Ducklings. It's not too late too close this page, and go and find an adventure about happy-go-lucky halflings, or emotionally stable young adventurers. This is not that story. You can still walk away, and find some other engagement that your players will forgive you for running. Open this little document, and you will be introduced to the wretched streets of Elysium. Home of aberrations, mystery and futile quests for meaning in the drowned streets of the tortured city. Escape is unlikely. Enjoyment fleeting. I implore you, turn away and don't look back. Mind flayers stalk streets plagued by invisible death. Curses bubble from ancient evils sleeping beneath the water. Questions lead to questions, which evolve into answers you will only regret asking for. Go whilst you still can. There is nothing here for you but death. Prologue: Welcome to Elysium Chapter One: The Crooked House Chapter Two: The Broken Prison Chapter Three: The Temple of the Gaunt Silhouette Chapter Four: The Grand Library Chapter Five: The Adamant Asylum Chapter Six: The Dancing Spider Chapter Seven: The Undercity An adventure for characters of level 15+ Contains: An introduction to Elysium, a Ravenloft domain filled with eldritch mystery and drowned secrets, including Life In Elysium, The Rule Unspoken and the Marks of Horror that set Elysium apart. Guidance on Madness in Elysium, with Elysian Madness tables for your horror/amusement. A list of Elysian locations, some of which will be expanded in later releases. Elysian random encounter tables, day & night. An Elysian Wild Magic table, miserable magic items and tragic trinkets. The first installment - The Crooked House, in which we meet the Duchess and her parade of dead husbands. The seconf installment - The Broken Prison, where the shadows of gods walk amongst men The third installment, The Temple of the Gaunt Silhouette, where broken fragments of reality are reached by strange avenues. The fourth installment, The Grand Library, where the things we wanted to forget prove impossible to truly banish. The fifth installment, The Adamant Asylum, where medicine and madness meet. The sixth installment, The Dancing Spider, in which there is no rest for the wicked. The seventh installment, The Undercity, where your worst suspicions are confirmed. Three new character backgrounds: the Eldritch Detective, the Information Broker and the Tempter of Fate. The long-suffering Elysian character race, with two subraces. The first One Page Woes collection, included here for your convenience, which contains thirteen reasons to be thoroughly miserable.
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.
Ever needed to spice up a stay in a city? Or, ever needed something to fill the gap between sessions when you are missing a player? Add a little flavor to the adventurers’ city visits with a rampaging mummy, a circus gone wild, a haunted inn, and much, much, more. This 80-page supplement contains 26 encounters written by best-selling Dungeon Masters Guild writers and new writers! Encounters in the Savage Cities includes: •26 unique encounters / mini-adventures ◦A mix of combat, roleplay, and investigation •Scaling Suggestions for CR 1-10 •New creatures •Custom Art •Downloadable Custom Maps (as a separate file) These encounters are location generic and are designed to be easily added to any campaign. Use them to introduce new players, as inspiration for a new campaign, as a one-shot, or whatever else you can think of.
Meaningful decisions, unexpected twists and memorable characters are the foundations of this dark 4-hour adventure for 5th to 10th level characters. A chance encounter on an unassuming road leads to a dangerous and lucrative opportunity. But what seems simple on the surface turns out to be much more below. Thrust into a world where every enemy has an enemy and everyone has their own dark motive, the only chance to survive is to ally with the right foe. Sometimes “doing the right thing” comes only in shades of black. Six Summoned Swords is a stand-alone adventure that begins on the side of the road leading to Phlan and can be easily accessed by any adventurers traveling through the Moonsea region. In addition to a world full of intrigue and complex character choices, purchasing this adventure includes: An Official Adventurers League magic item certificate Printable portrait cards with roleplaying tips for important NPCs Gridded reference maps for combat encounters Condition icons to help track character status Special Certificate Holder ideal for event play NEW: Season 8 Item Unlock Handout - prints 9 to a page, one for every player! * Looking for an adventure to run at your special game day or convention? This adventure includes a “certificate holder” that features specially created art of the adventure’s magic item. When printed in colour and on card stock, it perfectly frames the official AL magic item certificate from this adventure and makes for an unforgettable souvenir. About the Swords Below the Moonsea Saga The saga consists of three adventures, with this adventure serving as a stand-alone prelude. The series continues with Six Striking Swords and Six Swords Unbound, the two of which should be played in tandem.
Ravenloft: Carnival of Lost Souls Campaign Guide is a guide for Dungeon Masters who bought our other products from the Carnival of Lost Souls campaign series. It connects together all the modular one-shots we released previously into one grand campaign. It also offers guidance about expanding the scope of the campaign with your own ideas. Ravenloft: Carnival of Lost Souls Campaign Guide features: - Starting adventure to kick the things off and get the characters to know the Carnival - In-between interludes and short encounters, which help to flesh out the Lost Souls NPCs more and add depth to the campaign - Grade Finale - an epic showdown with The Caller in the Mists! - Full description for each of the Lost Souls and what happens to them as a result of players’ actions - Check out the modular adventures of the series: Lamordia: The Hardest of Hearts, Dementlieu: Dance with the Devil, Kalakeri: The Forbidden Temple and Valachan: Hunter’s Moon! Disclaimer: We are a team of writers from Ukraine, so the unprovoked war and senseless aggression of the terrorist state of russia influenced our initial timelines significantly. The release of the Campaign Guide marks also a year since the start of the full-blown war. At the moment, we are as safe as we can ever be under the constant threat of missile strikes, and extremely proud that we managed to finish the whole campaign! We are hopeful that the victory is close at hand, and in the new, whole, and peaceful Ukraine, we will create even more cool adventures! ;) Made in Ukraine
'The Sunken Village of Little Corth' is a 2nd level Dungeons and Dragons adventure centred on a time-paradox puzzle. The PCs travel across a necrotic marsh (the Grey Creeping) to a sunken village where, upon being transported back 2000 years into the past, they must prevent a necromancer freeing Orcus (demon prince of Undeath) from the imprisoning veils of the spirit plane. If only it was as simple as that, for the PCs must also contend with deactivating a giant mechanical orrery, and be sharp enough to realise that the useful items that helped them survive the Grey Creeoing must be found and placed for their 'future-past' selves.
Synopsis: Goblin Bathwater, a magical drug, has taken hold in a sleepy coastal town at the edge of the Empire. As the characters investigate the origin of the drug, they uncover an international criminal conspiracy, wild and ancient magic, and a threat to reality itself. Contents: This beautifully made, 54-page adventure offers: A fully fleshed out, setting-agnostic starter area, brimming with colourful NPCs and hooks for adventure. Balanced encounters to bring characters to level 2; then some more devious encounters on their way to level 3. Three mini-dungeons built on the design philosophy of the "5 room dungeon method" Multiple big, cinematic set-piece boss encounters what will make your players feel epic. A facetted intrigue, which does not immediately suggest a simple, ready-made solution but invites the players to come up with their own, personal approach. Why pick this adventure? Hey, my name is Marius. This is my first time publishing on the DMs Guild but I wouldn't call myself a newcomer. I started playing Pathfinder 1e back in 2014. When I took over as our group's DM in 2019, we swapped over to 5e. We have run many, many modules and adventures since. Currently I play three games a week. In short: You could say I'm hooked. I created The Goblin Bathwater Incident as the ideal adventure for in-between your big modules, but it isn't a simple little adventure. With a playtime of about 30 hours, it still manages to hit that sweet-spot, where it establishes context, makes you grow fond of NPCs, and makes those big bossfight wins so much sweeter, all without taking more than a few sessions. The Goblin Bathwater Incident is different from many of the 1st tier adventures in that it pits the characters against traps and monsters, but also asks difficult, open-ended ethical questions, where a simple strategy of "apply sword to head of bad guy" will not cut it.
The natural world is dying and Thymia Scarletscale has had enough. It's time to destroy civilization and pluck the humanoid parasites from the face of this world. And honestly, is she wrong? Will the players succeed in infiltrating Thymia's lair The Verdant Phronstistery and bring an end to her schemes? Or will Thymia & her team of yuan-ti research assistants create an army of monstrous insects to wipe humanoids from the face of the world? Greenhouse of Nightmares is the first installment in Pretty Little Liches: a trilogy of adventures centered around three unique liches and their lairs designed for high-level play. These three lairs and the surrounding regions can be run independently as individual adventures or tied together into a mini-campaign that centers on the destruction of the Green Hand, an organization of dangerous liches. A 3-5 hour Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition adventure for Tier 4 (level 17-20) characters. This adventure includes: 6 Random Encounters for a Deadly Swamp, Battle Tactics for a 3-Stage Boss Fight, a CR 26 Medusa Lich with New Legendary Actions, 7 New Monsters, & 2 New Magic Items!
Jarl Aelfric Whitehand of Jotunspine, one of the Moonshae Isles, is not happy. His ward, Cordin Wainthrower, has disappeared. Clues imply that Cordin has headed for a ruined keep deep in the Giantspine Mountains. The characters are tasked by the jarl to track down Cordin and bring him back to safety – the Giantspines are filled with many dangers including the legendary Winter King, a fey of great power. Will the characters force Cordin to return to the keep or help him in his quest to restore a family heirloom? If they help him, they must face the chilling depths of the crypt of Icegate Keep. Icegate Keep is an adventure for the first tier, levels 1 to 4. The adventure includes full scaling recommendations for each level, as well as four pre-generated PCs at each of the four levels. The adventure is designed to be tough for the pre-gen PCs, who have little magic to brave the icy mountains. It is estimated to take 4-6 hours to play. The adventure has several new monsters including Ice Wights, Ice Zombies, Frostsnakes, and the infamous Winter King. New magic items are also included such as the greatsword Frostreaver, the ancient Snowbane dagger, the Horn of the Howling Wolf, and the Throne of the Winter King. There is a player handout outlining the legend of the Winter King and three battlemaps showing separate levels of the small keep.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐚𝐠𝐚. It would take a lot to force the PCs to ally with the very orcs that have been causing them so much trouble recently. But what have those damnable orcs stirred up in the abandoned copper mines? A four hour adventure for 4th level player characters.
An ancient power has started to rise and threatens a small town. Venture into dark caves and put an end to the power creating the skeletons within. Intended for 6 characters level 5-10 Approximately 6 hours of play Featuring 7 new monsters A transforming boss encounter Easily set in your own world, Theros, or Ferun Can be run with the basic rules Full of unique art a map handout for your players and maps for your VTT You can lean into horror or you can keep it PG. Suitable for gamers young and old for one long session or three shorter sessions.
A tenday ago, the human settlers of Olostin’s Hold started hearing strange noises coming from the distant White Stag Hills. Noises of battle. Incessant sounds of thundering hooves, clashing steel, flying arrows, and screams of agony heard from miles away. Could those be the awakened spirits of the past? And if so, what could be done to lay them to rest? The answers are found in Cairn of the Centaur Conqueror, a Feywild dungeon that only appears once every 777 years...
An exclusive party at an illustrious antiquities museum. A missing benefactor and host who turns up dead. A missing mummy, the crown jewel of a new exhibit, and a hardboiled detective trying to make sense of it all. And a party of adventurers caught right in the middle! Welcome to the Lucaryen Museum of Antiquities, enjoy your visit. We recommend for your safety not to wander the halls at night; some of our exhibits have a habit of coming alive and attacking the unwary. Not to mention other guests who may have something damming to hide, and a loose set of morals. Don’t worry - I’m sure you’ll be fine! In this pulp thriller mystery one-shot, your players will be thrust into the role of Occult Detectives, investigating the murder of the museum’s namesake and searching the premises by night to uncover clues and the whereabouts of a missing mummy. Inspired by films such as Night at the Museum, The Mummy, and classic ‘Whodunnit’ murder mystery tales, your players are sure to have a killer time! Featuring: 15 pages of content, comprising 4-8 hours of play A full-scale, two story museum for your players to explore Shady NPC suspects and unlikely allies, complete with unique stat blocks Myriad potential encounters and one epic final Boss Fight, with 46 unique creatures from the Monster Manual, Volo’s Guide to Monsters, and Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes Helpful tips for newer DMs
Dice roll and cards fly at the Dove House of Luck in Waterdeep... but it's not all fun and games, as your party must stake out the casino and determine whether a crooked card dealer is stealing from the house, and what she's up to. Gamble and be merry... but even games of chance have a habit of leading back to the mysterious forces of quarrelsome Gods. Lucky be Malady is a D&D 5e urban adventure module set in Waterdeep, suitable for Tier 1 (level 1-3) parties. Schmooze with other gamblers, chase down crooked dealers, uncover plots orchestrated by the gods of fortune themselves. Think you're lucky? 2-4 hours of gameplay in any urban setting New rules for 4 games of chance 1 new curse 3 NPC stat blocks Beautiful hand-drawn maps and art assets An ally with a heart of gold... or copper? Introduction for adventures focusing on self-determination vs. fate This module is set in Waterdeep but can be modified to fit any urban setting. It gives resources for parties in need of an NPC healer, and also introduces players to powerful curses that cannot be rested off without help. It can slot into any adventure where your party has entered a large city and offers questions and dilemmas that can be brought forward into future modules to challenge your players. Also, who doesn't want to spend down-time gambling with all that monster loot? Module written by, and interior art assets by TL Massey: https://twitter.com/t31im4s Cover art by Kat Brechtel: http://kbrechtel.com/ Written through the RPG Writer Workshop FW19: https://www.rpgwriterworkshop.com I'd be really grateful for feedback! Comment/review below, or reach me @t31m4s
A noble scion and his retinue from Baldur’s Gate left on an adventure amid much fanfare. That was two weeks ago. Rumours in the taverns suggest only a single soldier returned, bearing grievous wounds and a ransom demand. Is this a simple case of misadventure, or are darker conspiracies afoot? Can you locate and rescue the nobleman, or will you fall victim to the malevolent powers stirring deep within the Temple of the Opal Goddess?
Rare portals between the planes sometimes appear in the Caslan Woods. Recently though, these mythical woods have slowly moldered into swampland. As if that wasn’t grim enough, bands of ogres and kobolds raid nearby settlement without fear of reprisal. Your adventuring party traverses the Caslan Woods, hoping to find the source to these strange occurrences. What lies at the heart of the swamp, however, is anything but expected.
Some weeks ago, a tiny sliver of shadow crept into Yarralanya Swamp. It fed on the worms, then on the fish and snakes, growing larger over time until it threatened the lives of the swamp folk, who took up their weapons and fought back, to no avail. In order to buy time for a second attempt, the swamp folk began to steal livestock from the nearby village to satiate the beast’s hunger. After all, who but those villagers could be responsible for unleashing this threat? Soon after, a band of adventurers visiting Rishel’s Hollow find themselves tasked with a simple mission: end the theft of cattle by whatever means necessary. This adventure should run for 3-5 hours, either as a standalone one-shot or as part of an existing campaign, especially one featuring creatures from the Shadowfell or the experiments of a mage. Encounters assume a party of 4-6 level 4 characters.
A cry for help by a small village in the Howling Valley. An abandoned monastery on top of the mountain. Hordes of undead pouring into the realms. A mad mage with bad intentions. Will you be able to put an end to the unfortunate events in the valley?
This is a short adventure than can be completed in a single session, for 4-5 players of 1st level. The old church at the edge of town has long been abandoned, but a week ago several robed figures arrived in town and have taken up residence in the old church. Since then, the townsfolk claim to have seen a strange mist around the building, and several folks have gone missing. Little do they know, these cultists have awoken a long dead necromancer, who seeks to bind a dark power to its will.
Locals on the edge of a mountain range are being harassed by brutal monks and their giant tiger pet. Travelling into the hills, the players find the hidden monastery of the Burning Tiger: an evil order of monks that only respect strength. To end the threat, the players must undergo 4 life-or-death trials to test their mettle. But not all is as it seems in the monastery. Can the players unravel the mystery, and survive the Trials of the Burning Tiger? Based on an encounter for 3.5th edition D&D written by Eric Cagle for Wizards of the Coast.