Modrons, Mephits & Mayhem is a Dungeons & Dragons 5E tier 2 adventure for three to five characters of levels 5-8. It is primarily set in a modron-designed research facility that has been abandoned by its creators but retains guardians that are still active. Additionally, two groups have broken into the facility with their own goals in mind; the githyanki and their red dragon cohort are antagonistic and provide the main source of combat in this adventure, while a modron traveling with a few mephits may prove friendly although ultimately troublesome. Inspired by adventure games in which the protagonists explore baroque, esoteric technological fortresses, and seeded throughout with factions that sport competing and often bizarre goals, Modrons, Mephits & Mayhem is sure to test the mettle of any group of players, and will provide endless amusement for Dungeon Masters seeking something different from the typical hack-and-slash dungeon crawl. This 70-page adventure features: *Two wilderness areas, random wilderness encounters, and a massive, interlinking 3-level dungeon filled with bizarre puzzles. *Ancient machinery powered by elemental portals, all of which can be activated, turned off, or manipulated by the player characters and the various factions within the modron facility. *Planar creatures like githzerai and githyanki, modrons, mephits, and elemental guardians, skillfully placed into the High Moor area of the Forgotten Realms setting. *Monsters and NPCs that have detailed (yet easy to run!) personalities and goals that will provide tons of roleplaying opportunities. *Notes and sidebars on running the NPCs with added complexity, or simplifying the NPCs' motives to make the adventure more straightforward. *Tactics notes for every single encounter! *An appendix that features all monster stat blocks, and both tagged (DM) and untagged (Player) versions of the dungeon maps. *Wilderness hex map by Elven Tower Cartography! Three interlinked dungeon levels by Dyson Logos...and one of them is a flying fortress! Cover art by Patrick E. Pullen!
A desert trade route has been besieged by an aggressive blue dragon. The Radiant Oasis, a town on the shores of a small lake in the middle of the unforgiving wastes, relies on the caravans for its existence. Track the vicious lizard, Ilvax, back to his pyramid lair. Brave devious and deadly traps and battle the dragon’s loyal minions. If you survive, Ilvax himself awaits in his cavernous lair. There, even the sands beneath the party’s feet bend to his malevolent will! Includes: The Radiant Oasis, an oasis town, and the potentate that rules over it. A two level map of the dragon's lair, in a hidden cave behind an ancient pyramid Stat blocks for all monsters Unnumbered map suitable for use in your favorite VTT A new playable race, the scarab like Kheperite Published by Goblin Scrawl Games
She ran. Where to or for how long, she really couldn't say. The little flame of her oil lamp sputtered and went out a few times. She'd snap her fingers and make the wick flare to life, but she may as well have ran blind. The hallways were pitch black with soot and choked with smoke, every turn was a guess and every corridor a gamble. Unnatural screams echoed from every direction. Left, right, left again, was this the south or north end of the labyrinth? She had no idea. The next turn brought her face to face with a doorway completely consumed in blue fire. The room beyond was so bright she had to look through her fingers at it. A shadow covered her, a shape in the doorway: a hulking creature with a wolf-shaped muzzle and enormous pincers for hands, wreathed in the same blue flames. The screams were getting closer behind her, too. They had her cornered, again. The demon slammed its shoulders through the narrow opening, splintering the wood and stone. She dropped the lantern and let the wand in her sleeve fall into her waiting hand. With a word of power and a gesture, she appeared in the familiar bedroom: stuffy and reeking of wood smoke. She'd have to try again tomorrow, if she could remember. During an exploration on the sixth level of Undermountain, a strange invisible creature leads to a series of collapsed chambers that hide a forgotten secret and one of the most devastating forces known to the multiverse. Marambra Nyghtsteel, the forgotten apprentice of Halaster Blackcloak, has been locked away for an age deep within Undermountain. What point and purpose her forced seclusion has, only Blackcloak may know. When a spell consuming blue fire, known as The Spellplague is trapped within the chambers, a series of events have left Marambra, lost in her madness, struggling to survive.
It’s a story as old as time. Boy meets girl. Girl meets abandoned well. Boy chases girl down abandoned well only to find horrors beyond their worst nightmares.. Perhaps those old tales about 'ol Grim Jack and Granny Hentooth lurking in a world below the water weren’t just silly children’s rhymes after all? The Weathered Well is a starting level Tabletop RPG adventure for the 5th edition of the world's greatest roleplaying game, centered around classic themes that feel familiar yet fresh to players of all skill levels. Designed to be easy to add into existing campaign worlds, this module takes the players through 3 levels of social, puzzle, and tactically focused combat encounters, and should take 10-12 hours to complete for a standard party of 1st-2nd level characters. The adventure takes the players through an open area town map, then into a more exploration focused dungeon crawl, and finishes up with a series of cinematic and challenging encounters, which combine enemy forces and the landscape to challenge the party and players alike. Designed for New Players and Game Masters! Getting started in tabletop roleplaying can be a daunting task. Learning the rules, finding the players, and convincing some poor fool to be the GM, all are difficult enough tasks on their own. We felt that there were a lack of adventures truly designed to be "1st level friendly" out there, and so got together to make The Weathered Well for just that purpose. This adventure is designed in a linear low-combat style which is intentionally helpful for low level characters and new players, and includes occasional blocks of DM Notes and tips to also aid Dungeon Masters new at their craft. It can be played both 'pick up and go', with many helpful block text descriptions, or read in advance for more appreciation of the backstory or for customization. The Weathered Well contains: 68 pages of highly illustrated adventure content, with detailed room and encounter descriptions. Three full-color maps printed within the book. The Black Root - a fully playable necromantic druid subclass, and the original builders of the Temple. Use them to create unique NPC's, or maybe even allow one of your players to play as a long lost member rediscovering their ancient temple! 13 new monsters, styled to fit the 'dark druids' theme; including bizarre fey creatures and monstrosities, like the Clawed Butterfly, Bliss Lizards, Weasel-worms, Zombie Oozes, and the vine wrapped crocodillian monster - the Hagator. 12 new magic items, specifically designed for low level characters. A mix of roleplaying, combat, puzzles, and skills designed to challenge but not overwhelm players of all skills. Multiple intro hooks, with matching wrap ups, as well as Further Adventures prompts. Published by Hack Shack Games
The journey continues on the high seas as the ship crosses the equatorial reach and heads into waters rarely visited by the children of the North. While plying the trades far off the coast of the mysterious T'ung Empire, the characters encounter a derelict ship caught in a thick seaweed sargasso. The ruins of the craft point to Molo and his deadly plot, and the chase continues to a new port of call, that of Distant Turtle City. Can the city be freed of Molo's dark influence? Do the brave adventurers have what it takes to challenge shade ninjas, ogre magi, bushido goblins, and even a rumored eye tyrant? Only time and dice will tell! This adventure is formatted to both 1E & 5E gaming rules. Also available in PDF.
From time out of mind, the standing stones known as the Circle of Cahervaniel have stood lonely vigil on a grassy hilltop. Sheepherders once moved their flocks over the hill and through the circle, sometimes resting in the cool shadows cast by the ancient stones. Everything changed when a stone finger fell, revealing a fissure in the earth. Now, dark shadows caress the circle after the sun sets. Creatures out of nightmare dance upon the hillside at night. Many swear that a unicorn of deepest ebony now hunts all upon two legs who draw near, while stunted creatures scurry in the shadows, abducting sheep from their sheds and drawing them down below ground for food. After the disappearance of a sheperd, fear grows stronger in neighboring villages. Who will brave the black hollow of the ancient Circle of Cahervaniel? Heroes of stern mettle must descend into the cavity and explore the ancient spaces existing there. Product History "The Shattered Circle" (1999), by Bruce R. Cordell, is a generic adventure for AD&D 2e. It was published in January 1999. Origins: Another Generic. After Wizards of the Coast began publishing D&D, their first year and a half of generic adventures were all classic revivals: returns to RPGA tournaments, to classic adventures, and to Dungeon scenarios. Even "A Paladin in Hell" (1998) was a return in its own way, to the demons and devils that TSR had become afraid of. Wizards was staking out new ground by reclaiming the past. "The Shattered Circle" (1999) was the first generic Wizards adventure that was simply a generic adventure, with no deeper origins and no hidden motives. Artifacts of Note. the foundingstone and the harp Euphonious are both one-off named magic items. However, it's sword Icerazor that's the most interesting. It's said to have grown from a shard of Frostrazor — a sword that would only appear ten months later in Return to White Plume Mountain (1999). There, it's listed as one of Keraptis' four implements of power, alongside Wave, Blackrazor, and Whelm — meaning that Icerazor (and this adventure) are just one step removed from White Plume Mountain itself. Monsters of Note: Chitine. It's somewhat curious, given the Greyhawk and Neverness connections, to note that the chitine debuted in MC11: "Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix" (1991). The spider-humanoids have generally been a Realms creature, featuring in bestiaries and histories for that setting. However, they also received a more generic "Ecology of the Chitine" in Dragon #223 (November 1995), which introduced the choldrith, or chitine priestess. This is their major adventure appearance. When asked about pronouncing their name Cordell says that he "can't be 100% sure of the original designer's pronunciation", but he prefers "KI-TEEN". About the Creators. By 1999, Cordell was one of D&D's most prolific writers. He'd previously authored many slightly related adventures, such as The Gates of Firestorm Peak(1996) and the sahuagin (1997) and illithid (1998) Monstrous Arcana adventure trilogies. This conversion guide allows DMs to run the original module with 5th Edition rules. To use this conversion guide you will need a copy of The Shattered Circle, originally available in hard-copy and now for sale in Digital format at the DMs Guild. This adventure is a generic adventure, not specifically based in any existing setting. Suggestions are given in the conversion guide to place the adventure in the Forgotten Realms.
The final fate of Roslof Keep and the Company of the Ivory Scimitar hangs in the balance. With five levels conquered, the party must finally face the ultimate challenge of the sixth and final floor. Can the stalward adventures overcome the last defense of the Infernal Machine? Will Roslof Keep be freed from the violet corruption? What unforeseen plot twists still await those willing to brave the challenges presented in The Realms of Madness and Despair? This adventure is formatted to both 1E & 5E gaming rules. Also available in PDF.
Looking for a little extra jink and maybe some excitement? It seems the Doomguard lost track of their coveted ship of chaos. It's flying about the abyss, driving the local tanar'ri even more barmy than they already are. Several factions want to get their hands on the Doomguard's stake, so there's bound to be a few job offers for bloods looking for a little action. Every sod's got a tale to tell about the abyss—it's the sinkhole of the multiverse, after all, peopled with every kind of scum a body can imagine and a few he can't. Never been there? Well, there's no time like the present. *** "In the Abyss" is a Planescape adventure for a party of four to six characters of levels 8 to 10. A simple errand to salvage the lost ship of chaos allows the player characters their first opportunity to explore the most notorious plane of them all. Of course, complications are as inevitable as the tanar'ri! The Planescape Campaign Setting and Planes of Chaos boxed sets, as well as the Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix, are required to run this adventure. TSR 2605
The Cagewrights continue their manipulations of the city of Cauldron, making the PCs their latest pawns in a gambit that leads all the way to the Abyss. The heroes must complete the test of a deposed demon lord to ensure the safety of Cauldron and all its citizens. The 5th adventure in The Shackled City Adventure Path. Pgs. 38-71
Evil lurks beneath the ocean! For years it has slumbered, but now it rises once again, threatening to wash over the surface world like a monstrous wave. Only a handful of stalwarts stand between the nefarious schemes of the deep and a world drowned in sorrows, but first they must navigate a wizard’s sanctum, a magical prison, and the most unusual dungeon they’ve ever faced! Can they stem the tide in time or will they lose themselves forever to the Sea Change curse?
You find yourself in the burning wastelands of Har'Akir - where nothing is as it seems. The desert is a powerful foe, but in Har'Akir an ancient evil is awakening and the desert will be the least of your worries. As withered hands cast off ancient shrouds, little can save you from their touch of death. TSR 9338
The Alchemist's Eyrie takes the characters into a fortified dwarven tower, where they are sent to recover some needed items. When they arrive, they discover the tower has been captured recently by a warband of renegade lycanthrope dwarves. Between the interlopers and the remaining traps set by the late owner, the characters may find themselves in deep, despite the lack of head clearance.
"House of Reeds and Whispers" is the lair of a pair of red hags, suitable for four characters of 8th level. This adventure can be completed in one session. Two red hag sisters recently exsanguinated an eccentric collector named Nahl Fry and took up residence in his swamp-side home. Liori and Ijith were seeking an artifact from the ancient city of Talitheos, the sunken stronghold of the red hags. They found the artifact, a pair of knitting needles made from blood-infused coral. in Nahl Fry's collection. The sisters yearn to understand how the artifact works, and so they are testing its dark powers against a nearby hamlet. They have knitted rapidly growing crimson reeds that funnel the blood of fauna and farm animals back to the house. The hamlet's leader, Galnas, hires the PC's to investigate. The party must press through the reeds, defeat the sisters' guardians, face the hags, and end the reedy infestation.
The characters arrive in Fallcrest just as a blizzard starts from the gloomy black clouds. the villagers gather to discuss how to survive the untimely and unusual blizzard. Suddenly between the roar of the wind and thunder, a ship descends filled with undead with one message: Return the ice scepter!. Afterwards, the characters must decide, find and return this relic to the Winter King, or bluff and plan to dethrone him. As they reach the tops of the mountains, possibly injured, the whole of the Winter King's inner domain stands before them. If they fail, winter will claim the Nentir Vale forever. Group of 4-6 players.
Caravans are having a difficult time getting through to Parnast via the Black Road. Organized attacks by orcs and other monstrous humanoids working in concert with one another have folks baffled. Little do they know that an unusually intelligent hill giant, going by the name of Bad Fruul is to blame. SEER has sent her emissary Hsing, to task your group to accompany a caravan with a very special cargo destined for the Shrine of Axes in Parnast, and to figure out who is responsible. A Two Hour Adventure for 1st-4th Level Characters
Arson, rioting, sabotage, murder - and no suspects. Watchmen are murdered, ships explode and sink in their berths, and savage monsters are summoned in the streets - but no one can catch the killers. The party must navigate the growing tensions between rival factions in the city. After following clues to a tavern, The Flying Hamhock, the party will need to defeat a powerful Hivemind which is behind the attacks. Pgs. 47-64
This high level adventure returns the PCs to Helvana. A recent adventure has netted the party some Adamant, a rare ore in Filbar that is excellent for constructing weapons of amazing quality. As you arrive in Vorshmorgan to locate a smith you quickly discover there are problems in town. The scenario was designed to give upper level players a challenge and pits them against one of the most feared creatures in the land!
Heavy mists have plagued the area around Phlan for weeks, even after the reported death of Vorgansharax, the Maimed Virulence. People have been disappearing in those deadly fogs, and now dead bodies are turning up. A D&D Adventurer’s League adventure set in the Quivering Forest.
In this prelude to the full Princes of the Apocalypse campaign book, adventurers face off against the influence of Elemental Cultists in the hills and canyons of the Dessarin Valley. The four mini-adventures within are only tangentially related to each-other, and instead serve as starting points and hooks for the plots of the complete Princes of the Apocalypse Campaign. Players start in the well-described town of Red Larch; first investigating a local necromancer, then uncovering cult influences within the town, and finally heading off to infiltrate or do battle with two small elemental cultist strongholds. All parts of this adventure can serve as great places to seed hooks for other campaigns.
The duchy of Velen is a bastion of law and order in an otherwise untamed land. Its ruler, Duke Calchais, holds his citizens and visitors to his city to a high standard of conduct. When Velen's harbormaster is murdered, the duke enlists the aid of adventurers to see that justice is served. Was the harbormaster a victim of larceny gone awry, or is something more sinister afoot in Velen? Murder in Velen is a 4-hour standalone adventure set in and around the port city of Velen, which is located in the peninsula nation of the same name in southwestern Faerûn. Velen is designed for a party of five 10th-level player characters, but it can easily be scaled by adding or removing creatures.