5e Solo Gamebooks presents The Tortured Land, the fourth in our series of solo adventures set in the Forgotten Realms. With this adventure, we take off the gloves and throw your PC into the thick of some serious danger in the frigid north of Faerun. Only the most hardened adventurers will make it through this adventure in one piece, and with several different paths available, replayability is assured. The Tortured Land will provide you with hours of enjoyable, challenging play time. Arriving in a lonely village in the middle of the northern plain known as The Ride, your hero is soon drawn into a quest to retrieve a precious artifact. From there they will journey even further north, towards the barren waste known as the Tortured Land, in search of an unknown enemy. There are items to collect, codewords to activate and perils to avoid. And of course, many combat encounters! As always, hyperlinks are included in the text to facilitate easy navigation, removing the need for scrolling between entries.
This campaign was created as a response to comments from some friends of mine. Though they were avid board game players, they didn’t want to try D&D because it seemed like too much of a time commitment with too many rules to learn before getting started. This campaign uses stripped down characters and a simple campaign, and was made to give them a chance to try it for half an hour on a regular board games night. I’m putting it online in the hopes that other people can do the same with it and expand the community. Inspired by /u/plaintreality of Reddit.
Can you stop the haunting before tea? The ghosts of two warring wizards are trapped in the basement of the house. It is up to the party to end this old feud. Pgs. 68-70
Centuries ago, a beholder named Yeryl fled from the place of his birth and wandered the countryside in search for a place to call home. After many sleepless nights spent carving out a safe nook for himself in the wilderness, he at last slipped into slumber. In his dreams, he found an ideal place for his lair: long-abandoned ruins hidden amidst a dull and barren valley. Yeryl spent years transforming the place to suit his paranoid designs. Visitors were rare enough, and the few that made it to Yeryl’s lair were quickly destroyed or forced into the beholder’s service, building the lair ever deeper and more magnificent. As time went on, Yeryl finally completed his task. Safe at last, but with nothing to occupy his mind, Yeryl was struck by melancholy; was this lonely and empty life truly what he had chosen for himself? On that day, Yeryl made a decision: next time an adventurer came to his lair, he would welcome them in. With this resolution in mind, Yeryl began to dismantle his traps and replace them with ones he considered to be more fun. Unfortunately, for all his good intents, Yeryl has not yet realised that killing people is a bad way of getting them to like him. Yeryl's Super Happy Fun Murder Dungeon is a highly obnoxious and mildly ridiculous collection of traps, combat and puzzles designed to test your players' wits and patience. It is optimised for a group of four to five 3rd level players, but the text also contains a guide for level adjustments for different sized groups.
This adventure begins with a message delivery to the post commander in Penchant. Sadly for your PC Lt. Kateryn Hawtrey is gone and the PC will need to wait until her return. While wandering through town yelling is heard and someone is in trouble. Investigation reveals that a small child has fallen into one of the town’s wells and needs help getting out. While forming a rescue plan the child, CeCe, screams and disappears from sight. Is your player brave enough to venture into the darkness alone? As with all adventures in the Penchant series it can be difficult and not for the faint of heart!
The Last Point is a prison and outpost of the Corrive Empire, a realm ruled by a cruel green dragon named Lady Corrive. The Corrivians are well known for their hatred of magic users, and their extensive slave trade industry. A forest realm with coasts on three sides and mountains running through the center, Corrive is rich with a variety of resources. However, the rocky northern coast is out of the way of their navy and relies heavily on hired ships to help transport various goods including prisoners and slaves to isolated outposts, training centers, and slave colonies. The northwest coast of Corrive is rocky and many parts of it are elevated, making it isolated from much of the mainland. The Last Point is a recycling center where captives meant for death row who are either deemed “not important enough” to execute publicly or “too disgraceful” to execute publicly are sent to be tortured and then killed. The place seems to operate on sort of a “well, we have too many so some have to go now” policy. The Last Point has no official deadlines for killing.
Cleric's Challenge is a one-on-one AD&D adventure, made specifically for a Cleric character. Pommeville is a sleepy little town that seems like a good place to stay for the night. That is, until the dead rise from their graves and begin terrorizing the village! Ancient evil threatens to overwhelm the good folk of Pommeville unless someone can find a way to comfort the restless dead. A lone, player character cleric will have to be clever, courageous, and more than a little lucky to solve the mystery and save Pommeville from the mindless zombies that threaten it! TSR 9429
The small town of East Crystal Shores sits opposite the lake where Zombie Curse occurred. If the party participated in that adventure and the Crypt of Kendal Furfoot they will be quite familiar with the area. In the Filbar campaign this area was used as a go between for different adventures. This offering allows a safe haven for the party while still being close enough to excitement. Several small encounters are available just outside of town.
The village of Hammerston is the site of a quick meal stop for a single PC and they quickly discover that the people are highly superstitious. A mage booms into the Kingfisher Tavern and reports his apprentice was chased while returning from collecting some items. The apprentice refuses to return to the cemetery where he was attacked and the mage, seeing your adventurer garb seeks your assistance.
Penchant for Adventure – 5 takes a single PC and DM back to a popular ‘haunt’. With the normal group taking a little time off your PC hears of a gambling tourney in Penchant which coincides with the annual Reaping Festival. Give your player a chance to “howl at the moon” in this quick but dangerous adventure! Remember, Penchant is not for the faint of heart…but have no fear, the adventure is free so no risk in that regard.
Kidnapped! The cursed Baron von Hendriks has kidnapped your betrothed. Now the madman wants as a ransom your Alandah's weight in unrefined gold! How are you going to pay? The baron himself has been kind enough to provide you with that answer: streams of raw gold gush from a burning mountain somewhere in the Sea of Dread. All you have to do is find this mysterious mountain. Unfurl the sails! The open sea awaits you and your crew as you sail from the city harbor. But beware! The Sea of Dread has more than earned its title over the centuries. Can you survive the perils of the sea? Will your crew mutiny before you reach the Burning Mountain? Or will you have to throw crew-members overboard just to make room for the gold? Solo adventure. "Lathan's Gold" is a real innovation in solo adventure design, considerably more complex than any of the gamebooks then being produced. Though the adventures uses the typical trope of numbered paragraphs, its paragraphs are divided into six types: "S"pecularum, "U"rban", Island "E"xploration", "C"oastal", "T"rade Routes, and "V"oyages. Players can jump between the sections, then return, in slightly freeform ways. Players are also required to keep track of hit points, money, and treasure (which were typical for the more advanced gamebooks), and rations, days remaining, and hull points (which were not). Another freeform element, quite unusual for gamebooks, is the "wandering monsters" table, which introduces semi-random encounters. TSR 9082
FT – Earldom of Curwood is a companion to Filbar offering FQ8 – Uprising of the Undead! This supplement gives an overview of one of the major cities in the Duchy of Bast and is the starting place for FQ8. The community is known for its diverse economic structure and makes for a nice respite for weary adventures!
After visiting a friend in a nearby town you head to the tavern to get some food. A recent storm has wreaked havoc and the residents are busy making repairs. Despite your offer to help the citizens politely refuse. After sitting down for your meal you quickly learned that some children found a ship that has run aground. The father tells you that the children are prone to exaggerate but you obtain directions to the supposed site anyway. Sure you’re alone, but you’ve got tons of experience already…
FT32 – Borgusburg is our first offering of November and, as always, free! This is a larger, walled village suitable for any campaign. While no scenarios are included, a variety of opportunities abound in this community. Feel free to use it for depth in your own campaign!
Fresh-faced and more than a little hung-over our newly graduated mage of the great Dunromin College of Magic and his friends step into the tea-room next to the Porter’s Lodge and ask for something for a headache. Within minutes they find themselves accosted by the smiling figure of Malcolm Darkstar, Bursar of the College and owner of the tea-rooms, keen to ask them a favour… This is an introductory level set of scenarios designed to take a starting-level party on their first exciting adventures; The Lost Son; The Return of the Cauldron of Millent and the Murder at the Red Barn
Lord Dragle was set to auction off his most recent discovery, the Shroud of Olindor. The elven relic was certain to make Dragle a wealthy man. Such a pity he had to die. But the plot surrounding Dragle’s death is far more layered than it appears. It is up to the player character to discover the hidden motives and ultimately recover the Shroud of Olindor. Part 2 of the Olindor Trilogy.
Sehvain Malual is renowned for his work in necromancy, using the dark art to destroy the undead pestilence polluting the world. However every warrior must hang his proverbial sword and retiring from adventuring life, the wizened elf settled down in a nearby town purchasing a small townhouse. Here, he would finally find the peace he so craved, or such he hoped before he found The Black Lexicon. What dark intent consumes Sehvain’s time is anyone’s guess, but only the PC can uncover the Legacy of Darkness.
An original one-shot adventure designed for 3-6 level 3 characters. SUMMARY: A recent archaeological expedition in Icewind Dale has uncovered a remarkable discovery: the Spine of the World mountain range is, in fact, the actual spine of a great giant. The discovery confirms an ancient legend, that giants as tall as mountains once roamed the Forgotten Realms. Lead archaeologist Silja Stengravar knows the truth. Centuries ago, a lich, threatened by the giants’ ancient elemental power, banished their race to an abandoned planet known as Kaiva. The lich was defeated, but its curse remains, protected by its minions in the heart of Garagai Mountain. Held captive to the curse, the giants are suspended in time, unable to roam free and claim Kaiva as their own. Silja’s discovery has summoned the portal to Kaiva. Will adventurers brave the perilous journey through the hostile and awe-inspiring planet to destroy the curse and reawaken the giants? DETAILS: 2-4 hour session for 3-6 players Play-tested material Unique items and mechanics Printable cards 16-page campaign guide Enjoy the adventure? Share your experiences with me! Hashtags: #SleepingGiantMountain #GiantsOfKaiva
A One-on-One Competition Module for Thieves Level 8 Your peaceful evening has been interrupted by an unusual request. As a thief, your skills are unmatched, but can you rise to the challenge of thieving for a powerful and frightening wizard? Do you have a choice? The Gem and the Staff is a special One-on-One competition module designed for one player and on Dungeon Master. The Module contains two separate scenarios, so you can switch roles with the other player after the first adventure. Scoring sheets and encounter summaries are provided for each adventure to make running competitions quick and simple. Character figures and a map book are also provided to help visualize the adventures. The player's maps are designed so you can see the rooms as they would appear. Complete DM's Maps are included. TSR 9050
The Pathfinder Beginner Box contains everything you need to learn how to play the Pathfinder roleplaying game, including rules to create your own fantasy hero and tools to make your own amazing stories. Heroes' Handbook This 72-page softcover gets you started as a player with a solo adventure, followed by steps to create your own character. As your hero grows you can level them up through 3rd level! Game Master's Handbook This 88-page softcover opens with an adventure to teach you the rules you need as you go. There are also tools for creating your own adventures and plenty of monsters for the heroes to overcome! Accessories The box also includes everything you need to get playing right away: a full set of color-coded polyhedral dice, four pregenerated character sheets, six blank character sheets, four sets of action tokens, rules reference cards to plan and track a character’s turn, a laminated, two-sided Flip-Mat, and over 100 sturdy cardboard pawns with plastic bases to represent your heroes, friends, and foes. All you need to bring is a pencil, a thirst for adventure, and your imagination!