Encounters in the Savage Wilderness contains 19 encounters / mini-adventures, a few new creatures and items, and downloadable maps. We've also added suggestions on how to use the encounters in Eberron.
What elder evils lurk in the depths of the freezing mountain ruins? Find out in The Stoneheart Ruin! The adventure features: An adventure set in a desolate, wintry mountain landscape. 16 pages full of intrigue and mystery, containing full color maps, plus 2 unique monster stat blocks. Provides a great introduction to Mind Flayer lore and mythos for Tier 1 players. Can easily be set in the Spine of the World for use in Rime of the Frostmaiden. Let your characters test their mettle as they climb and face the ancient dangers lurking in the cracks of The Stoneheart Ruin! “I have no explanation for any of these finds. We heard disturbing noises coming from further within the mountain; thunderous and growling.” Excerpt from a pamphlet, signed: “Koralia Meadring, Anthropologist Extraordinaire” Koralia needs you to investigate her most recent discovery: a ruined cavern deep in the mountains. Her small team of academics did a cursory walk-through and think they've found a big breakthrough! However, they left in a hurry after being frightened by the horrors they heard coming from deeper in the mountain. They escaped and found one of their team was missing - a goliath named Marek. You must climb the mountains and locate the ruin, make certain that it is safe for study by Koralia’s team, and if possible, find and rescue Marek, whose fate is uncertain. Made during the November 2020 RPG Writer's Workshop.
The denizens of the Old City have made some unusual sightings in the festering refuse pits on the outskirts of the city, and while such reports are seldom taken terribly seriously, the mysterious disappearance of a beloved figure in the poor part of Port Nyanzaru has folks on edge. Can you get to the bottom of this? Part One of The Rot from Within Trilogy.
The Lamenting Lighthouse is a four-hour adventure for 5th-10th level characters, designed for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, with a nautical theme, heavy undead and horror elements, and mysteries to solve! One lonely lighthouse shines the way through the rocks and shoals that deny entry to the northern Moonshae Isles. But when the party’s transport approaches, a horrific gale at their backs - no light is in sight... The party must venture ahead of their vessel in a race against the storm to the restore the beacon before their ship is lost. What has befallen the keepers, and what dark secret does the lighthouse hold? Will the heroes prevail, or will they join the lighthouse's lament? This adventure can easily be inserted into a run-through of Ghosts of Saltmarsh. This one-shot can also serve as a nautical interlude in any on-going campaign where the characters have to take to the sea. Included with this adventure are: + 6 original custom creatures, the dread wraith, the dread wight, the swarm of seagulls, the captain, the rating, and the sailor + 12 player hand-outs with notes that shed light on the mystery of the lamenting lighthouse, with a randomization mechanic that ensures a degree of replayability + 9 original fleshed out NPCs, including personality traits and roleplaying tips + 2 original magical artifacts + 7 hand-drawn maps of important locations + a story reward and 2 story hooks for continuing the adventure (depending on how the adventure resolves)
An ettercap and its flock of spiders invade an unspoiled forest protected by sprites. The sprites, desperate for help, recruit a party of adventures to aid them.
Provost Nigel Faurious’s continued planar research has uncovered a reference to a sapphire amulet and a map with general directions to the entrance of the Shining Valley deep within the Graywall Mountains. He believes that the Valley is an Irian manifest zone, capable of charging the sapphire and granting unknown healing properties. The Provost has already acquired the sapphire and contracted Lhara, a female shifter within the Clifftop Adventurers’ Guild, to put forth a writ calling for adventurers to follow the map he uncovered and discover if the amulet’s properties are authentic. Unbeknownst to the Provost, a flight of harpies known as the Haunting Song is already living within the Shining Valley after escaping an attack on their lives by two other flights. The characters will have to convince these current inhabitants that they mean no harm. The harpies have already learned the healing properties of the valley and have been raising a new generation without any outside interference, but due to the party’s recent expedition, an oncoming war party has been spotted and the harpies now demand they assist in defending their home.
Located in The Vast north of the Sea of Fallen Stars, Adhe Wood is a small but deadly place. Legends swirl of a mysterious temple in Adhe Wood where statues of snakes hold massive emeralds. But the citizens of Sevenecho, the town nearest to Adhe Wood, seem to know nothing of this legend and refuse to speak of it. Travelers into Adhe Wood rarely return, devoured by the mutated spiders that lurk in the trees.
In this adventure for the Eberron Campaign Setting a group of adventurers travels to the well known but seldom explored thorp of First Tower, 27 miles north of Sharn, the City of Towers. The adventurers must solve a terrible event that happens on the House Orien lightning rail, but then will have some time to relax and have fun in the many events and fun things that happen in the festive town of First tower. In the third act, the adventurers must find a way to fight or negotiate with an orc tribe that claims a section of the land as theirs.
The door slams open so hard that the wall shakes and the hinges groan. To everyone’s astonishment, a goblin staggers in. He is badly wounded, with dried blood covering about half of his body. Only a moment before the air was full of the rattle of dice, the slap of cards, and cries of victory and defeat. Now the Gambling Golem is dead silent. The goblin lurches toward your table then collapses right in front of you. “Help me,” he croaks, looking up at you with bloodshot eyes. “I’ll make you rich!”
About: This encounter was cooked up in the Write your First Encounter workshop by the Storytelling Collective. It CAN be slid in as a side quest in any urban or sub-urban context, or be adapted to add confusion to any rescue mission you are presently running. Synopsis: Through the doorway a young woman shackled to the wall matching the description of Helena can be seen. Though disheveled and looking to be in great discomfort, her beauty is remarkable. But on closer inspection, there are other people here — three identical Helenas! Noble woman Elize Cleron has hired the party to infiltrate the catacombs under the Schaefer Estate and free her twin sister Helena. Helena is being held captive by the Schaefer family, trade rivals rumored to have ties to the underworld. Elize has been unable to free her sister herself because of her identical appearance. Rather than pay an unrealistic ransom, Elize has provided the party with what they need to break her out. This encounter is intended for 3rd level characters.
Take down a brutal crime boss in this one-shot heist with hijinx and heart. Explore Umizu, a seedy coastal steampunk city-state inspired by pre-modern Japan. Umizu is a Radiant Citadel locale that never got a full adventure--until now! Out of Luck features a cursed tanuki statue, a baby’s birthday party, and a steamboat fireworks battle! This one-shot includes everything you need to run a memorable caper: - Full-Color VTT-compatible steamboat bathhouse maps (DM and Player versions) - 8 Hand-drawn portraits and tokens for monsters and NPCs - Player handouts, a suspicion tracker, and three new stat blocks - Compatible with the Radiant Citadel or the Golden Vault; run as a one-shot or as part of a campaign - Thoroughly playtested and reviewed; over 30 players and DMs have gone through the adventure - A printer-friendly version Synopsis The Independent Merchants of Bright Moon Pier are sick of the Safe Oceans Society’s protection racket. After negotiations turn violent, the merchants opt for subterfuge. They hire the characters to infiltrate Boss Yashima’s birthday for her infant daughter and trick Yashima into accepting a cursed artifact, the Idol of Misfortune. Will this be a clean caper, or will the characters find themselves out of luck?
Horrors in the Dark The origin of the ShadowGate is lost in antiquity. Some claim it as the work of devils, others cannibal cultists or even demon lords. Not long after its discovery it was boarded up by the priests of the local church, and then fortified by paladins. Of late something has emerged from the portal. It remains trapped within the divine defences, but for how long?
The Nobriskovs are a proud and pious noble family beset by troubles they wish to keep quiet. When their angelic daughter is abducted by duergar slavers, the player characters are asked to surreptitiously rescue her from her captors. However, the distinction between predator and prey blurs as they discover the noble scion's secret. What's included? 1 hair-raising adventure divided into single-page sections for easy running 3 fully-colored maps with unlabeled versions for players (made with assets from 2-minute Tabletop) 4 statblock variations for cursed creatures in addition to detailed mechanics on implementing a more virulent strain of lycanthropy 6+ ending permutations based on what the player characters do and how they do them Content Warnings: Violence, death, abduction, slavery, horror
A Heart in Mourning is a dungeon crawl and survival adventure that takes the party through the mists into the strange and dangerous Mournland, where they encounter threats both environmental and living. The party has been given a map with the task of retrieving the Steelheart from Ash Tower, where the Provost’s research has led them under direction by Guild Handler Lhara. Their destination lies in the middle of a manifest zone of Shavarath. Once there, the party will have to survive a tower climb filled with fiends, demons, and more in order to retrieve the Steelheart, a powerful artifact guarded by a powerful guardian.
Ever feel like you just want to snatch all the blankets and pillows you can find and hide in your own warm little nest? Goblin Heist is a chaotic Tier 1 adventure where 1-6 players take control of goblin characters on a mission to steal as many cozy things as they can from the sleepy winter village of Little Humbleton. But be wary... the town has hired an adventurer to stop you! Can you and your goblin gang survive the cold, sneak into houses, steal the cozies, and escape before daybreak all without being caught? Goblin Heist is highly replayable, and features: - A choice of four adventurers protecting the town, each adding their own difficulty and flavour to the game - Variable weather conditions - Pursuit mechanics - Randomly generated challenges - Cozies - Stuffing sweets in your face
Imprisoned in the first layer of Hell a group of unfortunate adventurers must find their way out amidst the chaos of the Blood War. Will they escape before the Lord of the Keep finds them? Well, only time will tell...
Hundreds of years have passed since the great war of Valhalla, but the repercussions are known throughout the lands. The Valkyries were once Odin’s greatest warriors who ferried the dead to the eternal resting place of Valhalla. Odin tells it that their duties asked too much of them and their minds were corrupted. In fits of uncontrollable rage and anguish, they began to slaughter the warriors they once protected. Only four Valkyries survived the war; in their cowardice, they fled to Midgard and hid amongst the mortals. You have been tasked with finding the last Valkyrie and destroying her, once and for all ending the Madness of the Valkyries. But there may be more to learn in the once-great halls.
This is an introductory adventure to Eberron and Sharn. It is written for 3-6 characters of levels 1 to 5. This adventure showcases the versatility of urban adventures in Sharn. The adventure takes a party of characters from the lowest and more dangerous parts of the city, the lower wards and The Depths, to the highest and most exclusive neighborhoods in the upper wards and the Skyway. This adventure has it all. There are roleplaying opportunities, underground exploration, interesting NPC's, a flying chase scene on flying vessels, and a BBEG with enough charisma to captivate any player.
As the City of Danger struggles to rebuild, a spate of unexplained disappearances in the Zhent Ghettos threatens to erupt into fresh chaos. The factions are hard pressed to investigate, and it falls upon you to uncover the truth behind this new menace. A 4-hour D&D Adventurers League Convention Created Content adventure for 1st – 4th Level Characters (optimized for 3rd level). An ENNIE Awards 2019 nominee in the Best Organized Play category! This adventure is Part 1 of "The Neverdusk Trilogy", and has been praised as the hardest Tier 1 module written to date! Ooze There? is the first CCC written and developed in Singapore, and debuted at RPG Day Singapore 2018 - Singapore's largest Dungeons & Dragons community event. The v1.2 package gives you even better value, and includes: - All new cover art by Carillus, the creator of the highly popular ExCo webtoon - A high quality map pack for key encounter locations - A two (2) page cheat sheet with Jason's personal tips for running Ooze There?
Synopsis: Chalk Hill is a lonely village on the edge of the Downs. Nearby barrows contain remains of long-dead kings. As is the local custom, a pair of young newlyweds went to the ancient standing stones for the druids to bless their union. They never came back. The heroes must find and return the couple, who have been taken into the grave of Eorl Wulfstan. The undead Eorl saw the new-wife in a dream, and she is the spit of his long-lost beloved, so he had his servants bring her to him. They slew the young man, who rose as undead under the Eorl’s control. Can the heroes find the survivor and put the dead back to rest? A 4 to 6 hour adventure for 4 to 6 Tier 1 characters—optimized for 5 characters of 3rd level. This adventure came about thanks to the generosity and encouragement of Dyson Logos, cartographer of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. In it you'll find maps never before seen in a Guild adventure! "Chalk Hill" is an Old School "out and down" dungeon crawl, where brave adventurers venture into the wilderness and pit themselves against horrors which would set a-quiver the flesh of honest folk. It's proof you can have an OSR experience using the 5e rules!