Sail beyond the realm of the living. The wages of sin is sometimes worse than death. "The Vaka's Curse" is a short AD&D adventure for two PCs. The adventure is set entirely on board a ship, so it can occur whenever the PCs take a sea voyage. At least one PC should possess a silver or magical weapon. Pgs. 8-13 & 70
The king summons the heroes to investigate the death of a knight, and the final fate of the king's long-missing son. The knight and his entire order was killed by a Dragon! Yay we get to fight a dragon in the first issue of Dungeon Magazine! Much travel over many different terrain types featuring avalanches, volcanoes spewing lava, and many random encounters (not detailed here) before the heroes reach their real goal: A lake with a ruined wizard's tower and dragon's cave. Opens with a particularly byzantine Background section for the DM involving a prince you never meet, pirates you never meet, knights you never meet, and deep gnomes you never meet. See Out of the Ashes in Dungeon #17 for sequel to this adventure. Pgs. 42-60
Two days ago while in the Village of Balis you heard a rumor of an abandoned monastery. With such a deserted location already so close at hand one could not refuse the temptation of checking on its possible gains-whether it is treasure or knowledge that is to say. Yet the gains must surely be worthy of someone as adventurous and brave as yourself. Through further investigation of the rumors of the townspeople you have discovered that the old monastery is said to be haunted with the dead walking the grounds. Directions were located and after a final day’s praying you set out to locate the Monastery of the White Rose.
The newly ordained Bishop Martin has called upon your group to deliver a message across the sea. While somewhat beneath your status, the new bishop was a former adventurer of some renown. Along the way to the southern reaches the party will find themselves dropped off at the wrong port and unable to speak to the locals…and that’s just the beginning! The party will need to find the pasha, get valuable information from him to assist the new bishop, and finally get back home. This adventure goes with FT – Antioch – Kingdom of Nirack.
Framed by the Covenant of the Knife and thrown in the notorious Blackmaw Prison, Karl Manderholm awaits his execution at the hands of the deadly assassins’ guild. In order to save him, the PCs must enter Blackmaw in the guise of lowly prisoners and expose the one man who can clear Karl’s name, the Shadowmaster of the Covenant himself. Pgs. 34-50
Eons past the fabled sorcerer-kings of Parhok perished in a rain of eldritch fire. But legends hold that one tribe survived the apocalypse, fleeing with their slaves to a hidden city, where the greatest enchanters of all time could sleep away the centuries, and awaken in a future age as rulers of a ruined land. Now once more the forbidden spells of the Parhok threaten the good folk of the Known Realms. A kingdom lies ensorcelled, a royal family ensnared by the forgotten dweomers of a long-dead race. When the best attempts of seers and diviners have failed, it falls to the heroes to save the kingdom. Have the sorcerer-kings risen to reclaim their bejeweled thrones? Or has a more sinister power bent their ancient magics to its sinister will? Only the most courageous and cunning of heroes will emerge victorious from Dragora’s Dungeon.
Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast, it's true, but some music truly is the devil's music. This dark fantasy adventure is designed for characters beginning a gothic-themed Adventure Path campaign. An orphan raised by gypsies, now full-grown but still lost and alone, must face once more the tragic curse that destroyed her past. Will her darkling music bring ruin to the village she now calls her home? The adventure can help PCs gain additional experience and much-needed trust with the townsfolk even as they unravel the mystery of the haunted prison overlooking the town.
Do you want to run or play an adventure where characters start at level 13 instead of ending at level 13, and actually get to progress to 20 like the rules say they should? Do your players like to travel far and wide, exploring a huge unknown area? Do your players like to change their plans on a whim, and travel somewhere other than where they told you they planned to go last session? Do your players feel like fighting against an empire at odds of 20,000 to 1? Do your players want to commit occasional acts of sky piracy? Do you want an adventure that is designed to handle players using Scrying, Transport Via Plants, and Teleportation on a daily basis? If you answered yes to some of these questions, this adventure may be for you. Check out the detailed preview packet, which includes a campaign log showing how this adventure has actually played out. WARNING: FULL OF SPOILERS; VERY LONG. Against the Idol of the Sun is an epic hexcrawl campaign designed for high-level play. Adventuring parties should start at about level 13, and will likely end the campaign at level 20 with multiple Epic Boons. As a hexcrawl, there is no set adventure path that the party must follow. There is only one encounter that's even close to plot-mandatory aside from the climactic battle. Anything else can be skipped or handled in any order. The players are free to move about the map in any direction at any time, limited only by the risk of enemy action and encounters. The DM, meanwhile, is encouraged to have foes react to and actively hunt the PCs once they become a threat. Along the way, they may find and explore a number of dungeons, including a millenia-old laboratory in the grips of a time distortion, several mines that were abandoned for good reason yet may hold wealth within, and other challenges appropriate for high-level characters. This module is heavy on Exploration and Combat, but the Social aspect of D&D also is necessary as the player characters meet new peoples, work to convince them that they can make a difference, motivate them to action, and create overall plans for the NPCs and factions to follow off-screen to support the players in their main assaults. The key set piece encounters, which are optional but highly probable, involve attacking well-defended temples in the centers of enemy cities. Planning for these attacks will require paying attention to reconnaissance, timing, the use of allies, how to enter, and how to exit and break contact succesfully when dealing with enemies that fly faster than most player characters can walk. The adventure does not include artwork, and the maps are basic.
While the PCs continue the quest for the missing pages of the Codex of Gamber Dauch they find the lands of Count Elam. The ruler has recently been informed of an agricultural problem with a herd of Anhkheg tearing up the lush farmland. Further investigation will uncover darker secrets in the area, and those involving Drow and Derro!
The lost city of Archaia - an ancient ruin sunken into the earth - lies deep in the badlands. In recent years, caravans from Eastdale have come under attack from orcs, goblins, and worse. Some say these blood-thirsty warbands have made lairs in the deep caves and ruins. Sill others say the ancient halls are filled with magnificent treasures left by the Archaians. Are you brave (or foolish) enough to delve The Forbidden Caverns of Archaia? The Forbidden Caverns of Archaia (FCoA) is a 296-page classic megadungeon for use with any old school fantasy role-playing game. The pages of Forbidden Caverns are crammed full with new material, maps, amazing art (including special surprizes by former TSR artists), as well as an amazing colour cover art by Ex-TSR artist Erol Otus that matches Barrowmaze Complete as a sister-book. The Forbidden Caverns of Archaia will keep your players on their toes and your campaign going strong for years. FCoA is brought to you by the Old School Renaissance (so don’t forget your 10’ pole).
When Treason Walks the Land... Trouble stirs in Dunador! The King lies dead of a wound received during a hunting expedition. His brother, Lord Edrin, challenges the rightful Crown Prince, a half-trained young man named Edmund, for possession of the throne while Edmund travels on a pilgrimage to the holy shrine of Nevron. Forces throughout the kingdom vie for control of the realm. Can the player characters find the Crown Prince and protect him from the treacherous forces at large in Dunador? N3: "Destiny of Kings" (1986), by Stephen Bourne, is the third adventure in the novice series for AD&D. It's up at the upper end of what could be considered "novice" play, though, with the pre-rolled characters being 3rd and 4th level. It was released in February 1986. Like N2: "The Forest Oracle" (1984), this adventure is offered as a generic adventure, not specifically based in any existing AD&D setting. Suggestions are given in the conversion guide to place the adventure in the Forgotten Realms. Out of the Dungeons. One of the most impressive elements of N3 is its complete lack of dungeons. Instead - as was increasingly the case by the mid 80s - the players are heavily embroiled in a plot. They must find the prince of Dunador and return him home safely. Elements of investigation and intrigue thus find their way into the game. There is also some opportunity for wilderness adventure - a quality that was also becoming more common in AD&D by the mid-80s. Future History. A decade after its original publication, Wizards of the Coast updated "Destiny of Kings" to 2nd edition AD&D and reprinted it (1998). It was one of the few classic adventures to receive this treatment. This conversion guide allows DMs to run the original module with 5th Edition rules and provides a reference sheet for encounters. To use this conversion guide you will need a copy of Destiny of Kings, originally available in hard-copy and now for sale in digital format at the DMs Guild.
Fane of Serpents is a titanoboa lair suitable for three to five 10th-level characters. A rocky butte covered with soaring ruins looms over the landscape. Legend describes it as a monument raised by an inhuman race that was wiped out centuries ago as retribution over foul practices. Locally, the spot is known as Titan’s Height. It rises starkly above the surrounding area, with four terraced plateaus. Each level is covered with the ruins of many-columned halls in an architectural style unlike anything else in the area. Their age and strangeness alone are enough to generate fearful legends. The stories grow worse when travelers or livestock disappear near Titan’s Height, which they sometimes do.
People keep asking for "beginner" dungeons. Everyone can name "classic" dungeons - Tomb of Horrors, Barrier Peaks, Ravenloft, etc. - but in order for those adventures to make sense, there needs to be some sort of introduction. It's like all the adventures we have are Bach concertos. People keep writing amazing works of staggering genius, but someone needs to write a book on how to play the piano. I had the same questions, and since I couldn't find anything satisfactory, I decided to write the kind of dungeon I would have loved to find. I wanted to write the best basic OSR dungeon for beginners that I could, and I also wanted to show the design process. If you like this dungeon, please share it, tell people about it, print copies and leave them lying around local game stores, or email this post to friends who have "always wanted to try D&D but don't know where to start". The entire thing is and always will be free.
This exploration adventure is planned to be played by 4 to 5 level 4 characters. The characters, led by old Maddie (who also hides a big secret), will go deep into the swamp and into the caves to retrieve the green heart.
A young boy befriends an extra-planar construct that has mysteriously appeared at his family’s farm. Once the boy finds out that other creatures are coming to take it back home, he comes up with a plan to get help from the party to save his new friend. Fairly in depth adventure with plenty of RP opportunity.
Something lurks in the shadows inside the caverns under the hill called Brin Brenin. Ancient enemies of mankind have returned for revenge, starting with the tomb of a long-forgotten hero. Somewhere inside are answers to forgotten questions, deadly monsters, and hidden treasures.
A Level 5 Adventure of Time-Bending Catastrophe Part of the Thirsty Tiger Tales series Beneath the crumbling ruins of a legendary arcane academy lies the Paradox Engine—a dangerous temporal device that shattered the very timeline it was built to study. Now, a deranged scholar known as the Mad Chronomancer seeks to rewrite history itself. In this time-twisting dungeon crawl, players must brave unstable magic, flickering echoes of the past, and a rift into the academy’s golden age—where they’ll confront the Mad Chronomancer before his actions doom the future forever. Two-timeline dungeon: Navigate the same vault in both past and present Puzzle rooms with lasting consequences Unstable combat environments and unique timeline hazards A solo boss fight that bends time against the players Includes the Temporal Warp Cloak, a rare magic item that glitches your image through time This one-shot is perfect for groups looking for a high-concept, low-prep adventure with puzzle-solving, combat variety, and an arcane twist.
Summary The party is sent to deal with a problem that should be instantly familiar to all rookie adventurers - exterminating giant rats that have taken up residence in a beer cellar. However, if they are to achieve their goal our heroes are going to have to get their first taste of a real dungeon as they explore the ruins of an ancient Wizard’s Tower. What is this adventure? This first-level adventure is designed for D&D veterans and complete beginners alike. It only uses rules, items, monsters and concepts found in the free basic ruleset that can be downloaded from the Wizards of the Coast website. That means that you and your friends can play this without having to buy anything other than snacks, drinks and maybe some dice - though even these can be replaced by the many free Dice Roller apps available for phones and tablets.
Save the village of Millvein! Prevent a war with the drow! In this 3-4 hour adventure for 4-5 characters of 2nd level, travel to a small chitine lair to prevent them from destroying the small village of Millvein and inciting a war between the surface and the drow. Includes: A 3-4 hour adventure for 2nd level characters Map of the village of Millvein 2 DM maps Stat blocks for all monsters the players might encounter. See where the adventure began in Into the Underdark - Part 1 A Family Affair The adventure continues in Into the Underdark - Part 3 They Call It A Mine
The Walled City of Vandosia sits on the bay and is surrounded on three sides by water. One of the more interesting features of this city is its massive sewer system that keeps water and waste flowing out of the city. Rumors have it that these tunnels are home to special problems of its own. Are your players ready to brave the gritty underside of Vandosia?