Long ago, a small but mighty humanoid kingdom existed in what is now the local wilderness. Bugbear and ogre warriors fought brutal wars of expansion, earning great fame and amassing considerable fortunes from their predations. Those who died in battle were buried in large tomb complexes dug into hillsides and honored as patrons of the living. Among these tombs was the large tor known as Hightower. Though it was neither the largest nor the most famous of the kingdom's tombs, Hightower did represent a typical example of this kind of structure. As happens to all such nations, the cruel humanoid kingdom eventually fell to a more powerful foe that razed all its cities and outlying fortifications. Of the tombs, only Hightower escaped destruction -- largely because it was an unimportant monument in a remote location. A few tribes of humanoids that survived the devastation tried to use it as a fortress, but the humans with whom they clashed defeated them soundly and sealed the entrance with a huge, round stone to ensure that the tor could no longer be used as a base. Since then, Hightower has served as a landmark for travellers in the know, but it has otherwise been largely forgotten. But the electrical storms that have plagued the area in recent days have been quite severe, and a few weeks ago, a stray lightning bolt broke open the stone seal. Tonight, yet another terrible storm is sweeping through the wilderness, driving all creatures to take shelter where they can find it. Hightower looms on the horizon, and its door is no longer blocked. Will the PCs dare to enter its silent halls?
A long, perilous ocean journey behind them, the crew of the Sea Wyvern finds itself shipwrecked on the Isle of Dread. Their destination lies well over 150 miles to the south, miles heavy with the threat of the island's terrible inhabitants. Yet the unknown enemies are far more sinister, for more than just dinosaurs hunt the vast jungles. Before long, a cunning fiend picks up their trail, and its duplicitous master demands their sacrifice. "Here There Be Monsters" is the fourth chapter of the Savage Tide Adventure Path, a complete campaign consisting of 12 adventures appearing in Dungeon. For additional aid in running this campaign, check out Dragon's monthly "Savage Tidings" articles, a series that helps players and DMs prepare for and expand upon the campaign. Issue #352 of Dragon explores the Isle of Dread in detail, providing a complete ecology of the island and the writing of Larissa Vanderboren. This article can be used as a player handout to represent the journals the group recovered from the Vanderboren family vault in the first adventure in the Campaign. Shipwrecked on the Isle of Dread! Faced with a dangerous journey, the PCs must escort a ragged band of castaways through monster-infested wildlands in order to reach the safety promised by the colony of Farshore on the isle’s southern tip. Pgs. 32-60
Kingdom of the Blind is a short adventure for four 8th-level characters. The adventure is set in a minor duchy that is fairly removed from the ruler of the land. As a result, trouble can brew in the land and the king would not know immediately. About three years ago, a medusa, Zhanna Serpentlock, began systematically turning every person in Duke Jellhyn Fedorel's (N male human Ari5) duchy to stone. After losing many peasants to the medusa, Jellhyn attempted to placate her. He offered her his second son, Dephyl, for a husband. Duke Jellhyn and his family had always been rather tense and uncomfortable around Dephyl anyway due to the fact that Dephyl had lost an eye in a freak magical explosion as a boy. Zhanna accepted the marriage, and though Dephyl didn't really care for his family due to how they treated him, he was also less than happy with the arrangement. A year ago, Zhanna appeared at Fedorel's citadel again. She claimed that Dephyl had been untrue and that she had turned him to stone for his adultery. Throwing Dephyl's stone head down in the courtyard of the citadel, she swore vengeance on all Fedorels for his betrayal. Duke Fedorel and his household fled the citadel. Rather than give chase, Zhanna took up residence there and began ruling the duchy as the sole remaining Fedorel family member. Jellhyn and his family have lived in exile for a year. This is what the PCs can learn, but more is going on. As it turns out, Dephyl is alive and quite happy with his marriage. Zhanna is not repulsed by his disfigurement as his family was, and Dephyl's missing eye is something of an asset in the relationship since it lessens his chance of being accidentally petrified by his wife. In the two years of his marriage, he has grown up and gained ambition -- he wants to rule. As a second son (pawned off on a monster), he would never have received the chance. Now, with Zhanna's help, he can rule. However, Dephyl doesn't have the stomach for killing his father and brother. Instead, he and Zhanna plotted to take over the duchy by frightening everyone away. Zhanna carved a stone bust of Dephyl and used it to frighten off the rest of his family. Now Dephyl and Zhanna live happily in the citadel and rule the duchy together, though Dephyl's existence among the living is a secret.
Create your own Critical Role campaigns with this sourcebook for the world's greatest roleplaying game! Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount provides everything you need to play Dungeons & Dragons on the continent of Wildemount (set within the world of Exandria)—a land of war, betrayal, and swashbuckling adventure. Comprised of four regions, Wildemount provides endless potential for adventure in a land of brewing conflict and incredible magic. Rising tensions boil over into all-out war between the politically dubious Dwendalian Empire and the light-worshiping wastefolk of Xhorhas, supplying a vibrant backdrop for any D&D campaign to explore. Uncover a trove of new options usable in any D&D game, featuring subclasses, spells, magic items, monsters, and more, rooted in the adventures of Critical Role—such as Vestiges of Divergence and the possibility manipulating magic of dunamancy. Start a campaign in any of Wildemount’s regions using a variety of introductory adventures, dozens of regional plot seeds, and the heroic chronicle system—a way to create character backstories rooted in Wildemount. Explore every corner of Wildemount and discover mysteries revealed for the first time by Critical Role Dungeon Master, Matthew Mercer. Includes: Frozen Sick: https://www.adventurelookup.com/adventures/frozen-sick Unwelcome Spirits: https://www.adventurelookup.com/adventures/unwelcome-spirits Tide of Retribution: https://www.adventurelookup.com/adventures/tide-of-retribution Dangerous Designs: https://www.adventurelookup.com/adventures/dangerous-designs
(NB: this adventure is set in a desert in the broader 'Nentir Vale' world, but not the Nentir Vale itself) Eladrin raiders led by the Half-Elf Emrett Mazrid have been trying to uncover the secrets of immortality. Disgraced academic Mazrid has discovered an obelisk in an oasis guarded by a sphinx, and is preparing to sacrifice their academic rival Voor as part of the ritual. Save Voor, the obelisk, and the oasis!
The frost giants of the Ice Mountains have long held to the belief that a great Jarl will one day step forward to unite the families as Konung (king). With the Ordning shattered, Jarl Ryndölg believes that if he can locate Hartkiller’s Horn, a legendary artifact among giant-kind, he could be the one. He may very well have found what he is looking for. A great clarion call has echoed across the Hartsvale for two days, and the giants are all marching north, has Ryndölg done just that? A Four-Hour Adventure for 5th-10th Level Characters This adventure consists of three Parts, as follows: Part 1. The adventure begins with the characters having already arrived in Stagwick (whether sent by their faction or by their own, individual search for adventure and wealth) and have been briefed before preparing for an important journey to the north Part 2. From Stagwick, the players discover their guide has been killed and must make their way through the deadly cold fingers of the Ice Spires alone—either by skill or luck. Part 3. Once at Ise Festing, the group discovers it’s been inhabited by a troupe of Shatterblood Ogres whom they must defeat to gain access to the redoubt’s observation deck.
Who knows why adventurers are drawn together? The lust for gold, a common foe, or the whimsy of fate? Pull up a stool, stoke the hearth, and let YOUR story begin! A Four-Hour Adventure for Tier 1 Characters. Optimized for APL 1.
Six months ago, an adventuring group that calls itself the Company of the Shining Stone learned of an aged wizard’s tomb that lay in the rocky foothills of a prominent mountain range, and sought to plunder it. What they were not counting on was that a band of stone giants would move into the immediate area to make their lair. The giants have rebuffed the company’s attempts at getting past them and to their goal. Now is the time of the annual fair in Adurath, a small town located not far from the tomb, and thus, the giants. The giants have no interest in the town or the tomb, but are instead interested in a rare mineral found only in that region. A few of the townsfolk have seen the giants, but there has been no confrontation other than between the giants and the Company of the Shining Stone.
Adventurers explore a frozen, buried dungeon of long-dead giants that turns out to be the birthplace of Runemagic itself, and may still hold the secrets of that forgotten art. However, even if they do survive the extreme cold and unfriendly denizens, they will still have to face the massive Runeforged Guardian before they can escape. This adventure includes lots of interesting multi-part traps and alternate encounters that can be added or swapped out in several places.
The Merchant Princes have a treat in store for everyone! A new team-based event has been added to the roster and the factions are throwing their hats into the ring. Climb aboard and saddle up! Part One of The Jungle Has Fangs Trilogy.
The peaks of a nearby mountain range have been home to Krikk, an old white dragon, for as long as anyone can remember. Aside from claiming ownership of a few villages and settlements near her range, she hasn’t posed much of a threat or even taken much notice of political events around her. Last week, a king’s prophet had a vision of golems made of ice that wouldn’t melt smashing through the royal castle walls, and of crops frozen under sheets of ice formed by the white dragon’s breath. Alarmed, the king has sent word that he desires someone brave enough to go to the dragon and find out whether she’s about to attack. If she is, the party must stop her before it’s too late. But, another prophet warns that the white dragon has an entirely different plot afoot, and that an icy grave awaits anyone who goes up the mountain. The player characters (PCs) have to figure out what’s going on—then decide on their own what they should do about it, while the fate of a king and his castle hangs in the balance.
At the behest of Orcus, Demon Prince of Undeath, a mighty deathpriest hierophant has begun assembling a powerful strike force. He intends to launch the first of many assaults on the world, readying it for his master’s arrival. With the help of potent allies and grand rituals, the PCs have discovered a route to the Abyssal headquarters of this hierophant. This delve begins as the PCs teleport from the world to the first of a complex of interconnected chambers deep in the Abyss, linked only by portals. Pgs. 126-131
Was it destiny or something worse that destroyed the Order of the Opal Fist? A dungeon crawl designed for four 3rd level characters. The original article has a sidebar for scaling the adventure up or down. Pgs. 106-124
The recent discovery of an entrance to the Underdark has set local leaders on edge. In a display of initiative, the First Lord of Hillsfar has ordered the construction of defensive structures surrounding what locals have begun to call "The Waydown." You have been charged with escorting an emissary back to his home in the Underdark without alerting the Red Plumes.
In Wheloon, a city known for its vibrant green slate roofs, a new temple to Mystra is in the final stages of construction. But something rings false among the heavenly spheres- or at least among those who mouth the pieties of Mystra while plotting magical mayhem behind closed temple doors.
No description available.
East of Beregost, nestled in the outskirts of the Wood of Sharp Teeth, Durlag’s Tower has intrigued and yet stymied adventurers for decades. Stuffed full of mechanical traps and arcane wards, and rumored to be inhabited by fiends, very few have managed to extract any REAL treasure from the former home of Durlag Trollkiller. However, a powerful item in the ancient fight against the giants is said to be housed there, and the cloud giant Baron Rajiram has committed significant resources toward recovering it. After a pleasant tea in her garden, Seer calls upon you to beat him there and put a stop to his efforts! Sequel to Durlag's Tower.
The Approaching Swarm is a short adventure for four 9th-level characters. The party can consist of any mix of classes, but it should include at least one character that is good in wilderness settings, such as a druid, ranger, or barbarian, and at least one cleric. This scenario should prove a reasonable challenge for characters from 8th to 10th level. The adventure takes place in a swampland that is near a small settlement. The adventurers have located the secret lair of Aleretheral, an insane half-orc druid with mastery over vermin. He has been breeding and training monstrous vermin to defend his territory. With the adventurers invading his home, he will do anything he can to protect it.
Still falling through time, Waterdeep has grown into a small city with a problem, a vampire problem, but an old friend offers a solution. Part Three of the Folded Time Trilogy. A Two-Hour Adventure for Tier 1 Characters (bonus objectives are available to take play to 4 hours). Optimized for APL 3.
The Gommurg Clan rarely deal with outsiders. These hill dwarves have isolated themselves for centuries to work on their craft and guard an ancient and sinister structure. Unfortunately, the world around them does not rest easy. An exile of the clan has inadvertently brought terrible woes to his ancestral home, and now he frantically seeks help to save his people.