, in a place forgotten by the world of light, an ancient, unfathomable evil festers. Within the desiccated ruin known as Golsimorga, the debased kopru servants of Demogorgon work foul rites, steeping immature shadow pearls in pits of liquid insanity. None from the world above have yet fathomed what terrors lurk beneath the Isle of Dread, nor what mad scheme roils to profane life deep within the city's gangrenous corpse. "The Lightless Depths" is the sixth chapter of the Savage Tides Adventure Path, a complete campaign consisting of 12 adventures appearing in Dungeon magazine. For additional aid in running this campaign, check out Dragon magazine's monthly "Savage Tidings" articles, a series that helps players and DMs prepare for and expand upon the campaign. Issue #353 of Dragon features ways to improve the PCs' vessel, the Sea Wyvern, as they take their adventures back to the seas. When the PCs journey deep under the Isle of Dread to find the source of the shadow pearls, they discover horrors beyond imagining in a haunted underground city perched on sanity's razored edge. Pgs. 28-66
The Haunted Hamlet and other hexes details four unique modular locations for your game. Made for old school essentials, but can easily be used with other old-school systems or even 5E. The four locations detailed in the zine focus on gameable content and being easy to use at the table. The locations are not connected to one another and can be sprinkled onto your campaign map however you like, or run as one shots. The PDF is graphic and art heavy and utilizes random tables and other tools to make it easier for GMs to run in a pinch. Details: 40 pages Single column text 8.5 x 5.5 aspect Black & White Bookmarks Four hex locations Random tables A rival NPC party A sky merchant A one page town Two hirelings
The mine has been known as Tessount’s Folly for years, due to it producing nothing of value. Now Valmour, the youngest son of the mine’s late owner, has inherited the mine...and found something he should have left buried. Pgs. 56-81
The Adventurers arrive at a drow outpost in the Underdark. They must either dispose of the drow or ally with them against the invading legions of Orcus!
Eons ago, the demon lord Shomarrah defamed Lolth the Spider Queen, condemning herself into the cursed life of a massive purple worm. Now Shomarrah's desecrated body serves as a drow fortress, guarded by a mad sorcerer and his team of driders. What deeper evils lie within? "The Fasting Worm at the Spider Feast" is a Dungeons and Dragons 5th Editionmodule for a party of 3-5 players at level 8. This one-shot module is perfect for introducing your party to the Underdark and drow society, featuring a dungeon dive through a demon lord's snake-like carcass. Clerics in the party, upon completing the adventure, will be able to obtain access to the Feast domain. Details are provided at the end of the module
Part megadungeon, part underground expedition, Operation Unfathomable serves as both a one-shot adventure and a campaign framework. PCs are (optionally) drafted at swordpoint to recover the Nul Rod, a priceless artifact that was recently lost in a local prince's foolhardy attempt to destroy the Chaos Gods of the Underworld. The PCs have been drafted as an expendable set of pawns to venture into the vast and bewildering Underworld and retrieve the Nul Rod. With the Underworld's innumerable beasties being on high alert after the prince's expedition, the PCs must sneak through the incredibly dangerous Underworld. Fighting is not as important as stealth, fast-talking, and running away rapidly. This is the expansion from Sholtis's original Operation Unfathomable, released in Knockspell #5 (2011).
From the magazine: "The monster you're sent out after is so dangerous that even mind flayers fear it. And the illithids want your help!" Earthquakes hit the area around Needlespire mountain, affecting both dwarven and deep gnome villages, and the local mining industry. Deep gnome expeditions discover an illithid outpost! This adventure includes roleplaying encounters with both deep gnomes and illithid in their quest for the true cause of the earthquakes. The creature causing the earthquakes is a draknor which has sent its huge tentacles into the earth seeking magma to fuel its growth. Pgs. 38-60