A young black dragon and two hatchling dragons live in an excavated sandstone burrow in the swamp west of Knacker Knob. Connected to the dragon lair is a complex of sandstone tunnels and chambers inhabited by lizard men. Some sandstone tunnels and chambers are partially flooded, and others are filled with nasty things such as slimes, oozes and gelatinous cubes. The lizard men revere the dragons as magical spirit guardians. In small groups the lizard men are easily defeated, but if allowed to prepare a common defense, the lizard men tribe with its spellcasters may present serious threat to the player characters (PCs). Wild Dragon Den is the first dragon's lair to conquer. Part of TSR 1073 The Dragon's Den
There is the well-known regional legend of Iptiz, a spirit naga whose greed was remarkable even among its own kind. Murderous raids and relentless pillaging yielded a hoard so valuable that the creature needed some place to store and protect it. Thus was the Vault conceived: an underground complex custom built to destroy anyone who is not its creator. Years ago, Iptiz's campaign of terror suddenly ended without precursor or cause. The location of the Vault was never discovered. Until now. The ring-city of Sulindal, built upon the shores of a mile-wide desert oasis, has come under martial law by an invading army of yuan-ti. They intend to exploit the resources in this renowned city of knowledge to locate the third and final Beacon of Selune. ...but for what purpose? A four to six hour adventure for four 5th level players.
This Christmas, Santa Claus must die! Adopt the role of one of history’s iconic Christmas villains and raid Santa’s North Pole base in order to destroy Santa’s corrupted form. Due to Grinch’s machinations, Santa’s jovial form has been corrupted and he’s called off his annual gift-giving journey. Now, the Spirit of Christmas gives Grinch an ultimatum: he must assemble a team of other famous villains, infiltrate the North Pole base and destroy the corrupted Santa Claus so he can be reborn and deliver presents. The team will have to navigate environmental hazards, deal with four factions of Santa’s elves and finally battle the Man in Red himself. However, each team member has their own secret agenda to complete … and time is running out!
Characters are asked by a local cleric to deliver gifts to a family whose homestead is in the harsh frontier. During the trek they encounter several “spirit forces” that they can overcome through combat, or they can decipher clues to use tropes that suggest some fun, holiday-themed alternatives to combat. Once they reach the homestead, they must plan to secretly deliver the gifts. All of this must be completed in one day’s time before the Winter Solstice ends. This adventure is an homage to the Christmas holiday time, but it is not a traditional “Santa Claus” story. The cast of monsters and NPCs are inspired by European folklore that have contributed to today’s Christmas celebrations. The legends have been mashed into a single, tier 1 D&D adventure, designed for four level 4 characters. Suggestions are given for scaling. Total play should not exceed 4 hours.
The nefarious master wrestler Dib, the goblin, is "terrorizing" the streets of the town (or city). Since his defeat in his roadside fortress, the would-be chieftain has plotted his revenge. Gathering to him a new batch of dim minions, Dib has transformed a stolen merchant wagon into a machine of war. The wagon is powered by several goblins inside who, while devoted to Dib, lack the strength to pedal the thing quickly or consistently. Dib's plan to wreak a path of havoc through the streets has resulted in something a bit more disappointing. In this light-hearted and quirky adventure for four first- or second-level PCs, the party must confront the war wagon, gain entry to it, and defeat its defenders—the lives of several potted plants and a few market stalls depend on it!
This adventure begins with a message delivery to the post commander in Penchant. Sadly for your PC Lt. Kateryn Hawtrey is gone and the PC will need to wait until her return. While wandering through town yelling is heard and someone is in trouble. Investigation reveals that a small child has fallen into one of the town’s wells and needs help getting out. While forming a rescue plan the child, CeCe, screams and disappears from sight. Is your player brave enough to venture into the darkness alone? As with all adventures in the Penchant series it can be difficult and not for the faint of heart!
Centuries ago, the four deities worshipped by mortals – Kishar, Kotaresh, Lyth, and Asar-Segt – threatened to drown the world in a flood of saltwater to punish the living for their impiety. The oracles and witches of the realm struck a desperate bargain with the gods, however, and convinced them to spare the world. In exchange, the mortal kingdoms were bound to demonstrate their faith once every generation by sending their most courageous and adroit warriors to the Crucible, a ziggurat in the lowest valley of the land. Every quarter-century, on the first full moon of summer, an eclipse darkens the night and the sealed ziggurat opens. Many traps, tricks, and guardians lie within the Crucible to test those who enter. Few who heed the challenge of the gods survive – most find only quick death. If the races of the world are deserving of the gods’ affection, their champions will overcome the trials of the Crucible and light the Divine Brazier hidden in its uppermost chamber. If they are not, the flickering candle of civilization will be snuffed. Little of value will have been lost. Published by Defy Danger and Save Versus Death
Tired and sore, you struggle over the burning sands toward the long-forgotten city. Will you reach the place in time to save yourselves from the evil efreeti? The sun beats down, making your wounds stiff and worsening the constant thirst that plagues anyone who travels these waterless wastes. But there is hope - are those the ruins over there? In the midst of broken columns and bits of rubble stands a huge statue. This is the place! You've found it at last. Gratefully, you sink onto the sand. But there is no time to lose. You must hurry. So with a quavering voice you say the magic words. And then you wait... A hush falls over the ruins, making the back of your neck prickle. Then, out of the east, a wind rises, gentle at first but quickly growing stronger and wilder, until it tears at your clothes and nearly lifts you off your feet. The once clear sky is choked with white and grey clouds that clash and boil. As the clouds blacken day turns to night. Lightning flashes followed by a menacing growl of thunder. You are beginning to wonder if you should seek shelter, when all of a sudden there is a blinding crash and a bolt of lightning reduces the statue to dust. For a moment, silence. The, out of the statue's remains, soars a blue flame. Its roar deafens you as higher and higher it climbs, until it seems about to reach the clouds. Just when you think it can grow no larger, its shape begins to change. The edges billow and soften, their roar lessens, and before your eyes materializes a gigantic blue man. This adventure can be played alone or as the second part of the Desert of Desolation series. For characters level 6-8. TSR 9053
"While staying in the quant rual town of Keswig, the PCs are approached by a troubled young woman named Elexa Justheart. Elexa has just returned from the Galhanor Crusades--a war fought against giants and humanoids in the distant Galhanor Mountains. After serving six months as a cleric in a series of major battles, she recently arrived home to find her uncle's castle occupied by evil brigands." -- from the module. Includes overland maps and maps of the tower and castle.
Inspired by the "Happy Fun Ball" from the web series Critical Role, The Cube of Vanya is a magical adventure through demi-planes created by an ancient wizard, now destabilized by a malevolent dragon. The adventurers find themselves trapped within a series of themed planes with no idea how they got there. Navigating these planes to find a means of escape, they uncover the secrets of the cube while piecing back together their own memory. During the campaign the adventurers may fight shadow demons in an inn which is really a prison, flee a tornado while perched perilously in the sky, forge a weapon within a volcano, and much more. The module is structured in a non linear manner allowing the adventurers to choose their own way, or for the DM to pick and choose their favourite bits to highlight. The adventure was written with four level 5 players in mind but it would be easy to tweak for different sized groups around that level.
With your first set of adventures firmly under your belt you are relaxing and basking in the glory of a job well done. While at the local tavern imbibing in some well-earned spirits, a commotion can be heard outside. As you step outside the villagers are pampering two children who apparently just rode into town on a very sweaty and tired pony. An arrow is sticking out of the mount’s flank. As the animal is removed the townspeople pepper the children with questions as both are obviously afraid. It would appear the drinks will have to wait.
In a distant dimension of existence, a collective of Modrons run experimental tests to find the answer to one question: What draws adventurers to places known as "Dungeons"? Hijacking the travel of adventuring parties, these Modrons subject them to a series of tests in their artificially created dungeon. Deadly combat, logic puzzles, "moral" challenges, and a plot about a kidnapped "Maiden" Modron by an "Evil Wizard Construct" can be found within. But not all is as it seems... Leading the experiment is a rogue Modron officer named the Creative Director, who has gone mad and morphed the tests into an elaborate death trap for adventurers. Seeking revenge against those it considers responsible for its “imprisonment”, it pits the adventurers against ever escalating challenges. Who will defeat the Creative Director and put an end the mad tests?
Legend tells of a long-dead empire of sphinxes, ruled over for millennia by a great queen named Ankharet. She fell into darkness and her empire was shattered, as her subjects rebelled and cast her down. Unable to kill her, it is said that they bound her with great magic and buried her in a tomb, to wait for the foretold heroes who would be able to slay her and end her evil forever. Their empire in ashes, the sphinxes scattered to roam the world in bitter freedom, save a single great androsphinx. On the edge of the mysterious Barren Hills, between the mountains and the Great Desert, there is a gigantic statue of a crowned gynosphinx, ancient beyond reckoning. At its feet, a great androsphinx known as Khubsheth the Prophet has dispensed counsel and prophecy to all who come to him for longer than mortal records can tell. The heroes have come to visit Khubsheth, whether for counsel, prophecy or out of curiosity, but as soon as he lays eyes on them, he attacks! Upon his defeat, he tells them that they are the heroes foretold by the legend of Ankharet. Ankharet ruled over a long-dead empire of sphinxes, but she fell into darkness. Her subjects rebelled and cast her down, but were unable to kill her. It is said that they bound her with great magic and buried her in a tomb, to wait for the foretold heroes who would be able to slay her and end her evil forever. Kubsheth the Prophet tells the heroes that they must enter the tomb of the long-dead sphinx queen, kill her, and destroy her cursed crown, an artifact of tremendously evil power. As his blood seeps into the sands, a doorway opens at the base of the statue, leading down into darkness…
TSR 9375, from 1992
A serpentine lamia lair suitable for four or five 4th-level characters. A matriarch lamia leads a large consortium of merchants from a distance and through intermediaries. However, she has recently descended into the common madness of her kind and set up a 'celebration' at an abandoned mine for her consortium and their guards. Will you survive the party?
Six months ago, an adventuring group that calls itself the Company of the Shining Stone learned of an aged wizard’s tomb that lay in the rocky foothills of a prominent mountain range, and sought to plunder it. What they were not counting on was that a band of stone giants would move into the immediate area to make their lair. The giants have rebuffed the company’s attempts at getting past them and to their goal. Now is the time of the annual fair in Adurath, a small town located not far from the tomb, and thus, the giants. The giants have no interest in the town or the tomb, but are instead interested in a rare mineral found only in that region. A few of the townsfolk have seen the giants, but there has been no confrontation other than between the giants and the Company of the Shining Stone.
Under raging storm clouds, the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of Castle Ravenloft. Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind’s howling increases as he turns his gaze down toward the village of Barovia. A lightning flash rips through the darkness, but Strahd is gone. Only the howling of the wind fills the midnight air. The master of Castle Ravenloft is having guests for dinner—and you are invited. Spans levels 1-10.
"Fishing for Gods in Strade's Gallows" is a Dungeons and Dragons 5e module designed for 3-5 players at levels 2-3. This module features NPC dynamics where cordial manners and a polite smile matter just as much as sword-swinging prowess. Original monster entries and dungeon maps can be found in the appendices. A medical shipment to the swampy town of Strade's Gallows takes a turn for the eccentric when the party happens across enigmatic shrimp-men who begin to worship them as gods. Can the party solve the mystery of Strade's Gallows' ailment, or will their new disciples botch it all up? This module includes a list of songs which convey the mood of the setting. They are all online so it's easy to make a playlist.
"The storm-stuff is not matter as we know it, and beyond Immortal control," the Hierarch sighs. "I fear we are doomed." It appeared only a few weeks ago - a swirling gray mass of incalculable size. And in its center, an eye. A humanoid eye. Now the storm threatens the very era of Immortal rule. The growing maelstrom emits a message to the Hierarchs. But what does it mean? Can it help save this realm of existence? Is there time to save this realm? The first Immortal adventure pits your party against the multiverse in a desperate struggle to find the essence of life. This adventure is nothing like you've ever played before. TSR 9171
For years, the pirate Captain Renlock sailed the coast of the Arcadian Ocean from the Shackles to the south to the waters of Varisia to the north searching for plunder and adventure—until one day his luck ran out. The ship was captured by a navy and the captain and his crew were apprehended and imprisoned. Years later, after the captain's death in prison, the four released crewmembers receive a message from the deceased captain pointing them to treasure he hid for them. This short Pathfinder 2nd edition adventure written by Jason Bulmahn is intended to be completed in a single session and includes four 5th-level pregenerated characters whose backstories and motivations tie closely into the plot of the adventure. This adventure can be easily incorporated into various virtual tabletops, run off of digital devices, or printed out and played at a table.