Hellmaw Island is a place of legend, a hidden fortress protecting the greatest treasures in the world. Rumour says it is guarded by wicked traps, bizarre and terrifying monsters, and maddening enchantments. Our heroes have been tasked with penetrating this mysterious stronghold, and they will find it to be stranger and more dangerous than anything they have encountered before. Assault on Hellmaw Island is a 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons adventure for characters of levels 5-10. It will take 4-8 hours to complete.
Part 3 of the Shackled City Adventure Path "Wherein a tribe of the Sea Mother's children suffer for sparing the life of a mad prisoner they probably should have eaten." Synopsis: The adventure begins with an Umber Hulk attack in the middle of the city. The fame gained by assisting during the attack allows them to gain the notice of a representative of Davked Splintershield. The group is asked to rescue Zenith Splintershield from a Kuo-Toan temple in the Underdark. But to find it, they have to visit Crazy Jared to locate an entrance to it. Upon journeying to Crazy Jared's, they fight Hookface's offspring. After more travelling, they are able to descend into the Underdark. Once they find the Kuo-Toan temple, they must fight through many hard challenges, only to realize that Zenith is not a prisoner, but instead is a prophet. Zenith does not go willingly, and so must be captured. Pgs. 28-61
What elder evils lurk in the depths of the freezing mountain ruins? Find out in The Stoneheart Ruin! The adventure features: An adventure set in a desolate, wintry mountain landscape. 16 pages full of intrigue and mystery, containing full color maps, plus 2 unique monster stat blocks. Provides a great introduction to Mind Flayer lore and mythos for Tier 1 players. Can easily be set in the Spine of the World for use in Rime of the Frostmaiden. Let your characters test their mettle as they climb and face the ancient dangers lurking in the cracks of The Stoneheart Ruin! “I have no explanation for any of these finds. We heard disturbing noises coming from further within the mountain; thunderous and growling.” Excerpt from a pamphlet, signed: “Koralia Meadring, Anthropologist Extraordinaire” Koralia needs you to investigate her most recent discovery: a ruined cavern deep in the mountains. Her small team of academics did a cursory walk-through and think they've found a big breakthrough! However, they left in a hurry after being frightened by the horrors they heard coming from deeper in the mountain. They escaped and found one of their team was missing - a goliath named Marek. You must climb the mountains and locate the ruin, make certain that it is safe for study by Koralia’s team, and if possible, find and rescue Marek, whose fate is uncertain. Made during the November 2020 RPG Writer's Workshop.
The most deadly dungeon ever devised! High-level characters brave the unexplored corridors of Deepearth to confront perhaps the most feared adversary in the AD&D game. The second chapter of the Bloodstone Pass saga follows the conclusion of the desperate war against the bandit army. A cold and bitter winter drives the villagers to the edge of starvation, and numerous horrors strike the town of Bloodstone Pass. Join the adventure as the heroes explore the depths of the ancient bloostone mines, now inhabited by fearsome demons. There they hope to uncover the fantastic treasures rumored to exist in the unknown darkness. But deep within the mines, all is not what it seems.... This module uses the new rules from the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide and Wilderness Survival Guide. The adventure also includes optional BATTLESYSTEM scenarios fought entirely underground. These supplementary products are not required to play the adventure, however. TSR 9168
A 20-page adventure for OSE Save the wizard! A sunken cathedral on a quiet mountain lake hides a long forgotten temple to Mathanoga, God of Knowledge and wizardry. Abandoned by Man for centuries , but protected by the legend of man-eating fishmen lurking in it. Or until a few weeks ago the young wizad Elric embarked on its expedition. With help from the accademy of Greykeep he found the temple and began to explore it, hoping to uncover its ancient magical secrets. Now the wizard is missing and the accademy has put a bounty on its head: its weight in silver to whoever will find him and bring him home alive and well. Find magical secrets! Deep inside the temple are stashed many magical items, all sacred to the fishmen dwelling there, all worth dying for. Save Elric and the treasures will be yours! The Sunken Temple is an expert level Old School Essentials adventure for a party of 1-4 players. Perfect for a one shot or a random encounter in an hex crawl.
Written by the setting’s creator, incomparable RPG author Monte Cook, Ptolus: Queen of Lies is an action-packed fantasy adventure painstakingly re-designed for Ptolus: Monte Cook’s City by the Spire. Involving numerous challenging scenarios for characters of 11th level, Queen of Lies is filled with dozens of dark elf personalities, cunningly showcasing their alien culture—a world of merciless betrayal and sinister lusts. Deep below the surface, in the sunless lands of the Netherdeep, creatures of darkness build weapons and amass armies, dreaming of invasion. An attack on a peaceful elven shrine in Emerald Hill sends the heroes on a quest to retrieve stolen artifacts and kidnapped friends. All signs point to the actions of the dark elves of Ul-Drakkan, far below the city of Ptolus. However, even within that ancient fortress, there exists a deeper darkness.... Underground enemies lurk beyond every twisting passage, and strange creatures abound. The foul culture of the dark elves is both decadent and cruel, and the heroes may discover that they’ve stumbled into a web of deceit and treachery spun by the self-styled queen of the dark elves. Can the player characters complete their mission without being discovered, or will they find out, perhaps too late, that their actions been orchestrated all along by the wicked Queen of Lies? Published by Fiery Dragon Productions
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
In this adventure, the Lord Commander of the Sharn Watch hires the heroes to investigate the murder of an actress. The investigation quickly spirals into a bloody dispute involving a dead wizard’s spell-book, political rivalries, and secrets that might foment war among the Five Nations. Pgs. 1-37
This 4 hour adventure for 3rd level characters begins in a prison cell where the adventurers must figure out a way to escape, acquire weapons and armor to defend themselves more effectively, and most importantly, escape a repurposed dwarven forge that has been appropriated by a fire giant who uses slave labor and even a captured red dragon wyrmling to smelt ore and forge an arsenal under the volcano Mt. Hotenow.
As a member of a bold party of adventurers, you and your associates have trekked far into what seems to be a whole underworld of subterranean tunnels -- arteries connecting endless caves and caverns which honeycomb the foundations of the lands beneath the sun. Your expedition has dogged the heels of the Dark Elves who caused great woe and then fled underground. This module can be played alone, as the conclusion to module D1 & D2: "Descent into the Depths of the Earth," or as the third module in a series that forms a special extended adventure (G1-G3: "Against the Giants"; D1-D2: "Descent into the Depths"; and Q1: "Queen of the Demonweb Pits"). TSR 9021
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
Tieflings are raiding a dwarven expedition under a shield of magical darkness, but if the PCs can supply the dwarves with giant scarab beetles capable of generating potent bursts of magical light, they might just survive. Unfortunately, they'll need to escort the herd of giant beetles through the Underdark first. A D&D adventure for 3rd-level characters.
Of all the inhospitable domains in the RAVENLOFT@ campaign world, Bluetspur is the cruelest and most gruesome. Nothing grows in the endless night, and lightning periodically falls like rain. The only place to escape those storms is inside the mind flayers' complex under Mt. Makab, but that is the last place where any sane person would want to go. The High Master Illithid has been hatching black plots by hatching vampiric mind flayers in his laboratories! His prodigies are horribly insane, but if he can complete his plans, he will achieve a new level of dark immortality. A pair of heroes has stolen the key to his success, but they have paid a heavy price for their bravery and are in desperate need of aid unlooked for. Meanwhile, the Lord of the Realm watches over the proceedings and plays havoc with the wits of both sides, sapping strength and will with all-powerful thoughts of darkness. A party of adventurers will need all of their skills to escape this black domain without the loss of life, power, or sanity! Enter now the perpetual twilight realm of Bluetspur, home to mind flayers, a land of relentless nightmares. There's no rest for the wicked or the good in this domain. Once caught within the borders of this desolate land, the characters must complete their mission without delay or lose their minds and become slaves of the Lord of Bluetspur. TSR 9264, from 1992
The Baronies of Erlkazar, once a prosperous region of pastoral tranquility, is now a land of nightmares and dread. Bandit armies plague the region, terrorizing the populace and surrounding countries of Calimshan, Tethyr, Amn, and Turmish. Though these threats are terrifying enough, it is nothing compared to what awaits the people of Erlkazar at night. In caves, tombs, and subterranean communities beneath the seemingly pastoral villages of Erlkazar live the secretive Night Barony. Ruled by the vampire Saestra and her legions of darkness, these monstrous denizens of the Five Baronies are the real power in the region. The country’s only hope of liberation is you.
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.
The gnome village of Clefton is built on the sides of a deep gorge, their homes built safely into the gorge walls. But for the past two nights Clefton has suffered the attacks of sightless creatures that crawl down the walls and steal away the gnomes’ loved ones. It’s up to the PCs to follow the creatures’ trail back to The Draigesgyrn Caves and put an end to their threat. As the PCs explore the unusual cave complex, they may discover the caves are the empty husk of a colossal dragon, buried many years ago beneath a landslide. In the depths of these caves they encounter the dread spirit of the dragon rider and an entrance to the Underdark. Will they seal the entrance or will they begin a new adventure deep underground? The Draigesgyrn Caves is a D&D 5th Edition adventure suitable for four to five PCs of 5th level and estimated to take 4-6 hours. The adventure could be set in any mountainous area. In the Forgotten Realms, it might be set in the Fairheight Range on the Moonshae Isles. The end of the adventure introduces an option to begin an Underdark adventure or campaign. Includes: A map of the dragon husk caves by EB Moreno Two new monsters for 5th edition – the ghoulish ooze and a grimlock shaman Four new magic items
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
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.
Tales of Lady Sepha Lekore are known throughout the lands. Now she’s gone missing and her father Lord Lekore is offering a reward to anyone that can find her. With promises of a tidy sum, the adventuring party can investigate the last place she was seen to try and locate her. What they find will take them into the Underdark lair of a drow noblewoman with her eloped love, the young Lady Lekore.
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).