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.
Ever needed to spice up a stay in a city? Or, ever needed something to fill the gap between sessions when you are missing a player? Add a little flavor to the adventurers’ city visits with a rampaging mummy, a circus gone wild, a haunted inn, and much, much, more. This 80-page supplement contains 26 encounters written by best-selling Dungeon Masters Guild writers and new writers! Encounters in the Savage Cities includes: •26 unique encounters / mini-adventures ◦A mix of combat, roleplay, and investigation •Scaling Suggestions for CR 1-10 •New creatures •Custom Art •Downloadable Custom Maps (as a separate file) These encounters are location generic and are designed to be easily added to any campaign. Use them to introduce new players, as inspiration for a new campaign, as a one-shot, or whatever else you can think of.
As you move throughout the countryside a rider appears in the distance and begins to close quickly. Hand going to your weapons you ready yourself for danger but notice the rider is very young. Timmy Little introduces himself and warns you of a bout of Goblin-Pox at his village. Many people are sick and need help. Timmy says he and other young people have been sent out to find heroes to save the town and asks if you can help. While the boy cannot provide a great deal of information on the malady he advises you that the people of Troburtandban who aren’t sick can help with information. Once you agree he rides off to find additional help.
Sarkt is an illithid sorcerer. It was cast out of its community for its heretical studies (Sarkt was in fact, lucky to escape alive). It didn't take the cunning creature long to pick up a few thralls and find a new place to live, safe from the murderous intentions of its companions. Sarkt dwells in the subterranean ruins of an ancient shrine to Blibdoolpoolp, the crustacean-headed deity of the kuo-toas. This shrine lies on the fringe of a region controlled by kuo-toas, but since Sarkt's arrival, the fishmen avoid the area. A few unfortunate kuo-toas now serve Sarkt as thralls and maintain the illusion that the shrine serves Blibdoolpoolp. Pgs. 82-88
Why would a town refuse to be rescued? A highland town faces a greater danger than can be imagined - and no one wants your help against it. In a remote village in the desolate north, a spate of murders and kidnappings has the town on edge. A woman named Gwendolyn goes missing and it is suspected that Albee is the perpetrator. However there is a conspiracy in the village that the heroes must unravel, to which they discover is actually the sinister plot of a devil worshiping cult. Pgs. 33-43
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.
"Deeptown lies in the shadow of mountains, a town where anything is for sale if you can only meet the price. But in the wild surrounding valleys of the Deeps, it's the bandits who make the darkest deals - and their ambition comes at a cost far greater than the contents of any wayward caravan. You and your team have just been handed a new job: disrupt a meeting between a bandit lord and his mysterious new allies. At a remote mountain villa, you will strike hard and fast and leave terror in your wake. They give you the tools. You provide the talent. Survive, and you'll be well rewarded. Fail, and you'll pay the price. You've got three days to raise some hell." This was one of the first third party adventures under the OGL for 3rd edition published by Atlas Games under the Penumbra line. The attack on the mansion is not a dungeon crawl, but feels like a commando raid aided by some unique magic items.
An older man named Mars Barz approaches you and your associate as you wander the small town of Senja. He is a local alchemist and purveyor of elixirs and has a delivery mission he needs fulfilled. You’ve got time to kill…why not!
The player characters have been invited to compete in the infamous Laureate Trials. The Laureates are a well-known adventuring guild. Once a year, they allow a select group of known adventurers to take part in the Laureate Trials. The prize is becoming an official member of the Laureates, with all the perks and responsibilities that awards. Rumour has it that new initiates will be awarded a coveted Laureate Pin, with special powers of communication. This adventure is a starting module, designed for new players and Game Masters. It should take 1 - 2 hours with a standard group of 4 players. Everything you need to know is contained inside or in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Rules. It is ideal for helping a beginning group of heroes get started and giving them a motivation for further adventures. Inside, there are Trials to test Agility, Wits and Combat, plus a special encounter at the end which will determine the fate of a forgotten individual.
A medium sized city is situated between Challenge of the Minotaur and Hall of the Dwarf Lords and is centered on the edge of frontier near the Border Hills. The town is walled and populated my mostly Mountain Dwarves although most races are present and welcome. This area provides an excellent respite for those fresh off the trail of adventure!
The village of Dreigrenzdal has an enormous problem! On the morning of the town’s annual Spring Market Festival, the chieftain of a clan of neighboring stone giants is found asleep in the town square. When all attempts to awaken the giant fail, the characters must venture into an enchanted grove called the Cradle Wood to search for answers. There, they are caught up in an ancient feud between a hag named Goodie Grimjaw and her wicked sisters. Can the heroes help Goodie maintain the sorcerous ritual that keeps her evil sisters in check? Or will the party fall prey to the machinations of Goodie’s cursed elder sisters, Gertie and Grizzie, and their steel-toothed, construct minions?
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
A Kiss to Build a Dream On is a 5e-compatible dream-delve for four level 7 characters. It plays for 3-4 hours. Queen Aisling, newly free of insomnia (see The Trouble with Dreams), has become an avid dreamer. A little too avid in the eyes of some. Under ducal questioning, her Majesty confessed there was something more going on; She’s fallen in love with a man she has seen in her dreams. The adventurers have been assembled to mount an expedition into the Realms of Slumber. With the aid of an uneasy Somnomancer, a magic spell, and an ice pick, a rift to the Realms of Slumber is opened! Warning: die in the Realms of Slumber and you’ll be damned to sleepwalk the rest of your life - a fate worse than death! The heroes are entrusted with an Interdimensional Valise. It functions as a Bag of Holding, except that it can also carry Dream Creatures into the real world. To appease the Queen, the adventurers must get the Man of Her Dreams into the Valise and then return with him to the Waking World. The adventurers will be rewarded with a Knighthood and an Estate in the Vinelands (10,000gp value) if they succeed.
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?
Short adventures and persistent random encounters to shake up the streets of your city! Tiny Weird Adventures: Urban Edition is a collection of short Tier 1 adventures to be used in conjunction with the Fifth Edition of the most popular fantasy RPG of recent times, easily adaptable to your medieval fantasy game of choice. You will get 6 urban-themed adventures to enhance your game with stories of exploration and intrigue around a big city. Each adventure describes short-lived events that can range from a short random encounter to a one-shot adventure. Each adventure has its own Weird Rumors and Unfolded Paths that will help you expand your campaign in new directions. Content 6 Tiny Weird Adventures! The Creepy Handshake: In the midst of a major crime wave, adventurers are hired to find a lost "pet". His identity, however, is somewhat peculiar... The Trickster Sword: In the big city, not all that glitters is gold: play this adventure to meet a magical weapon from another world. Vengeful Trash: What happens when a faith man loses patience? The gods aid him, of course! Help maintain order in the city or face the weirdest kind of creature ever seen! Sick City: Living behind the great walls of a big city may seem safe, but what if the real danger comes from within? There is no time for quarantine: cure the curse that falls on the population or go insane forever! A Love Supreme: After an unresolved event, two souls separate. Is every form of love valid? Play to find out! The Mug Mystery: In a newly opened tavern, a picture of a bald dwarf holding a mug is getting everyone’s hair up. Appendix with tables to generate NPCs instantly! A multitude of names of various types: human (male, female and neutral), elven, dwarf, dragonborn, orc, and surname for Halflings. Additional rules to give your NPCs more color, granting them Desires and Personalities. Quick custom NPCs creation according to its stat block: generate specific Personalities and dDesires for your guards, thieves, and town clerics. 5 new monsters and antagonists! Use the bizarre and smelly Garbage Golem and scare your players with the fury of rot. Add an extra dose of horror to your game with Unraxda, the demon of subterfuge and violence, able to possess and control his victims Meet little Crawly, the best undead rogue in town. Populate your encounters with the Fragile Zombie and give your players the opportunity to make their way across the battlefield by slicing through these weakling monsters! Lopo the Necromancer is the low Tier version of an end-of-campaign boss: perfect for starring in a battle full of evil minions.
Your expedition to the wastelands proved fruitless until you came across a group of Bedouins. The locals report that they may have found a tomb hidden below the swirling desert sands. Intrigued, you and your group examine the site unaware that you are about to stumble into the deadly Gonnagetcha Tomb!
At the mercy of Chaos! Abducted by the Court of Chaos, the adventurers face hard choices if they want to return home. The Host of Chaos desires a legendary artifact held by the Scions of Law and need patsies to retrieve it. Faced with an eternity of servitude, the party must sneak into the Plane of Law and steal the Yokeless Egg from under its guardians’ watch. But not all is what it appears when the Court of Chaos is concerned and serving the Host may destroy the party from within. Can they survive the Intrigue At the Court of Chaos?
Slumber in the Sands – A Level 6 Adventure Beneath the shifting desert dunes lies an ancient ruin, home to a fanatical goblin tribe that worships a slumbering blue dragon as their god. Traps, puzzles, and hidden dangers fill the dungeon, all designed to protect the dragon’s hoard. Can your party navigate the treacherous ruins and escape with the treasure before they awaken the beast? This adventure includes: ✅ A sandbox-style dungeon crawl with multiple paths to success ✅ Dynamic encounters featuring goblin zealots, deadly traps, and a cunning Sand Druid ✅ A time-twisting magical artifact – the Hourglass of Stilled Time ✅ DM-friendly layout for easy reference and play Perfect for one-shots or as a drop-in adventure for your desert campaigns! Will your party slip away unseen, or will they awaken the dragon’s wrath?
Player characters attacking the lair of monsters that have been menacing the local village is a common D&D trope. This adventure turns the trope on its head. In Goblin Defense, the players create goblin PCs, and have to fight off repeated attacks by adventurers who are stronger and better equipped than they are. Starting at level 1 and running until level 7, this module encompasses 16 battles against unique and typically themed groups of adventurers built using player character classes and rules. The module is designed for 3 players, each of whom takes on an individual role within the tribe, granting unique bonuses or options for actions outside of combat. Goblin Defense can also be played with 4 players, but is not recommended for 5 or more players without substantial revision. The players aren't alone. Each commands a squad of goblin minions who can help in combat... but goblins are fragile, and adventurers hit hard. Life as a goblin is often brief and violent. Many will die, but as long as some survive, the tribe will carry on. A simple ruleset is provided for managing actions during the downtime between each attack. During this time, players can work to train their minions to use better gear, hunt for food for their tribe, recruit replacement warriors, brew potions, and - most importantly - improve their lair and its defenses by adding walls, traps, tunnels, doors, alarms, and anything else their creative minds can come up with. As the exact layout and placement of defensive features is critical, this is designed to be played on a grid. A PDF is included with the map scaled to print on 24"x36" (Arch D) size paper, available at most print shops. DMs may enjoy the chance to briefly try out many different character class and subclass combinations as they attack and eventually fall to the goblin pests they're trying to eliminate. Page count: Information for the DM only 6 Information for the players 4 Adventurer statblocks 37
An exceptionally smart ogre and its pet dire wolf have figured out the easy life. Why loot and pillage, when with a few words of common, you can threaten and intimidate your way to comforts?