"As you approach, the miners themselves appear from their hidey-holes around the ruined camp. They are haggard and hollow-eyed, barely able to lift the picks and shovels they've clearly been using as weapons. They are unwashed, muddy and stinking - they look little different to the undead that they have been fighting. Shrouded in damp blankets and shivering, they stare at you silently, even disbelievingly. There is only one left among them who appears to have a little iron left in his spine. He tightens his grip on his pick and steps forward. 'Are you here to help?'" Some doors should never be opened... A group of miners uncover a dark secret and find themselves fighting for their lives as the dead walk again. Can the party rescue the survivors and stop an ancient evil before it spreads across the land? Doorway to Darkness is a 3-5 hour adventure for characters of 2nd-3rd level. It features roleplaying, traps and horrifying combat encounters...
En garde! "Go away, or I shall taunt you a second time!" A duchess recruits the party to deal with a monstrosity. Pgs, 60-67
A mysterious package, a forgotten guild, a lost heir, and an undergoing conspiracy. Unfold Neverwinter’s dark past in this urban-intrigue D&D 5th edition adventure. The characters are called to guard a mysterious package that arrives the city at night. A well-planned robbery and the fact that this package was ordered by Lord Dagult Neverember himself alerts them that, this is not going to be an ordinary task!
Note: This is a sequel to Out of Body, Out of Mind. The legend of the realm of Tirna'cel is well known. Once remembered for its power-mongering warlords, homunculi-wielding sorcerers, and archfiends from the deepest pits of the Abyss, Tirna'cel has become a powerful and welcoming land over the last 600 years, due in no small part to the efforts of the warlord Tirna'gael, a member of the land's founding nobility. But your party knows the truth. You ventured into the tomb of Tirna'gael some six months ago, and therein discovered that the fallen warlord was actually little more than his brethren: a petty, avaricious power-monger. Possessed by a rival force which also desired the kingdom - a rare incorporeal demon called a nescent, which inhabited his body and augmented his already incredible power to unforeseen levels - Tirna'gael sought to overthrow the ancient warlords only to replace them. Through Tirna'gael's augmented body, the nescent overwhelmed and eliminated the other warlords, eventually dominating the realm along. But before it could consolidate its rule and throw Tirna'cel into an even darker age, the secret of its power was discovered by the paladins of Garadon, a virtuous cell of justice and light. The paladins lured Tirna'gael into the center of his own fortress and trapped him there within a powerful anti magic field. His body withered and died but the nescent remained dormant, waiting for its chance for revenge. During your visit to Tirna'gael's fortress-tomb six months ago, you accidentally released the nescent from its prison. That enemy has since been vanquished - at least for the time being - but the memory of your pitched battle against it still lingers as you approach the original chapter house of the Order of Garadon. You have been summoned.
Ancient port city on the edge of a desert. The city is stratified by social class and some of the slaves have formed a cannibal cult to Kthulhu. City + hexcrawl + dungeon. The Anthropophagi of Xambaala™ takes players into an action-packed realm of adventure: the mythical world of Hyperborea, a sword-and-sorcery campaign setting inspired by the fantastic fiction of Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and others. This adventure is inspired by Robert E. Howard’s “The Man-Eaters of Zamboula” and by various short tales of H.P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith. It is designed for use with Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea ™(AS&SH™), a role-playing game descended from the original 1974 fantasy wargame and miniatures campaign rules as conceived by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. AS&SH is compatible with most traditional fantasy role-playing games (c. 1974 to 1999) and their modern simulacra, such as OSRIC™ and Swords & Wizardry™. This work is both a setting and an adventure. The setting describes the town of Xambaala, noting key people, locations, and local lore. The adventure proper provides players with a variety of environments and the several factions fighting over them for their own goals. With a bit of skill and luck, stalwart adventurers may emerge richer and maybe wiser. The situation that will develop in Xambaala will be determined by the players’ choices.
Venture-Captain Juberto Savarre plans to retire soon, and he’s set his sights on spooky Dralkard Manor in southern Andoran. With the locals swapping tales of hauntings and missing persons, Savarre sends Pathfinders in to uncover the truth. Are the stories just tall tales or will the Pathfinders find themselves drenched in blood at Dralkard Manor?
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!
Figgy Puddin' Steals Christmas is a short adventure for three to six characters, and optimized for 2nd level characters. We also include Scaling Suggestions, allowing you to run this adventure for lower- or higher-level characters. We anticipate a run-time of 2- to 4-hours. There's a bit of roleplay in this adventure, which may extend the playtime. Adventure Background A traveling jester known as Figgy Puddin’ and her Coal Smudge Gang have stolen Christmas presents and now hold them for ransom. While safe and secure in her lair, she awaits either a payment of an outrageous ransom, or a crew of heroes to claim the presents after they navigate her not-so-festive lair. What's the Adventure? After you introduce the hook, the adventure occurs in Figgy Puddin's lair - a refurbished kobold bunker consisting of eight rooms. As the characters explore the linear dungeon, they encounter new creatures, complete challenges, and are tested about their Christmas knowledge. However, the final confrontation with the naughty Figgy Puddin' could make for a very Unhappy and Unmerry Christmas for our heroes, the children of Thistleton, and their parents. Who Is Figgy Puddin’? Figgy Puddin’ was once a happy jester who loved Christmas. For years she traveled the realm, bringing fun and festive cheer to villages and children while preparing the way for Santa. However, times have become tough, and entertainment doesn’t always pay as well as one would like. As Figgy prepares for retirement, she’s learned she doesn’t have enough gold to last. During this time, she’s also decided that Santa doesn’t know who she is, let alone appreciate the work she puts in every year. Using her savings, extortion, blackmail, and other nefarious means, she’s convinced several mechanical geniuses and arcane specialists to help her refurbish her underground bunker with wondrous effects, creatures, and tests. To fund her retirement, she’s taken extreme measures to make some quick gold — holding Christmas presents for ransom.
The island of Viledel, the mighty Sea King, was sacked by a pirate army 60 years ago. Its destruction was so complete that even the location of the island was lost and forgotten. Despite the rumors of immense treasures still hidden in the ruined stronghold, no one ever found the Sea King's island again. Until now. Through a cruel twist of fate, a small band of unwilling adventurers is washed ashore on a small, barren island, and discovers what remains of Viledel's settlement. But they aren't alone; marauding ores and goblins have found the island, too, and are frantically searching for the lost hoard. In this desperate treasure hunt, the real payoff may be survival. TSR 9185
A quest to aid the Knights of the North, who have been overrun by a tribe of orcs, results in a group of 1st level characters learning everything there is to know about the basics of Dungeons and Dragons. This low-level adventure will use EVERY saving throw, ability score check and skill check, and goes over conditions, environments and different actions a player can make in combat.
The dreadful jails below the appalling City of Skulls, Iuz's nightmare capital, contain many wretched and desperate captives. Among them is Earl Holmer, Knight Commander of the Shield Lands. A brave spy in Dorakaa has shown the ay to find and free Holmer—is your party up to the job of freeing him? King Belvor IV of Furyondy believes so. In the way stand fearsome priests and mages of the Lord of Pain; ogres, giants, fiends, and worse hinder the struggle to defeat the traps and guardians of Iuz. Plucking Holmer from his grasp will bring great renown, knighthood, and treasure—for those who survive. None has ever escaped Iuz's jails. Who will you be the first to use stealth or storm to breach them? TSR 9405
If the PCs are to avert the Age of Worms, they must invade the heartland of Kyuss' power, the Wormcrawl Fissure, and destroy one of the world's most powerful dracoliches before the Wormgod awakens. "Into the Wormcrawl Fissure" is the eleventh 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. Issue #343 of Dragon presents statistics for some extraplanar entities the PCs may wish to call upon to aid them in the Wormcrawl Fissure. Pgs. 54-89
The land of Felora is a stable pedocracy off the Feso Seaway. Generally considered a safe place to live because of a low humanoid population and a large defensive wall that rings the country. The same cannot be said for the area to the west known as the Wildlands. Once a thriving human land the area was taken over in humanoid raids a century and a half ago. With the aggressions against the wall lessening the Council of Wisdom is organizing groups to go in and explore the land for possible "taming". Potential explorers will be paired off with non-combatant survey teams. Are you new adventurers ready for a job? Played at Epic Nerd Camp '17!
Equinis Edwards, a cursed talking horse, has run afoul of a forest witch. He requires the aid of adventurers to convince the witch to reverse his curse and restore him to his original state, a unicorn! This adventure is: - setting agnostic - designed with combat-optional scenarios for younger players - all conflicts can be resolved with roleplay and creative thinking - written for a party of 2-3 adventurers of very low level (level 0-2 ) - easily scaled for small or large parties
Ashvale is a simple village, full of people who live their simple lives without knowing anything about the world outside their simple valley. But there is one thing that they know: animals can sense danger. And, for the last few days, animals have been running out of the woods. Characters are hired to investigate and must venture into the forest. But the culprit, a dryad, may have a good reason for chasing all of those animals away.
A dwarven expedition has stopped in Mulmaster for much-needed supplies. Furgis Boltsmelter, their founder and leader, is looking for some “no questions asked” protection for the duration of his stay in the city. Whatever he is trying to protect may not stay hidden for long. Can you keep his secret treasure out of the wrong hands? A four-hour adventure for 1st-4th level characters.
Many centuries ago, a band of paladins fell from grace. These blackguards were defeated after a great battle and their grim fortress, the Iron Tower, was razed. A small abbey was established near the ruins, where generations of monks mixed ancient eldritch wards, mighty clockwork traps, and multiple fail safes to build the Iron Crypt of the Heretics. Three mighty vaults ensured that its evils would be sealed for all eternity. But unbeknownst to the brotherhood, their impregnable crypt had a single weakness: the very monks that had built it, for they knew its secrets. When a devourer stole into their abbey, the profane beast forced the monks to help it inside the Iron Crypt. It successfully broke into the first of three vaults, releasing an army of wights. The story of the devourer and his wight army is told in Dungeon Crawl Classics #12: The Blackguard’s Revenge. Now, in the Iron Crypt of the Heretics, the heroes must venture into a crypt designed by the world’s greatest thieves, magicians, and seers, solve its puzzles and deadly traps, and seal it once more from the outside world.
Stepping through a door can mean a grand adventure - or a horrifying death. The shortest distance between two points is not always a straight line. A number of magic towers connected by failing teleportation magic. Abandoned in ages past, other creatures now make the towers their homes and provide challenges to parties of varying levels. Pgs. 34-42
This quest is for a party looking to regain a character’s soul. A character whose soul has been claimed by another entity cannot be resurrected through standard means. To regain the lost soul, the characters involve themselves in a conflict between a master thief and an archdevil. This quest assumes that the PCs would be willing to form a contract with an infernal entity. Includes a quest-related NPC that a player can control if they're waiting for their character to be resurrected.
The Stolen Lands consume many wanderers—the perils of its rugged wildernesses and hidden mysteries prey upon even the wariest of travelers. Founded upon one of the most savage frontiers, the colony of Varnhold defied the many dangers of this harsh region. At least, it did until all the residents of the fledgling community completely disappeared. Now it falls to the PCs to discover what became of their eastern neighbor, a secret steeped in generations-old hatreds and the mysteries of an empire long crumbled to dust. Can they uncover the terrible secret behind this shocking disappearance before the same calamity befalls their own land?