An Adventure for 0-Level Characters Remember the good old days, when adventures were underground, NPCs were there to be killed, and the finale of every dungeon was the dragon on the 20th level? Those days are back. Dungeon Crawl Classics don’t waste your time with long-winded speeches, weird campaign settings, or NPCs who aren’t meant to be killed. Each adventure is 100% good, solid dungeon crawl, with the monsters you know, the traps you fear, and the secret doors you know are there somewhere. For the past few years, an ogre that lairs in a cave near the wilderness town of Dundraville has demanded tributes of ale and supplies. The villagers were happy to comply, lest the brute attack them or destroy their property. But recently, the ogre changed his demands. Now he wants gold, building supplies — and captives! When the ogre walked into town only to have his request denied, he flew into a rage. The brute dragged two townsfolk off to his cave, to be eaten for sure! The villagers have no heroes to protect them — so someone must rise to the challenge! Six determined townsfolk have taken justice into their own hands. Can these village commoners defeat the ogre in his own lair before their fellows are eaten?
The PCs intervene in an attempted murder and are hired to find out what made a guy go mad. This leads them to search for Yenejg Togan's tower/a strange merchant in the nearby forest, where they discover that bugbears have moved in. After exploring the tower, finding the "merchant", and dealing with the bugbears and the lamia that caused the incident in the first place, they were still unable to get into Yenejg's inner sanctum without a key. The PCs return with the key and figure out how to use it to enter Yenejg's sanctum. They then explore it, dealing mostly with traps, and finally discover the resting place of the treasure Yenejg stole from the town. This adventure begins with a skill-based roof-top chase and can include some complex non-combat interactions with potentially hostile NPCs. It includes some semi-interesting traps as well as some nifty puzzles. No villain to speak of. Fool-hardy adventurers can get themselves killed, but some caution will result in only one extremely hard fight, and even that can be avoided if action is taken quickly. Pgs. 74-107
A traditional "funhouse" dungeon, White Plume Mountain begins with the archmage Keraptis stealing three artifacts and leaving cryptic poems with their former owners. The players are hired to recover the items, and find a bizarre dungeon in the side of the eponymous volcano. TSR 9027
An adventure included in the Essentials Kit (2019). The party starts in Phandalin, the starting town for the Starter Set (2014) adventure, Lost Mine of Phandlever. Various jobs are posted by Harbin Wester, townmaster, which the PCs can pursue. These jobs culminate in a raid on Icespire Hold, where Cryovain, a young adult white dragon, has recently claimed as its lair.
"Put those dark elves back in their box and get your gonzo on! Riches, glory, and super-science await the bold and the clever in the deep places under the ground. This module describes the dinosaur- and wizard-infested future of the Earth, the city of Denethix, and the first level of the megadungeon that beckons from below: the Anomalous Subsurface Environment." Set in a post-apocalyptic future where Earth's remains are explored through dungeons filled with ancient tech, magic, and bizarre ecosystems, inhabited by various factions with their own agendas. This setting blends sci-fi and fantasy with a touch of the absurd, offering a playground for imaginative gameplay and storytelling. The module includes a gatehouse and the first level of the Anomalous Subsurface Environment, each designed with multiple pathways. Unique twists on monsters and magic items. Written for Labyrinth Lord
With your fame building in the Great Plains of Dorack you have received word of an abandoned temple that has been showing signs of life. Years ago the followers of the old deity Sobek built a temple to honor him. The cult died out after a successful raid by Plainsmen who looted the complex after killing off the monks who inhabited it. A few days after the temple sacking the chieftain responsible for the attack fell ill and died of a mysterious disease. As it was believed a curse befell the warlord, the area was abandoned and considered taboo. Lately strange lights have been seen near the old temple and a giant stone alligator has been spotted in the area. The Plainsmen cannot go to the area as the old taboo is still in place and have asked your party to investigate.
While the name Codic Keep used to have prestige associated with it in the past, it is now a crumbling fortress blasted years ago by a large tornado. Now the ruin sits next to a swamp and is pretty much left ignored. Recently word has reached Feastelburg that strange lights have been noticed near the keep and many have wondered if the wanted criminal relative has returned to reclaim the property. Wanted posters of “Si” Codic have been circulating for quite some time with a reward of 1500 gp for his capture. Who’s up for a swamp trip?
Terror grips the city of Sharn. A serial killer stalks the streets and catalogues his slaughter in the annals of the city’s newspaper, to the delight and horror of its readers. To catch this elusive criminal, the PCs must match wits with an old adversary. Even beaten, scarred, and imprisoned, Viktor Saint-Demain is determined to have the final word. This is a sequel to Dungeon Magazine issue #133’s adventure “Chimes at Midnight”.
The player characters are contracted to go on an expedition to discover the fate of a long-lost tribe of Elves (the followers of King Thiondar). This is a lengthy adventure across several locations. Roleplaying is stressed, as some encounters will be very deadly if resolved through combat.
The baron’s wife is dead. But she isn’t gone. Can the players lay her to rest and defeat the festering evil hidden away inside the Gilded Tower? Another thrilling tale of madness and mystery inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s writing! Following the events of Masque of the Worms, the story continues into the hauntingly beautiful forests of the Painted Valley… Valley of the Gilded Tower is a one-shot for four to six 2nd-level characters. It takes about 2-3 hours to complete and includes: Events inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's most ethereal writing: -A new monster that can take over the minds of its victims -Combat cards for each monster, PC, and special treasure -Gorgeous, hand-drawn maps by Jake from Beware the Wizard
Recent earthquakes have unearthed a small section of a lost dwarven fortress. The dwarves are long gone, but rumors suggest they might have left treasure or weapons behind. After a journey into the Underdark, the characters find a barred iron door bearing the names of several ancient dwarven clans. Pgs. 90-95
While resting in the merchant City of Gurdikar, a merchant approaches the party to investigate the disappearance of his nephew, whom he believes was betrayed by a rival house. The party must go into the into the mountain valley to find the missing nephew, return him if alive and discover any evidence of suspected treachery. Pgs. 43-51
Mykon Drift, genius inventor and entrepreneur, has disappeared on the eve of his greatest ever product launch, and nobody seems to know why or where he’s gone. Certain jaded onlookers might think this is for the best, for Drift is a disrupter in the truest sense, and the technomantic marvels he creates often wreak havoc on the guilds and economies of the Sword Coast. But titans of industry like Mykon Drift don’t just disappear for no reason, and his most loyal apprentice is willing to pay to find him. Unfortunately, that apprentice isn’t willing to pay very well, so what they get is the Grib-bits Detective Agency. "The Gribbits Detective Agency Part II" is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure for four 2nd-level characters. It is designed to follow on from "The Gribbits Detective Agency", and should be played in a single sitting.
The tomb of an ancient hero, lost in the tangled depths of the woods. A ring of standing stones, warded by the sinister Drune cult. A fairy princess who watches with timeless patience from beyond the veil of the mortal. A forgotten treasure that holds the key to her heart. Winter's Daughter is a romantic fairy-tale dungeon adventure set in the creepy old forest of Dolmenwood. Published by Necrotic Gnome
(From DM's Guild) The Shrine of Marthammor Duin is a short excursion meant to supplement an ongoing Princes of the Apocalypse campaign. At it's core however, this is a traveller shrine that could be devoted to a deity in your homebrew games or any of the other god's of travel in the Dungeons and Dragons pantheons. It includes one new monster, two new items, a shrine map, and a printable player handout for your adventure. This short series of encounters was created to help Tyar-Besil feel more like a real place that was integrated into the surrounding lands and not just a dungeon filled with mad cultists. It also provides a nice opportunity for you to deliver some of the campaign’s back story to your players in an organic way. It will be particularly fun to run with groups that have a dwarf in them who can translate the native dwarven text in the shrine for the rest of the party and connect with the kingdom of Besilmer.
In part one of the Randal Morn Trilogy, "The Sword of the Dales," the legendary leader of Daggerdale, Randal Morn, was captured by unknown assailants as he sought to regain the great weapon for which that adventure was named. A stalwart band of enthusiastic heroes was recruited to ride to his aid, yet all they recovered was the Sword itself and a message: "Seek me in Spiderhaunt Wood." In the second part of the trilogy, "The Secret of Spiderhaunt," those same adventurers found Randal and freed him briefly, yet he was almost as quickly torn from their grasp by an agent of the evil Zhentarim, seeking to end the threat of Randal Morn's return to power. In this final episode, the heroes must follow the kidnapper's trail and rescue Randal Morn again before the Zhentarim finish interrogating him and the axe falls upon his neck. Armed with the Sword of the Dales and aided by a powerful spirit that lives within the weapon, the heroes must march into the heart of Zhent-occupied Dagger Falls, free Randal Morn, and save the city from utter destruction. The job is dangerous - perhaps more than the heroes can handle - yet those who would live in songs and legends cannot concern themselves with living to a ripe old age! This is the final part of a trilogy of modules that began with "The Sword of the Dales" and "The Secret of Spiderhaunt." TSR 9488
Alton Lightheart, a lhalfling thief, went looking for a magic sword at the Storm-Sun Cliff. He & his two comrades were ambushed by a dusk (collective term) of malign shadows. He was knocked out and nearly killed. Before the shadows could consume Alton, a giant owl pair chased them away. Later, he awoke badly injured, not knowing his allies’ fate (they became shadows). Shaken, Alton saw he no longer cast a shadow! Disturbed, he fled to the village of Croy. Alton’s freed shadow, Kra, and its dusk now stalk him, longing to devour him in the dim light. This chapter starts in Croy. As the PCs arrive, an exhausted Alton sits in the Dragon’s Claw Tavern, back to the wall, skittishly watching. He ask PCs for help to face these terrifying monsters before his essence fades away. Published by Wicked Cool Games
Kravenghast Necropolis is hidden in a valley that was formerly part of a now dead city. It consists of a small cemetery that sits atop an abandoned necromancer's laboratory. The necropolis has been refitted as a temple to Vecna, the undead God of secrets. The mausoleum in the cemetery contains a secret spiral staircase that leads to the underground laboratory. The temple is populated by a twisted cult of Vecna, led by the lich-priest Mauthereign. Pgs. 96-103
Soburin’s human nobility are not the only rulers that are in need of outside agents since the corrupting fogs reappeared; even oni warlords have found the Mists of Akuma to bring challenges, obstacles, and threats beyond their ken. Yona, the undisputed master of the secret city of Tsukisasu, lost control of her throne only a few weeks ago to a strange creature that capered out of a storm intermingled with the supernatural haze, and her agent Xiqzoxix is keen to remove the usurper as soon as possible. The PCs are the group ze has chosen for this momentous task and should they accept the oni bengoshi’s offer, a deadly set of trials await them on top of the mountain—though the longer they dally, the more powerful their adversary grows. To defeat Obiemashita the party will have to first find Tsukisasu, covertly investigate the town, and then disrupt the yai sovereign of storm’s rituals and slay it before all hell breaks loose, spilling untold violence down onto the already embattled lands of the prefectures below! Will you conquer Tsukisasu or be subsumed by the storm? In The Yai Sovereign of Storms you’ll find… A monstrous adventure set in Mists of Akuma, an eastern fantasy noir steampunk campaign setting for the latest edition of the world's most popular roleplaying game The secret monstrous city of Tsukisasu and a collection of its oni citizens 2 maps by cartographer Mike Myler: the hidden settlement of Tsukisasu as well as Yona’s Fortress The Mists of Akuma themselves and the new misted condition 2 new attributes to posit the unique aspects of the campaign setting in the minds of your players: Dignity and Haitoku The adeddo-oni template and 10 new monsters: adeddo-oni hunchlings, adeddo-oni samurai, adeddo-oni ninja, gaki, hebikontorra, monsuthant, tikbalang, Xiqzoxix the oni bengoshi, the Katana of Rizushi Kantaro, and the Yai Sovereign of Storms Obiemashita
Base of Operations is a short adventure intended for four 5th-level characters. DMs can easily modify the adventure to suit higher- or lower-level adventurers, or larger or smaller parties of adventurers. Simply adding a few monsters to every encounter area makes the adventure more challenging for larger parties, and adding levels to any of the humanoids can make them more of a threat to high-level groups. For low-level adventurers, make the relationship between the two factions within Brightstone Keep more strained, and take away a few monsters from each group. You can remove levels from some of the humanoids in the adventure to make it a lower-level challenge, but it is important that the orc cleric (described in encounter area 8) still have the ability to animate the dead. Still, he can have fewer minions around him when encountered, and that makes him less of a challenge for a lowlevel party.