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
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
nside this full-color, 132-page anthology you’ll find five best-selling Adventurer’s League quests for level 1-10 characters. Inside are over 20 illustrations, including a half-dozen full-page pieces by the esteemed Andrea Alemanno. Also included are instructions on how to weave these adventures into an ongoing story arc as part of your campaign. Tier 1 (Level 1-4): The Cornflower Hive (SFBAY-04-01): What links an infamous Zhentarim mercenary with a brilliant but tormented artificer? To find out, the adventurers must break the goblinoid siege of the village of Westfir. After the bizarre goblins are defeated, the Cornflower Hive must be destroyed. Ultimately, what secrets are held in the grain mill by the Westfork river? The White Well (PDXAGE-01-01): The Gommurg Clan of hill dwarves rarely deal with outsiders. The dwarf clan’s isolation has gifted them with great skill and wealth. Unfortunately, their pride has made them vulnerable to an ancient power confined centuries ago. An exile has magically foretold the clan’s destruction. This diviner is the only one who knows how to stop the evil threatening the Gommurg. Tier 2 (Level 5-10): The Barrows of Solina (STORM-01): Zhentarim traders. Shadowy figures roaming the fields near Hillsfar. How do these all relate? Everything traces back to the recently unearthed grave-barrows. Rescuing a caravan from undead attackers, the adventurers learn of an ancient danger. The Dark Hunt (PDXAGE-02-01): The village near Oreclasp Keep has been reporting brutal owlbear attacks that have left people missing or dismembered. Lord Oreclasp has placed a bounty for every owlbear beak brought to Oreclasp Keep. The villagers don’t suspect the deeper problems brewing in the land. Under Earth & Stone (SFBAY-04-02): A Mulmaster refugee named Ani Kuleimatt discovered references to a forgotten mine near the Moonsea, a mine rumored to produce an unexpected export. The adventurers are hired to locate the complex and secure its resources for the Mulmaster Diaspora.
A powerful new narcotic is making its way through the Spine of the World. Behind it is a secret that could change everything! Explore a lost city and discover the secrets hidden by the gods themselves. (TW: some drug use and the possibility for players to use drugs)
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.
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
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.
Agents of the fire giants of Maerimydra, a city in the Underdark, have overtaken the drow outpost of Szith Morcane. The factions seek out adventurers to free the outpost’s leaders for questioning on the giants’ activities. Can you extricate them before it’s too late?
Short adventures and persistent random encounters to shake up the streets of your city! Tiny Weird Adventures: Urban Edition is a collection of short Tier 1 adventures to be used in conjunction with the Fifth Edition of the most popular fantasy RPG of recent times, easily adaptable to your medieval fantasy game of choice. You will get 6 urban-themed adventures to enhance your game with stories of exploration and intrigue around a big city. Each adventure describes short-lived events that can range from a short random encounter to a one-shot adventure. Each adventure has its own Weird Rumors and Unfolded Paths that will help you expand your campaign in new directions. Content 6 Tiny Weird Adventures! The Creepy Handshake: In the midst of a major crime wave, adventurers are hired to find a lost "pet". His identity, however, is somewhat peculiar... The Trickster Sword: In the big city, not all that glitters is gold: play this adventure to meet a magical weapon from another world. Vengeful Trash: What happens when a faith man loses patience? The gods aid him, of course! Help maintain order in the city or face the weirdest kind of creature ever seen! Sick City: Living behind the great walls of a big city may seem safe, but what if the real danger comes from within? There is no time for quarantine: cure the curse that falls on the population or go insane forever! A Love Supreme: After an unresolved event, two souls separate. Is every form of love valid? Play to find out! The Mug Mystery: In a newly opened tavern, a picture of a bald dwarf holding a mug is getting everyone’s hair up. Appendix with tables to generate NPCs instantly! A multitude of names of various types: human (male, female and neutral), elven, dwarf, dragonborn, orc, and surname for Halflings. Additional rules to give your NPCs more color, granting them Desires and Personalities. Quick custom NPCs creation according to its stat block: generate specific Personalities and dDesires for your guards, thieves, and town clerics. 5 new monsters and antagonists! Use the bizarre and smelly Garbage Golem and scare your players with the fury of rot. Add an extra dose of horror to your game with Unraxda, the demon of subterfuge and violence, able to possess and control his victims Meet little Crawly, the best undead rogue in town. Populate your encounters with the Fragile Zombie and give your players the opportunity to make their way across the battlefield by slicing through these weakling monsters! Lopo the Necromancer is the low Tier version of an end-of-campaign boss: perfect for starring in a battle full of evil minions.
The kuo-toa are a piscine race with a psychic affliction that makes them behave erratically and invent gods when feeling threatened. That same affliction gives them the power to bring those gods to life. Blibdoolpoolp is the most widely worshipped, and thus most powerful, of their gods. Blibdoolpoolp views the kuo-toa as her children despite having been born after them. Like all good mothers, she nurtures and protects. One of her chief concerns is understanding the kuo-toa’s psychic affliction, which causes them to undermine themselves whenever they strive for greatness. She discovers that a corrupted elder brain deep in the Underdark has a connection to the race; though the connection gives them psychic powers, it also turns them into powerless thralls, explaining their self destructive behaviors. Constrained by the same leash on her children, Blibdoolpoolp seeks adventurers to destroy the elder brain. Its death would free the kuo-toa, but potentially at great cost: if the kuo-toa lose their powers, will Blibdoolpoolp die?
Save the village of Millvein! Prevent a war with the drow! In this 3-4 hour adventure for 4-5 characters of 2nd level, travel to a small chitine lair to prevent them from destroying the small village of Millvein and inciting a war between the surface and the drow. Includes: A 3-4 hour adventure for 2nd level characters Map of the village of Millvein 2 DM maps Stat blocks for all monsters the players might encounter. See where the adventure began in Into the Underdark - Part 1 A Family Affair The adventure continues in Into the Underdark - Part 3 They Call It A Mine
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.
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 land of Felora is a stable pedocracy off the Feso Seaway. Generally considered a safe place to live because of a low humanoid population and a large defensive wall that rings the country. The same cannot be said for the area to the west known as the Wildlands. Once a thriving human land the area was taken over in humanoid raids a century and a half ago. With the aggressions against the wall lessening the Council of Wisdom is organizing groups to go in and explore the land for possible "taming". Potential explorers will be paired off with non-combatant survey teams. Are you new adventurers ready for a job? Played at Epic Nerd Camp '17!
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.
This adventure is written with the intent that it takes place in the subterranean world called the Underdark in the world of Forgotten Realms, although it may be placed in other settings. Within the Underdark, Cyrog's lair can be placed anywhere though it is stated to be thousands of miles east of Gravenhollow. If you are running Out of the Abyss, you may want to have your players see the vision Cyrog Lives! Hail Orcus! (OOTA, 158). Additionally, it is recommended that this adventure be used for a party of 4 to 6 players, level 9 to 12. While merely hinted at through visions in Out of the Abyss, Orcus is roaming the Underdark unchallenged with an army of mind flayers at his disposal. Cyrog, the elder brain of a mind flayer colony in the Underdark has died. The demon lord Orcus has reanimated and taken control of it. The hive of mind flayers is now bent to Orcus's will through Cyrog as he strives to make all life in the multiverse into a vast undead horde under his control. The adventurers are contacted by a patron who gives them a special item (such as brain worms) to suppress their brain waves and make it possible to infiltrate the Cyrog's Lair without immediate detection. The adventurers must defeat or otherwise subdue mind flayers and a few guards, override the elder brain's mechanical defense system, and slay Cyrog.
In Prisoners of the Drow, a band of adventurers storm a drow outpost, confront the drow mage in charge of it, and rescue prisoners held within. The heroes must bypass traps and devious defenses to reach their goal and accomplish their mission. The adventure is designed for a party of five adventurers between levels nine and twelve. It features: Encounters by Level - Varying types and quantities of creatures are suggested based on the party's actual level, allowing each encounter to present the appropriate challenge to the party. Encounter Notes - Suggestions for how to run combats are provided for game masters who place an emphasis on engaging, tactical battles. Inciting Action - Suggestions for ways to present the adventure to players are provided. Ease of Use - The format and style of the document allows the game master to find information quickly while running the game at the table. Detailed Maps - What's an adventure without maps? Not much else to say here. This adventure is designed as the first in a two-part series. The second adventure Into the City of Spiders takes the adventurers into a drow compound far from the surface. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/247674/Into-the-City-of-Spiders
An unexpected envoy arrives in Sporedome and offers to give aid against the fire giants of Maerimydra, if you are willing to help his people with a small problem. A two-hour adventure for 5th through 10th level characters. Optimized for five 8th level characters.
Expand your game with this collection of 56 NPCs of various Challenge Ratings, thirteen of which include maps and details of their lairs. Add these NPCs as a side-quest, a main villain, a one-shot, a bounty for easy money, or however else you wish. Written by some of the best-selling authors on the Dungeon Masters Guild and outstanding podcasters, each NPC includes an image, a backstory, motives, flaws, and a stat block. Some even include new magic items!
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.