Three artifact weapons have gone missing and you adventurers have been sent after them. Going only by the riddle left on the thief's note, part ransom part guide, You stand before White Plume Mountain, stronghold of the supposedly long dead Wizard Keraptis.
From time out of mind, the standing stones known as the Circle of Cahervaniel have stood lonely vigil on a grassy hilltop. Sheepherders once moved their flocks over the hill and through the circle, sometimes resting in the cool shadows cast by the ancient stones. Everything changed when a stone finger fell, revealing a fissure in the earth. Now, dark shadows caress the circle after the sun sets. Creatures out of nightmare dance upon the hillside at night. Many swear that a unicorn of deepest ebony now hunts all upon two legs who draw near, while stunted creatures scurry in the shadows, abducting sheep from their sheds and drawing them down below ground for food. After the disappearance of a sheperd, fear grows stronger in neighboring villages. Who will brave the black hollow of the ancient Circle of Cahervaniel? Heroes of stern mettle must descend into the cavity and explore the ancient spaces existing there. Product History "The Shattered Circle" (1999), by Bruce R. Cordell, is a generic adventure for AD&D 2e. It was published in January 1999. Origins: Another Generic. After Wizards of the Coast began publishing D&D, their first year and a half of generic adventures were all classic revivals: returns to RPGA tournaments, to classic adventures, and to Dungeon scenarios. Even "A Paladin in Hell" (1998) was a return in its own way, to the demons and devils that TSR had become afraid of. Wizards was staking out new ground by reclaiming the past. "The Shattered Circle" (1999) was the first generic Wizards adventure that was simply a generic adventure, with no deeper origins and no hidden motives. Artifacts of Note. the foundingstone and the harp Euphonious are both one-off named magic items. However, it's sword Icerazor that's the most interesting. It's said to have grown from a shard of Frostrazor — a sword that would only appear ten months later in Return to White Plume Mountain (1999). There, it's listed as one of Keraptis' four implements of power, alongside Wave, Blackrazor, and Whelm — meaning that Icerazor (and this adventure) are just one step removed from White Plume Mountain itself. Monsters of Note: Chitine. It's somewhat curious, given the Greyhawk and Neverness connections, to note that the chitine debuted in MC11: "Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix" (1991). The spider-humanoids have generally been a Realms creature, featuring in bestiaries and histories for that setting. However, they also received a more generic "Ecology of the Chitine" in Dragon #223 (November 1995), which introduced the choldrith, or chitine priestess. This is their major adventure appearance. When asked about pronouncing their name Cordell says that he "can't be 100% sure of the original designer's pronunciation", but he prefers "KI-TEEN". About the Creators. By 1999, Cordell was one of D&D's most prolific writers. He'd previously authored many slightly related adventures, such as The Gates of Firestorm Peak(1996) and the sahuagin (1997) and illithid (1998) Monstrous Arcana adventure trilogies. This conversion guide allows DMs to run the original module with 5th Edition rules. To use this conversion guide you will need a copy of The Shattered Circle, originally available in hard-copy and now for sale in Digital format at the DMs Guild. This adventure is a generic adventure, not specifically based in any existing setting. Suggestions are given in the conversion guide to place the adventure in the Forgotten Realms.
The players get more than they bargain for when answering a night-time call for assistance from a mutual friend. Can they escape the githyanki prison known as the Crucible and find their way home from the Astral Plane? Designed for characters of 5th to 9th level, the Crucible can be played as a standalone one shot adventure, or as the first in a four part series of connected one shots that see the party fight their way to hell and back.
After a few scrapes with adventure even novice heroes will need a break and such is the case with this challenge. The young group of PCs will find themselves entering a backwater burg in the hopes of a little R&R (rest and relaxation) but as they come close to town a dead body in the road and the smell of burning foreshadows troubling times ahead. The R&R will have to wait as the young adventurers will be challenged yet again.
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.
Bitter Feast is a 5e-compatible adventure for 20th-level characters. It focuses on role-playing and storytelling. The heroes are invited to the hall of King Kark to celebrate the Winter Solstice and, secretly, the winter of his own life. The journey there is set on a ship in a frigid ocean where the party can fill the space with tales of their past adventures, from times when their power was not so great. Suddenly they find themselves beset by a Kraken, smashing their boat and threatening their lives before skulking back into the deep. It is in this state that they meet the first guest of King Kark, Ardur Albain and his eleven knights.
This adventure is suitable for four 6th to 7th level PC's and may be completed in a single session. Oithois the exceptional ice mephit and his foul underlings have uncovered a powerful relic at the entry to ancient ruins. The monstrous mephits seek to crack a hole between the material plane and their icy home world. Oithois plots to lead an army of elemental lackeys and conquer the civilized outposts of the north. This ice mephit has studied the machine and is confident he can open a gateway to the elemental plane of ice. PCs are approached by a frostbitten traveler, who pleads with them to assault the terrace. The adventurers must mount an attack against the mephits, contend with an unintentionally summoned young white dragon, and defeat Oithois upon the icebound terrace.
Enter the world of Dungeons & Dragons without spending a penny! This fourth-level adventure is designed to work with the free basic rules offered by Wizards of the Coast. You and your friends can explore, battle and roleplay without having to buy anything other than snacks, drinks and maybe some pizza for the DM! Will You Right a Wrong? When a powerful magic item is stolen from a wealthy farming association, the leaders turn to a band of reliable and - most importantly - discrete adventurers to retrieve it. Their journey takes them into a cave system filled with sickness and rot, and thrusts them into a debate over applying magical solutions to practical problems. Where will their loyalties fall when forced to make a tough choice? Includes: Hi-res copy of dungeon map Print-friendly version Continue the path to adventure!
We’ve been running these fights since before my granddaddy helped drive them gnolls out. We have a proud history of taking care of the animals, too—we get ’em as pups from the dwarves up in Granitehold. Sure it’s bloody, but you’re not in the sot lands of kings and queens anymore, are you. Say, did you hear that?
A special underworld encounter from DUNGEON Adventures! The toll may be higher than you can afford... To travel further into the Underdark the party must cross a bridge spanning a deep chasm. But to cross, they must pay the toll, or risk another route. Pgs. 47-54
Your sleek cloudskate skims across the Skysea. It is midnight. All day long, the glass sea soaked up the scorching desert sunlight. Now, that heat lifts your ship a few inches off the glass and fills its sails. The only sound you hear is the soft swish of the diamond-edged rudder as it cuts a path across the Skysea. One thousand years ago, the wizard Martek knew that you would come to find his Sphere of Power. Now, one of his glowing Star Gems shows you the way. The starlight, reflected in the glass beneath you, flickers peacefully. Suddenly, the Skysea before you bursts up into a thousand shards of splintered glass, showering into the moonlight! A horrible creature is silhouetted against the moon. You strain against the rudder to keep your ship upright. Too late! Your cloudskate tips onto one runner, and then tumbles over, skidding to a stop on the glass. As your companions struggle to right the ship, you turn and face the monster. You must hold the creature back to give them time. Without the ship, none of you can get off the glass before the sun rises in the morning. Martek's prophecy spoke of heroes, tests, and dangers. Are you the heroes? What are the tests? What dangers and riches lie ahead? This adventure can be played by itself, or as the third and final part of the Desert of Desolation series. For character levels 7-9. TSR 9054
The Archpriest, leader of the Church, has defied a summons to the Immortal Capital. You have been chosen to retrieve the recalcitrant pontiff. Kidnap the Archpriest is designed to be an implicit tutorial for diplomacy, stealth, theft, bluffing, and cunning. It is a system-less, setting-less heist module featuring: a city (with a map) a fortress (with interior and exterior maps) two hectic days and nights a guide to designing your own heists. glorious black and white art by Luka Rejec scheming cardinals, frantic servants, and secret plots By the author of the CoinsandScrolls blog and Tomb of the Serpent Kings.
Utopian Tower is a solo adventure which brings a new PC/player to the small Halfling village of Phebus on their way to a job opportunity. While the PC has time to spare they learn of a haunted tower that has the villagers on edge and is asked to investigate for a reward! While in town the PC meets a bard also headed to a job opportunity leading to a potential fellowship…if they survive! An excellent setting to teach a player new to the game on the basic mechanics. The adventure ties in roleplaying in a town environment, overland and dungeon movement, as well as combat encounters!
The Haunted Hamlet and other hexes details four unique modular locations for your game. Made for old school essentials, but can easily be used with other old-school systems or even 5E. The four locations detailed in the zine focus on gameable content and being easy to use at the table. The locations are not connected to one another and can be sprinkled onto your campaign map however you like, or run as one shots. The PDF is graphic and art heavy and utilizes random tables and other tools to make it easier for GMs to run in a pinch. Details: 40 pages Single column text 8.5 x 5.5 aspect Black & White Bookmarks Four hex locations Random tables A rival NPC party A sky merchant A one page town Two hirelings
Can you survive the Madhouse of Tasha’s Kiss? Or will you go mad trying? A small village, empty of villagers except for one boy found sitting and weeping next to a jester’s pageant wagon. The boy explains that the villagers, including his family, followed a jester into the wagon and never came out. A portal to a pocket dimension is found inside the wagon, leading to a brass door with the word Madhouse etched into it. What lays beyond the door? What madness could the adventurers face? Can they save the villagers, or will they go mad trying? Published by Jeff Stevens Games
It's the little things that count. Obnoxious little problems can easily become obnoxious big ones. Although designed as a companion to "Grakhirt's Lari" (which appeared in issue#1), a copy of that module is not required to enjoy this one. Pgs. 3-8
TENTACLES. WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE TENTACLES? A colony of deep gnomes have had their main water source taken over by a group of kuo-toa, but are the fishy folk really the ones to blame for leaving the gem-loving svirfneblin thirsty?… This adventure was originally made for a West Marches campaign, but is designed to easily fit into any standard fantasy setting. There are many areas to insert plot hooks for your own world or campaign. A 4-hour adventure for 5th-7th level characters by ALAN TUCKER
This scenario was presented to Gryphcon's 30th anniversary last year. The party finds themselves coming to the Triland on their way to Taco Del Toro. This island chain is unique in that it has a land mass made of clouds, hovering over the island. Upon landing, your group discovers that the governor's child has been abducted by a Cloud Giantess. Time for your hero hats...
Are you ready for some HACK 'N' SLASH action? Do you yearn to unveil the hidden mysteries of the DWARVES? Are you thirsty for some UNEXPECTED encounters? The long lost Dwarven Kindgom of Gleodemar holds a relic of the past, Svarogs's Anvil, a magical artifact that can boost weapon production. The Heroes are sent to reclaim it, but the ancient fort is not empty and the new denizens have settled for good and do not seem keen on sharing any treasures. Will the Heroes manage to overtake them in a direct (and bloody) confrontation, or will the try to slip through the shadows to reach their goal? Maybe they will be captured and the "cavalry" will have to save them? In this adventure anything goes and it takes only one mistake to unravel the Heroes' careful plans and make them prisoners of the Keep. In this slightly challenging 5e hack 'n' slash adventure for 4th level PCs you will find: - a detailed story behind the Dwarven Kingdom of Gleodemar - a powerful dwarven artifact - a back-up NPC party, in case the heroes require a "deus ex machina" intervention - an optional ethical dilemma, to spice things up - both DM and player-safe maps - 3 boss monsters that can be used as future antagonists - non-stop action and suspense until the last minute of this 3-act mad rash and if all of that still does not sound fun, there's ALSO a race against time before the curtain falls. Download away! (and don't forget to share your feedback, we'd love to hear it!)
Deep below the surface lies an ancient beholder city called Ilth K'hinax. In times past, hundreds of beholders called it home - until simmering rivalries within their society exploded into warfare. The few survivors fled, leaving the city deserted for hundreds of years. However, the story of Ilth K'hinax's glory was passed down from one generation of beholders to the next. Now, after countless years of self-imposed exile, the beholders are back! After securing the city, the hive mother of Ilth K'hinax implemented a plan to wipe out all the beings living above it. Unfortunately for the beholders, several facets of the hive mother's plan have been revealed through the exploits of a party of adventurers. Now, this group of heroes must meet eye to eye with Ilth K'hinax's newest occupants in an effort to stop the hive mother's pernicious plan! "Eye to Eye" is the last of three adventures featuring the nightmarish beholder. It can be played as an individual mission or as part of the series that began with "Eye of Pain" and continued in "Eye of Doom." TSR 9536