Once a paradise at the heart of dwarfdom, the Valley of the Cracked Helm has lain forgotten for ages, lost to the vagaries of natural disasters, goblin invasions, and generational benders. Over the years since, its name has invoked only shame—furtive, deep-seated dwarven shame—for the valley is where the wild dwarves dwell. . . Valley of the Cracked Helm is an off-beat scenario for old-school style games involving a hidden valley filled with tribal dwarven nudists and exploitative prospectors. It is formatted as a double-sided tri-fold brochure that contains everything needed to run the module. It includes: A ready-to-run module suitable for ongoing campaigns and one-shots. A detailed pointcrawl of the Valley of the Cracked Helm. Dwarves Gone Wild! (This pointcrawl scenario can be dropped into any classic fantasy campaign allowing gratuitous dwarven nudity. More setting than adventure, it encourages/requires referees to improvise or develop content further to fit their own needs. Low-level PCs may need to be lucky or clever to survive.)
This module is intended for a 3rd- to 5th-level party and can be played in 3-4 hours. An original short module of a Fairy Ball, complete with gowns, a fey palace, and all the fey lords, ladies, and regal enbies in attendance! "The adventurers find themselves on the steps of the Monarch’s spring palace, its marble pillars standing like beech trees in a forest grove. The air is thick with moonlight and a heady, treacly aroma. Ivy curls around the balustrade leading up to the main pavilion, and a nearby fountain bubbles with a faintly glowing liquor the color of cherry blossoms. Everything around the party beckons them closer. But, as they say: you catch more flies with honey."
The PCs pass through a fey crossing, arriving in a heap in front of the throne of Princess Daneliean Dandelion. Wherever the PCs were trying to go, and whoever they were trying to chase down, isn’t here. Instead, they are the captive audience of a petulant, semidivine Archfey who demands to know how they came to be in her throne room. She will be lenient with them, provided they can complete a grand collection of quests on her behalf. What follows is all very storybook logic and strange whimsy. This adventure is focused more on roleplay than combat.
An ancient power has started to rise and threatens a small town. Venture into dark caves and put an end to the power creating the skeletons within. Intended for 6 characters level 5-10 Approximately 6 hours of play Featuring 7 new monsters A transforming boss encounter Easily set in your own world, Theros, or Ferun Can be run with the basic rules Full of unique art a map handout for your players and maps for your VTT You can lean into horror or you can keep it PG. Suitable for gamers young and old for one long session or three shorter sessions.
Explore an abandoned wizard’s tower in this short mini dungeon! This adventure is a Micro Dungeon. Preface Long ago a wise wizard named Adubeus lived deep within the forest. As he lived, he would pass out nuggets of wisdom to those in need, and aid the local townsfolk in times most dire. Long past are these happy days, however, and the kindly old wizard has not been seen in many decades. Some say he found a calling elsewhere in the world, while others whisper of his demise at the hands of a secret experiment gone awry. One thing is certain, however. His tower, long forgotten, still stands out there in the forest. Occasionally, some hapless person wanders upon it much to their personal peril. The specific details of Adubeus are left vague on purpose. This small adventure is intended to be played as part of a larger campaign, and the location can be modified to fit your setting. The reasons for your adventuring party to be heading towards the tower are entirely up to you, however, below are some good sample adventure hooks.
From The Magazine: "Every summer, Duke Hightower holds a competition quite different from the traditional jousting and archery tournaments held by similar lords of his station. The rules of his tournament change from year to year, and, to oversee the games, the duke has appointed two wizard brothers who help choose the setting and create the rules and challenges of the competition. This year the competition is called the “Owlbear Run,” an overland race that requires each participating team to escort a live owlbear from the town of Telvorn to the town of Milvorn. The teams will face a variety of challenges; some are devised by the wizards, others by the competing teams or their sponsors, and some occur entirely at random. All of these tests are in addition to the challenges inherent in motivating a temperamental owlbear. Fortune and fame await the first team to cross the finish line, and the local lords sponsoring the race are eager to enlist skilled champions for their causes." Pgs. 2-27
In Temple of the Dragon Cult, the characters are called in to pursue a dragon that the king’s army was able to wound but not kill. It seems straightforward enough: the army tracked the dragon to its lair, and all the characters have to do is go in and kill it. But this dragon has a devoted cult of dragonblood followers who worship its every breath. Its lair is their temple — and they’ll fight to the death to defend their dragon-god…
It's a horrible time to have a curse! Each wielding a powerful item to a family legacy, your players are a group of young adventurers who barely survive an attack on their order of vampire-hunters by agents of Dracula. After escaping, they discover Dracula has placed a curse upon the land which makes restful sleep difficult outside of hallowed areas. Dracula, "alive" on another plane but dead on this one, must be resurrected so they can kill him, end the curse, and avenge their dead. To accomplish this goal, the player characters must journey through forest, marsh, hill, and underground paths to retrieve relics of Dracula's last life from keeps and fortresses overrun by monsters and the undead. If they can resurrect him, he will be weak and easy to kill... but the adventurers aren't the only ones who want Dracula on the Material Plane, and Dracula is not the only vampire in the world. Gameplay overview This adventure takes the players from 2nd through 9th or 10th level on a milestone basis as they choose where to travel in what order to retrieve what they need. Starting at a happy gathering at the Belmonte Order, which the characters are hereditary members of, the campaign kicks off with a bang as the group retrieves their chosen legacy items, salvages what other gear they can in a race against time and a growing number of foes, and then escapes to begin their quest. In addition to the six main "dungeons," there are two optional regional lairs, traveling vampires, and many foes along the way. Most of the towns in the area have managed to survive, providing points of light at which the party may stop, long rest safely, acquire supplies, and socialize. Travel is hazardous! 5e classes are balanced for resource management across a 5-8 encounter adventuring day. The campaign is designed to have a semi-variable flow of encounters as the party traels around the area. Encounters grow progressively more difficult as time passes and the party spends more time within a region. These are not random encounters rolled on a table, but encounters designed to be unique to each area's geography, combat terrain, and mix of foes. As the party spends more time in a region or revisits it, the encounter difficulty increases. Dracula's curse requires a Constitution saving throw to successfully long rest outside of Hallowed areas (towns). The difficulty scales up over time, forcing the party to balance speed and safety as they try to accomplish their goals without pushing beyond the limits of what they can handle. The game concept, general map layout, and some enemy distributions are loosely inspired by Castlevania II for the NES, one of the forerunners of the "Metroidvania" genre. Dracula's Curse is indeed a game in which the forests are dark and full of monsters, and every night is a horrible one to have a curse. Includes 15 Legacy items, from weapons like whips and swords to a shield, a belt, or a decanter of holy water 60+ enemy statblocks 8 unique dungeons with unique layouts & challenges 5 inhabited towns with multiple named NPCs 100+ travel encounters (expect to use 30-50%) The module is printer-friendly with no artwork and straightforward grid maps for location-based encounters which require one.
This Adventure is based on the web comic series, Table Titans. It is set in the same village that part of the comic takes place in, however the path of the adventure does not follow the story line set in the comics. There are familiar elements that are a wink and a nod to fans of the comic, but it is a unique story. The adventure is set around the village of Haverford, currently beset by an unknown [i]Terror[/i] that has resulted in many many deaths in the surrounding forest. The adventures have arrived at this once peaceful hamlet and if they discover the source of the [i]Terror[/i] plaguing the region they will be handsomely rewarded. The Terror of Haverford is a starter adventure. Characters will advance from level 1 to 4 if completed. This adventure has both social and combat encounters, as well as combat encounters that can be solved socially. If characters aren't thorough in their investigations they will be taken by surprise by what lies ahead.
The party visits the village of Bellmare, where a hag has recently been slain, and which has since been plagued with deadly wintery weather during the Summer Solstice. The party meets the head of the village, who asks them to find the cause. When the party reaches a small hut in the mountains, they encounter a hag. Rather than attack them, she offers them information to help stop her sister from enacting revenge upon Bellmare. Pgs. 109-117
A fiend lurks among the Black Blade goblins. A shapeshifting barghest fashioned by the General of Gehenna to exact revenge on all goblin-kind. It’s aim: to kill as many goblin leaders as possible… A masked goblin approaches the party asking for help. Two tribe leaders are dead. But a rival for chief has control of the crime scene. Will the party discover the barghest among the goblin ranks? Can they stop this imposter before it strikes again? Adventure Overview The adventure’s story is spread over 4 parts and takes approximately 4 hours to play. The adventure begins with a Call to Action scene. Part 1: Goblin Politics. Krill sends his emissaries to implore help from any strong intermediary. The party is asked to investigate the murder of Thrawn in Dringly’s lair. This is Story Objective A. Part 2: The Opposition. Gain entry into Dringly’s lair and investigate the murder of Thrawn. Gather enough evidence to find the killer. This is Story Objective B. Part 3: To The Lair! Now that the players have determined the barghest (Yeep) is to blame, they need to get to Krill’s lair quickly as he is in imminent danger. This is Story Objective C. Part 4: The Barghest.When the players arrive at the lair, they need to get to Krill and expose and defeat the barghest. This is Story Objective D. Adventure Background A barghest named Yeep has begun its onslaught of attacks against the Black Blade goblins. Starting with Chief Gnar, then his second in command Thrawn, the barghest is moving methodically down the line of command. Krill is now chief. But he has some problems: Two leaders of the Black Blades are dead. Who killed them and why? Is he next? Dringly, the next in command, has decided to take his lair for himself, declaring himself Chief of the Black Blades. Who are the Black Blades? The Black Blades are a tribe of goblins in the local area. They are known for dipping their blades in a dark black substance. It is rumored these blades are poisonous. The Black Blades regularly attack passersby on the road to rob them. The Black Blades have two lairs, one run by a chief who leads the whole tribe, and another overseen by a boss lieutenant. The Black Blades have a well-established pecking order which is how Krill stands to become chief. The next in line is Dringly, who has also declared himself chief and wants Krill dead. Krill suspects that there is something suspicious about two leaders being killed within a day of each other, but he has already burned Gnar’s body without any investigation. He needs to investigate the body of Thrawn, but it is in Dringly’s lair. Krill wishes to avoid direct confrontation with Dringly at the present for three reasons: 1) Any violence would only kill his own tribe members and further divide the lairs. 2) He believes there is still hope for negotiation to reunite the Black Blades. 3) He believes that if he were to attempt negotiations himself, Dringly would kill him. This adventure features: Two maps. Ready for your favorite Virtual Tabletop. A full color pdf. A black and white pdf. One custom monster, a reprint of barghest, all others available in the Monster Manual. Four hours of entertainment involving: roll playing a goblin bard, investigating a murder scene, tracking down a barghest before it strikes again. Applicable to any setting.
A short mystery adventure with only two combat encounters: An archfey has placed a curse on a small hamlet, putting all the adults to sleep. The PCs must talk to the children to learn what's going on. When they get too close to figuring it out, boggles attack. Eventually the PCs realise they have to compose a short verse of poetry to wake the adults. When they do, an avatar of the archfey attacks in one last attempt to stop the PCs.
Years ago a Gnome female named Carlota retired from adventuring and built a small tower not far from Dano’s Point. While the illusionist/tinker kept to herself her home was reputed to have a cache of magical items from years on the trail. It has been several years since anyone has seen the diminutive woman and she is believed to be deceased. As you begin your adventuring career you decide that a trip to the tower is in order. If Carlota is alive, perhaps she can give you advice, if she isn’t perhaps you can help yourselves to some of her items.
The Toxic Wood is a deadly wilderness adventure for Old School Essentials This hexcrawl adventure focuses on game-able content and being easy to use at the table. It is graphic and art heavy and utilizes a lot of random tables to make it easier for GMs to run with minimal prep. "You have been hired by a secretive council of wizards, who refuse to meet in person with you, to rescue the survivors of Mugwort - a town which was thought to have been destroyed and lies deep within The Toxic Wood. The Wood is corrosive and the air is not safe to breath there, so the wizards have given you a magical orb which will create a safe dome of air around you. The orb must be fed with fuel containing life force to continue operating properly. They have also gifted each of you a less effective necklace which will create a temporary small bubble of clean air around your head as an emergency measure. The Wood became noxious a couple of years ago after a dragon known as Ion moved in. You will have to navigate to Mugwort without Ion noticing if you are to conduct a successful evacuation." The toxic wood is home to many strange entities; spiteful mutated horrors, ancient insectoid witch sisters, bloodthirsty redcaps, a mushroom witch and a corrosive dragon cult. Noxious gases produced by alien plants slowly coil through the air creating an endless red haze. Anything that is not part of the woods lethal eco-system is rapidly corroded, with all evidence of its existence erased within days. Details: 32 pages Single column text 8.5 x 5.5 aspect Black & White Bookmarks Hyperlinks Random tables Hooks and rumors for your players Rules for surviving in the toxic wood using the orb and other means 16 keyed hex locations Backgrounds for characters to aid roleplay New monsters Key NPCs A timeline of events for the DM to structure their sessions around Flora of the wood Random treasure tables Prompts and resolutions for what happens if players take different actions Cursed Items and Powerful Artifacts: Scattered throughout the wood, offering potent abilities but often with dangerous drawbacks.
The village of Haven-Fara has a problem - it's been overrun with spiders that have been forced out of their nearby lair. Yet could this spider problem be merely a symptom of something worse to come? When the backwater town of Haven-Fara wakens under a thick blanket of webs to find half its populace missing, its up to the PCs to descend into a silk-chambered nest of the arachnid abductors. In a vertical maze of web-lined tunnels, they discover a dying queen, a legendary treasure, and a secret that could change Haven-Fara forever. Pgs. 14-20 & 22-28 & 30, 32 and 34
This adventure begins with the party chasing down a thief who has procured the crown of a local Marquis. The trail goes to a northern border community in the dead of winter and potentially ends at the ruins known as Valtarius's Retreat which secured the border in the “old days”. The ruins are currently home to a dreaded Dracolich who will most likely not care to be disturbed by a group of adventurers! Can the party recover the crown and remain alive?
Three months ago the township of Durgon’s Rest exiled Elia Fenfrost for practicing witchcraft. Now as the first harvest approaches there are signs that something is amiss. The crops are failing, local farm animals are becoming sick with disease, and all of the food stores have gone foul. The town’s folk suspect that the accursed blight is the work of Elia - exacting her revenge for casting her out into the wild. The PCs are the villager’s last hope, but can they find Elia and end the evil curse that has been laid upon the town before all comes to ruin?
Sekarvu is a typical beholder. It spent much of its youth exploring underground realms and killing everything it found. One day, it came upon a large cavern filled with violet fungi. At the edge of the cavern, it found a small band of adventurers who had all but succumbed to the toxins of the fungi's tendrils. They offered little resistance to Sekarvu as it approached and began to feed on their still-writhing bodies. With its first bite, the beholder's life changed forever. Pgs. 52-55
A print friendly 2-4hr adventure PDF for 3-4 level 1 players. Designed with new Dungeon Masters in mind. In a far away village, an anxious priest sends out ravens, requesting aid from anyone willing to help the gaurdian of his village. The reward, well not much, the village is poor but can offer what little gold it has. More importantly though, is the promise of a bards tale and the first step on the road to becoming a famous adventurer. Compatable with the starter set and the WOTC free official basic rules (links provided) Pre Gens provided via link. Hook provided for adventure to be ran as a prequel to the Lost mines of Phandelver Includes 3 colour tactical maps
The Lady in Blue, a mysterious figure of cosmic power, enlists a band of simple peasants for a strange task. They are to follow an invisible bridge until they arrive at a hole in the sky – and then jump through. Death awaits all but the bravest, strongest, and luckiest, but the Lady offers a reward beyond all the riches of the world: the chance to change the very stars these peasants were born under, and thus change their destiny.