Welcome to How Not to Host a Murder, a short D&D experience that captures the details of Mike Krahulik (Penny Arcade)'s adventure run at the Acquisitions Incorporated live game at PAX East 2016. The wizard Elminster is hosting a murder mystery party, and you are invited. When you arrive at his demiplane home with the other guests, however, the night quickly turns sour as it is discovered that Elminster has truly been killed! It falls to the party to investigate the death and identify the culprit before they can escape the premises. When they've been identified, it's a race to apprehend the murderer before they can escape amidst the kooky chaos of Elminster's sanctum in this comedic adventure for sub-optimal 7th-level adventurers.
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!
The remote asteroid town of Darkfall harbors a terrible secret. In this adventure characters will have the opportunity to reveal the mystery behind the strange occurrences that have been plaguing the residents. A Two-Hour Adventure for Tier1 Characters. Optimized for APL 3. All maps, tokens, and VTT files are included. CONTENT WARNING: Abduction, Sacrifice, Horror This adventure has the three pillars of play, combat, exploration, and social, with suggestions on how to adjust as you need. Matt Brown, a highly talented D&D adventure author, is thrilled to unveil his latest work, "The Horror in Darkfall." A spine-chilling sci-fi adventure designed for 2 hours of play and a Tier 1, perfect for those who love the three pillars of play. With a silver ranking for his D&D adventure, "The Last Resort," Matt has a proven track record of crafting captivating stories in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and mystery. He is a true lover of all things fantastical, and his unique adventure is guaranteed to keep D&D players on the edge of their seats. When he's not weaving tales, Matt can be found enjoying time with his beloved corgi in the Boston area.
The characters will investigate a grim mystery in the elven village of Alkai Tor, hunt for answers in a lethal swamp, and finally confront a desperate killer in the Temple of Shattered Minds itself.
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.
A storm brews on the cliffs, and thunder takes wing. Near a remote coastal village, livestock vanish and tempests rage without warning. Locals whisper of a legendary beast: the Stormwing—a massive eagle wreathed in lightning, said to nest high among the windswept cliffs. But is the creature truly a menace… or merely a misunderstood force of nature? Dare your party scale the perilous cliffside, brave elemental hazards, and confront the Stormwing atop its thunder-blasted perch? Inside This Adventure: ✅ A lightning-charged dungeon crawl through cliffs, caves, and stormy ledges. ✅ A dramatic final encounter with the Stormwing—can your party fight, negotiate, or outwit it? ✅ A thunderous environment with gusts, static surges, and dangerous terrain challenges. ✅ Unique rewards, including the Gloves of Conducting, a magic item that crackles with power. ✅ Multiple adventure hooks for easy campaign integration. This adventure is part of Thirsty Tiger Tales, an ongoing collection of thrilling one-shots for D&D 5e! Perfect for a one-shot or a side quest in any elemental, coastal, or storm-themed campaign. Pay What You Want until the end of May! Suggested price: $1.00 Will your party tame the skies—or be cast down by the storm?
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.
This adventure is a supplementary scenario for Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus, which can be used while the party is fleeing Elturel and are heading towards Fort Knucklebone at level six. It entails a bargain with Bagrivyek, the goblin deity of cooperation. The God offers them a deal they can’t refuse, significant magical assistance for their quest, should they become its test subjects in a fight to the death with some of its elite troops. Devils that have been infected with a special substance, which is called soul-ichor and was created by a psychomancer, in search of his own power. The heroes will have a chance to interact with a god and bargain with it, a fight to the death at the Hellbent Fighting Pits, and also get a chance to learn of or even be introduced into a long-forgotten school of magic. Will the players reap all the benefits of this god-deal, or suffer the consequences of failing?
What good is a king without a city to rule over? What happens when everyone in a city disappears, gone without a trace? This is the state in which an adventuring party, your characters, finds Sheol in; a city devoid of all life forms, claimed by Hegemon, a Wraith that used to be its king. Explore the empty city! Be mindful of the thieves' guilds! Find your way to the portal that leads to the castle! Fight your way through the hoards of undead to foil Hegemon's insidious plan! An adventure perfect for the middle part of any campaign, full of plot hooks, possible plot points and areas of exploration! Tons of places, like the Tower of Eiden, with backstories to tie in with any existing campaign! Discover the "Hell's Gifts", red gems that defy space! This adventure offers: 30 pages of exploration of an empty city and a castle swarming with undead. Maps for major locations Two new Monsters, Hegemon and Corvus, also usable as NPCs. 3 new magic items. A plethora of plot hooks, possible plot points, and setting-neutral lore. Many hours of fun gameplay A Dungeons & Dragons adventure written for 8th level player characters, with level adjustments for levels 5-10 for the encounters.
A continuation of the mere of Dead Men Adventures started in the Brood of Uthtower, or a standa alone adventure in the Mere of Dead Men or other setting. Can be adapted for characters in tier I and II. This adventure located in the Mere of Dead Men has the adventurers combatting the new inhabitants of the Wilfhill House, which has been given form by some very ancient magic items given to them by an old and revenge driven group of Orcs who have partnered with an Ancient Black Dragon. The adventure comes complete with the following: - Full 18 page PDF adventure file. - 4 Parchment style maps (DM and Player versions) ready for VTT use. - 4 Printer Friendly style maps (DM and Player versions) ready for VTT use. - 1” diameter tokens ready to be cut out for use in person as well as files for use in a VTT - 5 new magic items - 11 stat blocks for the creatures used in the adventure
Lycanthropy or Misanthropy? When the moon shines brightly, someone – or something – is stalking the streets of Timbertown. Can the heroes figure out who – or what – and settle the matter before panic breaks out?
"I said right from the very beginning: this is going to end badly. But I never imagined it would be this horrible..." — Mydith Ryc, survivor of the High Walls Massacre A wandering prophet comes to a High Walls refugee camp on the outskirts of Sharn. He carries a message that brings people hope but also deepens the rift between communities. His sermons blame the district’s growing troubles on a new type of outsiders: peoples of Droaam. As tensions grow, a sudden ritualistic murder brings the entire community on the edge of collapse. Dive into a dangerous power struggle between Old Man Garin and the hardened captain of the guard, Elara Talsen. Echoes of Salvation is a gripping mini-campaign designed for four to six 5th-level characters, where it is almost impossible to save everyone and the time is always ticking. Features: - Over 25 beautifully grim pages - 10-15 hours of gameplay - Optional rules to keep your players on their toes - Intricate Influence system to weave power currents in the camp. Comes with a convenient tracking sheet — tyranny was never so easy to track - 9 unique monsters with custom rules for crowd fights - Custom maps of High Walls Refugee camp for both exploration and battle CONTENT WARNING Murder, gore and mutilation, manipulation (gaslighting), substance abuse, xenophobia, political violence, police brutality, child endangerment. No AI was harmed (or used) in the process
A reclusive widow is in over her head with supernatural forces. Discover the twisted secrets of the Margaster family and put an end to an evil threat before it overruns the city! The party's plans to steal some magic items from a rich noblewoman go awry when they find out she's made a horrible deal with a fiend to smuggle an army of Cambions into the city, bypassing Silverymoon's protective wards. Can the party stop her and defeat the fiends, or will they end up as a few more human sacrifices? This is as an expansion for Storm King's Thunder, but can easily be dropped into any campaign. Made for a party of 3-4 characters around levels 6 or 7. Content Warning! This adventure is pretty dark, and may not be suitable for all tables. The adventure's backstory involves a woman being driven mad by bearing fiendish children.
It’s been a long few days of travel and the adventurers are tired of eating rations and sleeping on the ground. The road opens to a small town with an inviting tavern. The smells of grilling meat and ale fill their nostrils and the sounds of laughter and music float out the tavern’s door. Unlucky for the adventurers, they’ve stumbled upon Dragon’s Breath Tavern. What starts out as a pleasant evening of food, drink, and entertainment soon evolves into an adventure that takes the party into and under Dragon’s Breath Tavern. The adventure includes roleplay, exploration, combat, and a dice game called Demon Dice. Although written in a non-specific location, this adventure could be run as a one-shot during the WoTC official campaign – Curse of Strahd. The adventure includes an isometric map and a top-down map of Dragon’s Breath Tavern. Available as PDF or for Fantasy Grounds.
A four hour Dungeoncraft adventure, set Icewind Dale, in the Eleventh Town: Chwingatown! It premiered at Redcap's Corner July 2021. Hunters in Easthaven are bringing back stories of tiny armed humanoids that chant “CHWINGA CHWINGA!” while waving their weapons. Are they threatening the Ten-Towns? Includes Full color illustrations of adorable chwingas and their unique town locations jpg versions of all maps sized to 70 pixels per five-foot square for use with VTTs
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.
The heroes’ journey is finally at its climax. The evil god Tunkorl has just been freed from his prison and only the strongest and bravest mortals of the realm can defeat him before he regains full strength and throws the world in another dark age. However, the ultimate final fight will not be as straightforward as it seems when the party becomes trapped in a time dilated cross section of Carceri, struggling to get back to the real world and finish the job. Escape the Labyrinth is D&D 5e mini adventure for 3-7 characters of 20th level. This adventure is designed for a single 3-hour session which can be part of a special event, the end, or beginning of a campaign. The heroes go between fighting the big bad evil god (round by round) and trying to escape the mutliple layers of the Labyrinth of Futility a space-time dilated cross section of Carceri.
A group of dwarves in the Hulburg region are in need of help. Strange lights have been seen at night and a deadly terror has struck their mining camp. Venture into the ancient ruins and discover the source of this terror before it's too late.
Save the village of Millvein! Prevent a war with the drow! In this 3-4 hour adventure for 4-5 characters of 2nd level, travel to a small chitine lair to prevent them from destroying the small village of Millvein and inciting a war between the surface and the drow. Includes: A 3-4 hour adventure for 2nd level characters Map of the village of Millvein 2 DM maps Stat blocks for all monsters the players might encounter. See where the adventure began in Into the Underdark - Part 1 A Family Affair The adventure continues in Into the Underdark - Part 3 They Call It A Mine
Beyond the western mountains, the orcs generally kept to themselves. Over the years they built their civilization. They enriched themselves through magic and music, and followed a doctrine of peace and acceptance that was empowered by the dangerous mountain range on one side and the swirling seas on the other. Their quiet society was shattered when a djinni named Hasteth was summoned by their elder mages. Hasteth was a creature of pure evil and perverted the wishes that it granted. In time, the orcs were able to trap the djinni within an enchanted ceramic jar called the Annihilation Hold, but not before their entire way of life was torn asunder. Many centuries have gone by and the orcs are scattered to the wind, with few recalling their proud nation. The hidden complex containing the Annihilation Hold has been discovered. Tales of wealth and magic fill the rumors the adventurers overhear. Will your adventurers brave the hazards inside to claim the riches?