Short, ready-to-play scenario. "The Moment of Truth" has been written as a short adventure, but would work best if integrated into a current campaign. The events described should be used in the order in which they are presented, but DMs should intersperse them with events from their own campaigns. The locations of each event have been left deliberately vague, since it is intended that DMs should run them at any convenient point within the context of a long-term adventure.

The invisible enemy. Rats, cats, and double-drats. Six months ago, the residents of Luskwald heard rumors from passing merchants of a possible goblin incursion into the region. News from the nearest city confirmed speculations that goblin tribes were massing in the distant hills. Worried about the future of his small community, the Laird of Luskwald commissioned a stonemason and several carpenters to rebuild a damaged keep two miles north of the village. The repair crew worked for weeks restoring the keep's fallen walls, while waiting nervously for the first goblin to show its ugly head. For the first several days the restoration proceeded according to schedule, but in the weeks that followed several 'accidents' led many to believe the keep was cursed or haunted. In the past week three of Luskwald's villagers have died, each the victim of a grisly assassin whose identity remains a mystery. Several citizens have heard or seen peculiar things over the last several days, leading them to believe that Luskwald has been cursed, or worse, ravaged by angry spirits--perhaps sent by a greater evil that dwells within the ruined keep! Pgs. 34-52

This AD&D scenario is designed to be a humorous departure from regular adventuring. The "heroes" are a fellowship of monsters on a quest to recover a magical item for an orc chieftain whom they have displeased. Having lost the map given to them, they must gain entry to a frontier outpost - probably by sneaking through sewers - and recover the map from a locked safe in the commanders quarters. Once they again have the map, the monsters must travel overland to an abandoned elven witches' temple on the shore of a mountain lake, where they will find the object of their quest. Pgs. 23-32

Beat your swords into plowshares. "Blood on the Plow" is an "interlude" adventure for a small party. It can be inserted into virtually any campaign world where agriculture is a common way of peasant life, at any time during the late summer months. A small side track adventure for adventures in the country side. A string of accidents have prevented a poor farming couple from harvesting their wheat crop. A party of adventurers could help bring in the crop with a week of hard labour. By the time they finish they'll discover the previous accidents were more than just bad luck. Pgs. 32-33 & 59

...There are older things in these forests too; the knights did not just battle the pagan kings of man but also the forest dwellers; the wodewose. Spend too long in any tavern or listen to a village alewife and you’ll hear stories of knights and wodewose duking it out in little patches of now cleared pastures. One of these little villages is the village of Levnec, a sad little town ruled by a self appointed lord banished from his seaside villa far to the south. His name is Lord Kristoph and he has been looking to hire some transient sell swords to solve his problem. Some of the townsfolk are (repeatedly) going missing and others are refusing to work, even after examples were beaten and hobbled by his men. Seeing as the townsfolk are blaming the local Gnomes, he would simply like these drifters to saunter in the wood, murder some Gnomes and bring them back to show the townsfolk there is nothing to fear (except him) and to get back to work.

For over a decade, the necromancer Malion has hidden in the wilderness, creating golems infused with spirits of the dead in his obsessive search for perfect beauty. At long last, he produced a doll that he knew it to be his final masterpiece, and, knowing there was no mortal soul pure enough to complete his work, Malion prayed to the goddess of love to bring his statue to life. Against all odds, his blasphemous prayer was heard, and the furious goddess sent her servant to bring Malion to justice.

Reports of the owlbear incident were vastly exaggerated. When is an evil mage not an evil mage? While visiting the small village of Carthington Cross, the PCs hear a tale about a wizard who unleashed an owlbear on Carthington Cross and its unsuspecting community. After a night of stories and gossip in the local inn, the heroes are approached in the morning by this same notorious wizard who needs their help. Pgs. 18-28

The Adurite Empire ruled most of the area centuries ago due in no small part to its chain of mighty fortresses. Chief among these bastions was the formidable Castle Modum. This ancient refuge was said to hold mighty magic which may or may not have been the downfall to the castle. Long abandoned the area has always been rumored to house spectral forces and evil creatures. Recently strange lights have been spotted over the keep and the citizens are concerned that an ancient magic has been awakened. The call has come to your ears that adventure awaits….are you ready?

A 1st-level dungeon crawl for Shadowdark RPG where the characters delve into a ruined citadel hunting for legendary treasures while avoiding the wrath of the infamous scarlet minotaur! Inside the citadel are secrets about the downfall of the warrior-cultists who once ruled it, three legendary weapons they wielded, and several factions of intelligent creatures to turn into allies or enemies. This adventure is part of the free, digital Shadowdark RPG Quickstart Set, which comes with two 68-page booklets (Player and Game Master guides), 8 pre-made characters with gorgeous art, and a form-fillable character sheet. Shadowdark RPG is what classic, old-school fantasy gaming would look like after being redesigned with 50 years of innovation. It's the world's greatest roleplaying game in a whole new light! Download the free Quickstart set here: https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/pages/shadowdark

This higher level adventure takes the group on a survey mission for the Merchant’s Guild. The party will be asked to go through Uvarno, home of the Horselords, and attempt to locate a suitable passage for a merchant caravan into The Melcore. The party’s previous dealings with one of the Horselords, as well as they proven abilities to resolve “problems” has made them a natural choice for the mission. Built as a hex crawl, this scenario will require the party to map the wilderness as well as clearing out any “hostiles”.

Abandon hope early and avoid the rush. A rebel leader is locked in a prison from which there is no escape. That's why the rebels called for you. The players are recruited to help rescue a prisoner of the Theocracy. The prison is very unique in that the cells are situated in a wheel formation. The prisoners are forced to push against their cell walls every day until after 1 full year (1 full rotation of the wheel), an opening appears in their cell and they are free to leave. There are many paths to success in this adventure, and it can play out more like a heist rather than a dungeon crawl. Pgs. 24-37

A political wedding is threatening a major source of income for the Thieves Guild Ebonclad. Ebonclad would like to see the affair disrupted and the couple never wed. Such a job may be risky, and its outcome could very well start a war if done poorly or without subtlety. That’s why a team of promising agents has been assigned to handle it. The mission’s goal is to disrupt the upcoming wedding of Camilla Swain and Le’Nal Beshiin, to ensure Ebonclad keeps a revenue stream open that their marriage would surely close. The caveat is, neither the bride nor the groom are to be harmed. This will mean the party will have to come up with a method to disrupt the wedding as it’s happening, while avoiding suspicion. As a bonus, the party members can rob wealthy guests or steal wedding presents. The mission is open-ended, giving the players full reign to decide how they will work towards a successful outcome. It lets you work to guide player decisions based on the information presented here, or improvise results based on the players’ actions.

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.

The follow up to the ratfolk warlock lair, A Rat Among Us, Part One. It is suitable for four or five 3rd-level characters. The lairs can be run separately or together as one longer adventure. The Demon Lord of Rats is making his play for control of the city. Will our stalwart adventurers find the source of his power and thwart him?

If you're looking for a light-hearted adventure, you've come to the right place. Can a wizard and her beloved chef live a quiet life of baking and brewing, or is trouble destined to enter their innocent kitchen? It's up to the player characters to see what these two have cooked up before things get too hot to handle (without potholders, anyhow). Game designer Andy Collins offers the latest in our series of monthly free adventures. This original Dungeons & Dragons scenario, including full description and stats for a crusty new culinary creature, is suitable for a party of four characters of 2nd level. Adventure Preview When Andolyn met Gendrew, it seemed a match made in heaven. Andolyn was a skilled wizard with a love of a good meal, looking for an excuse to settle down from adventuring, while Gendrew was a master chef looking to create new methods of cooking. Together, they took up a quiet life of baking and brewing, content to live in a small cottage on the outskirts of town. But now one of their experiments has gone horribly wrong, and the characters must save poor Gendrew from his own delicious concoction, while defending themselves from the inhabitants of the cottage, and one unwelcome invader.

The frontier town of Ehrshire is expanding rapidly, much to the delight of the burgeoning town’s lord, Earl Wallace Viktir. In need of timber to expand his seat of power, the earl has sent logging crews to the surrounding forest, although recent delays have caused him to become anxious and impulsive. Earl Viktir has left for the logging site to see what is causing the setbacks, only to discover it disturbingly vacant! The task now falls to the PCs to catch up with the missing Earl Viktir and sort out the trouble in the woods, but such as task is easier said than done. Something has roused the local plant-life into a frenzy, as if the entire forest has an axe to grind against the loggers! Will the party be able to get to the root of the problem… or will they be left barking up the wrong tree? Dungeons on Demand is a line instant dungeons you can drop into your campaign, each is designed for 4-5 player parties of specified levels, and each dungeon is complete with a back story, hand drawn maps, traps, puzzles, and reference information to monsters and treasure. You can customize each one to fit in your campaign however you wish, and each one can be played through in one or two gaming sessions.

A wandering farm boy falls foul of an ancient trap and is plunged into a death-like sleep. The cure lies in a temple hidden in the green gloom of Merthington Woods, but to find it, the adventurers must brave a set of terrible traps laid by a forgotten sect of priests...

In The Black Midwinter is a Festive adventure, designed to be played in one session. The PCs battle an ancient evil threatening a remote village in the subarctic north. Very much the same as most D&D adventures, only this time, it’s Christmas themed! The adventure includes a new Legendary Item, The Deck of Merry Things (with full printable art to create a prop deck), five new monsters including Krampus (obviously) and The Yule Lads (not so obviously, unless you're really into Finnish Christmas Folklore), ten additional magic items and four new alignments (really!). This adventure is ideal for a one off, not entirely serious game separate from your regular campaign. Mulled wine, stupid hats and holiday cheer not included, but very highly recommended.

The Tower of Zoramadria is hidden away in the Feywild. The tower is an arcane academy under the tutelage of the lich Parthal. Parthal and his students lead serene lives of study and contemplation, except when they engage in a bout of bloody necromantic research that requires innocent souls as vital components. Parthal has a score to settle, and the Feywild itself might shudder and scream before the lich has had his revenge on those who killed his love. Pgs. 104-111

Blight of Biel is a standard “fetch” mission with a twist. After finishing one adventure the PCs head to Biel for some rest. Sadly upon arrival at the thorp they discover the community has “the fever”. Only one person in town has not gotten ill and she needs some ingredients for a cure. This mission will require a quick resolution or the gravedigger will be busy! Oh yea…this game is called Dungeons & Dragons for a reason!