A 26-page low level adventure for OSE and other OSR rpgs. "The swamps? Oh, that's a long time since someone got out of there. Vines and crocodiles they say in the big city. But down here we don't believe everything they say up there. Everyone knows what's up with the swamp! The hydra is hungry! We tried to hunt it down last year... that's how i got this wooden stump! What? you? killing the Hydra? well... i didn't make you out for the brave type, that's all..." -Old Mika, fisherman of Gren Against the Hydra The swamps near Gren are infested with strange creatures preying on travellers, the hydra has begun her yearly hunt and the river woman’s daughter has vanished. Last year the neighbouring towns have all gathered together to mount an expedition inside the swamp, but none returned. With nothing more to do priests, druids and citizen have gathered a 2000 gold pieces to clean out the swamp and save the river woman’s daughter from certain death. The adventure comes with detailed tables to explore the swamps, a complex dungeon riddled with encounters, treasure and lore for you to explore. Handouts are also included in the adventure pdf, for you to give to your players and excite their imagination.
This campaign was created as a response to comments from some friends of mine. Though they were avid board game players, they didn’t want to try D&D because it seemed like too much of a time commitment with too many rules to learn before getting started. This campaign uses stripped down characters and a simple campaign, and was made to give them a chance to try it for half an hour on a regular board games night. I’m putting it online in the hopes that other people can do the same with it and expand the community. Inspired by /u/plaintreality of Reddit.
While the PCs continue the quest for the missing pages of the Codex of Gamber Dauch they find the lands of Count Elam. The ruler has recently been informed of an agricultural problem with a herd of Anhkheg tearing up the lush farmland. Further investigation will uncover darker secrets in the area, and those involving Drow and Derro!
As the PCs opt to leave the “friendly” confines of the Duchy of Starryshade due to some unfortunate misunderstanding, they head north. The Noteflame Coast is filled with desolate reaches, humanoids of all types, and the home base of the Corsair Council. The major community in this county is Kale Bay but getting there won’t be easy. This offering is more of a sandbox style with several optional adventures.
A shadow hangs over the dark and dreary town of Squill. Townsfolk are being murdered in their beds without any explanation and the local graveyard has become a dangerous, haunted place. Consumed by fear, the men and women of Squill have begun casting evil glances at a young orphan boy. The victims, it seems, all had links to the lonely child, and none of them were good. A local priestess, however, wonders if the heart of the darkness consuming the town lies in a necromancer slain nearby only a few months ago...
Sometimes protecting the cargo is easy but getting the pay not so much. The caravan is already on its way, some disagreement with the guards makes them leave the cargo without protection midway. You are just in the right place to catch up fast and guard the wagons the last stretch home.
"A curse has spread through Darkroot Forest! Plants are attacking people, and the very air seems poisonous once you travel deep within the woods. Your group has decided to investigate this area, and rumors have it that the abandoned town of Faeriewell is where this disease started spreading. Or maybe the people of a nearby settlement asked for your help? or perhaps a noble Lord that just inherited the land hired you to clear out his new forest? This part is really up to you." The Curse of Faeriewell is an adventure for a level 5 party that you can easily drop into a campaign or play as a standalone one-shot. It will last between 3 and 5 hours. It is setting agnostic, but best at home in a Fantasy world. This adventure can serve as an interlude from your main campaign, a sidequest or simply as a one shot.
Meaningful decisions, unexpected twists and memorable characters are the foundations of this dark 4-hour adventure for 5th to 10th level characters. A chance encounter on an unassuming road leads to a dangerous and lucrative opportunity. But what seems simple on the surface turns out to be much more below. Thrust into a world where every enemy has an enemy and everyone has their own dark motive, the only chance to survive is to ally with the right foe. Sometimes “doing the right thing” comes only in shades of black. Six Summoned Swords is a stand-alone adventure that begins on the side of the road leading to Phlan and can be easily accessed by any adventurers traveling through the Moonsea region. In addition to a world full of intrigue and complex character choices, purchasing this adventure includes: An Official Adventurers League magic item certificate Printable portrait cards with roleplaying tips for important NPCs Gridded reference maps for combat encounters Condition icons to help track character status Special Certificate Holder ideal for event play NEW: Season 8 Item Unlock Handout - prints 9 to a page, one for every player! * Looking for an adventure to run at your special game day or convention? This adventure includes a “certificate holder” that features specially created art of the adventure’s magic item. When printed in colour and on card stock, it perfectly frames the official AL magic item certificate from this adventure and makes for an unforgettable souvenir. About the Swords Below the Moonsea Saga The saga consists of three adventures, with this adventure serving as a stand-alone prelude. The series continues with Six Striking Swords and Six Swords Unbound, the two of which should be played in tandem.
Though small, Seawell is a prosperous trading town with a good location on the coast. Next to it is a long peninsula that features mostly swamplike terrain. The inhabitants of this peninsula include tribes of lizardfolk, plus several kinds of reptiles and amphibians. Most of these creatures don't bother the town, and Seawell's militia is experienced at repulsing raids by the more aggressive lizardfolk. A large reef extends the entire length of the peninsula on the side away from Seawell. This great wall of coral is a favorite site for fishermen, but it has always presented a serious hazard to ships approaching from that direction. Thus, about 45 years ago, the people of Seawell built a lighthouse on a small promontory near the reef, about 200 yards from the shoreline. Operated by a family that lived inside it, this lighthouse ensured that ships could easily steer clear of the reef. A few weeks ago, ships stopped arriving from that direction. Three ships are now overdue, and the people of Seawell have begun to suspect foul play. Thus far, however, they have not been able to investigate because of increased raiding by the lizardfolk. Something has stirred them up, and the town militia has been too busy repulsing raids to mount an expedition to the reef. Wreck Ashore is a short D&D adventure for four 1st level player characters (PCs). The scenario takes place on and around a swampy peninsula that juts out from a longer stretch of coastline. Along one side of this peninsula stretches a dangerous reef. Just offshore on the reef side stands a lighthouse built to warn ships of the danger. At the base of the peninsula on the side away from the reef is a small port town called Seawell.
After checking local pawn shops and the library you have discovered information on an old Adurite noblewoman who possessed a magical mask. The woman had suffered a facial injury and commissioned a magical face shield to hide her wound. Having never heard of the item you believe it is probably in the ruins near Ugus Horrus where she lived. With no other leads at the moment you gear up and decide to embark on the search for this item!
A handful of would-be adventurers gathers to explore an ancient tomb, eager to trade their discoveries for a ticket to a better life. What they find within presages the advent of the Age of Worms, an era of darkness, decay, and writhing doom. "The Whispering Cairn" is the first installment of the Age of Worms Adventure Path, a complete campaign consisting of 12 adventures, several "Backdrop" articles to help Dungeon masters run the series, and a handful of poster maps of key locations. For additional aid in running this campaign, check out Dragon's monthly "Worm Food" articles, a series that provides additional materials to help players survive this campaign. Pgs. 14-47
SB16 – Zagzon’s Vault has an upper level (16th) group of PCs discovering an old tomb being discovered by a group of Halfling children. The remains of an evil necromancer lies within but he’s not quite “dead” and neither are his followers that were also entombed with him. Traps, tricks, and hurt lie within this adventure and it is not for the faint of heart!
The Drunderry River runs narrow and fast through much of its course, before tumbling into the lowlands beneath the Fallow Hills, in the shadows of the Blacktooth Ridge. From there, the river spreads out across fertile plains, laboring slowly to the south before emptying into the Elmarsh Lake. Until recently this area was unsettled, but a writ of the King's has brought many people to the area. The village of Malforten, nesteld along the banks fo the Drunderry River, near the Fallow Hills, is just such a place. A quiet village with simple people, they learned the hard way the Blacktooth Ridge casts a deep and dark shadow. Seeing rich prizes in cattle and grain, people and other movables, Gritznak the Gnoll has come down from the Blacktooth with loot on his mind. All they've done to drive him off have failed, at their wits end the villagers turn to others, more experienced in combatting evil. They look to a rising knight to save them . . . . Also available for 5E: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/160855/A0-The-Rising-Knight--Adventures-for-5th-Edition-Rules
"Deeptown lies in the shadow of mountains, a town where anything is for sale if you can only meet the price. But in the wild surrounding valleys of the Deeps, it's the bandits who make the darkest deals - and their ambition comes at a cost far greater than the contents of any wayward caravan. You and your team have just been handed a new job: disrupt a meeting between a bandit lord and his mysterious new allies. At a remote mountain villa, you will strike hard and fast and leave terror in your wake. They give you the tools. You provide the talent. Survive, and you'll be well rewarded. Fail, and you'll pay the price. You've got three days to raise some hell." This was one of the first third party adventures under the OGL for 3rd edition published by Atlas Games under the Penumbra line. The attack on the mansion is not a dungeon crawl, but feels like a commando raid aided by some unique magic items.
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.
Blackwater Redux is an Eberron adventure designed for a group of five characters starting on 1st level. It brings the group to the backwater of Khorvaire, aptly named the Shadow Marches. By the end of the adventure, the characters should reach 5th level or higher. To run this adventure, you need the fifth edition Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, Monster Manual, and Eberron: Rising from the Last War (RFTLW). Blackwater Redux is a dark, hopeless adventure with strong horror notes. It is inspired by Apocalypse Now by John Milius and Francis Ford Coppola, The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, and The Call of Cthulhu by H. P. Lovecraft. Consuming these before running the adventure is highly recommended. The adventure’s themes loosely touch on current and past real-world conflicts. If one or more of the players are former or active soldiers, make sure to discuss the campaign’s content beforehand.
Settling down as the sky turns black with rest, you gather by the heated campfire and swap stories to pass the night. You hear tales of wonder and worry, descriptions of distant lands, plants, and beasts. Exchanged this night are stories of thieving travellers, worried giants, and godly squabbles. Ever wanted small stories to make travel more interesting than random encounters? Ever just wanted to run shorter games? Maybe you’re just low on prep time for your next session. In this volume of campfire tales you’ll find eight half-a-session length adventures that help with all these classic DM worries. Also included is an in-depth appendix of fauna, flora, locations, and more to help boost your game.
The fey hold sway over the forests of Cormanthor. Their presence has kept the goblinoids disorganized and warring amongst themselves. Now, a deadly enemy of the woods has laid claim to a Feywild glade. This foe is slaughtering the forest defenders and rallying goblinoid tribes in the name of vengeance. Can you stop them in time? The Ashen Scar premiered at Kublacon 2018. A D&D Adventurers League two-hour adventure for 1st-4th level characters.
An unusually severe drought in a remote area recently worsened dramatically when three lakes dried up almost simultaneously. The locals suspect foul play, and the foulest player they know is a bugbear named Relgore -- the leader of a highly successful group of humanoid bandits. Could he be seeking revenge for the militia attacks that recently dispersed his band?
When old ruins are discovered, rumors swirl about the lost owner's magical blade. This scenario involves an overland crossing and a dungeon delve and none of it will be easy for the players.