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.
Prince Zeech, the ruler of the town of Alhaster and lord of the domain of Redhand, is throwing a party. Bandits, slavers, pirates, and worse have been invited, along with a mysterious woman who holds the key to the coming apocalypse. "The Prince of Redhand" is the eighth 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. Issue #340 of Dragon presents guidelines for what the PCs can do to dress to impress, and perhaps eke out a few precious bonuses on their Diplomacy checks. Pgs. 48-79
Explore political intrigue, gene splicing, and a thrilling battle for survival in the Timescape's World Below in DOOM of the DRAGON GRAFTER, a 9th to 10th-level adventure for Draw Steel! You and everyone you know has a story of the dragon who ruined your life. You've lost so much and wondered why it had to be this way. Recently you learned that all these dragons that wreaked havoc on Orden were intentionally created to do so, all as an experiment run by a voiceless talker known as Lord Pulposa. You don't know why he did this, or how you're going to break into his lab. What you do know that you're going down into the World Below after him to make sure his schemes will never hurt anyone again. You are the Doom of the Dragon Grafter. Features: - Over 25 pages of an adventure written by the author of The Workshop Watches and The Fall of Blackbottom (that's me!) - 23 Victories worth of encounters - Lord Pulposa, a level 9 Solo Monster designed by Scott Bullock, guaranteed to terrorize your friends and enemies - Battle Maps & Positioning Maps for most combat encounters - Some Draconian fiction thrown in there for good measure - Shared under a CC-BY Sharealike so you can do whatever you want with it - A Goblin named Spanky
The people of Orașnou are desperate. The village is on the brink of starvation and has little chance of surviving the harsh winter. Even if they had enough food and supplies, Lord Strahd’s taxes are due, and the ruler of Barovia does not accept excuses as payment. The Burgomaster and others in the village have recently learned of a wealthy estate that might have enough resources to solve both of Orașnou’s problems. It is a temptation he cannot afford to resistor can he? Part Nine of Misty Fortunes and Absent Hearts
Dead of Winter is a 1st-level adventure It is designed as a side quest for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition As the adventurers are traveling a lengthy road between destinations, a bitter winter storm blows in. Lucky for them, there is a small roadside hamlet just ahead, where the party can take refuge from the harsh elements. The mood in the local tavern is grave, as this is a sad night for the villagers. It is the first anniversary of the murder of a town hero; A murder that was never resolved. Strange events begin as soon as the adventurers arrive and will lead them to clues which just may solve a year old murder and lay an anguished soul to rest.
Tired and sore, you struggle over the burning sands toward the long-forgotten city. Will you reach the place in time to save yourselves from the evil efreeti? The sun beats down, making your wounds stiff and worsening the constant thirst that plagues anyone who travels these waterless wastes. But there is hope - are those the ruins over there? In the midst of broken columns and bits of rubble stands a huge statue. This is the place! You've found it at last. Gratefully, you sink onto the sand. But there is no time to lose. You must hurry. So with a quavering voice you say the magic words. And then you wait... A hush falls over the ruins, making the back of your neck prickle. Then, out of the east, a wind rises, gentle at first but quickly growing stronger and wilder, until it tears at your clothes and nearly lifts you off your feet. The once clear sky is choked with white and grey clouds that clash and boil. As the clouds blacken day turns to night. Lightning flashes followed by a menacing growl of thunder. You are beginning to wonder if you should seek shelter, when all of a sudden there is a blinding crash and a bolt of lightning reduces the statue to dust. For a moment, silence. The, out of the statue's remains, soars a blue flame. Its roar deafens you as higher and higher it climbs, until it seems about to reach the clouds. Just when you think it can grow no larger, its shape begins to change. The edges billow and soften, their roar lessens, and before your eyes materializes a gigantic blue man. This adventure can be played alone or as the second part of the Desert of Desolation series. For characters level 6-8. TSR 9053
When huge stones fall out of the night sky, A deadly curse settles over Gravencross. Help the village exorcise the Demon Stones. “The sun had set an hour ago, and the rain lashed down and the wind howled on the dark moor. A storm this late in the season was unusual, but this one seemed different. The clouds were more menacing, tinged with anger, the rain colder and more biting than usual. Skerrill had to find the lost calf and get him back to the farm before his father came back from the city on business. He’d been looking for two hours now, and he was right in the middle of the moor when the storm hit. He knew he should have turned back as soon as darkness fell, but then he was never the brightest boy in the valley. If only he had remembered to lock the farm gate. The calf was now likely dead anyway having stumbled among the boulders and rocks, panicking in the dark, and then fallen in a floodwater stream and drowned. Either way, he was in more trouble than he could imagine. Suddenly, a bright flash of white light and a roaring peal of thunder were preceded by an explosion as a huge object fell from the sky and impacted the ground of the moor no more than a stone’s throw from him. Dirt, mud, water, and debris erupted from the impact site, flying high into the air and then covering the moor for hundreds of feet all around. Skerrill was knocked to the ground instantly and covered in the fallout from the blast. His ears rang and his head spun, but he staggered to his feet in a daze. He stumbled to where the blast had happened only moments before, and in a depression in the ground lay a huge stone glowing orange as if hot. Skerrill passed out. Two more thunderous explosions crashed in the distance.”
The hobgoblins were not the only forces that remained after Kalarel was slain. Before the Keep’s portal was fully sealed, evil spirits from the Shadowfell escaped into the Nentir Vale. They were drawn to Kalarel’s own dark soul, which remained in the mortal world thanks to a spirit-orb the priest had created to prevent him from moving on after death. The presence of these malignant spirits caught the attention of a frost witch called the Rime Mistress and her followers—unaligned territorial beasts—who rose up to defend their domain. The Rime Mistress knows that the spirits present a greater threat than the hobgoblins do, so she and Prang, the Iron Gauntlet leader, have agreed to an uneasy truce. Thus, the hobgoblins and the creatures of the Cairngorm Peaks are united in their struggle against Kalarel’s spirit army.
When Harrowstone Prison burned to the ground, prisoners, guards, and a host of vicious madmen met a terrifying end. In the years since, the nearby town of Ravengro has shunned the fire-scarred ruins, telling tales of unquiet spirits that wander abandoned cellblocks. But when a mysterious evil disturbs Harrowstone’s tenuous spiritual balance, a ghostly prison riot commences that threatens to consume the nearby village in madness and flames. Can the adventurers discover the secrets of Harrowstone and quell a rebellion of the dead? Or will they be the spirit-prison’s next inmates?
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.
This book goes over the various rules around the faction of the Order of the Gauntlet in Phandalin and the Forgotten Realms, making it easy for any new or veteran DMs to integrate it more into the core stories being told, and making the faction feel more useful for the players that choose to join. In the adventure, the characters are tasked with exploring the depths of the Old Owl Well.
The king requests your presence in the honorable kingdom of Norwold. If you're worthy, you may be appointed lord of a dominion filled with friendly villages, sturdy fortresses, and raging band of monsters. Raging bands of monsters? Well, yes, and you may have to lead your forces into a war or two. But you'll be ready for the challenge. You'll be ready for treacherous spies who conspire to steal you land. You'll be ready for a foul band of giants that raids your dominions. And you'll be ready for the inevitable clash of empires, the outcome of which may alter the fate of millions. You'll be ready! Won't you? Test of the Warlords includes a complete campaign setting, several new NPCs, and dungeon and wilderness encounters, and guidelines for running a war between empires. TSR 9117
While investigating rumors of a dangerous blue dragon wreaking havoc in the deep desert, the heroes tumble under the sands into the magically sealed dome of an ancient palace. The temporarily weakened dome reseals above them, and they are left to explore the golden palace of Zahadran, once seat of power for the legendary Caliph Ardishir the Magnificent. But the dome is weak because it has been assaulted by the mythical storm demon Azi Dahaka and his trapped minions, evil creatures that were sealed under the magical dome to keep them from ravaging an unsuspecting world.
The Iron Gods Adventure Path begins with "Fires of Creation," an exciting new adventure set in Numeria, land of barbarians and super-science! In the town of Torch, the settlement's unignorable tower of violet flame has gone out. The only clue to its disappearance is a newly discovered cave dug nearby. Are the heroes bold enough to unearth the otherworldly secrets that sleep beneath the city and reignite the fires of Torch? Or will their first foray into Numeria's ancient mysteries be their last?
An offer of exploration and adventure leads to a chilling underground dungeon. A mystical object is being asked to be retrieved by the local Wizard. This is the second adventure in a miniseries with the following adventures being: A Chance Encounter An Urgent Rescue A Dark Veil Falls
An interesting and atypical adventure in its writing style. For one the module contains insightful "When things go Wrong" sections and DM guidance for sticking close enough to the rails for the story and fun's sake. Lots of DM hints about how to handle PCs' choices. Overall the story is fine too - a traditional hook, a mystery, some twists. There's a tower, a surprise pocket-dimension context, and a dungeon. It's mirror of life trapping, isn't it? Well, yes and no. People go in, and they don't come out. Nor can you talk with anyone inside. Somehow, that's not quite the way you remember those mirrors work. This Skarda fellow showed up a few years ago with a band of raiders, and no one in the land has been safe since then. Whole villages have disappeared into this Skarda's mirror. Your band is approached by relatives of one of the victims?and adventurer like yourselves. You have to get into that mirror of whatever-it-is, find this man, and get him out in one piece. The reward is more that adequate. Only problem is, no one out here can tell you what to expect once you get in? or even how to get there. TSR 9188
While sitting around your favorite tavern, a loud explosion shatters the serene mood of Moscow. You sprint to the source and discover the distillery has exploded. The glum populace grumble loudly. With winter setting in and nothing to do the citizens rely on the libations from this business to cheer them up. You are approached to scour the canyon area before the winter sets in to find a few extra kegs for the people.
Seer has learned of an attempt to intimidate Gralm, an ettin, and his followers into joining Bad Fruul’s army. Hsing comes forth to communicate that she wants you to see if you can find some way to either insure Gralm remains neutral, or to encourage the creature to challenge Bad Fruul to single combat in the hopes that he might wrest control of the hill giant’s forces and turn them back from Parnast.
The legendary city of Freeport is a seedy port town where former pirates settle down to become "businessmen" while street gangs fight over the slave trade. In the deepest warrens of this already dangerous place, mad cultists worship unspeakable gods - and sometimes these sinister deeds bubble to the surface. There's a dark shadow over Freeport today, as yet another innocent child has gone missing. The trail leads to the old Cresh Manor, boarded up but not forgotten. The city needs heroes to find these missing children. But are the heroes brave enough to conquer the dark shadows of Freeport?
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.