For months, the dreams of the people of Emystrell have become dark and terrible. It seems their nightmares have come to life as in recent weeks, people have mysteriously gone missing, vanishing in the night without a trace! Everyone is too paralyzed by their own despair to do anything or venture far from the safety of their homes. Emystrell is on the brink of collapse. The baron is offering a handsome reward to anyone who can show proof of the end of whatever evil curse that has taken hold of their town. This adventure is designed for a party of 3-5 heroic characters from the 2nd to 3rd level. It has elements of mystery and investigation in the first section which can be detailed and highly involved for groups that enjoy the process of searching for clues and solving mysteries or just as easily glossed over for groups that are more tactics focused. The second section of the adventure features the dungeon: a labyrinthine complex of an ancient elven crypt which the thieves guild has used as a base of operations for a decade...until the serpent worshipping cult arrived. The third section of this book is the detailed map and notes on the town and surrounding area of Emystrell. Roleplaying notes are kept light to allow for room for your own interpretations and details to NPCs remain as free to do with as you choose unless I felt inspired and hoped to give you a cool idea. This adventure has hooks for Dungeon Masters interested in a larger campaign involving the sinister plots of the Yuan-Ti (snake people) as well as other interesting adventure hooks (such as the giants in the nearby mountains or the stolen gem: The Eye of the Dragon). These plot points are intentionally left vague for you to fill in the gaps based on what your players seem interested in. You are invited to use this as a launch point adventure to lead your heroes on a larger adventure that might someday set them against an Anathema Serpent demigod, or it may simply be the adventure that begins their journeys and the evil of Yargoth stops here at Emystrell. If your campaign is set in a pre-published setting, this town of Emystrell can be replaced or fit into any campaign with a few tweaks to local gods and names. If you are playing in Dragonlance, you could replace Yargoth the Dread Serpent with Tiamat, or Dendar in Fearun. The local goddess, Tyr, could be the Tyr from the Forgotten Realms or even Norse myth if that is your campaign setting.
In this adventure, set in the Albadian wilderness, the party will be in contact with a nomadic Orc tribe, whose leader asks for help on dealing with an old and powerful Blade beast named Vófour. This one-shot features 2 new magic items and 1 new stat block for a more powerful Blade beast. Scarred Lands setting
The Saint's Tomb is a single-player gamebook-style adventure that is playable in your browser. You make a 1st level character sheet, roll your own dice (though 2 of each are supplied in-browser), keep up with your inventory, spells, and HP, and click on options as you make decisions. It was written to help new players learn the game, but it should be fun for experienced players too. In the game, you'll investigate a mysterious figure who has a suspicious interest in the tomb of a dead priest. You'll battle the undead, figure out problems and roll the dice to save your city! The Saint's Tomb is free, though you can leave a tip if you're able by clicking "Support this Game". A Spanish translation is available as "La Cripta Sagrada"
Kavalar Coppernight, a dwarf prospector, led a couple of dozen volunteers in a quest for rich veins of ore. Several months ago, they began underground mining operations, as well as a surface excavation for a small keep. Hearing of this development, the mayor of the nearest town sent two veteran militia members to investigate. They should have returned two days ago, and the mayor is growing anxious. The PCs are asked by the mayor to find out what happened to the two militia members. Pgs. 12-17
Rumors and legends surround a hidden temple dedicated to the god of Magic, Ileaeni. This lost shrine is supposed to be in the Border Hills but no one, not even a legendary general has been able to locate this famed location. While long rumored to hold a supply of magical items no proof exists of this temple aside from notations in old scrolls. Myth or real you and your party are interested in exploration and treasure…this sounds like it may be right up your alley.
If you're looking for a light-hearted adventure, you've come to the right place. Can a wizard and her beloved chef live a quiet life of baking and brewing, or is trouble destined to enter their innocent kitchen? It's up to the player characters to see what these two have cooked up before things get too hot to handle (without potholders, anyhow). Game designer Andy Collins offers the latest in our series of monthly free adventures. This original Dungeons & Dragons scenario, including full description and stats for a crusty new culinary creature, is suitable for a party of four characters of 2nd level. Adventure Preview When Andolyn met Gendrew, it seemed a match made in heaven. Andolyn was a skilled wizard with a love of a good meal, looking for an excuse to settle down from adventuring, while Gendrew was a master chef looking to create new methods of cooking. Together, they took up a quiet life of baking and brewing, content to live in a small cottage on the outskirts of town. But now one of their experiments has gone horribly wrong, and the characters must save poor Gendrew from his own delicious concoction, while defending themselves from the inhabitants of the cottage, and one unwelcome invader.
Give your game’s locations a character all their own! Build encounter themes, emphasize magic places, and connect it all to the monsters living there with Expanded Environments and Additional Actions. Use traits to make creatures stand out and enhance their bond with the land, then add lair actions to reinforce the connection and escalate the fight. New interactions encourage a race between players and monsters to gain the upper hand using the environment around them with additional options in combat. In non-combat encounters, regional effects keep the feel of magic heightened in the surrounding area. Grab characters’ attention, and limbs, in the clutches of fallen armies on the ancient battlefield. Apply library traits and lair actions to a dragon to create an encounter with a bookwyrm. Tempt characters with the allure of enchanted gold in the treasure hoard. Bend fire itself to your will in the heart of a volcano. With Expanded Environments and Additional Actions ties “where you are” to “what & how you fight” with 21 environment templates for attributes and abilities you can apply to existing monsters and places that include all of the following: 80 lair actions that give the terrain a role, and often a roll, in the fight. 75 traits so familiar monsters gain new tricks and special features. 73 regional effects to add to the wonder of the world between combats 64 interactions for players or monsters to make the most of their surroundings This supplement was designed for dungeon masters who want more dynamic combat and more magical encounters. The collection started as my own expansion of the environments found in MCDM’s Flee, Mortals! but can be used on its own (along with the existing D&D 5e rules).
The adventurers have delved into the Abyss to strike at the Demon Lord of Undeath, Orcus. On the layer of Thanatos, the Blood Lord has many outposts from which he spreads his corruption. One of his primary lieutenants is Doresain, the Ghoul King. If the PCs kill Doresain in his lair, they will strike a real blow against the foul demon lord. Pgs. 174-179
It's all over (and literally so) after midnight. A mission with an unforgiving deadline. The characters must remove the magically-infused remains of a dead wizard and his medallion from a crypt. Pgs. 10-23
Bastion Bay has become a bustling trade hub under the guidance of the cunning Capa Meriosa - but all is not well in the former pirate town. A monstrous undead shark stalks the seas, sinking any ship that gets too close; the newly built light house has gone mysteriously dark; and rumours swirl of twisted witches and other horrid things stalking the night. The port has been shut with no ships allowed to leave and tensions are running high. Bastion Bay is on a knife edge, and a new ship is just pulling into port... The Beast of Bastion Bay is an adventure for the 5th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons! It is designed for 3-5 5th level characters, and assumes a wide range of skills and abilities. It is designed to be played across multiple sessions and should take between 5 and 10 hours to complete. The adventure centres on the port town of Bastion Bay but can easily be transferred to any small or medium port town as long there are nearby islands and caves. This adventure was designed to have an equal balance of combat, exploration, and role-playing encounters.
"It was already a freezing morning when you set out for the legendary Castle of Madness – the mysterious castle that is said to emerge from blizzards once every seven winters. " In this short treasure hunt for one 2nd level player, you'll brave an frigid mountain, an icy cave, and a haunted castle to bring home a pile of loot. Written as a digital gamebook, you will keep track of your character's hit points, spells, and inventory on your character sheet, and keep track of enemies using your own scratch paper. The game will play GM and all enemies.
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.
In The Black Midwinter is a Festive adventure, designed to be played in one session. The PCs battle an ancient evil threatening a remote village in the subarctic north. Very much the same as most D&D adventures, only this time, it’s Christmas themed! The adventure includes a new Legendary Item, The Deck of Merry Things (with full printable art to create a prop deck), five new monsters including Krampus (obviously) and The Yule Lads (not so obviously, unless you're really into Finnish Christmas Folklore), ten additional magic items and four new alignments (really!). This adventure is ideal for a one off, not entirely serious game separate from your regular campaign. Mulled wine, stupid hats and holiday cheer not included, but very highly recommended.
Terror roams the dark and brambled paths of the Kryptwood. A pack of giant spectral hounds rule the night, savaging those foolish enough to brave the forest. The villagers of Hendenburgh cower in the shadows of the ancient boughs as each morning heralds a newly savaged corpse. Explore the ancient paths of the Kryptwood in a 25-hex hexcrawl. Discover the mysterious Tyrant's Tomb. Negotiate, serve or betray the factions of the Kryptwood (a ghostly despot, a gang of highwaymen with excellent PR, a horrifying witch coven, and the eccentric inhabitants of Hendenburgh). Fight new monsters such as owlboars, kryptwood hounds and ghostly tyrants. Hounds of Hendenburgh is designed for use with Cairn by Yochai Gal but compatible with other OSR systems. If using OSRIC, OSE or other OSR rulesets then the adventure is best suited to low-level parties (1-3). Reviews Hounds of Hendenburgh is an adventure brimming with potential energy, like a domino run—any prodding by the players is sure to set off a chain reaction, but where any individual piece will end up is anyone’s guess . . . For me, Hounds of Hendenburgh is a major highlight of A Town, A Forest, A Dungeon. I’m eager to bring it to the table, and I expect it’s the sort of adventure that will reward referees who run it multiple times. - Dododecahedron Blog This 22 page adventure presents a delightful little romp through a colourful town, a dreadful forest, and a small haunted dungeon/crypt. Would that everything I reviewed were at least this good. A credit to county Donegal! - Bryce Lynch (tenfootpole.org)
A Little Bit of Thievery is an unconventional freeform adventure for level 1 characters. The players are contracted to steal a magic item at a noble's fancy party, and are forced to abandon their weapons and rely on their wits to survive. Mayhem required and violence (mostly) optional. Success might bring the ire of an elite with a panache for vengeance and money to burn. Beats killing giant rats in the safety of a basement for a few silver pieces, right? Although it is specifically written for the 5th edition’s basic rules, the adventure can be dropped into any rules system or campaign with minimal modification. (Pay What You Want)
The sleepy village of Raven's Lake has a secret: A terrible god lives in the depths of the settlement's namesake. The citizens of Raven's Lake know that something lives in the lake. People who go out on the lake after dark go missing far too often and frequently turn up weeks later with no memory of where they've been. The local church of St. Cuthbert has been abandoned no fewer than seven times in the last two years, each time its lone cleric packing hastily and fleeing town without a word. Adventurers who come to Raven's Lake have a habit of vanishing forever. The truth is that something does indeed live in Raven's Lake but it is far from a deity. It's an exiled aboleth by the name of Zlorthishen. Pgs. 33-36
Sleepyhead. The only man who can stop the amphibian horde needs a wake-up call. The party must find a missing druid an bring his captures to justice. Pgs. 8-21
Children and a cleric have been kidnapped from a small coastal town by undead creatures who crawled out of the sea. Defend the Captain's Folly Tavern, investigate the mystery, swim through underwater caverns, and fight the monstrous denizens of the deep in order to save the kidnapped civilians! This adventure includes: 4 New Monsters, 4 New Magic Items, A Seafaring Skill Challenge, & Complications for an Underwater Chase Encounter!
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.)
The people of Northwood’s Rest need help. Winter is coming, and something’s been slaughtering the livestock. Surely it must be the orcs of the Northwood! Heroes are needed to hunt them down. Will you answer the call? Welcome to Hunted! The latest adventure from the critically acclaimed platinum best-selling author Tony Petrecca. Hey, that’s me! I’ll stop with the 3rd person talk now. My last release, Killer Kobolds, was all about unadulterated, non-stop run and gun action, and quite purposefully contained absolutely no moral quandaries. Its theme was simple - Kidnapping Kobolds needed killing… now go! The result was an absolute blast, but with Hunted! I wanted to explore notably different themes. With Hunted! Exploration, investigation, and role play go hand in hand with unexpected twists and turns to present an adventure I’m quite proud of. Worry not, action hounds, as there’s plenty of combat to be had, but with Hunted! mindless murder hobo’s need not apply. Set in the frontier town of Northwood's Rest, a simple thorpe on the edge of a forest, Hunted! lends itself to easy insertion into any campaign setting and would make an excellent side quest for Storm King's Thunder. With direct tie ins to Acererak, Hunted! fits naturally within any Tales of the Yawning Portal campaign. Scaled for a party of 4-6 adventurers of levels 5-7, Hunted! can be easily tweaked to accommodate parties of lesser or greater strength. Featuring gorgeous cartography by Ennie award winner Elven Tower Cartography, beautiful art, a bevy of new creatures, new locations, several potential plot twists and a fun new magic item, Hunted! should provide six to ten hours of outstanding Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition adventuring fun.