About: This encounter was cooked up in the Write your First Encounter workshop by the Storytelling Collective. It CAN be slid in as a side quest in any urban or sub-urban context, or be adapted to add confusion to any rescue mission you are presently running. Synopsis: Through the doorway a young woman shackled to the wall matching the description of Helena can be seen. Though disheveled and looking to be in great discomfort, her beauty is remarkable. But on closer inspection, there are other people here — three identical Helenas! Noble woman Elize Cleron has hired the party to infiltrate the catacombs under the Schaefer Estate and free her twin sister Helena. Helena is being held captive by the Schaefer family, trade rivals rumored to have ties to the underworld. Elize has been unable to free her sister herself because of her identical appearance. Rather than pay an unrealistic ransom, Elize has provided the party with what they need to break her out. This encounter is intended for 3rd level characters.
The PCs intervene in an attempted murder and are hired to find out what made a guy go mad. This leads them to search for Yenejg Togan's tower/a strange merchant in the nearby forest, where they discover that bugbears have moved in. After exploring the tower, finding the "merchant", and dealing with the bugbears and the lamia that caused the incident in the first place, they were still unable to get into Yenejg's inner sanctum without a key. The PCs return with the key and figure out how to use it to enter Yenejg's sanctum. They then explore it, dealing mostly with traps, and finally discover the resting place of the treasure Yenejg stole from the town. This adventure begins with a skill-based roof-top chase and can include some complex non-combat interactions with potentially hostile NPCs. It includes some semi-interesting traps as well as some nifty puzzles. No villain to speak of. Fool-hardy adventurers can get themselves killed, but some caution will result in only one extremely hard fight, and even that can be avoided if action is taken quickly. Pgs. 74-107
The Chapel on the Cliffs is a 5th edition horror adventure optimized for a group of 4-5 characters of 3rd level. In this module, the characters will need to explore the ruined village of Kennmouth and its surroundings, find out why a small army of skeletons rises from their graves every night to drive out intruders, and search for a way to lift this unholy curse. The PDF comes with a companion PDF for scaling from levels 2-6. Produced by Goblin Stone
What would Greenpeace say about this problem? Last night the Vikings were your hosts. Now, you're in the middle of their feud. A beached whale is claimed by two Viking houses, and is necessary to the survival of both. Player characters are caught in the middle. Roleplaying, politics, negotiation. Set in generic Viking fantasy setting. Pgs. 36-38
This is the laboratory of High Alchemist Sureves Epans. He led a group of alchemists in research for many years, but recently there was a bit of a mishap. He discovered his wife was cheating on him with one of his employees and while in a drunken stupor trying to create a discreet potion to deal with the two of them, he let loose an infectious plague on the lab which turned all but a lucky few in the facility into shambling husks of their former selves., fused with their own creations as their minds turned to know but one thought - rage. This dungeon has rules to modify all encounters for a group of players levels 4 through 6 and is intended for a party of four. If you have more players, feel free to adjust the difficulty up one level for each additional player or simply tune the monsters to your needs. This dungeon contains many original enemies, a unique puzzle, and an environment that is meant to bring a sense of terror and anxiety on your players. I consider this to be the Horror-themed adventure of the module so feel free to add some creepy music and extra details along the way to bring the area to life (or death).
Attacks by the undead are on the rise in and near the swamp. Rumr has it that the swamp was once an elvish settlement, lost long ago to ruin and sunken into the marsh. But one structure, at least, has yet to be consumed by the swamp. And a long dead cultist of Orcus, buried in that forgotten mausoleum, has returned from the dead. Includes A short adventure for 4-5 characters of 3rd to 4th level A map of the Nightshine Mausoleum Stat blocks for all monsters Unnumbered map suitable for use in your favorite VTT.
You are hired by a merchant to protect a rare item, a crystal crown, for one night against the attempts of the city's thieves guild. The arrogant guildmaster has informed the merchant that he will steal the crown and he cannot be stopped. Continues in Part 2 in Polyhedron #23 Pgs. 13-20
Sometimes you can just be in the wrong place at the wrong time... Sheltering from a savage storm, a group of fledgling adventurers find themselves trapped by circumstances and powerful forces from a bygone age. Escaping from dark and dismal caverns, the heroes must brave a nightmarish trek through haunted and hostile terrain, pursued by an mysterious assailant to the very walls of Anduria – home of the greatest civilisation in the world. On the edge between madness and salvation, they must broker a deal with shadowy cults and political powers to determine not only their own fate, but potentially that of the Eternal City itself.
When a group of archaeologists put out a call for adventurers to help them escort a valuable artefact back to civilization, nobody expects anything out of the ordinary. However, our heroes have more than mere bandits to deal with at Havel’s Cross... Undead monsters roam the night and an ancient artefact stirs within a long forgotten temple. Getting to the bottom of the mystery will require a strong sword-arm and an even stronger stomach.
Expand your game with this collection of 56 NPCs of various Challenge Ratings, thirteen of which include maps and details of their lairs. Add these NPCs as a side-quest, a main villain, a one-shot, a bounty for easy money, or however else you wish. Written by some of the best-selling authors on the Dungeon Masters Guild and outstanding podcasters, each NPC includes an image, a backstory, motives, flaws, and a stat block. Some even include new magic items!
Bring a party of adventurers to a bustling city, where mysteries and dangers lurk around every turn. Just when you think you have the answers, a whole set of new questions arise. No matter which leads you follow, you will find yourselves... "At the Heart of Corruption" - one-shot murder mystery and fantasy horror adventure.
A spirit is attacking a town — no one knows why, but they’re determined to be rid of her. The adventuring party is recruited to investigate. However, what appears to be a simple haunting turns into a story of justice. Pgs. 43-59
A ghostly bird stalks a fishing village, killing its inhabitants. Solve its mystery and end the threat before it kills again! The Blight of Brineborough is a quest optimized for 2nd-level characters. It features a terrifying monster, two new magic items, and a sea shanty.
While lightning may strike anywhere, there is but a single Temple of Pure Lightning. This temple could be located just about anywhere – out in the middle of an expansive dungeon or even hidden beneath the streets of a bustling city. Regardless, this temple is not for the faint of heart. Within these walls are floors charged with lightning, ancient powerful weaponry, a vast series of winding powered minecarts, and rooms that are filled with eternal storm clouds. Just as dangerous are the aetherspawn that have been drawn to this place of great power and now see it as a home that will not be taken from them by the likes of a few mere adventurers.
In City Year CY444 the greatest Dwarf mage of all time, Archmage Panzar, mounted his Flying Pig and rode up to the Necklace to do battle with Guth-Targ Greller Ak Terraak, an Efreet, and her army in her asteroid palace. Despite his great magical powers, Panzar failed and his burnt and petrified body fell from the asteroid and crashed down upon a hillside somewhere in the Borderlands. His fall drove a narrow pit into the hillside to a great depth, although neither his body nor his legendary magical equipment were ever recovered. But now a seal ring bearing the mark of the House of Panzar has been found in a riverbed thirty miles west of the border city of Karan. The river is fed by streams emerging from the hill above it – Dol Jint. Could this large hill be the final resting place of the great mage and, more importantly, all his loot? The Pit of Panzar has over 300 encounter locations over 5 levels, this is a MEGA-DUNGEON scenario that follows the Dunromin University Press paradigm of Great Quality at the best possible value for money. The Pit of Panzar is designed for OSR and AD&D 1st and 2nd Edition, or pretty much any TTFRPG, intended for 5 to 8 adventurers of 6th to 9th level
The party finds themselves in a town being plagued by goblins, but not ordinary goblins - these goblins are zombified. Many of them are missing limbs and dripping with rot, but they still march to town with powerful intent. The party must help track down the origin of this plague - a Necromancer whose Blight Stone has been stolen by a group of mischievous kids who thought it would be fun to mess with the strange old man out in the woods.
Your friend and mentor, the old ranger Norlumin seeks to bring back his beloved, who gave her life to save the realm from a demonic invasion, but at what cost?
Sightings of a large Green Dragon have become more and more frequent and the shipping lanes are becoming regular targets. The duke has sent a military contingent but no word has come from that group. Is your party ready to lend a hand against an extremely dangerous foe?
A desperate rescue beneath the waves. The Deadly Sea is an oceanic quest for 4-8 characters of 4th-7th level in the AD&D® game. The use of magical items or spells which aid undersea combat, movement, and breathing is strongly advised. The ability to open locks is also helpful, as are mariner skills and knowledge. See additional notes in the section ‘‘For the Dungeon Master.” The adventure begins at a seaport which the Dungeon Master should name and develop as desired, to fit the circumstances of his campaign. The names of other areas may be changed to fit the campaign as well. This module requires some detailing and planning prior to use.
The Triad Series continues with Lion’s Breath Prison. After success against the Order of the Goat troops your next challenge awaits. The spiritual arm of The Triad is known as the Lion’s Breath. With some unfinished business in the form of Marquis Forten, the PCs continue to seek out their quarry. Can they locate the elusive traitor and bring him to justice? This adventure continues to send the party across the fields of Neville!