People keep asking for "beginner" dungeons. Everyone can name "classic" dungeons - Tomb of Horrors, Barrier Peaks, Ravenloft, etc. - but in order for those adventures to make sense, there needs to be some sort of introduction. It's like all the adventures we have are Bach concertos. People keep writing amazing works of staggering genius, but someone needs to write a book on how to play the piano. I had the same questions, and since I couldn't find anything satisfactory, I decided to write the kind of dungeon I would have loved to find. I wanted to write the best basic OSR dungeon for beginners that I could, and I also wanted to show the design process. If you like this dungeon, please share it, tell people about it, print copies and leave them lying around local game stores, or email this post to friends who have "always wanted to try D&D but don't know where to start". The entire thing is and always will be free.

Men always seek the blood of monsters. Some spill it to avenge their massacred families. Others swim through an ocean of gore to find treasures worth the envy of kings. A few know blood can be a priceless treasure in and of itself. Alchemy has long used the lifeblood of monstrosities as arcane fuel, and of all the legendary beasts, the blood of the gorgon holds the most secrets. Few know the blood's darkest lore, its ability to draw out the monster within every soul. Those who drink gorgon's blood are forever changed, and the darkest horrors of their mind unleashed. The heroes hunt a deadly murderer who stalks the streets of the Free City of Zobeck after nightfall, and cross blades with a guild of monsters who rule the city from below. Lucky heroes might risk no more than their lives. Unlucky heroes must wager their souls in a game where monsters and men dance close enough to share their blood and their fate.

When the fires smoldered in the belly of an ancient red dragon tyrant, and his thirst had been slaked by the blood of countless innocents, the old wyrm made a deal with a succubus to spawn him a son and ensure his name would live forever. The demon held true, though she imbued the wyrmling with her own infernal blood. Those who fear and serve the abominable spawn of this pact know him as the Wyrm Prince. Cast into the abyss centuries ago by the legendary Three- River Paladin, the Wyrm Prince licked his wounds and recovered his strength. The Three-River Paladin has passed into legend, and the Wyrm Prince has resurfaced, his vengeance awakened along with his hunger. The Wyrm Prince sacked the high city Zhaldanis, slaying its people and claiming the greatest gift from the gods — the Soulstone. At this late hour, you must venture into the catacombs of the Wyrm Prince before the Soulstone loses its power and all mortal souls are damned.

A city of burgeoning technology beset upon by intrigue and insurrection, Samon has been a thorn in Emperor Hitoshi's side since suffering in the rebellion against the Kengen Occupation, its wounds still fresh on the minds of its citizens. It is not beneath the notice of Hakaisuru Bengoshi however, and the adventurers are ordered by one such official to make certain that the Tazuki Rail company's doings are not curtailed by its increasingly aggressive laborers and their shadowy union, the Fangs. Little do they know that the bite of the fangs carries a far deadlier poison than any worker's ire! What you’ll find in Mists of Akuma: Fangs of Revenge: A complex cast of 20 NPCs beautifully illustrated by Nathanael Batchelor interwoven in an impressive tale of deceit, false trails, intrigue, and lethal adversaries The city of Samon, a settlement in the northern prefecture of Hakaisuru and home to Soburin’s most prosperous railroad company Four maps by cartographer Mike Myler: an isometric view of Samon, an isometric map of the Tazuki Rail Offices, a combat map of the Chujiang Gardens, and a combat map of the Tazuki Rail Basement The dangerous Mists of Akuma and the new misted condition The hengeyokai race and kitsune, nezumi, usagi, and (new!) hebi (snake) subraces The adeddo-oni and true hebi templates as well as a coterie of statblocks: adeddo-oni hunchling, adeddo-oni mage, adeddo-oni ninja, adeddo-oni samurai, factory worker, nuwa the brute (a true hebi), wajdet the charlatan (a true hebi), the many-faceted hengeyokai ninja, and the hebikontorora snake woman

Few are the wizards that seek to prolong their lives with dark rituals and foul magic to become the powerful undead beings called liches. But far fewer are those that seek to undo what necromancy what done and take back their lives after initiation to lichdom. Balipur is one of those few. Turned to a vassalich by the darklord Azalin against his will for impersonating him, Balipur, after Azalin's departure at the destruction of Il Aluk, seeks to imitate his former master's Grim Harvest project, inverted, in a smaller scale to forge a soul from the lives of other men.

A side-quest adventure - An abandoned keep in the forest provides a exploration sidequest, and an excellent base of operations for your party once cleared. Includes a great new monster and mechanic to repair the keep. Published by Limitless Adventures

Inspired by the 12 Labors of Hercules in Greek mythology, this adaptation incorporates the classic quests, monsters, and motifs of ancient myth while injecting our interpretation of the personality and flavour of the world's greatest roleplaying game. As a result, though those familiar with the original myth may recognize key similarities in this adventure, it has been designed with the goal of re-formatting and reframing these heroic tasks in a new light, suitable for an entire mini-campaign fit for a whole group of brave and heroic adventurers. Use the Village of Kalogeros to incorporate each labor into a long running quest, or take bits and pieces and re-flavor them as necessary to fit your game. The choice is yours. Either way, we hope you enjoy.

BE THE BAD GUY! The Kingdom of Talingarde is the most noble, virtuous, peaceful nation in the known world. Herein is the story of how you burned this insipid paradise to the ground. It's only fair. They burned you first. They condemned you for your wicked deeds. They branded you. They shipped you to the worst prison in the kingdom. In three days, you die. In three days, the do-gooders pray they'll be rid of you. They've given you three days. The fools, that's more than you need to break out. And then, it will be their turn to face the fire. Published by Fire Mountain Games.

A midwinter adventure for Draw Steel. Battle dangerous ice monsters, explore a strange fey realm, and negotiate with a powerful archfey to save a village from endless winter! This one-shot takes about 3 to 4 hours to complete and is balanced for three to six 1st-level heroes. Includes notes on how to adjust for a shorter session length or for higher-level heroes (up to level 8). Heroes can earn up to 3 victories. The Snow Queen's Fury is designed to introduce players to the core mechanics of Draw Steel—basic power rolls, combat, negotiation, and montages—in an easily digestible order. It's a great beginner one-shot, but would also work well as a seasonal interlude for an ongoing campaign. The adventure includes: - a charming midwinter festival with plenty of roleplay opportunities - one combat - one negotiation - one montage And your files will include: - battlemaps for all combat encounters (including a Christmas variant) - a reference map for the director - custom statblocks (including malice abilities!) for new ice-themed monsters - a PDF version and an Obsidian vault version of the adventure, for easy reference mid-session - a bonus level 10 solo statblock for the Snow Queen herself, just in case your heroes decide to do something really foolish

A free short adventure for four 4th-level characters by Mike Mearls Looking Glass Deep is a flexible, site-based scenario that presents you with the details of the ruined abode of the wizard Urlen Sparlek -- and the gang of outlaws that now occupies the place. This 10-page adventure by Mike Mearls is designed for 4th-level characters. Unlike some site-based scenarios, Looking Glass Deep features a dungeon full of monsters that take proactive steps to defeat the player characters (PCs). Tzarrik the hobgoblin sorcerer is an intelligent tactician with the ability to spy on the party almost at will when the group is within the Deep. His ragged gang of followers work together as a team under his command to repel attackers. Throughout the course of the adventure, the characters have the opportunity to locate an artifact called book the key of the way , discover the mysteries of the throne of the Deep -- and perhaps, in the end, even gain themselves a new headquarters. Published by Malhavoc Press

"Deeptown lies in the shadow of mountains, a town where anything is for sale if you can only meet the price. But in the wild surrounding valleys of the Deeps, it's the bandits who make the darkest deals - and their ambition comes at a cost far greater than the contents of any wayward caravan. You and your team have just been handed a new job: disrupt a meeting between a bandit lord and his mysterious new allies. At a remote mountain villa, you will strike hard and fast and leave terror in your wake. They give you the tools. You provide the talent. Survive, and you'll be well rewarded. Fail, and you'll pay the price. You've got three days to raise some hell." This was one of the first third party adventures under the OGL for 3rd edition published by Atlas Games under the Penumbra line. The attack on the mansion is not a dungeon crawl, but feels like a commando raid aided by some unique magic items.

Andrew Engelbrite's gripping tale of intrigue and honor takes the adventurers from a chance encounter with a kindly elder matron in Hofuku Prefecture, across the sea to the polluted islands of Uragi Prefecture, and into a deathtrap of enslaved water folk under the control of madman! What you'll find in Honorable Wills: Kittiyona and Ikkitongaku: Details for 2 of Soburin's capital cities (including full page maps) 18 new monsters and NPCs ranging from the heirs Torimu to the mythical umibōzu sea monster Cosmetic Augments: A new type of invasive technological enhancement and the Bioartist Monastic Tradition Torimu Keep: A 20 page, 3 level, fully-mapped dungeon An epic module that will end with the PCs reaching 11th level! Published by Storm Bunny Studios

Something stirs in the waters surrounding Port Wadegrave, a strange presence which has sown fear and discord throughout the coastal town, and sailors fear to cast out upon the waves! Can anyone get to the bottom of these mystery monster sightings and make the port safe once more? Ancient Cargo is a sea-faring adventure for Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition in which the Player Characters (PC’s) must defend a ship against a host of oceanic threats if they hope to complete their journey to Port Wadegrave. This adventure is designed for characters of 2nd to 4th level and is optimised for four characters with an average party level of 3. The adventure is setting agnostic and can easily fit into any published or homebrew world.

A band of villagers are trapped in a mist-shrouded carnival in the dead of night, facing death at every turn. Can they survive twisted oddities like the corpse-filled Tunnel of Love and the dreaded Bone Coaster? Filled with fantastic art, the Carnival of the Damned unleashes nightmares into any campaign, with encounters refined and polished by the anguished screams of hundreds of players at conventions like Dragon Con and Gary Con! For judges, the adventure fills many needs: author David Baity has crafted over 30 encounters and dozens of random threats. There is enough content for days of tournament play, or judges can select a smaller collection of favorite dangers for a quick DCC funnel session. For sandbox-style play, judges can extract individual encounters whenever a twisted challenge is needed in any old school system. There's even a haunting backstory for those looking to integrate the adventure into an extended campaign. And there’s clowns. Lots and lots of clowns. Published by Purple Sorcerer Games

What is this adventure? This is a short location-based prison break adventure where the characters explore a small-town prison. The whole adventure can be played in a typical four-hour session. Get In, Get Out! is perfect for situations where the party has broken the law and is captured by the local police, or they have to break out a prisoner, or any other prison break scenario you can think of. It is designed to be simple and the gamemaster is empowered to read and run it quickly. A 3rd level party is ideal for this adventure, but it can be easily tuned up to 5th level or down to 1st level by adding or removing a few simple enemies. A 3rd level party is ideal for this adventure, but it can be easily tuned up to 5th level or down to 1st level by adding or removing a few simple enemies. How to use this adventure? This is less of a specific adventure and more of a location setup, namely a small-town prison. Adventure can be designed either as a prison break or as a prisoner rescue scenario. See Adventure Hooks section for more on this. This adventure provides ample opportunities to be played as a smash and grab style of game or as a stealth heist sort of adventure. None of the situations are combat specific although there are plenty of options to get into combat. Gamemasters are encouraged to allow the players to complete this adventure without ever rolling for initiative. Clever play such as stake outs, gathering information etc. are key to successfully completing this adventure. What is included? The adventure pdf DM's map High resolution (3072x4096) maps for a prison (grid and gridless), which can be printed out as a tabletop map to play on.

In this small 20 page adventure module, discover an island infested with giant spiders and hope that you don't get caught too deep in their web... Spider Isle- a 5e SRD adventure for levels 4, 7 or 10. In James Grammaticus' Dungeon Short series, James explores fantasy worlds and settings in short bite-sized one shot adventures that be used on their own, can spring off into a larger campaign, or can be used as a side-adventure in a campaign. Featuring 4 original statblocks, and a new playable race, find out what terrors await your players in Spider Isle. An Island Adventure Dungeon Short.

Only True Heroes Can Find Honor Among Thieves … They lurk in the Ralferst Forest, striking out at all who pass through, robbing traders, assaulting farmers, even killing with impunity. Working from a secret base deep in the forest, a band of thieves has struck fear into the heart of Brandon's Bridge, the little village at the crossing of the Azure River. But now a band of heroes has come, seeking glory and adventure - heroes that might just be up to the challenge of driving away the Thieves in the Forest. Thieves in the Forest is a beginner-friendly, introductory OGL adventure. It features: A wilderness adventure segment featuring the Ralferst Forest, a dense wood crisscrossed with paths and fraught with perils. The nature of the forest and paths makes it easy for less experienced players and GMs to deal with this non-dungeon environment. A double-sided, fold-out poster map (17" x 22") of the thieves' hideout - an ancient ruined temple - suitable for tabletop use with miniatures or counters, for easier handling of tactical combat. Maps created in Profantasy Software's Campaign Cartographer 2, and available for download on the Atlas Games website. GMs can customize and manipulate these maps themelves, if they own CC2, and integrate them into their own game worlds. Published by Atlas Games & Truant Spiele

The lost city of Archaia - an ancient ruin sunken into the earth - lies deep in the badlands. In recent years, caravans from Eastdale have come under attack from orcs, goblins, and worse. Some say these blood-thirsty warbands have made lairs in the deep caves and ruins. Sill others say the ancient halls are filled with magnificent treasures left by the Archaians. Are you brave (or foolish) enough to delve The Forbidden Caverns of Archaia? The Forbidden Caverns of Archaia (FCoA) is a 296-page classic megadungeon for use with any old school fantasy role-playing game. The pages of Forbidden Caverns are crammed full with new material, maps, amazing art (including special surprizes by former TSR artists), as well as an amazing colour cover art by Ex-TSR artist Erol Otus that matches Barrowmaze Complete as a sister-book. The Forbidden Caverns of Archaia will keep your players on their toes and your campaign going strong for years. FCoA is brought to you by the Old School Renaissance (so don’t forget your 10’ pole).

The town of Ylraphon on the border of the Flooded Forest has been targeted by the yuan-ti. One of them has uncovered an ancient ritual to change the people of the area called the Old City into their servants. Can the adventurers stop the yuan-ti in time? The whole of the Moonsea may be at risk if they fail. Published by Mount Ogden Gaming Company.

Centuries ago, the four deities worshipped by mortals – Kishar, Kotaresh, Lyth, and Asar-Segt – threatened to drown the world in a flood of saltwater to punish the living for their impiety. The oracles and witches of the realm struck a desperate bargain with the gods, however, and convinced them to spare the world. In exchange, the mortal kingdoms were bound to demonstrate their faith once every generation by sending their most courageous and adroit warriors to the Crucible, a ziggurat in the lowest valley of the land. Every quarter-century, on the first full moon of summer, an eclipse darkens the night and the sealed ziggurat opens. Many traps, tricks, and guardians lie within the Crucible to test those who enter. Few who heed the challenge of the gods survive – most find only quick death. If the races of the world are deserving of the gods’ affection, their champions will overcome the trials of the Crucible and light the Divine Brazier hidden in its uppermost chamber. If they are not, the flickering candle of civilization will be snuffed. Little of value will have been lost. Published by Defy Danger and Save Versus Death