From time out of mind, the standing stones known as the Circle of Cahervaniel have stood lonely vigil on a grassy hilltop. Sheepherders once moved their flocks over the hill and through the circle, sometimes resting in the cool shadows cast by the ancient stones. Everything changed when a stone finger fell, revealing a fissure in the earth. Now, dark shadows caress the circle after the sun sets. Creatures out of nightmare dance upon the hillside at night. Many swear that a unicorn of deepest ebony now hunts all upon two legs who draw near, while stunted creatures scurry in the shadows, abducting sheep from their sheds and drawing them down below ground for food. After the disappearance of a sheperd, fear grows stronger in neighboring villages. Who will brave the black hollow of the ancient Circle of Cahervaniel? Heroes of stern mettle must descend into the cavity and explore the ancient spaces existing there. Product History "The Shattered Circle" (1999), by Bruce R. Cordell, is a generic adventure for AD&D 2e. It was published in January 1999. Origins: Another Generic. After Wizards of the Coast began publishing D&D, their first year and a half of generic adventures were all classic revivals: returns to RPGA tournaments, to classic adventures, and to Dungeon scenarios. Even "A Paladin in Hell" (1998) was a return in its own way, to the demons and devils that TSR had become afraid of. Wizards was staking out new ground by reclaiming the past. "The Shattered Circle" (1999) was the first generic Wizards adventure that was simply a generic adventure, with no deeper origins and no hidden motives. Artifacts of Note. the foundingstone and the harp Euphonious are both one-off named magic items. However, it's sword Icerazor that's the most interesting. It's said to have grown from a shard of Frostrazor — a sword that would only appear ten months later in Return to White Plume Mountain (1999). There, it's listed as one of Keraptis' four implements of power, alongside Wave, Blackrazor, and Whelm — meaning that Icerazor (and this adventure) are just one step removed from White Plume Mountain itself. Monsters of Note: Chitine. It's somewhat curious, given the Greyhawk and Neverness connections, to note that the chitine debuted in MC11: "Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix" (1991). The spider-humanoids have generally been a Realms creature, featuring in bestiaries and histories for that setting. However, they also received a more generic "Ecology of the Chitine" in Dragon #223 (November 1995), which introduced the choldrith, or chitine priestess. This is their major adventure appearance. When asked about pronouncing their name Cordell says that he "can't be 100% sure of the original designer's pronunciation", but he prefers "KI-TEEN". About the Creators. By 1999, Cordell was one of D&D's most prolific writers. He'd previously authored many slightly related adventures, such as The Gates of Firestorm Peak(1996) and the sahuagin (1997) and illithid (1998) Monstrous Arcana adventure trilogies. 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 The Shattered Circle, originally available in hard-copy and now for sale in Digital format at the DMs Guild. This adventure is a generic adventure, not specifically based in any existing setting. Suggestions are given in the conversion guide to place the adventure in the Forgotten Realms.
The Dark Lady has spread chaos and ruin across the Dessarin Valley, causing great misfortune to nearly all adventurers and guilds that visit. Thus, it is time to endeavor to bring this power to heel, helping save the Savage Frontier or deal with this threat in a more permanent way. Dive into one of her lairs, Rundreth Manor, survive the horrors within, and end her tyranny. A Four-Hour Adventure for Tier 2 Characters. Optimized for APL 8. A stand-alone adventure. Part of the Forgotten Wyrms Anthology. Content Warning: Slavery, sexual coercion, charm and physical contact (illusions), cannibalism, mental torture.
Driven by Molo of the Five Wives, this adventure revolves around a test to determine membership into the famed Wizard's Conclave. Does the party have what it takes to pass this test, thus gaing them much needed access to the Conclave's resources? This adventure is formatted to both 1E & 5E gaming rules.
Giants and ghost trees and foul undead beasties... What happens when elves, giants, and a mysterious witch all decide only you can settle their troubles. Strange new tree species! A hobgoblin fort! Unexplained noises during the day and different noises at night! Investigate and explore the Bretonwood to get to the bottom of its problems. The adventure provides an overland open-world style map of the Bretonwood which the players are encouraged to explore. Many set and random encounters are provided. There are opportunities for combat in this area, but players should be ready to handle some problems out of combat to get the most satisfying experience. Pgs. 22-43
Omens speak of an old and forgotten power located within a played-out diamond mine in the foothills of Thar, and some believe that might be a solution to the current problems facing Melvaunt—or possibly the cause of them. With danger closing in, someone has to investigate. The adventures converse with a drunken gnome, from a previous installment, and decent the gnome's diamond to rescue his kidnapped family and confront the cultists of Cyric. Part Two of the Misaligned Trilogy
With royalty coming to town, the reopening of the new Rybalka Lodge couldn’t be timelier. Although the place is warm and inviting during the day, it becomes a different place at night. Locals refuse to approach Rybalka Lodge and the owner is fire-fighting rumors of it being haunted. The original lodge burned down just one year ago, possibly by Vikmordere arsonists, and killed the visiting Ambassador Valdritch with his entire retinue. Now with the imminent arrival of a Klavekian Prince on the anniversary of the tragedy has stirred up both memories of the fire and the spirits of those consumed in the flames. Can the party get to the bottom of what is going on before the prince sets foot in town? Will the spirits of those who suffered from the arsonists attack get their revenge? Will the Vikmordere try to instigate another assassination attempt? And who is the mysterious woman occasionally seen in the shadows around the new lodge? Also included in “Haunting at Rybalka Lodge”: The Incorporeal Inquisitor, a new class for your players! Loads of New Magic Items: Capture Crystals, Release Crystal Orbs, Circlet of Destinations, Ring of Light Effects, Illusory Glass New Location: Rybalka Lodge Todd Gamble’s Maps of Awesomeness
Deep in these caverns overrun with all sorts of foul creatures are two sister hags. Once of the same coven, they now have a bitter rivalry but both refuse to the leave these caverns they call home. The cave received its name thanks to the terrifying sounds that echo through it. Some say it is just the wind brushing against the stone but the rumors all speak of two horrifying sisters casting curses and performing diabolic rituals with human sacrifices in a never-ending hatred. Heroes will face goblin, hag, bat, hook horror, and other terrifying monstrosities deep within the tunnels of The Shrieking Caverns. This dungeon does not contain any of the puzzles from the puzzle section, though there are a few situations the players will find themselves in that will require more than phsyical strength. That being said, this dungeon contains many combat encounters and is expected to take multiple nights to complete.
In ages past, the sorcerer Xa’arek grew to be a cruel and powerful tyrant, causing untold misery in his quest for immortality. After decades of oppression, his people revolted against him, driving the tyrannical sorcerer into the cursed lands of Marsh-Blight. Although a few of his most fanatical followers accompanied him in his exile, he was largely forgotten by history...until now. The Tomb of Xa’arek is a very dangerous dungeon crawling adventure for 5th Edition Fantasy, in which the Player Characters (PC’s) must venture into the tomb of an infamous sorcerer, recover his secrets, and get out alive! This adventure is designed for characters of 3rd level and is optimised for 4 characters of 3rd level. The adventure is setting agnostic and can easily fit into any published or homebrew world. Low level dungeon crawl with horror themes of decay and infestation. Setting agnostic Suitable for any genre of fantasy Includes prompts for roleplay
Fresh off the adventure trail your party takes refuge at the small caravan stop at the Village of Tomore. There your party hears a bard tell the tale of “Tarlac Keep” which was laid siege to by two dragons and a horde of humanoids. While the mighty keep fell the subsequent military action was enough to quell further issues. By the end of the tale your group feels that a real estate deal may be in the making for you….
Part 3 of the Carrion Crown Adventure Path takes the heroes to the infamous Shudderwood in Ustalav. They travel to Ascanor lodge, the only safe place in the woods, to find more information on the necromantic cult The Whispering Way and meet a colorful group of npcs that reside at the lodge. The werewolf packs that live in the woods are on the brink of war as their pack leader has disappeared and as the heroes get involved, strange things start happening within the lodge. Soon all three story lines will intertwine and the heroes are left to piece the puzzle together and follow the trail left by The Whispering Way. It's worth noting that this book does an excellent job at fleshing out the npcs (lodge residents and werewolves) both through stat blocks and background information including history and motivations. This book includes: - “Broken Moon,” a Pathfinder RPG adventure for 7th-level characters, by Tim Hitchcock - The secrets of the Whispering Way, a notorious cult sworn to the powers of death and undeath, revealed in blasphemous detail, by Adam Daigle - Insights into the savage lives of werewolves, wererats, and other lycanthropes, by Gareth Hanrahan - Laurel Cylphra comes face to face with an ancient mystery in the Pathfinder’s Journal, by F. Wesley Schneider - Seven exciting and deadly new monsters, by Tim Hitchcock, Rob McCreary, and Patrick Renie
Driven mad by the darkness of winter, the Prioress of the Red Abbey begins her work. After months of research and work in her lab, she found a way to summon beings of light to push back the darkness, if she could control their destructive natures. The characters find themselves investigating odd deaths, chasing weird weather phenomena and trying to help locals harmed by these creatures of light.
Ten days ride north of the great city, there is a small town named Treefall. Up until recently, this town was well known for its rich harvests, happy villagers, and prosperous weather. These days, however, the once-proud details from Treefall have turned darker. Instead of tales of unending prosperity, you hear hushed whispers of a great curse that has struck the once-happy village. Word has it that, where once roamed contented cattle, now strange beasts hunt by the moon's cold light and terrorize the hapless region. You have scoffed with the others at these stories. Despite the things you've seen in you adventures with your friends, the thought that such ill might befall such a sleepy town strikes you as terribly unlikely. There is plenty of evil in the world, true, but there are also much bigger and better targets. But, tonight despite the firmness of your disbelief, the stories come to find you. You have been traveling north along the roads on your own business, enjoying the rich fall colors and warm afternoons. Your camp os small and secure, with a roaring fire and meat cooking over the flame. It's one of those crisp autumn days that makes you long for a warm hearth after a long ride in the cool air. Still, the fire is good enough for now and you and your friends have a wonderful meal, talking and singing and laughing, anticipating a restful sleep beneath the blanket of stars. Until the beast attacks.
Thomepreus’ curse is a classic crawl with elements of exploration, mystery and time travel. A curse has befallen the heroes and the source of their predicament is located in a buried temple. Here a forgotten cult have used a magical sand clock to curse their enemies. The temple seem empty but the arrival of the heroes appear predetermined and soon the heroes are propelled through time to arrive in the past. Here clues and objects are required to solve the mystery and to break the curse. However, they must hurry before cult members complete the preordained curse on the heroes.
Myriad, a city originally devoted to magical research, has been hidden and isolated for nearly a thousand years. Now, it has rejoined the world and an unseen struggle is taking place within its walls. A party of adventurers has been invited to enter the city and assist in its reintegration. Myriad's secrets, however, run deep and dangerous.
Lord Dragle was set to auction off his most recent discovery, the Shroud of Olindor. The elven relic was certain to make Dragle a wealthy man. Such a pity he had to die. But the plot surrounding Dragle’s death is far more layered than it appears. It is up to the player character to discover the hidden motives and ultimately recover the Shroud of Olindor. Part 2 of the Olindor Trilogy.
"A hundred-year curse caused by a group of adventurers slowly turned a tower and the hills around it into a region touched by the very finger of death, where life is incapable of thriving. As the curse grows in power and reach, on its way lie the town of Beregost, whose population now suffer, sicken and die every day under these nefarious powers. The government and local clerics infrutiferously attempt to remedy the situation, while desperately seeking any who could help them." Tower of the Pale Lady is a 4-hour adventure for a group of 1st-4th level characters. It is set in the town of Beregost, at the southern edge of the Sword Coast, in Faerûn, in Toril, in the Forgotten Realms. However, with little modifications, you can run this adventure in whatever world you wish. This adventure includes NPCs related to the story and to the Forgotten Realms, which might bring your players to other different plots as they play through. New ways of using old spells and items, presented as introduction to reinforce creative possibilities throughout play.
This module is the first of a series of High Forest adventures. It includes a description of the village of Merric, including detailed NPC's. Merric has always been at risk of raids by the local Gnolls, but now word has come that the Orcs of the Greypeak mountains are massing to invade High Forest. The elders of Merric have decided to hire and groom an adventuring group to ensure they have a balancing force against the invasion. Soon it becomes clear that there is something far more dangerous than Orcs threatening High Forest and if the children of Merric will ever be safe again, someone needs to stand between them and the evils that lurk in the dark.
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.
As fledgling adventurers, your group is looking for anything to increase their fame and line their pockets with gold. Upon crossing the countryside your group comes to Creedo’s Trail a small thorp in the Duchy of Starryshade. Upon arrival in town you find an inn to stay indoors finally and a job opportunity hanging at the Bagel Inn purporting an “easy job” for a “big reward”. The poster is reputedly a crone or witch who has need for some components for an experiment she is currently working on. Easy job AND big reward…what’s not to like!
In the hills near the Sword Coast, there lives a gang of ruffians and thieves known as the Flying Drunks. Their leader is a particularly well-known scoundrel by the name of Kragnoroth. For a while, Kragnoroth and his gang has lain low, but not anymore. He is up to his old ways again, stealing, fighting, and being a dirty wretch. Kill Him! Do it for the good people of the Sword Coast, and give him justice from the gods. 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞? 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭? 𝐎𝐫 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠? 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮! This adventure module is meant to help the DM with providing content to their players. This adventure is intended to run in the Forgotten Realms setting, but it can be compatible with any campaign setting, published module, or homebrew adventure. This adventure is intended for 4 to 6 players, 1st to 3rd level characters. This adventure also includes Player options such as the Bounty Hunter Background and the Rusty Shackles Organization!