Strange catches have long plagued fishermen's nets -- but none so strange as rotting fish that twitch and gasp for days after they are taken from the water, or a gilled githyanki's severed head found in a shark's belly. Do these briny omens lend credence to rumors of a sunken githyanki city caught in a necromantic civil war? This is a sequel to "The Death of Lashimire" (Dungeon Magazine #116). This adventure makes use of rules and options from "Stormwrack" and the "Expanded Psionics Handbook". Pgs. 60-82
Long ago, a local priest created a warded graveyard on a remote hillside. As the years passed, it gained a reputation as a spot whose defenses were powerful enough to keep undead in and tomb robbers out. Adventurers began to bring the remains of any creatures they suspected might become restless in death to the Tomb Steppe for interment, and in time they also sought aid against such creatures from the friendly priest. After his death, a brief spate of undead activity commenced, then died away once again. As the years passed, the tales of undead activity in the Tomb Steppe faded into legend, and colonists began to move into the lands nearby. The town of Night Falls was founded a short distance from the graveyard, and it grew quickly into a thriving trade center and farming community. Realizing that the Tomb Steppe was safe enough during the day, the citizens began burying their dead there rather than building new crypts on pristine farmland. Because this method of interment was cheap and easy, people from many surrounding communities brought their dead to the town as well. The business of burial brought new prosperity to Night Falls, and a guild called the Funerary House sprang up to control the trade. But it seems that the threat from the Tomb Steppe has not entirely been laid to rest. The Great Mausoleum -- the largest and finest tomb in the steppe, has been unsealed, and an apparition has been seen within. Who will go to the Tomb Steppe by night and reseal the tomb? Lest Darkness Rise is a short adventure for four 7th-level characters. In keeping with the season, it has a stronger horror theme than most D&D adventures. This scenario can be used as the climax of a series of adventures featuring its secondary characters, or it can simply be a site-based adventure that the PCs stumble across at the right moment. The scenario is set in a semi-civilized area in the far north, far from cities and churches, where winters are harsh and summers never get very hot. These inhospitable conditions have resulted in a low humanoid population. The scenario need not be set in such a wilderness; a rural farming community far from cities works just as well. The only real requirement is that the area have few settlements. The action takes place in the small town of Night Falls and a nearby necropolis of tombs, mausoleums, and graves known as the Tomb Steppe. As always, feel free to adapt the material presented here as you see fit to make it work with your campaign.
The Hungering Maze A Dungeon Crawl Adventure for Characters Level 5-7 Beneath the silver-rich mining town of Silberflut, a labyrinth lies waiting for those brave (or foolish) enough to enter. Twisting tunnels, shifting walls, and an ever-present sense of doom make The Hungering Maze a deathtrap for any adventurer. Dark magic has corrupted the once natural cave system, turning it into a place where madness takes root and lost souls are consumed by despair. This adventure is designed for four characters of levels 5-7 and will challenge their wit, resolve, and resourcefulness. As they explore the ever-shifting maze, they will encounter cursed creatures, dangerous traps, and dark secrets buried in the maze’s twisted corridors. Adventure Highlights: Maze Shifting Mechanics: A dynamic dungeon that shifts during exploration and combat, challenging players to stay sharp. Unique Monsters: Face off against terrifying new monsters like the Treasure Maw and Lonely Revenant. Multiple Adventure Hooks: Choose between three compelling story hooks to lead your party into the depths of the maze. Strategic Dungeon: Give your players opportunities to manipulate the maze and gain advantages over its traps and denizens. Rich Storytelling: Uncover the tragic fate of those who entered before, and seek a powerful artifact that could be both a blessing and a curse. Do your players have what it takes to escape The Hungering Maze, or will they, too, become part of its dark history?
One reason why they call it "the dead of winter." A year ago, a white dragon came out of the mountains north of Polarton, attacking trappers, driving off game, and marauding as it pleased. The dragon is seriously affecting the financial stability of the town. Therefore, the town council has placed a bounty on the dragon. This is a short arctic adventure. Pgs. 15-19
Give your game’s locations a character all their own! Build encounter themes, emphasize magic places, and connect it all to the monsters living there with Expanded Environments and Additional Actions. Use traits to make creatures stand out and enhance their bond with the land, then add lair actions to reinforce the connection and escalate the fight. New interactions encourage a race between players and monsters to gain the upper hand using the environment around them with additional options in combat. In non-combat encounters, regional effects keep the feel of magic heightened in the surrounding area. Grab characters’ attention, and limbs, in the clutches of fallen armies on the ancient battlefield. Apply library traits and lair actions to a dragon to create an encounter with a bookwyrm. Tempt characters with the allure of enchanted gold in the treasure hoard. Bend fire itself to your will in the heart of a volcano. With Expanded Environments and Additional Actions ties “where you are” to “what & how you fight” with 21 environment templates for attributes and abilities you can apply to existing monsters and places that include all of the following: 80 lair actions that give the terrain a role, and often a roll, in the fight. 75 traits so familiar monsters gain new tricks and special features. 73 regional effects to add to the wonder of the world between combats 64 interactions for players or monsters to make the most of their surroundings This supplement was designed for dungeon masters who want more dynamic combat and more magical encounters. The collection started as my own expansion of the environments found in MCDM’s Flee, Mortals! but can be used on its own (along with the existing D&D 5e rules).
Delve into the depths of the tomb of the long forgotten elven king to bring the eternal peace onto its disturbed dwellers. A 4-hour adventure for two 4th level characters. Small Party Adventure: Though the party size of 3–5 characters is considered optimal in D&D, there are times when you can only gather one or two players at most. This adventure is designed exactly for such occasions.
The renegade magic-user Bargle is wanted, dead or alive. Rumor holds that he dwells in the bowels of a nearby abandoned keep, performing all sorts of foul sorcery. Only the truly brave, or perilously foolish, would dare to challenge Bargle in his own domain. Expanded dungeon of the BECMI red box sample dungeon.
The small town of Welwyn has been beset by a string of robberies. The heroes are led to the natural cave system located at the bottom of the town well, which they must explore to find the burglars. But once they’re in the cave system, things get much more difficult! The “burglars” turn out to be mere pawns in a much darker game. To get to the source of the crimes, the heroes must shrink themselves with potions of improved reduce person and explore a series of dangerous rat warrens where their prey is larger than they are!
The strangest things wash up on the beach sometimes. The inhabitants of the Acitoff coastline are accustomed to storms, but last week the largest hurricane ever recorded swiftly struck a 60-mile stretch of coastline. The first day after the hurricane, mysterious bodies started floating to surface. They bore the symbol of the feared pirate, Jaggertooth Grin! Now it is up to the adventurers to locate the pirate ship and claim the treasure. The adventurers will have to fight the creatures of the deep in this primarily underwater adventure. Pgs. 3-14
Sky Stairs of Beldestan is a vampire warlock lair suitable for four characters of 14th level. It can be a lead-in to Citadel of the Void Dragon, or it can be played independently. For as long as any dragon can remember, the stairs of Beldestan have been a site of pilgrimage, a direct route from dusty earth up to the heavens, where enormous creatures soar and carry sacrifices up to the gods. Its base is well known for the efficacy of the invocations offered there, but very few other than the most faithful dare venture up the stairs themselves: enormous eagles, howling winds, and various inimical undead make the stairs a place that few find congenial for long.
Adventures from the Potbellied Kobold provides you with fifteen unique adventures to use as one-shots, additions to your current campaign, or inspiration for a new campaign. We've even included a way to link several of the adventures, allowing you to run a short and quick campaign. The adventures use basic 5E creatures, custom creatures, and several Kobold Press creatures. Each adventure is written for a specific party level, but we've also included suggestions on how to adjust each adventure for a weaker or stronger adventuring party. In addition to fun adventures, you'll also find a few new magic items and NPCs to add to your game.
On a storm-blasted mountain lives an immortal Arch-Mage with a foul temper. The townspeople want you to talk to him - and kill him, if necessary. Is immortality worth the price? An Arch-Mage's magics threaten a small village. To protect it the party must brave a dangerous climb, and survive the Mage's warded lair. Pgs. 43-64
"Ambush at Boxcar Rocks" is a two hour adventure for character level 1-3 (3-6 players) but is easily adapted to challenge higher level PCs by adjusting the spawn rate and the spawn limit. It features one hand-drawn, color map. It can be run as a brutal oneshot gauntlet or a quick side quest to pad the players purses. Deep within the labyrinth of massive, glacier deposited rocks there is a natural cave once used for interring the dead. Now the bones of the pit within stir because of a foolish neophyte. A listless, blood thirsty horde tramples toward daylight and nothing will remain in their wake...
Can the city of Redshore be saved from utter destruction? "The Razing of Redshore" is a D&D adventure that confronts the party with the destructive force of an awakened sperm whale druid and the sinister machinations of a secret cabal of powerful assassins. It is designed to provide such a group with an opportunity to continue their adventuring careers into the realms detailed in the "Epic Level Handbook". This book is not required to make full use of this adventure, though; any pertinent information from the supplement is reproduced here. Pgs. 72-106
The Jail of Gundavold is a scenario designed for a solo player but adjustable enough for a party size if needed. After a foray into the wilderness Ruins of Borgdell, you found yourself ambushed with a bag tossed over your head. After a grueling trek across uncertain terrain you find yourself in jail. Are you smart enough to get yourself out of this mess?
What’s Included Gathering Darkness: Whisperwind is a self-contained 6-7 hour adventure for the 5e system and is meant for four or five 3rd-level characters. This premium module contains: A complete story, battle maps, and custom NPC stat blocks Random encounters for entering houses in a haunted village A new mechanic called Blight which affects creatures based on their exposure to the horrors of Whisperwind A table of Lingering Effects that reflect the influence of the Dark on Whisperwind’s inhabitants The is the first adventure in the Gathering Darkness Anthology. The Setting This adventure takes place in the cursed coastal village of Whisperwind, a place stuck in a perpetual state of twilight. Once a thriving hub for fishing and trading, Whisperwind now exists in a place beyond time and space. Those unfortunate enough to end up there can come from any plane and any period of time – past, present, or future. Not much is known about the cursed village. In fact, most people are not even aware of its existence, and those that have heard of it often believe it to be a fairytale created to scare children. What they do know is this: once you enter Whisperwind, you may never leave. What they may not know is that inhabitants of Whisperwind do not die of natural causes and may live forever if they are not killed by other means. Instead, prolonged exposure to Whisperwind can have radical effects on the body and mind. The strongest willed may be unaffected, while the weak may lose their minds or be consumed by the terrible sickness known only as blight… Your Mission Uncover the mysteries of Whisperwind, survive the horrors that attempt to drag you into the Dark, and escape alive with your sanity intact.
“A Prisoner’s Escort” is a 2nd-level (1st echelon) quest written for the Draw Steel role-playing game by MCDM. It can act as a bridge between major adventures, or on its own. This adventure has about 7 scenes, with around 5 victories, and can probably be run in about one or two typical 3-hour gaming sessions.
Something is amiss in the remote mountain town of Zuria. The head priest has not filed a report in months, and traders following the winding road into the high-altitude valley do not find their way back home. The Church of Palnor, benefactor and watchers of the Tomb of Kings, are greatly concerned. Can the PC discover what has happened in this isolated mountain town before events turn disastrous?
The village of Sacrabad is a wretched place. Dark rumors abound concerning its steward, “His Lordship” Nim Sheog, who rules the place through terror and cruelty. Merchants who have passed through Sacrabad tell tale of how chaos thrives while the good folk wallow in misery. Nim’s guard are no more than a well-paid gang of thugs, hired to enforce his relentless and often bizarre laws and what’s worse, they seem to be in league with a nearby band of goblins, The Yellow Fang, who are often left to terrorize the villagers without reprisal. It is rumored that Nim keeps the rightful and lawful lord of Sacrabad locked away in the dungeons of the keep, the ominous Black Tower. An imposing structure that once afforded the village protection, the Black Tower has become a symbol of tyranny. But there is hope on the horizon. Hope in the form of a secret society who conspire to rescue the rightful lord and overthrow Nim and his guard. Can our heroes champion the cause? Tyranny of the Black Tower is a short (single session) adventure module. It is a classic “rescue operation” complete with a strong villain and espionage intrigue. It is an ideal one-shot adventure with room for expansion into an ongoing campaign. Bonus side-trek hooks and a bonus dungeon are included as a means to build up low-level parties. This module is setting-generic and can be dropped just about anywhere in the multiverse. Published by Verisimilitude Society Press
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!