An omnious encounter with a fortuneteller sends a party of adventurers on a 200-mile journey across the Lands of Intrigue. While traveling throught the towns and terrain (detailed here for the first time) that lie in their path, they hear rumors and obtain clues about their mission. Their ultimate destination is Castle Spulzeer, a once proud stronghold that has become a den of terror. When the heroes enter the haunted keep, they meet a terrifying trio of residents: a madman armed with stolen magical power, a liche whose secret laboratory houses untold horrors and treasure, and a furious ghost bent on revenge. These three ensnare the party in their fight over an ancient weapon. Each will stop at nothing to keep it from the other two. The heroes must choose with whom they will ally - and the wrong choice could lead to their doom. Castle Spulzeer is an adventure complete in itself. However, as a crossover story, it offers every Dungeon Master a choice between two endings. The first leaves the party in the Realms. The second transports the characters to the Demiplane of Dread, where the plot continues in the Ravenloft adventure The Forgotten Terror. For 4 to 6 Characters of Levels 8-12 This conversion guide allows DMs to run the original module with 5th Edition rules. To use this conversion guide you will need a copy of Castle Spulzeer, originally available in hard-copy and now for sale in digital format on the DMs Guild. Visit Classicmodulestoday.com for instructions on creating your own classic module conversions and selling them on the DMs Guild. Castle Spulzeer was originally scheduled for publication by TSR in June 1997. Then, near-bankruptcy caused a total failure of TSR's schedule, resulting in no books being published from February through the very end of July. Some books would be delayed for over a year, and others would disappear altogether, but Castle Spulzeer was relatively lucky: it was just delayed four months, until October 1997. The reason may well have been its theming, and its crossover with the Ravenloft line, which made Castle Spulzeer a great Halloween release. Castle Spulzeer has an even more far-reaching connection: its ending can lead players to the demiplane of Ravenloft and The Forgotten Terror adventure. This was probably intended as a bit of advertising for Domains of Dread (1997), the third edition of Ravenloft which was released in August 1997. In other words: in their last days, TSR was working very hard to cross-market their products, but they didn't live long enough to see the success of the Spulzeer-Intrigue-Dread connection.
A vibrant circus has just arrived, setting up on the edge of town. Run by the charismatic half-elf ringmaster, Marlow, the performers bring with them dazzling displays of magic and talent, artifacts with incredible powers to behold, and strange creatures most people would never get the chance to see close up. Behind all of the joy and revelry, the circus holds a dark secret, for Marlow keeps tyrannical control over his performers with both whip and word. As this latest performance reaches its height, two acrobats decide to take their chance at freedom, making use of a distraction to steal something valuable from Marlow and make their escape. Marlow will do anything to get the two back under his power, and so turns his significant charms upon a hapless band of adventurers attending his circus.
The Blood of Ancient Battles Rises An eternal demonic war draws dangerously close to an end, threatening the balance of all existence. At the crux of this chaotic feud resides a legendary terror fixated upon immortality at any cost. Only the most powerful heroes can hope to defeat a force that lies beyond the influence of the gods. "Bastion of Broken Souls" is a stand-alone adventure for the Dungeons & Dragons game. Designed to challenge 18th-level D&D heroes, it pits them against some of the most powerful beings in the multiverse. This adventure is the last element in a collection of adventures designed to take characters from beginner to advanced levels of play (although no previous adventure need be played to play this one). "Bastion of Broken Souls" features an additional 16 pages of content for the same price as most of the previous adventures in the series. WOTC 88167
In the deep desert lies the dead city of Yumar, the source of countless bizarre rumors. Was it destroyed by a demonic metal sphere? Did it sink into a pit of acid? Were its people transformed into cursed beasts? Is it ruled by vicious thieves or mad nuns? In fact, the only thing stranger than what happened to Yumar a century ago is what will happen a few days from now... ADVENTURE TYPE: Medium Sandbox City / Ruin DESIGN NOTES: This adventure is intended for characters levels 5 to 8. It includes a ruined city, shrine, wizard tower, menagerie, several factions, and the surrounding wilderness. Each area contains various encounters and unique items. There are many opportunities for combat, but it is possible for players to explore most areas and complete many interactions without any combat at all, depending on their choices. INCLUDES: Story hooks, dialogue prompts, random encounters, factions, illustrations, stat blocks, original creatures and treasures, and overview maps. KEYWORDS: city, ruin, celestial, angel, dwarf, dwarves, miner, thief, thieves, cleric, nun, shrine, adamant, adamantine, lycanthropy, mind control, nightmare, mutation, mutant, wizard tower, menagerie, body horror
A secret ruin has been discovered beneath the king's palace and the adventurers must seek out a missing wizard who went exploring. The royal palace was built on the remains of a keep that was abandoned many years ago. Recent renovations have uncovered a secret passage that leads deep beneath the castle, and the court wizard Dorja went down to investigate... he hasn't been seen since. What no one knows is that the ruins beneath the castle are actually a temple to a dark god. Inside, undead husks roam that once worshipped there before they were sealed in long ago. The high priest of the temple, wishing to elongate his life, made a pact with a dark god and became a vampire. Now he waits on his throne for the day when he'll be freed from his self-imposed prison.
A slaver gang known as the Bloodreavers are terrorizing the countryside from their base deep in the labyrinth under Thunderspire Mountain. But these slavers are only the symptom of a larger threat in the bowels of Thunderspire.
Did you know there’s a skeleton inside each of us? The players will find themselves in a community of scared anthropomorphic rabbits and exploring the lair of undead wizards looking for flesh to wear. There are opportunities for combat, roll play, puzzle-solving and exploration. This was written as a submission for the Summer Adventure Design Contest over at Bryce's Adventure Design Forum.
Visit Marlinko, a borderlands city where life takes a strange fever-dream cast, in this 72-page urban adventure fantasy supplement. Part city-setting, part full-blown adventure, Fever-Dreaming Marlinko is a stand-alone companion to the Slavic acid fantasy weirdness of the Slumbering Ursine Dunes. Contains background and hooks for the city's four city quarters, two complete dungeon adventure sites, two new players classes (Mountebank and Robodwarf), Chaos Index with escalating events/triggers scattered throughout the city, news generator with full news briefs and hooks, and tiger-wrestling mini-game.
The Cage: A valuable trinket was stolen from the well-protected manor of the lady Morrigan Strange, and she enlists the help of some able-bodied adventurers to retrieve it. As it is the way of things, it turns out the problem is not as simple as it first seemed. A vile demon was trapped in the stolen orb and threatens to kill everyone in sight after its release! The package includes background information about the involved characters, a few details about the town of Beregost, several maps, and lots of adventure!
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.
The Ghost Tribe of Orcs were driven from their home under Wyvern Tor by some terrible evil. They marched to Phandalin and attacked only to be defeated. Then, the heroes journeyed to the orc’s former settlement beneath Wyvern Tor and found the source of the orc’s sardonyx and the umber hulk that drove the orcs out. Now, the party has to go deeper to deal with the terror from the Underdark that caused all of this excitement.
Once, the Tribe of Altair roamed the sands, free as the great eagle on the wind. Now, caged by an evil mage, these desert riders yearn for their lost freedom. But fate takes a hand as a noble djinn seeks to fulfill an ancient wish... In this unusual three-part scenario, players first take the roles of the men of the tribe, who stage a revolt after being enslaved in the Pit of the Laughing Efreeti and then try to battle their way to freedom. In the second part, the PCs are the women of the tribe, who must escape the evil flame mage's harem and use all their wits to win free of a strange city. Finally, the children of the tribe have to slip away from an evil temple before they can be sacrificed, which calls for them to embark on a magic carpet ride that promises to be the adventure of their lifetimes. TSR 9584
Every Berk in Sigil Struggles to keep his savage sid at bay. But now the bars of the cage are breaking down. . . . Don't go to sleep, cutter-that's where the shadows slink, gnawing at the frail cord of sanity. The dream-touched sods of Sigil are snapping one by one, turning on each other like wildcats in the streets. And as people become animals, animals become monsters, rending friend and foe alike with fang and claw. The lawful factions have enough trouble dealing with a rash of breakouts form the Prison. But when the shackles of society fall away, it's all a body can do to keep the beast within form bursting free?and running wild. Something Wild is a Planescape adventure for four to six characters of 4th to 7th levels. When Sigil falls prey to disturbing nightmares and outbreaks of violent fury, the heroes must follow bloody trails to the treacherous peaks of Careeri and the savage jungles of the Beastlands. An ancient terror threatens the planes anew, and only the player characters can stop it from feasting on the flesh of the multiverse. The Planescape Campaign Setting boxed set is required to run this adventure. The Planes of Conflict Campaign Expansion boxed set, the Planescape Monstrous Compedium Appendix, and In the Cage: A Guide to Sigil are recommended as well. Product History "Something Wild" (1996), by Ray Vallese, is the sixth standalone adventure for Planescape. It was published in March 1996. Continuing the Planescape Series. If 1994 was the year of Planescape adventures, and 1995 was the year of Planescape settings, then 1996 had a new focus: novels. The year led off with the first Planescape novel, Blood Hostages (1996), which also led off the setting's increased emphasis on the Blood War. Meanwhile, it took until March for a new RPG book to appear. "Something Wild" was the first of just two adventures published during the year. It continued the trend of 64 page adventure books, but was the first Planescape adventure that didn't have a GM Screen. Adventure Tropes. As with many Planescape adventures, "Something Wild" starts out in Sigil and then travels off into other planes. Like most adventures of the '90s, it's also heavily plotted, with individual scenes moving the storyline along. Though the adventure includes sections set in the wilderness and in a town, they're not explorations, they're segments of a story. There is a traditional dungeon crawl of a gehreleth lair toward the middle of the adventure, but that's it for older-school fare. The most interesting aspect of the adventure is probably its inclusion of a "dreamscape" that players travel through. Though adventures of this type date back to at least DL10: "Dragons of Dreams" (1985), the idea was little used in D&D adventures. Still, it was gaining some traction in the mid '90s thanks to the Ravenloft setting, and especially thanks to the Nightmare Lands (1995) supplement, which includes rules for dreamscape adventures. Expanding the Outer Planes. "Something Wild" travels to the Beastlands and Carceri, both of which had recently been detailed in Planes of Conflict (1995; it includes some new details on each. The expansion of the Beastlands is the most important, because much of the adventure is centered on that plane and the goals of its denizens. Signpost, which lies on the border between the plane's top two layers, is also detailed. Finally, the Cat Lord gets a spotlight; he's a strange being dating back to Monster Manual II (1983) that had never received much attention previously, except in Gary Gygax's Dance of Demons (1988) novel. The information on Carceri is not as generally useful because it details a very specific, primordial prison for a bestial god named Malar. Nonetheless, "Something Wild" makes good use on the plane by focusing on the demodands (gehreleths), a fiendish race dwelling on Carceri that has never gotten much attention. "Something Wild" was also the adventure that really started to push the Blood War forward. For the first two years of Planescape's existence, this fiendish war was a background element, but in the novels and supplements of 1996 it turned into a true metaplot. That ball starts rolling here with several hints that "a particularly nasty stage of the Blood War" lies just ahead. About the Creators. TSR Editor Vallese had done considerable development work on "Fires of Dis" (1995) the previous year, and was now given his own adventure to write. He'd continue on with a few more Planescape products in the next few years, concluding with the Torment (1999) novel. About the Product Historian This history of this product was researched and written by Shannon Appelcline, the author of Designers & Dragons - a history of the roleplaying industry told one company at a time. Please feel free to mail corrections, comments, and additions to [email protected].
Looking for a little extra jink and maybe some excitement? It seems the Doomguard lost track of their coveted ship of chaos. It's flying about the abyss, driving the local tanar'ri even more barmy than they already are. Several factions want to get their hands on the Doomguard's stake, so there's bound to be a few job offers for bloods looking for a little action. Every sod's got a tale to tell about the abyss—it's the sinkhole of the multiverse, after all, peopled with every kind of scum a body can imagine and a few he can't. Never been there? Well, there's no time like the present. *** "In the Abyss" is a Planescape adventure for a party of four to six characters of levels 8 to 10. A simple errand to salvage the lost ship of chaos allows the player characters their first opportunity to explore the most notorious plane of them all. Of course, complications are as inevitable as the tanar'ri! The Planescape Campaign Setting and Planes of Chaos boxed sets, as well as the Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix, are required to run this adventure. TSR 2605
Freak show or sanctuary? It's all a matter of perspective when you're at Carnival. A carnival offers a glimpse of abnormal and unnatural things most genteel folk never talk about, much less see. This carnival is not a simple sideshow, though, and its performers are far more than freaks on display. Carnival is a wandering haven for those who have no place else to go - including adventurers who made enemies of the wrong people. Under the protection of its mysterious mistress Isolde, it offers refuge to those rejected by the world. Outcasts and lost souls of all kinds can find solace here, and sometimes even a second chance at life... but nothing at Carnival comes without a price. TSR 11382
Along the windswept sea coast are several natural stone columns, sacred to the Sea Goddess Pelagia. One of these pillars is the tower of a reclusive wizard, a devout follower of Pelagia. But the wizard has gone missing, and the locals suspect foul play. Surely a powerful wizard must have many enemies! A band of fledgling heroes is tasked with entering one of the Pillars of Pelagia to contend with all manner of magical defenses, while uncovering cryptic clues to the wizard’s disappearance planted by an unknown benefactor. The insidious evil plot they uncover could spell eventual doom for the surface world. But the Pillars are sacred to Pelagia, and the Sea Goddess herself might just play a minor role, aiding the heroes as they attempt to thwart a nefarious plot.
Five exciting short adventures to make your Basic campaign come alive! The Clearing of Castle Caldwell - A local merchant has recently purchased a small castle... but when he tried to move in, he discovered that the castle was already inhabited! Dungeons of Terror - A strange trapdoor in the floor of Castle Caldwell leads to a terrifying challenge! The Abduction of Princess Sylvia - On the eve of her wedding, the beautiful princess has been kidnapped! Can you save her in time? The Great Escape - Imprisoned in an enemy fortress, without armor or weapons, your situation seems hopeless. Yet there may be a way to freedom... The Sanctuary of Elwyn the Ardent - A mystical chime of great power has been stolen - but by whom? In the wrong hands, the chime can cause untold harm! But can you find and defeat this mysterious and powerful creature? TSR 9143
Don't you wish they'd stay dead? A ghost has been threating a local shop keeper and it is up to the party to ride her of this treat. Pgs. 54-56
NQ1 – Meteor Mystery is the first offering from Pangia the latest continent. Some adventurers need a sign to start their careers and this adventure does just that. A strange meteor has been seen streaking across the sky of Dilad recently. The animals have become sick and farmers are reporting an influx of humanoid raiders. Count DeMoss, lord of the area, has been contacted but no troops have arrived.
A deadly rumble in the jungle. The wicked Leopard Men might have loads of treasure - but no one has ever met one and lived to talk about it. The Leopard Men are a tribal cult in the jungle who worship the wicked leopard god. They stalk at night looking for suitable sacrifices to their god. A merchant asks the PCs to destroy the Leopard Men to improve his trade agreements with other jungle tribes. Their reward for doing so is all the accumulated wealth of this tribe. The party will investigate the cult by travelling through several tribal villages. The cult members are hidden in these villages, watching for future sacrifice victims. The adventure ends with a battle with the leader of the Leopard Men and a spirit of the leopard god that is summoned. Pgs. 13-27