The Ghost Tribe of Orcs have been driven from their home under Wyvern Tor by some terrible evil and have traveled to the top of the hill overlooking Phandalin where they camped last night. Their chief, driven mad by unknown horrors, prepares to attack the city and claim it as his new home. The heroes, who raced to the town ahead of the orc tribe, spend the night helping to prepare defenses and rest when they can. Can the heroes help defend the town or will the orcs wipe out the inhabitants of Phandalin? Once the town is safe, how will the PCs handle a moral dilemma? Orcs Invade Phandalin is the second of four parts in the After Lost Mine series. It will play out the invasion of Phandalin using the new mass combat rules from Unearthed Arcana. Part III will be the trip to the orc’s former cave settlement and then into the darkness beneath. Part IV will have the party deal with the terror from the Underdark that drove the orcs out.
When a Pathfinder Society Priest of Nethys disappears in northern Geb while studying the Mana Wastes, the Society sends you to uncover her whereabouts and find her journals. Arriving in the town of Bitter End, you find it deserted but for a few mysterious creatures never before seen on Golarion. Those creatures quickly lead to more and soon you're embroiled in a mystery that could effect the very fabric of reality. Will you solve the mystery of Bitter End or find yourself lost forever in the Mana Wastes?
Your fame has garnered you more attention than you can handle but a specific job opportunity is one that you cannot pass up on. Two nations have had a peaceful and lucrative trading agreement for years along with the city of Conifestatia. That has recently changed with the appearance of a Green Dragon taking up residence in the area. With your fame on the line, looks like you guys are going Dragon huntin'!
Damnation! The Companion that once stood as a beacon of hope and goodness above the city of Elturel has been extinguished and the entire city—along with its denizens—have been drawn into Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells! While those fortunate enough to have been outside of the city’s walls during its departure have been spared that fate, but they’re not yet out of danger! The refugees formed a caravan bound for the nearby city of Baldur’s Gate. Can you keep them safe from devils, bandits, and one another until they reach safety? Four One-Hour Mini-Adventures for 1st to 2nd Characters. Optimized for APL 1.
The Licktoad goblins of Brinestump Marsh have stumbled upon a great treasure—fireworks! Yet unfortunately for them, the tribe member responsible for the discovery has already been exiled for the abhorrent crime of writing (which every goblin knows steals words from your head). To remedy this situation, the Licktoads’ leader, His Mighty Girthness Chief Rendwattle Gutwad, has declared that the greatest heroes of the tribe must venture forth to retrieve the rest of the fireworks from a derelict ship stranded in the marsh. The PCs play as a group of freaking goblins! What more do you need to know? Part 1 of the We Be Goblins series.
Your players have ventured so far north that they are within reach of the last vestiges of humanity. You are weary from your travels and decide that a respite in Gregat, City of the Shrine. The area is also home to several other spots of interest that you may go to since you are in the region. This ‘sandbox’ style offers several adventures for your players but beware, they are just as deadly as any dungeon delve!
"It shines in the night. Ogres run in terror of it. It kills by sight and by touch. It never stops hunting - and it's hunting for you." Vengeance denied in life is reborn in death. Druida Glanadyl, a female elf adventurer, seeks aid from the PCs in avenging the mysterious deaths of her family members. The horror that haunts Elfswood can be attributed to a spirit (odic) of a vengeful cleric, Irkthorn Balin. Pgs. 16-28 & 64
A Giant Ransom is a short adventure for four 11th-level characters. There are opportunities for diplomacy, stealth, and combat, based on the choices the PCs make, so any mix of classes is appropriate. The adventure can be set in any campaign world, in a frontier region near glacier-covered mountains. The newly appointed Duke Castaril Ambrinigan has recently relocated to a modest, newly constructed keep near the frontier town of Ormanlak. He and his family arrived safely, but a caravan containing family heirlooms was waylaid by a band of frost giant raiders. Most of the items were of no consequence to the Duke, with the exception of one: a three-foot tall golden statue of a lion. The Duke, wanting to avoid a war, sent an emissary to the frost giants. He offered gems totaling 10,000 gold pieces in value as ransom for the lion. The giants accepted, and a time and place was set for the exchange. But there is more. A white dragon named Whildenstrank lives in the midst of a nearby glacier, and has maintained a network of winter wolf spies, including some in the frost giants' camp. Through these spies, Whildenstrank learned of the capture of the golden lion, and the upcoming trade. Thinking that the lion would make a fine addition to his frozen treasure hoard, Whildenstrank has prepared to strike.
"The southlands of Eor are being despoiled. Merchants will no longer run their caravans on the main highway past the quiet village of Waycombe. The peasants are fleeing their lands, and all are demanding protection from the powerful Count of Eor. The goodly count has sent a troop of his trusted fighters to exterminate the brigands believed responsible for these outrages, but weeks have passed, and still there is no word from this force. Now John Brunis, Count of Eor, has turned to you for aid. After taking counsel with the High Priest of Eor, he believes that a small party of cunning, bold adventurers may succeed where armed might has failed. You find yourselves faced with many mysteries! Why has robbery suddenly erupted in the peaceful southlands? How could mere brigands be as powerful as the foes described to you by their numerous victims? Is this really mere robbery? Or is there some truth to the rumors, told only in hushed whispers, about the beginnings of a hideous plot being hatched by an ancient, vile, and evil foe of all mankind?" Eor is beset by marauders and lizardmen of a boldness not seen in years. Hired by the Count of Eor, the party is tasked with tracing the source of these foes and eliminating them for the safety of the realm. After a set piece combat in Count Brunis's castle, the party must trek across Eor's wilderness, eventually coming to the Great Southern Swamp beyond the village of Waycombe. With further exploration they can locate the Ancient Temple which serves as the tomb and stronghold of Sakathas, the vampiric LIZARD KING! TSR 9055
Your stalwart band treks through the trackless jungle seeking the Dragon's Maw Waterfall. At the base of the falls, behind a massive curtain of water, is rumored to be the cavern lair of a great wyrm. The local Xulmec tribesmen say the great dragon has not been seen in nearly 100 years, so perhaps its hoard lies unguarded and ready for plunder. But what role do the heroes play in a blind shaman's prophecy foretold a century ago?
A long, perilous ocean journey behind them, the crew of the Sea Wyvern finds itself shipwrecked on the Isle of Dread. Their destination lies well over 150 miles to the south, miles heavy with the threat of the island's terrible inhabitants. Yet the unknown enemies are far more sinister, for more than just dinosaurs hunt the vast jungles. Before long, a cunning fiend picks up their trail, and its duplicitous master demands their sacrifice. "Here There Be Monsters" is the fourth chapter of the Savage Tide Adventure Path, a complete campaign consisting of 12 adventures appearing in Dungeon. For additional aid in running this campaign, check out Dragon's monthly "Savage Tidings" articles, a series that helps players and DMs prepare for and expand upon the campaign. Issue #352 of Dragon explores the Isle of Dread in detail, providing a complete ecology of the island and the writing of Larissa Vanderboren. This article can be used as a player handout to represent the journals the group recovered from the Vanderboren family vault in the first adventure in the Campaign. Shipwrecked on the Isle of Dread! Faced with a dangerous journey, the PCs must escort a ragged band of castaways through monster-infested wildlands in order to reach the safety promised by the colony of Farshore on the isle’s southern tip. Pgs. 32-60
Adventurers explore a frozen, buried dungeon of long-dead giants that turns out to be the birthplace of Runemagic itself, and may still hold the secrets of that forgotten art. However, even if they do survive the extreme cold and unfriendly denizens, they will still have to face the massive Runeforged Guardian before they can escape. This adventure includes lots of interesting multi-part traps and alternate encounters that can be added or swapped out in several places.
A pair of leprous mountain dwarves plead for the rescue of their compatriots from a deadly ettin-wight
As you move throughout the countryside a rider appears in the distance and begins to close quickly. Hand going to your weapons you ready yourself for danger but notice the rider is very young. Timmy Little introduces himself and warns you of a bout of Goblin-Pox at his village. Many people are sick and need help. Timmy says he and other young people have been sent out to find heroes to save the town and asks if you can help. While the boy cannot provide a great deal of information on the malady he advises you that the people of Troburtandban who aren’t sick can help with information. Once you agree he rides off to find additional help.
As you begin your adventuring career you find that your stomach rules your initial steps. After finding the small community of Morgesh where word of a haunted/cursed/dangerous manor house is gained. As you find a few new associates, you opt to clear out this blight on the area. Hopefully the drunkards won’t cause you too much of a headache…
Weeds trail the water. The sandbar just off the shore shifts. A reptile rumble, a splash. Now a gaping maw. A roar. Claws splintering wood. The boat capsizes. You are in the river, now. He is the Bachelor: a pale crocodile, as long as five men lying end to end. He swallows hunters, families, trading skiffs. Prospectors fear to go out. Witches mutter. They say he causes landslips. They say he is a god, a curse -- an old, old sin, staining the river. They say he has been killed, before. He is pulling you under. Lorn Song of the Bachelor is a 48-page riverine adventure and dungeon crawl module, inspired by the crocodile stories of Southeast Asia -- particularly Sarawak. It features: Tragedy, a bloody curse, and a love gone very sour Open-ended factional interplay between local villagers, a foreign merchant Company, and a giant supernatural crocodile -- and its motivating spirits Multiple random tables, including: magical fabrics woven by god-possessed craftspersons; trinkets of a now-fallen Monkey Empire; medicinal herbs and animals 19 new creatures, including: mind-controlling catfish; golems made of teeth; a pregnant tiger spirit Wilderness travel up an enchanted river An extraplanar dungeon complex that can change the surrounding environment A morally complex treatment of colonialism, within the framework of an adventure module A giant crocodile who really wants to eat you
The Plains of Dorack are generally controlled by the evil mage Faltor the Demented who resides in his magically created fortress. The Onyx Spire rises in the middle of the Great Plains and the land around it has been cleared for miles so that its owner can keep an eye on his domain. He employs a large number of humanoids as well as humans, and rules out of fear and intimidation. While the powerful mage does not need it personally he finds that having so many minions allows him time for personal research. Those who have met the secretive mage know immediately they are in the presence of great evil.
There is a witch in the wilds, a goddess unremembered, and a madman. There is a circle of stone - who knows what lies beneath? The villagers are distraught: their children! replaced by fae! The villagers are distraught: who heeded their plea? Ravenous inquisitors, that's who. Oh, and adventurers... This investigative folkcrawl adventure module contains: * an isolated village full of secrets, riddled with strange traditions, * adventure sites and dungeons populated by peculiar denizens, * a small Fae Realm to explore, weird and perilous, * a terrible fae threat and too many curses, * unlikely friends, and foes nobody expects! An OSR adventure module for character levels 3-4, designed for use with the Old-School Essentials ruleset, compatible with most old-school pen-and-paper RPGs. Includes a fully-linked interactive PDF, a fillable Referee's Toolkit, and player-friendly VTT maps.
"More than five hundred years ago, clans of dwarves and gnomes made an agreement known as the Phandelver’s Pact, by which they would share a rich mine in a wondrous cavern known as Wave Echo Cave. In addition to its mineral wealth, the mine contained great magical power. Human spellcasters allied themselves with the dwarves and gnomes to channel and bind that energy into a great forge (called the Forge of Spells), where magic items could be crafted. Times were good, and the nearby human town of Phandalin (pronounced fan-duh-lin) prospered as well. But then disaster struck when orcs swept through the North and laid waste to all in their path. A powerful force of orcs reinforced by evil mercenary wizards attacked wave echo cave to seize its riches and magic treasures. Human wizards fought alongside their dwarf and gnome allies to defend the Forge of Spells, and the ensuing spell battle destroyed much of the cavern. Few survived the cave-ins and tremors, and the location of Wave Echo Cave was lost. For centuries, rumours of buried riches have attracted treasure seekers and opportunists to the area around Phandalin, but no one has ever succeeded in locating the lost mine. In recent years, people have resettled the area. Phandalin is now a rough-and-tumble frontier town. More important, the Rockseeker brothers - a trio of dwarves - have discovered the entrance to Wave Echo Cave, and they intend to reopen the mines. Unfortunately for the Rockseekers, they are not the only ones interested in Wave Echo Cave. A mysterious villain known as the Black Spider controls a network of bandit gangs and goblin tribes in the area, and his agents have followed the Rockseekers to their prize. Now the Black Spider wants Wave Echo Cave for himself, and he is taking steps to make sure no one else knows where it is." Extra Info from AL.com users: by @marcellarius. "There are a variety of locations in this adventure: the town of Phandalin, a gang hideout, a ruined keep in the forest, a destroyed village, and Wave Echo Cave (a dungeon crawl). The adventure is written in a sandbox style and relies on the players to choose their path. Phandalin offers several side-quests which could serve as hooks for continuing adventures. The premade characters have ties in their backgrounds to NPCs and locations. If you're not using these you'll need to consider other ways to introduce key NPCs."
The Cult of the Dragon, along with its dragon allies and the Red Wizards of Thay, seek to bring Tiamat from her prison in the Nine Hells to Faerûn. To this end, they are sweeping from town to town, laying waste to all those who oppose them and gathering a hoard of riches for their dread queen. Continued in The Rise of Tiamat.