"Mysterious Ways" is a D&D adventure set in the Holy Land (Israel and Jordan) during the time of the Crusades (1114 A.D.) in an alternate-Earth setting. This is a world where the portals to otherworldly realms, particularly the Lower Planes, are closed--sealed shut by the power of the True Cross, a holy relic sought by evil thieves who would see the gates to the Lower Planes flung open. Magic exists in this alternate world, but it is less prevalent than in other D&D campaign settings. This paucity of magic serves the core of the adventure's storyline and should be preserved, if possible. This adventure is designed for a party of four 7th-level player characters (PCs). It is recommended that the party include at least one lawful cleric or paladin. Consult the "Adapting the Adventure" sidebar for ways to incorporate the adventure into generic D&D campaigns and modify it for higher or lower levels of play. Pgs. 84-112
Varisian fortune-tellers from across Golarion use the mystic harrow deck to read fate and predict the future, but few have ever mastered the mysterious harrow to such a degree as Sonnorae, a long-dead bard from the Age of Darkness. Fearing her collection of stories would be lost when she died, she created a demiplane within her own harrow deck to contain them. Over time, these stories took on lives of their own, and melded with the images on the cards themselves. But not all stories have happy endings, and the storykin who inhabit the Harrowed Realm have their own motivations and plots for power or even escape into the real world.
For hundreds of years, Aknar Ratalla's tomb remained undisturbed, the Black Blade safely hidden within its vaults. Can a band of adventurers use the tomb's guardians and traps to keep it that way? Long ago, Aknar Ratella brought pain and desolation down upon the land. His reign of ruin was finally ended by an unlikely alliance of the forces of law: a band of devils and devas slew the warlord but were unable to destroy his dangerous weapons and relics. They chose instead to hide these potent artifacts of evil in a remote tomb, selecting a devil and a deva to stand guard over the tomb for the rest of time. For many centuries, the tomb stood unspoiled... but now, a new player has entered the scene. After infiltrating the tomb themselves, a band of adventurers must become its guardians and use its denizens and traps to prevent a monstrous gnoll chieftain from claiming the deadly artifacts hidden within for his own nefarious glory. Pgs. 58-80
"A spiteful ghost haunts an abandoned courthouse in the metropolis of Absalom, and on the ten-year anniversary of a grave injustice it seeks its revenge. The heroes must unravel the mystery of the ghost’s demise before they too are given a guilty verdict and sent to the gallows." This adventure is different from many others in that it progress according to 1 hour increments, rather than according to the player's exploration. The party is trapped in an old courtroom, trying to solve a decade old murder. Though one of the villains is listed as a "revenant," this is primarily due to the thematic similarity. The actual undead antagonist is a unique type called a "croaker," which bears a similarity in that it is driven by vengeance.
Panic grips Absalom when a huge crystalline sailing vessel appears suddenly in the harbor. Identified as the King Xeros of Old Azlant, the ship presents a great opportunity for the Pathfinder Society. You and your fellow adventurers are summoned by Venture-Captain Adril Hestram and dropped aboard the King Xeros to explore it and report back. Only, what you find isn't an empty vessel, but a sinister ship with a vile intent. Difficult and unforgiving scenario, typical of Greg A. Vaughan. Contains lots of monsters from the Ethereal Plane and a mysterious setting. If playing under Pathfinder Society rules, a six-player party is recommended, rather than the standard four for early PFS seasons. Using Pathfinder RPG versions of monsters reduces the lethality, as the constructs are no longer immune to critical hits and sneak attack damage, and the Xill no longer automatically bite for paralysis on a maintained grapple.
Founded by a famous dragonslayer, the small town of Belhaim has become a sleepy rural community just off the beaten path, a settlement where everyone knows everyone and strangers are the talk of the town. But when Belhaim’s peace and quiet is shattered by the sudden collapse of the last standing tower of its founder’s castle, things quickly bloom out of control. Why were there bodies of kobolds amid the rubble? What’s the sinister secret behind the strange sounds of flapping wings in the night? And what’s happened to local wizard Balthus Hunclay, who’s not answering knocks on his door? The collapsed tower had long been an eyesore to the cantankerous old man—could he have had something to do with its destruction? And what of the rumors of strange stirrings in nearby Dragonfen? Has Belhaim’s ancient draconic nemesis returned?
After a riot erupts in the streets of Cauldron, the PCs must track down a missing paladin before the mob tears the city apart. The PCs try to stop an assassin during the riot and get invited to a meeting, where they are tasked to search for the missing paladin. After some investigating they will travel to Vaprak's Voice, an ancient Spell Weaver laboratory, at the edge of the Demonskar. In the dungeon they will find the "Starry Mirror", a puzzle/travel device through which they have to travel, to find the missing paladin. Part 4 of The Shackled City Adventure Path Pgs. 44-82
Bracing for a terrible winter, the adventurers find themselves snow-locked in the desolate Archbarony of Blackmoor. Will they venture into the treacherous Land of Black Ice to rescue an enslaved people? Be sure to check out the sequel "The Clockwork Fortress" in Dungeon magazine #126. Pgs. 16-35
Magical soul gems have been stolen from the secret vault of the goddess of death and scattered across the planes. Some want these gems to unlock the secrets of the multiverse. Others want them for personal power. Still others want them to resurrect a fallen deity. As the god of oblivion looms near, can the PCs retrieve the gems from their new owners in time to save their world? Beyond the Vault of Souls is a planar adventure for 9th-level characters, compatible with the 3.5 edition of the world’s oldest roleplaying game. Within you’ll visit the Eternal City of Axis, brave the dangers of the Abyss, and match wits with the torturer daemons of Abaddon. This adventure is set in the Outer Sphere of the Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting, but can easily be placed in the strange planes and dimensions of any game world. It can be used on its own or enhanced with information from The Great Beyond, A Guide to the Multiverse.
The Wells of Darkness is the seventy-third layer of the Infinite Planes of the Abyss, a prison used by demon lords and a graveyard for creatures the multiverse would rather forget. Imprisoned in one of these wells is Shami-Amourae, the Lady of Delights. This minor demon lord and former consort of Demogorgon is one of the few beings who knows the true secrets of Demogorgon's twin personalities and his plot to reconcile them, thereby growing immeasurably in power. "Wells of Darkness" is the tenth chapter in the Savage Tides Adventure Path, a complete campaign consisting of 12 adventures appearing in Dungeon magazine. For additional aid in running this campaign, check out Dragon magazine's "Savage Tidings" articles, a series that helps players and DMs prepare for and expand on the campaign. Issue #357 of Dragon magazine features rules for three new binder vestiges connected to the imprisoned demons within the Wells of Darkness. The Prince of Demons hides a secret, one that could well be the key to stopping the savage tide. Yet the only one who knows this secret is imprisoned on one of the most notorious realms in the Abyss. Will the price for rescuing her be too high? Pgs. 52-84
You and your fellow Pathfinders are sent to Katheer, the shining capital of Qadira, to witness the wedding of Pathfinder Faireven to the wealthy and beautiful Lady of Silver and bring back a trove of relics given to the Society as part of the wedding dowry. When the wedding is disrupted by unscrupulous thieves, you soon find yourself dodging double-crosses, accusations of grave robbery, and worse. You must find the relics soon, or risk facing the eternal expulsion of the Society from the treasure-filled deserts of Qadira.
The Shackled City Adventure Path enters the home stretch as the forces of evil take direct action against the heroes of the Cauldron. Dangerous secrets are revealed, important NPCs bit the dust, and your heroes will never know who to trust again! This adventure is seventh part of the Shackled City Adventure Path that began with "Life's Bazaar" (Dungeon #97). Pgs. 36-67
When an old beggar shows up filthy and injured on the doorstep of the Augustana Pathfinder Lodge in Andoran and demands to be recognized as Andoran's one true Emperor, Venture-Captain Wallace is inclined to chase him off. But when the old beggar reveals a wayfinder and tells a tale of demons and portals to another world beneath the streets of Augustana, Wallace summons you from Absalom to investigate. Will you make it through sewers, swarms, and sanctuaries to uncover the truth or will the dangers of the Augustana underworld consume you forever?
When Harrowstone Prison burned to the ground, prisoners, guards, and a host of vicious madmen met a terrifying end. In the years since, the nearby town of Ravengro has shunned the fire-scarred ruins, telling tales of unquiet spirits that wander abandoned cellblocks. But when a mysterious evil disturbs Harrowstone’s tenuous spiritual balance, a ghostly prison riot commences that threatens to consume the nearby village in madness and flames. Can the adventurers discover the secrets of Harrowstone and quell a rebellion of the dead? Or will they be the spirit-prison’s next inmates?
The PCs return to Diamond Lake to consult with the sage Allustan, they find the town in shambles and Allustan is missing. Locals tell tales of a terrible dragon's rampage through town. Unfortunately for the characters, the dragon is only the beginning. "A Gathering of Winds" is the sixth installment of the Age of Worms Adventure Path, a complete campaign consisting of 12 adventures, several "Backdrop" articles to help Dungeon masters run the series, and a handful of poster maps of key locations. For additional aid in running this campaign, check out Dragon's monthly "Worm Food" articles, a series that provides additional materials to help players survive this campaign. Those who have studied the cult of Kyuss and read through the Apostolic Scrolls they recovered in "The Champion's Belt" may qualify for the wormhunter prestige class, a highly customizable five-level prestige class detailed in Dragon #338's "Wormfood." Pgs. 38-66
This adventure is the ninth part of the Shackled City Adventure Path that began with "Life's Bazaar" (Dungeon #97) Wherein a group of diverse and talented allies learns the folly of not working together against a common foe.
Magical trinkets, unusual creatures, strange and mysterious artifacts, and more can be had at a discount at Gwen's Relics on Church Street. Now, the store's most outrageous acquisition has arrived, and the resulting chaos threatens to destroy the shop and release a plague of monsters into the town. Can the PCs stop the catastrophe before it spreads too far? What happens when a vagabond finds a weird snake down by the river and gives it to the local curio shop? Find out in "The Menagerie," winner of the Origins/DUNGEON Side Trek Design Competition. Pgs. 78-83
Tilagos Island does not appear on most maps of the Nyr Dyv, yet the storm-shrouded island hides the greatest repository of knowledge of an ancient cabal of druids who defeated Kyuss 1,500 years ago. "The Library of Last Resort" is the nineth installment of the Age of Worms Adventure Path, a complete campaign consisting of 12 adventures, several "Backdrop" articles to help Dungeon masters run the series, and a handful of poster maps of key locations. For additional aid in running this campaign, check out Dragon's monthly "Worm Food" articles, a series that provides additional materials to help players survive this campaign. High-level characters have a staggering array of options at their fingertips for exploration and travel, and issue #341 of Dragon outlines several of these. Pgs. 58-89
Hidden in the remote southern range of the World’s Edge Mountains lies a mysterious necropolis known in legend as the Tomb of the Iron Medusa. When the last heir of the dungeon’s long-dead noble builders hires the PCs to explore the forlorn and deadly site in search of evidence that may clear his family name, the intrepid heroes soon find themselves in over their heads. For the Tomb of the Iron Medusa does not give up its secrets lightly, and the dangerous truths that lie within its ancient, trap-laden crypts may have been hidden for very good reasons indeed.
The coastal village of Caer Garrion has mysteriously depopulated, and the only survivior, a lone prisoner in the local jail, has gone mad. What does this village's sinister fate portend for the Moonshae Isles?