The adventure begins with the characters discovering the recently murdered Returned, Varyas, and confronting his killers. Varyas's gold mask bears a code on it, one that points toward the sage Khea who lives in the nearby polis. When the characters investigate, they learn from Khea that the writing is undecipherable except for the first line, which refers to the legendary Court of Orestes, a site sacred to the god Phenax. She also notes that a recent earthquake has uncovered a cave along the Khystonos River that could be the secret site's location. If so, then perhaps within lies the key to deciphering the mask, along with its own treasures. With the information provided by Khea, the adventurers set forth into the wilds, where they'll face multiple storied dangers before reaching the Court of Orestes. Once at the lost holy site, the characters discover ancient guardians, as well as an unliving entity with the potential to reveal Phenax's lost secret.
The ancient forest known as the Wildering Woods has a reputation for confounding those who dare venture through it. When a series of unusual events befall a nearby lumber camp, the player characters are asked to seek out a mysterious wizard rumored to reside within. As the adventure unfolds, it soon becomes apparent that big trouble awaits them inside the forest. What's included: 1 fanciful adventure divided into single-page sections for easy running 2 fully-colored maps with unlabeled versions for players (made with assets from 2-minute Tabletop) 3 custom creature statblocks with clickable links for quick access Content Warning: Violence, death, abduction around the Wildering Woods, a fey-inhabited forest whose residents are being terrorized by a delusional hill giant who believes he is a wizard.
Dark Heart of the Wood is a 2nd-level Draw Steel quest for 3–6 heroes. This quest is intended to be a one to two session, monster-of-the-week–style adventure: a memorable, early stepping-stone in the heroes’ career. Heroes can expect to earn 4–7 victories across the course of the quest. The village of Byre dies. Drought brings famine and no one's seen a merchant or carter in weeks. “Carts don’t make it out the other end anymore,” they say. None of them know why, but the heroes may soon find out once they face off with the thorns of the terrible Threxyls! Dark Heart of the Wood assumes you understand how to play and run Draw Steel.
The Road to Broadhurst written by Carlos Cisco is available for free. Internally, MCDM called this “the Conventure.” It’s designed for experienced Directors who already know the rules, and want to run Draw Steel for new players at their local convention or game store. It doesn’t explain how to play, that’s what the director is for! Because RPG events at a convention can last anywhere from 45 minutes to 4 hours, The Road to Broadhurst has advice on how to skip sections you don’t have time for without affecting the flow of play. Road to Broadhurst is a short, modular adventure for Draw Steel. It’s written for three to six 1st-level heroes and a Director. This free adventure comes with pregenerated heroes and is meant to give experienced directors an easy way to introduce new players to the game, especially in environments such as game stores and conventions where time is limited. The Director should be familiar with the Draw Steel core rules found in Draw Steel: Heroes and Draw Steel: Monsters. This adventure can be run online on a virtual tabletop or in person at conventions, game stores, libraries, community centers, homes, and anywhere else roleplaying games are played. It can also serve as a lead-in to The Delain Tomb adventure for Draw Steel. The combat encounters in this adventure are optimized for a group of five heroes. Adjustments are included for groups as large as six or as small as three.
The party arrange for passage on a fast ship called the Silver Slipper. The good Captain Sara agrees to take them aboard for a reasonable fee. The voyage, however, is marred by strange events, and the crew begin whispering about a dark statue taken aboard as cargo. The statue is to be delivered to a port beyond the PCs' destination. When a fog rolls in one night, the ship is attacked by evil agents of a dark god come to claim the statue. In this nautical nightmare, the PCs must travel aboard the ship, interact with the crew, and save themselves from a boarding party of eldritch evil.
The Bloody Maul of Kord is a magic weapon protected by the priests of Kord, who occasionally allow a noteworthy hero to use it when going on a dangerous quest worthy of the storm deity’s blessing. Six months ago, Atrimos of Ardor took the Bloody Maul for a quest to the Caverns of Demise, hoping to end attacks to the realm being launched from the caverns. He never returned. Now, the clerics of Kord hire the PCs to go into the caverns to retrieve the Bloody Maul of Kord—and to find Atrimos, if possible. Pgs. 108-113
The Heartland Scouts – brave defenders of the Coast Way – have been captured! What their captors haven’t counted on is the adventurers’ feisty animal companions. Left behind, they are nevertheless bound to spell trouble! In this entirely unique adventure, players take on the roles of trusty animal companions and familiars on a quest to rescue their adventurer masters. Surely leaving behind a druid’s harmless badger friend is no threat to one of the great evil powers of the world – or is it? Rescue: A Familiar Tale features a story and challenges designed especially for the animal companions. Players choose and customize their animal companion from over 20 options, with illustrated character sheets included for each one. This adventure does not require existing player characters and can be enjoyed by players of any experience level with the game. While it makes for a perfect “something different” one shot, Rescue can also serve as a session zero for any new campaign and includes guidelines for a fun and surprising way to create inspired new characters at the adventure’s end!
The residents of Castle Gealladh have been visited by an ominous banshee with a warning: “Leave or die”. Your adventuring company finds themselves drafted by a wizard named Milo Tenpenny and tasked with investigating the castle and ridding it of undead. In your investigation, you will find that there is more to this warning than it seems — and that something far worse than spirits haunt this castle.
The Cost of Beauty Deep in the snake infested jungle of Serpent Isle stands an ancient temple. Rumour has it that something still lurks in that place. Something evil from a lost era of devils and darkness. Now fishing boats are going missing off the island’s coast and dark shapes can be seen moving through the undergrowth. Could something have remained on that cursed isle?
"I can’t stand to lose again..." The small farming village of Devil’s Run is about to have its yearly pumpkin festival. Unbeknownst to many, Old Pete Barker, a pumpkin farmer of many years, was having difficulty growing his pumpkins. Pete doesn’t have an ample water source, unlike Molly Simms, his primary rival for the festival's coveted largest pumpkin award, whose farm lays near a stream. Fixated on winning the grand prize, Old Pete made a deal with a dark force, the Feeder of Desires, but the deed cost him and the village dearly. “Plant me in the ground and I will make you strong." Peter Barker's body transformed into a vine-like creature with a jack-o-lantern head, and he now ‘waters’ his thriving pumpkin fields with the blood of kidnapped villagers, binding them below the earth while the pumpkin vines burrow into their flesh and feed. These vines have started to enter the town, creating pumpkin-vine creatures which snatch villagers and drag them to his underground lair. Will the adventurers save the village of Devil's Run and put a stop to Pete's pumpkin-patched plots? Let the Pumpkin Festival Commence! ►2– to 4–hour adventure for three to five characters ►Scalable for 3rd—7th level (optimized for 5th) ►5 beautifully mapped areas for your adventurers to explore ►7 new monster stat blocks, including the Pumpkin Terror, Vine Hound, and pumpkin-headed Pete Barker himself! ►Ripe for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Fall adventuring! PDF Purchaser Bonuses ►HDR map files for each area (both gridded and gridless) ►Virtual Tabletop Tokens for the monsters Also for Roll20 and Foundry VTT
After escaping the oppressive rule of the hobgoblin empire, a tribe of goblins stumbles across a long-abandoned iron mine that would make the perfect home for them, if only it wasn’t already full of dangers. What lurks in the mine is however a secondary problem for the goblins, as they know that hobgoblin scouts will be hot on their heels. Looking to gain a valuable ally, they turn to the local town of Cathric for help. Under orders from the Marquess of Cathric, your band of adventurers is tasked with ensuring that the mine can provide a steady source of iron. Of course, this will mean helping the goblin tribe to get the mine working and defending them from their old masters. Your players will have to face off against the monsters in the mine, a hobgoblin scouting party and some over enthusiastic mining equipment, all while trying to put on a brave face in front of three trainee goblin fighters. Content warnings: spiders, enclosed spaces, displaced populations, authoritarian regimes. It is also implied that a monstrous creature is wounded by another monstrous creature.
Throughout the land, legends of the Dusk Queen persist. They speak of a sometimes kind, other times cruel, yet always mysterious fey queen who ruled from her Dusk Tower—a tall spire of smooth, dark stone in the heart of a great, shadowy forest. Perhaps the most gripping legends, however, whisper of the Dusk Queen’s sudden and mysterious disappearance. Also available in 5e format.
Wolpertinger, Wererat - Well! is a two-hour adventure for 1st-4th level characters, designed for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, with an urban theme, exploration, humor, and a small mystery to solve! Waterdeep, the City of Splendors, is brimming with exciting opportunities for adventurers - seemingly at every corner, backstabbing between rival guilds, intrigues among the noble houses, and treasures in forgotten places beckon. But today, a little girl is in trouble and needs the help of our heros in rescuing her pet "bunny"! This adventure is an unapologetically linear dungeon crawl – short, straight-forward, and to the point. It follows the three-pillar principle: combat, exploration, social interaction. The idea is to spice up the classic formula with varied challenges that result in a short, entertaining session. This makes this an excellent adventure for beginner players and DMs! Detailed support is provided for the DM in the form of roleplay advice for six completely fleshed out original NPCs, advice on the three pillars in each scene, and scenic sensory descriptions for every scene to make the adventure come to life. Included with this adventure are: + an original custom monster, the wolpertinger + six original fleshed out NPCs, including personality traits and roleplaying tips + 20 original (but mostly useless) magic items + six original diseases + one original trap + a complete original hand-drawn dungeon map covering the entire adventure
This 4 hour module takes the characters from a hidden cove near the Moonsea to hidden tunnels leading under the Glacier of the White Worm. What starts as a recovery mission leads to the uncovering of a much more sinister plot. Optimized for a group of level 7's (APL 7), this adventure can be adjusted for any Tier 2 party. Inside you'll find: * Three battlemaps * Introducing the ice encrusted skeleteon, a hardier version of the standard skeleton for colder climates.
In the Tower of Yladhra the Grim, a party of adventurers braves the dangers and puzzles of an enchanted wizard's tower, and finally confronts the wizard herself. The adventure is designed for a party of five adventurers between levels five and eight. It features: Encounters by Level - Varying types and quantities of creatures are suggested based on the party's actual level, allowing each encounter to present the appropriate challenge to the party. Encounter Notes - Suggestions for how to run combats are provided for game masters who place an emphasis on engaging, tactical battles. Inciting Action - Suggestions for ways to present the adventure to players are provided. Aftermath - Ideas for future adventures based on this one. Unique Magic Items - New magic items to introduce into a campaign. Ease of Use - The format and style of the document allows the game master to find information quickly while running the game at the table. Detailed Maps - What's an adventure without maps? Not much else to say here.
Synopsis: Goblin Bathwater, a magical drug, has taken hold in a sleepy coastal town at the edge of the Empire. As the characters investigate the origin of the drug, they uncover an international criminal conspiracy, wild and ancient magic, and a threat to reality itself. Contents: This beautifully made, 54-page adventure offers: A fully fleshed out, setting-agnostic starter area, brimming with colourful NPCs and hooks for adventure. Balanced encounters to bring characters to level 2; then some more devious encounters on their way to level 3. Three mini-dungeons built on the design philosophy of the "5 room dungeon method" Multiple big, cinematic set-piece boss encounters what will make your players feel epic. A facetted intrigue, which does not immediately suggest a simple, ready-made solution but invites the players to come up with their own, personal approach. Why pick this adventure? Hey, my name is Marius. This is my first time publishing on the DMs Guild but I wouldn't call myself a newcomer. I started playing Pathfinder 1e back in 2014. When I took over as our group's DM in 2019, we swapped over to 5e. We have run many, many modules and adventures since. Currently I play three games a week. In short: You could say I'm hooked. I created The Goblin Bathwater Incident as the ideal adventure for in-between your big modules, but it isn't a simple little adventure. With a playtime of about 30 hours, it still manages to hit that sweet-spot, where it establishes context, makes you grow fond of NPCs, and makes those big bossfight wins so much sweeter, all without taking more than a few sessions. The Goblin Bathwater Incident is different from many of the 1st tier adventures in that it pits the characters against traps and monsters, but also asks difficult, open-ended ethical questions, where a simple strategy of "apply sword to head of bad guy" will not cut it.
The heroes find themselves on a road recently beset by bandits. As they stop to rest for the night near the ruins of an old fort, the truth behind the bandit attacks is revealed: War Dogs. The heroes must fend off the attack before figuring out how to stop the body bandits once and for all. This product contains: - A short adventure for a 1st-level party. - A drop-in, little-prep adventure for any campaign. - 2 combat encounters - 1 negotiation - A 5 room dungeon - Cartography from Dyson Logos with starting positions for encounters. - Written for 5 heroes, with scaling for as little as 3 and as many as 6.
The Merfolk Queen asks adventurers to help retrieve merfolk roe (eggs) from a sahuagin raiding party lead by a sahuagin priestess, with custom water-based magic items as reward. The adventure is for three to four 5th level adventurers at a hard difficulty. Pgs. 137-145
The Triad Series comes to a head with the party be called upon to again save the land. While successes against both the Goat and Lion branches of the triad have been successful, the toughest group, the Dragons, has formed the army and is moving against the forces of good. Can your party meet the force that General Barsoon has assembled?
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