With the most powerful ruling house of Taux now an enemy, heroes of the Emerald Serpent must take shelter inside the revelry of the Festival of a Thousand Blossoms. This massive carnival sweeps over the city in the spring of each year for seven full days, and with it as a shield to their activities, a secret mission into the heart of The Grand Playhouse awaits. Can the heroes infiltrate the Thunderstone Crew? Will iconic characters from the Taux fiction come to their aid? What sinister plots still take form in the city by the insidious House Vash? Become part of the Tales of the Emerald Serpent in this 2nd part of the Taux Trilogy This adventure is formatted to both 1E & 5E gaming rules. Also available in PDF.
There is the well-known regional legend of Iptiz, a spirit naga whose greed was remarkable even among its own kind. Murderous raids and relentless pillaging yielded a hoard so valuable that the creature needed some place to store and protect it. Thus was the Vault conceived: an underground complex custom built to destroy anyone who is not its creator. Years ago, Iptiz's campaign of terror suddenly ended without precursor or cause. The location of the Vault was never discovered. Until now. The ring-city of Sulindal, built upon the shores of a mile-wide desert oasis, has come under martial law by an invading army of yuan-ti. They intend to exploit the resources in this renowned city of knowledge to locate the third and final Beacon of Selune. ...but for what purpose? A four to six hour adventure for four 5th level players.
Under raging storm clouds, the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of Castle Ravenloft. Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind’s howling increases as he turns his gaze down toward the village of Barovia. A lightning flash rips through the darkness, but Strahd is gone. Only the howling of the wind fills the midnight air. The master of Castle Ravenloft is having guests for dinner—and you are invited. Spans levels 1-10.
The door to the Abyss can be opened with good intentions. An act of mercy released a creature of unspeakable evil. Now, only you have a chance to stop it. A vrock has been trapped inside a stone circle outside the village of Sundown. This stone circle remained untouched for thousands of years, until an unwitting mage decided to depetrify one of the standing stones that he mistakenly thought was a helpless farmer. This released the vrock, who killed the mage and has been trying to regain enough power to plane shift back to its home. This module primarily is based on investigation and problem solving, with a final fight with the vrock at the end. Roleplaying should be emphasized. The town of Sundown is fleshed out with NPCs and stores for player exploration. Pgs. 4-16
The High Hunt leaves the streets of Waterdeep and heads beneath the City of the Dead where monstrous criminal overlords compete for the favor of their mysterious master. It will take more than skill with a blade to cut through the web of deceit and treachery that surrounds the Vampire Master of Waterdeep. Do you have what it takes to survive the Dungeon of the Crypt? "Dungeon of the Crypt" is part two of the three-part Vampires of Waterdeep Campaign Arc. Pgs. 62-88
Enter the ancient and corrupt city of Tyr, whose tyrannical sorcerer king has ruled for a millennium. As you wander the city, from the wreck of the Elven warrens to the sanguine splendor of the arena, you realize that the citizens of Tyr thirst less for water than they do for freedom. Now, after a century of slave labor, sorcerer king Kalak's great ziggurat nears completion. He has promised the city a grand celebration when the monument is done, complete with the most brutal arena spectacle in Tyr's long history. Rumors abound as to the nature of the spectacle: some believe it will bring with it the longed for manumission of countless slaves: others fear the annihilation of Tyr and her people as a sacrifice to Kalak's hunger for power; and a secret few believe it will be a day of revolution - a day of freedom. The adventure that introduces the Dark Sun setting as well as part of its metaplot. The adventure starts with the PCs being enslaved and forced to work on Tyr's ziggurat, where they make various connections that can affect things both in this adventure and the next in the series (Road to Urik). The finale takes place simultaneously with the finale of the Verdant Passage novel, and has something of a disaster movie feel - major events are happening, and the PCs are trying to survive in their shadow and (hopefully) save some people as well. Like many other Dark Sun modules, this adventure comes with a flip-book full of handouts as well as a few pre-generated starting-level characters. TSR 2401
A little village with a turtle-shelled problem. An unusual visitor who likes villagers - medium rare. The Kappa ofPachee Bridge is an AD&D® game Oriental Adventures module. Whether a group of religious pilgrims or a samurai with, bushi attendants, any strangers passing through Pachee are stopped by the frantic rice farmers, pleading for aid. This encounter is designed to fit into any Oriental campaign and draws upon Japanese folk legends about the nature of lake kappa, considered here to be a subspecies of common kappa (Oriental Adventures, page 124). The village of Pachee is a remote and usually quiet spot where travelers rarely pause, a collection of 35 rice farmers and their extended families, with fishermen, hunters, and herdsmen, a smith, two carpenters, and a potter. It is named for Pachee-ko, a deep, stream-fed lake west of the village. The waters of Pachee-ko irrigate all the rice paddies and yield the fish that feed the townspeople. Pgs. 28-32
The party makes their way into a small mining village by the name of Skalintown. They quickly realize that the people here are terrified, hiding behind closed doors and peering out through boarded up windows. A gang of criminals that call themselves The Calamity have promised to destroy the city and everyone in it if they don't receive a tribute of twenty thousand gold by the end of the week. This is a poor town and even with everyone's wealth combined, it doesn't come close to that value . . . but they are fighters. Perhaps all they need to hold back these invaders is some help. The deadline is four days away and the closest town that would be able to help is three days travel one-way. Skalintown tried to reach out for aid, but no one cared enough to risk their own lives to help them. Now they must rely on your players for help. The party will need to rally the townsfolk and strategically decide how to prepare for the assault. Do they dig trenches to trip up enemy wolves, do they train the townsfolk to use crossbows, or perhaps they create explosives to detonate when the bandits make it into the city? Each of the party's decisions affect the final battle and means that every group will have a unique experience in their fight against The Calamity. This adventure is heavily influenced by the traditional Wild West shootout. Try to capture that feeling for your players by playing music of that era, in the way the townsfolk act and speak, and the way the town itself is operated. There are thousands of different options for the fight and if your players play their cards right, they make quick work of the gang and earn a pretty penny while they do so.
Few planes possess the raw malevolence of the Infinite Layers of the Abyss. It is a place of random violence, appalling cruelty, and pure, unadulterated wickedness. Here, unreasoning malice rules, and countless demons torture and murder for the joy of it. The Abyss is innovative in its wretchedness, with each fleeting moment birthing new and awful psychotic acts of utter evil. Those who brave its depths find no relief from its corrosive nature, nor respite from the cancerous seeds of evil blooming within all who tarry here; they find only anguish, pain and if they're lucky, sudden, abrupt death. "Into the Maw" is the ninth chapter of the Savage Tide 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 monthly "Savage Tidings" articles, a series that helps players and DMs prepare for and expand upon the campaign. Issue #356 of Dragon magazine features an expanded list of strange and exotic magical items that could be purchased from the mercane merchants encountered during "Into the Maw." In order to rescue a friend, the PCs must sail into the Abyss and infiltrate a prison built by the Prince of Demons. Pgs. 48-85
Synopsis: Chalk Hill is a lonely village on the edge of the Downs. Nearby barrows contain remains of long-dead kings. As is the local custom, a pair of young newlyweds went to the ancient standing stones for the druids to bless their union. They never came back. The heroes must find and return the couple, who have been taken into the grave of Eorl Wulfstan. The undead Eorl saw the new-wife in a dream, and she is the spit of his long-lost beloved, so he had his servants bring her to him. They slew the young man, who rose as undead under the Eorl’s control. Can the heroes find the survivor and put the dead back to rest? A 4 to 6 hour adventure for 4 to 6 Tier 1 characters—optimized for 5 characters of 3rd level. This adventure came about thanks to the generosity and encouragement of Dyson Logos, cartographer of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. In it you'll find maps never before seen in a Guild adventure! "Chalk Hill" is an Old School "out and down" dungeon crawl, where brave adventurers venture into the wilderness and pit themselves against horrors which would set a-quiver the flesh of honest folk. It's proof you can have an OSR experience using the 5e rules!
The time has come to fight back against Hillsfar. Elanil Elassidil tasks you with uncovering valuable information to be used in a strike against the leader of Hillsfar, First Lord Torin Nomerthal himself. The only problem is that what you need is protected within the walls of the city.
Barbarian legends tell of five magical blades of measureless power. The more civilized cultures of warmer climes believe these tales to be nothing more than delirious dreams of frost-bitten brains. "Those frozen louts- they're trying to scare respect out of us!" At least that's what they want to believe. Three of the legendary blades of Corusk have been unearthed, and their powers have proven to be all that the tales claimed. You have been given these to use in the quest for the remaining two blades. However, word has spread to the peoples of the neighboring areas, and two groups are working against you to prevent your securing these swords. Beware the Hold of the Stonefist and the Rovers of the Barren! Only so much time remains for you to locate the last two Blades of Corusk ... and your enemies are on the horizon. Find the blades, and reclaim your birthright of honor and respect; fail, and be outcast from your tribes for life. The choice is yours. TSR 9337
Ra’s Evil Grin challenges adventurers of at least 11th level who are seeking a powerful magic item—the globe of Arden. If a different item suits your campaign better, another appropriate powerful item can be substituted as the final objective. This dungeon culminates in a battle with Dendorandra, a lesser marilith known as a dark daughter. As a lead-in to this adventure, the GM may use a map from another treasure hoard showing the location of the globe (detailed more fully in “The Legend of the Globe of Arden,” below) or a priestly tome describing Arden, the long-dead avatar of Ra, and the wondrous powers of an unknown artifact called the globe of Arden. Such a tome might mention that the globe emits rays as intense as those of the sun, destroying all they touch. In any event, characters should need to consult with sages and oracles to determine the location and history of the globe and dungeon. A sage could also provide a map to the dungeon’s location, referenced in the “The Legend of the Globe of Arden,” below. We set the dungeon on a small, remote island far across the sea, but you can relocate it to suit your campaign. This dungeon provides numerous puzzles, a few traps, and only two monsters. Those monsters, though few in number, should challenge and threaten even the most combat-hardened party—particularly after the party encounters all the vicious creatures that inhabit the Island of the Globe.
The Legend of the Black Monastery Two centuries have passed since the terrible events associated with the hideous cult known as the Black Brotherhood. Only scholars and story-tellers remember now how the kingdom was nearly laid to waste and the Black Monastery rose to grandeur and fell into haunted ruins. The Brothers first appeared as an order of benevolent priests and humble monks in black robes who followed a creed of kindness to the poor and service to the kingdom. Their rules called for humility and self denial. Other religious orders had no quarrel with their theology or their behavior. Their ranks grew as many commoners and nobles were drawn to the order by its good reputation. The first headquarters for the order was a campsite, located in a forest near the edge of the realm. The Brothers said that their poverty and dedication to service allowed them no resources for more grand accommodations. Members of the Black Brotherhood built chapels in caves or constructed small temples on common land near villages. They said that these rustic shrines allowed them to be near the people they served. Services held by the Brothers at these locations attracted large numbers of common people, who supported the Black Brotherhood with alms. Within 50 years of their first appearance, the Black Brotherhood had a number of larger temples and abbeys around the kingdom. Wealthy patrons endowed them with lands and buildings in order to buy favor and further the work of the Brothers. The lands they gained were slowly expanded as the order’s influence grew. Many merchants willed part of their fortunes to the Black Brotherhood, allowing the order to expand their work even further. The Brothers became bankers, loaning money and becoming partners in trade throughout the kingdom. Within 200 years of their founding, the order was wealthy and influential, with chapters throughout the kingdom and spreading into nearby realms. With their order well-established, the Black Brotherhood received royal permission to build a grand monastery in the hill country north of the kingdom’s center. Their abbot, a cousin of the king, asked for the royal grant of a specific hilltop called the Hill of Mornay. This hill was already crowned by ancient ruins that the monks proposed to clear away. Because it was land not wanted for agriculture, the king was happy to grant the request. He even donated money to build the monastery and encouraged others to contribute. With funds from around the realm, the Brothers completed their new monastery within a decade. It was a grand, sprawling edifice built of black stone and called the Black Monastery. From the very beginning, there were some who said that the Black Brotherhood was not what it seemed. There were always hints of corruption and moral lapses among the Brothers, but no more than any other religious order. There were some who told stories of greed, gluttony and depravity among the monks, but these tales did not weaken the order’s reputation during their early years. All of that changed with the construction of the Black Monastery. Within two decades of the Black Monastery’s completion, locals began to speak of troubling events there. Sometimes, Brothers made strange demands. They began to cheat farmers of their crops. They loaned money at ruinous rates, taking the property of anyone who could not pay. They pressured or even threatened wealthy patrons, extorting money in larger and larger amounts. Everywhere, the Black Brotherhood grew stronger, prouder and more aggressive. And there was more… People began to disappear. The farmers who worked the monastery lands reported that some people who went out at night, or who went off by themselves, did not return. It started with individuals…people without influential families…but soon the terror and loss spread to even to noble households. Some said that the people who disappeared had been taken into the Black Monastery, and the place slowly gained an evil reputation. Tenant farmers began moving away from the region, seeking safety at the loss of their fields. Slowly, even the king began to sense that the night was full of new terrors. Across the kingdom, reports began to come in telling of hauntings and the depredations of monsters. Flocks of dead birds fell from clear skies, onto villages and city streets. Fish died by thousands in their streams. Citizens reported stillborn babies and monstrous births. Crops failed. Fields were full of stunted plants. Crimes of all types grew common as incidents of madness spread everywhere. Word spread that the center of these dark portents was the Black Monastery, where many said the brothers practiced necromancy and human sacrifice. It was feared that the Black Brotherhood no longer worshipped gods of light and had turned to the service of the Dark God. These terrors came to a head when the Black Brotherhood dared to threaten the king himself. Realizing his peril, the king moved to dispossess and disband the Black Brother hood. He ordered their shrines, abbeys and lands seized. He had Brothers arrested for real and imagined crimes. He also ordered investigations into the Black Monastery and the order’s highest ranking members. The Black Brotherhood did not go quietly. Conflict between the order and the crown broke into violence when the Brothers incited their followers to riot across the kingdom. There were disturbances everywhere, including several attempts to assassinate the king by blades and by dark sorcery. It became clear to everyone that the Black Brotherhood was far more than just another religious order. Once knives were drawn, the conflict grew into open war between the crown and the Brothers. The Black Brotherhood had exceeded their grasp. Their followers were crushed in the streets by mounted knights. Brothers were rounded up and arrested. Many of them were executed. Armed supporters of the Black Brotherhood, backed by arcane and divine magic, were defeated and slaughtered. The Brothers were driven back to their final hilltop fortress – the Black Monastery. They were besieged by the king’s army, trapped and waiting for the king’s forces to break in and end the war. The final assault on the Black Monastery ended in victory and disaster. The king’s army took the hilltop, driving the last of the black-robed monks into the monastery itself. The soldiers were met by more than just men. There were monsters and fiends defending the monastery. There was a terrible slaughter on both sides. In many places the dead rose up to fight again. The battle continued from afternoon into night, lit by flames and magical energy. The Black Monastery was never actually taken. The king’s forces drove the last of their foul enemies back inside the monastery gates. Battering rams and war machines were hauled up the hill to crush their way inside. But before the king’s men could take the final stronghold, the Black Brotherhood immolated themselves in magical fire. Green flames roared up from the monastery, engulfing many of the king’s men as well. As survivors watched, the Black Monastery burned away, stones, gates, towers and all. There was a lurid green flare that lit the countryside. There was a scream of torment from a thousand human voices. There was a roar of falling masonry and splitting wood. Smoke and dust obscured the hilltop. The Black Monastery collapsed in upon itself and disappeared. Only ashes drifted down where the great structure had stood. All that was left of the Black Monastery was its foundations and debris-choked dungeons cut into the stones beneath. The war was over. The Black Brotherhood was destroyed. But the Black Monastery was not gone forever. Over nearly two centuries since its destruction, the Black Monastery has returned from time to time to haunt the Hill of Mornay. Impossible as it seems, there have been at least five incidents in which witnesses have reported finding the Hill of Mornay once again crowned with black walls and slate-roofed towers. In every case, the manifestation of this revenant of the Black Monastery has been accompanied by widespread reports of madness, crime and social unrest in the kingdom. Sometimes, the monastery has appeared only for a night. The last two times, the monastery reappeared atop the hill for as long as three months…each appearance longer than the first. There are tales of adventurers daring to enter the Black Monastery. Some went to look for treasure. Others went to battle whatever evil still lived inside. There are stories of lucky and brave explorers who have survived the horrors, returning with riches from the fabled hordes of the Black Brotherhood. It is enough to drive men mad with greed – enough to lure more each time to dare to enter the Black Monastery.
The PCs are singled out by happenstance as prophesied heroes who will find and return a great wizard to his family. Once brought back to the the family chateau, they are brought on as paid companions and free to explore the location as they wish. This is a large sandbox style adventure with several plots going on, including assassination, a wedding, false accusations of murder, and many machinations of the nobles to solidify or gain power. Whole this is going on the PCs are dropped into dream sequences where they learn more about the missing wizard and learn how and where to find and free him
An Undying Evil In Belthaar, city of dark alleys, strange cults, and rival sorcerers, a threat rises from beyond the grave! Can you solve the mystery of the Necromancer's Knife before it is too late? Savage Swords and Sinister Sorcery "The Necromancer's Knife" is a stand-alone sword and sorcery adventure module, inspired by the pulp era tales of Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton Smith. Venture in the footsteps of Conan the Cimmerian, Satampra Zeiros of Uzuldaroum, Imaro of Nyumbani, and other fabled thieves, reavers and slayers! Written for the Fifth Edition (5E) of the world's most popular roleplaying game, the adventure in this book can be easily adapted to any fantasy roleplaying game ruleset or edition. Note: This standalone adventure was originally published as part of the collection "The Spider-God's Bride and Other Tales of Sword and Sorcery". This new version has been updated to fifth edition rules and includes new maps and artwork.
The Shady Dragon Inn is a set of pre-generated characters for use with the Dungeons & Dragons game. This player's aid comes in two parts: each character appears first in a section devoted to his or her character class. They appear again in the second section as members of a party. As a DM or as a player, you may use either or both sections; over a hundred characters await you! Each character has a brief biography that will help you to create backgrounds for PCs or NPCs as needed. Also included is a rough physical description, and a list of items owned by each character. The Shady Dragon Inn also contains the D&D statistics for those special characters who are presented by figures in the D&D and AD&D toy line, and provides a tavern setting from which players may start adventures or gather party members. TSR 9100
Now that the ruined pyramid tombs of the ancient emperor-gods of Osirion are finally open to exploration, the race is on to plumb their depths and rescue their priceless treasures. Entombed with the Pharaohs is a desert adventure written by Michael Kortes that pits players against rival adventurers bent on getting to the treasure first as well as the vicious monsters and lethal traps set to stop them from their plunder. Ancient secrets and wealth beyond imagination await you in the pharaohs' tombs—will you be the first to find them?
An introductory adventure for AD&D. Discover the secret fortress! See if your character can survive the Trail by Fire! Use your own characters, or use the fully equipped characters that are provided. Also contains maps of the fortress and a detailed wandering monster table. Exploration into an underground military base, now occupied by monsters.
Need to teach a newbie how to play? A young village shepherd has been telling a tale of an opening in the ground near where his flock roams. Timby Poster thinks he has found something of great importance. He has been telling everyone that there are stone stairs leading into the depths. He was going to investigate but his flock was set upon by vile humanoids that have been raiding the area more frequently. As Timby is prone to tell “tales” of monsters and his flock came back intact this may be a hoax thought up by the young boy. This adventure was designed for a beginning character with little RPG experience. Created for one player and one DM this allows a new player to understand basic concepts.