She ran. Where to or for how long, she really couldn't say. The little flame of her oil lamp sputtered and went out a few times. She'd snap her fingers and make the wick flare to life, but she may as well have ran blind. The hallways were pitch black with soot and choked with smoke, every turn was a guess and every corridor a gamble. Unnatural screams echoed from every direction. Left, right, left again, was this the south or north end of the labyrinth? She had no idea. The next turn brought her face to face with a doorway completely consumed in blue fire. The room beyond was so bright she had to look through her fingers at it. A shadow covered her, a shape in the doorway: a hulking creature with a wolf-shaped muzzle and enormous pincers for hands, wreathed in the same blue flames. The screams were getting closer behind her, too. They had her cornered, again. The demon slammed its shoulders through the narrow opening, splintering the wood and stone. She dropped the lantern and let the wand in her sleeve fall into her waiting hand. With a word of power and a gesture, she appeared in the familiar bedroom: stuffy and reeking of wood smoke. She'd have to try again tomorrow, if she could remember. During an exploration on the sixth level of Undermountain, a strange invisible creature leads to a series of collapsed chambers that hide a forgotten secret and one of the most devastating forces known to the multiverse. Marambra Nyghtsteel, the forgotten apprentice of Halaster Blackcloak, has been locked away for an age deep within Undermountain. What point and purpose her forced seclusion has, only Blackcloak may know. When a spell consuming blue fire, known as The Spellplague is trapped within the chambers, a series of events have left Marambra, lost in her madness, struggling to survive.
Levitt Ansell, a local human celebrity and philanthropist in the town of Askert, wants to recruit a party of adventurers to help him on a mission, so he has put out flyers around the town telling candidates to come to his house on this date, and has arranged a kind of obstacle course in his garden to test their mettle. Contestant teams are invited to enter a pavilion and collect as many eggs as they can. Some need physical skill, others need puzzle-solving, others a little luck, and just a few need combat. Originally designed as a short introductory adventure for a campaign to bring 1st-level characters together.
The citizens of Battledale seek aid against marauding bandits, while the neighboring forest looms menacingly over their homesteads. The adventurers stumble upon a much darker foe, while trying to help the peaceful community hunt down the brigands. A misguided druid, who’s on the verge of insanity, wields an artifact, born of sorrow and hate, that could change the world. An evil that might alter the face of Faerun, if left unchecked. Will the heroes be able to vanquish the otherworldly threat once and for all? The players must traverse into one of the most deadly forests of the Forgotten Realms, called the Tangled Trees. Should they survive long enough, they will enlist the help of a magical denizen of the forest, who will aid them to find the bandits, but also in stopping the tainted druid and her abominations.
This is the introductory adventure in the Bugger's Mill campaign. It introduces the characters to the village of Oak Mill along edge of Border Forest and has them hunt down a local arsonist, as well as assist with putting out a forest fire.
The kuo-toa are a piscine race with a psychic affliction that makes them behave erratically and invent gods when feeling threatened. That same affliction gives them the power to bring those gods to life. Blibdoolpoolp is the most widely worshipped, and thus most powerful, of their gods. Blibdoolpoolp views the kuo-toa as her children despite having been born after them. Like all good mothers, she nurtures and protects. One of her chief concerns is understanding the kuo-toa’s psychic affliction, which causes them to undermine themselves whenever they strive for greatness. She discovers that a corrupted elder brain deep in the Underdark has a connection to the race; though the connection gives them psychic powers, it also turns them into powerless thralls, explaining their self destructive behaviors. Constrained by the same leash on her children, Blibdoolpoolp seeks adventurers to destroy the elder brain. Its death would free the kuo-toa, but potentially at great cost: if the kuo-toa lose their powers, will Blibdoolpoolp die?
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to actually encounter an area where someone has used Guards & Wards, Symbol, and other spells to actually fortify a location against casual intrusion and thievery? If you want to find out just how deadly a wizard's "getaway cabin" in the mountains can be when the owner isn't there to let you in, this is the adventure for you and your players. Suitable for a single session of play (unless characters get killed, forcing a retreat and later return), there's only one combat encounter, but the traps are deadly. Not recommended for parties below level 12. All of the defenses are based on actual PHB spells, although a couple are assumed to have been bound into items or interactions within the dungeon. This dungeon is originally from the "Against the Idol of the Sun" high-level hexcrawl campaign.
A group of orcs has decided to start ambushing travellers on a forest road between two prosperous towns. Led by the enigmatic "Big Man" these orcs focus on robbing people, but tend to avoid violence. When the characters stumble upon this band of orcs robbing a halfling, do they give up their money to save him? Or risk the halfling's life to attack these bandits?
A haunted house, a missing person, and a hint of wild fey magic. In the kingdom of Norland in the Moonshae Isles, King Keethan rules by the will of Torm the True, though in Glen Dourn folk still hold true to the old ways—a dense and layered folklore of monsters and tales to frighten children. It is to this remote valley that Keethan bids you make haste to seek out signs of his beloved cousin, Lady Sorcha Hannigard. Sorcha vanished on her wedding day three years ago, sending her groom and neighbours alike into mourning. But where can she have gone? The only remaining clues to this mystery lie in her abandoned mansion home, where powers less wholesome have now taken up residence. The Dread Coven will not give up what they know so easily, although they will strike a bargain if you’re willing to pay the price in pain.
The Terror of Screeching Hill is an adventure designed for a party of four level 1-3 characters. Introduce your friends to Dungeons & Dragons or take a break from your current campaign and save the town of Stonehollow in this early level one-shot! To the villagers of Stonehollow, the flight of bats warns of an impending disaster. Earthquakes, which riddle the small mining town, often follow this omen causing cave-ins and trapping miners underground. Thankfully, the ground hasn't shaken in weeks. However, every night at sunset, a colony of bats fly over the town as a haunting cry echoes over Screeching Hill, a mound on the southern outskirts of the village. Villagers have begun to go missing, including the town's doctors Simon and Kirk Bartok, and some have suffered terrible wounds after being attacked by a relentless creature out of the darkness. With no doctors to treat the wounded and the expectation of more attacks, the villagers of Stonehollow turn to you for help. Will you investigate the terror of Screeching Hill and save the town from its reoccurring nightmare? Included: - A 16 page one-shot designed for level 1-3 characters - Unique maps - Two player handouts - A simplified document compatible with screenreaders
After your ship crashed onto a small island you and a few other survivors quickly discover you're not entirely alone. There are creatures slithering in a nearby cave, taking everything they can from the wreckage as they hunt for something. With no other way out, you'll have to trek through the Sahuagin camp, rescue any other survivors and find other means of escaping the island before all is lost.
Dive into a mystery in Lake of Secrets, a darker magic fantasy compatible with any setting. When the sovereign of a war-stricken kingdom goes missing, characters must brave the castle dungeons to find them. Death stalks the dungeon walls and dark deeds come to light as the characters uncover the story of a terrible sacrifice. Designed as a 3-4 hour adventure for 1-6 players of 3rd-5th level, Lake of Secrets is a fresh narrative that explores themes of false promise and isolation, offering characters a choice that will decide the fate of an entire realm.
A city deep in the woods is plagued by a series of beheadings of the leadership. A twisted bargain and a dark secret are threatening to destroy this town forever. Your adventuring party finds themselves brought in to help stop the Dullahan who has been summoned against her will to enact political revenge.
In a distant dimension of existence, a collective of Modrons run experimental tests to find the answer to one question: What draws adventurers to places known as "Dungeons"? Hijacking the travel of adventuring parties, these Modrons subject them to a series of tests in their artificially created dungeon. Deadly combat, logic puzzles, "moral" challenges, and a plot about a kidnapped "Maiden" Modron by an "Evil Wizard Construct" can be found within. But not all is as it seems... Leading the experiment is a rogue Modron officer named the Creative Director, who has gone mad and morphed the tests into an elaborate death trap for adventurers. Seeking revenge against those it considers responsible for its “imprisonment”, it pits the adventurers against ever escalating challenges. Who will defeat the Creative Director and put an end the mad tests?
We get it. Factions are an integral part of D&D, but it's not always clear how to use them in your campaigns. Luckily, Factions of Sigil has you covered for each of the twelve main factions found across Sigil and the Outlands! This supplement goes over the various rules and lore around the primary factions found in Sigil and the Outlands, making it easy for any new or veteran DMs to integrate the factions more into the core stories being told, and making them feel more useful for the players that choose to join. In this adventure, the Mind's Eye of Sigil requests the characters travel to a secretive dome created by former member Skaldon, and follow his path to enlightenment.
Mare Vinceret has kept the underwater city of Conatha thriving for centuries. Deep within the Greyspace lurks a force so strong that it could impede their progress toward peace. It dwells in a place beyond where they would ever choose to go, filled with dark aquatic life and a menacing presence that no one could match. Juliya Alastor, the leader of Mare Vinceret, sends her best to dispose of the threat known only as Biandra, the Hag of Conatha (sea hag). The Hag of Conatha seeks to fix what Mare Vinceret has done to the beautiful land that she sees as corruption in disguise, then live in peace. Biandra has taken their forgotten structure and made it her own. She sits within a threedomed greenhouse with walls blanketed by vines of kelp and seaweed and swimming with deadly aquatic creatures. Within the dark, polluted lair, Juliya's team falls into madness. One by one, Biandra's hallucinatory tricks destroy them, leaving each of them within her grasp. Believing all is lost, Juliya finds a glimmer of hope in a crackled communication one of the members of the party must be alive. She must send out one more group of brave adventurers to bring down Biandra for good and reclaim the underwater dome. Will the adventurers find the lost orc rogue, fight their way in, and investigate through the biodome maze? Or will they be confined to the underwater maze of Conatha in madness, trapped with the Hag of Conatha herself? Pgs. 35-41
BLACKTIDE COVE THE CULT OF THE FISH-MEN From the Ship's Log of the Sprite: "...I can hear them fish-men. All the time with their chanting and hissing and whatnot. There's some kind of religion going on here, down below. We can't understand what they say, but it's something God-like, sure as spray on the foc'sle." A century ago, during the Spellplague, pirates hid a treasure at a shrine in a remote area of Impiltur's coast. Can the heroes claim it from that which lurks there? Blacktide Cove is a 4-6 hour adventure for 6 characters of 6th to 8th level set on the Sea of Fallen Stars! Set on the coast of Impiltur along the Easting Reach, Blacktide Cove can be placed anywhere there's a stretch of lonely coastline and the possibility of pirates. Blacktide Cove is 32 pages of adventure for you and your table! Includes a handy index, cartography by Dyson Logos, new magic items, and full-color player handouts - including exclusive art from Patrick E Pullen! Includes print-friendly version!
'Fierce' was written for the annual release of Fierce, a tasty Berliner Weisse, at Off Color Brewery in Chicago, Illinois. It's a one-shot intended for both beginner players and DM's, with the space for personal flair to be added or to be run as-is.
For over a decade, the necromancer Malion has hidden in the wilderness, creating golems infused with spirits of the dead in his obsessive search for perfect beauty. At long last, he produced a doll that he knew it to be his final masterpiece, and, knowing there was no mortal soul pure enough to complete his work, Malion prayed to the goddess of love to bring his statue to life. Against all odds, his blasphemous prayer was heard, and the furious goddess sent her servant to bring Malion to justice.
A fiend lurks among the Black Blade goblins. A shapeshifting barghest fashioned by the General of Gehenna to exact revenge on all goblin-kind. It’s aim: to kill as many goblin leaders as possible… A masked goblin approaches the party asking for help. Two tribe leaders are dead. But a rival for chief has control of the crime scene. Will the party discover the barghest among the goblin ranks? Can they stop this imposter before it strikes again? Adventure Overview The adventure’s story is spread over 4 parts and takes approximately 4 hours to play. The adventure begins with a Call to Action scene. Part 1: Goblin Politics. Krill sends his emissaries to implore help from any strong intermediary. The party is asked to investigate the murder of Thrawn in Dringly’s lair. This is Story Objective A. Part 2: The Opposition. Gain entry into Dringly’s lair and investigate the murder of Thrawn. Gather enough evidence to find the killer. This is Story Objective B. Part 3: To The Lair! Now that the players have determined the barghest (Yeep) is to blame, they need to get to Krill’s lair quickly as he is in imminent danger. This is Story Objective C. Part 4: The Barghest.When the players arrive at the lair, they need to get to Krill and expose and defeat the barghest. This is Story Objective D. Adventure Background A barghest named Yeep has begun its onslaught of attacks against the Black Blade goblins. Starting with Chief Gnar, then his second in command Thrawn, the barghest is moving methodically down the line of command. Krill is now chief. But he has some problems: Two leaders of the Black Blades are dead. Who killed them and why? Is he next? Dringly, the next in command, has decided to take his lair for himself, declaring himself Chief of the Black Blades. Who are the Black Blades? The Black Blades are a tribe of goblins in the local area. They are known for dipping their blades in a dark black substance. It is rumored these blades are poisonous. The Black Blades regularly attack passersby on the road to rob them. The Black Blades have two lairs, one run by a chief who leads the whole tribe, and another overseen by a boss lieutenant. The Black Blades have a well-established pecking order which is how Krill stands to become chief. The next in line is Dringly, who has also declared himself chief and wants Krill dead. Krill suspects that there is something suspicious about two leaders being killed within a day of each other, but he has already burned Gnar’s body without any investigation. He needs to investigate the body of Thrawn, but it is in Dringly’s lair. Krill wishes to avoid direct confrontation with Dringly at the present for three reasons: 1) Any violence would only kill his own tribe members and further divide the lairs. 2) He believes there is still hope for negotiation to reunite the Black Blades. 3) He believes that if he were to attempt negotiations himself, Dringly would kill him. This adventure features: Two maps. Ready for your favorite Virtual Tabletop. A full color pdf. A black and white pdf. One custom monster, a reprint of barghest, all others available in the Monster Manual. Four hours of entertainment involving: roll playing a goblin bard, investigating a murder scene, tracking down a barghest before it strikes again. Applicable to any setting.
The sleepy little town of Scharokhova has gone from dreary to depressing and dangerous. Shortly after a strange man in a hooded cloak came to town one evening, visiting the posh manor home of the local noble family, the Petrovas, a fog descended upon the valley where the town lies. What’s more, all manners of beasts, from rats to bats to wolves, are attacking the townsfolk, or destroying their supplies. And that fog! Anyone that tries to leave escape the town through the fog finds their mind too addled to make it through. And those that made it the furthest were set upon by beasts, beasts that seemed to try to keep the villagers from leaving town. Now, the townsfolk’s only hope rests with a group of outsiders who made it to the village through the mist, and now find themselves stuck in town, just like the residents have been. Eliminate the beasts threatening the townsfolk! Explore Petrova Manor and discover the secret that has caused this curse to descend upon Scharokhova! Finally, free the town from the grip of evil, and perhaps even bring Gorak, the last of the Petrova line, back from darkness into the light!