An ettin has begun terrorizing the hamlet of Newkeep, stealing cattle and smashing homes—and flattening anyone who tries to stop him. Meanwhile, a mysterious riddle has appeared on the walls of the local shrine—a riddle which may hold the key to vanquishing the ettin.
Silas Cusk built a menagerie of magically reconstructed saurians on a tropical island and sold tickets to it. The party arrives as VIP guests on preview day — the same morning Cusk's former partner steals the diamond that powers every containment ward on the island. The wards go dark, the cages open, and the island has two hours before its magical foundations give out and it slides into the sea. A complete, ready-to-run one-shot for a small table: 2–3 players, levels 2–3, one 2–3 hour session, zero prep. Eighteen named scenes across four acts, with a branching second act (a subterranean stealth route or an exposed aerial one) that reconverges so nothing is gated behind the choice. A visible 0–10 tension meter — the Containment Instability Index — climbs as the island fails and sets the severity of the finale. The apex predator is not a villain: it is a construct whose control collar overloaded when the diamond was stolen, and it is in agony, not hunger. The three-phase boss has a discoverable weak point and ends in a single-round choice between three fully written endings — destroy the island's heart, restore containment, or free the beast — none of them clean. Includes 8 SRD 5.1 creature stat blocks, 4 NPCs, 4 ready-made characters (any two form a viable party), 6 battle maps, 6 opening hooks, 6 contingencies, and 5 campaign seeds. Every encounter is tuned and stress-tested for the worst-case small table.
The first part of two lairs—a ratfolk warlock lair and a rattok demon lair—suitable for four or five 3rd-level characters. The lairs can be run separately or together as one longer adventure. Demon Lord of Rats is looking to corrupt the city with his influence. They have grown in number and now seek to infiltrate and influence the guilds of the city.
The Drunderry River runs narrow and fast through much of its course, before tumbling into the lowlands beneath the Fallow Hills, in the shadows of the Blacktooth Ridge. From there, the river spreads out across fertile plains, laboring slowly to the south before emptying into the Elmarsh Lake. Until recently this area was unsettled, but a writ of the King's has brought many people to the area. The village of Malforten, nesteld along the banks fo the Drunderry River, near the Fallow Hills, is just such a place. A quiet village with simple people, they learned the hard way the Blacktooth Ridge casts a deep and dark shadow. Seeing rich prizes in cattle and grain, people and other movables, Gritznak the Gnoll has come down from the Blacktooth with loot on his mind. All they've done to drive him off have failed, at their wits end the villagers turn to others, more experienced in combatting evil. They look to a rising knight to save them . . . . Also available for 5E: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/160855/A0-The-Rising-Knight--Adventures-for-5th-Edition-Rules
From the magazine: "The monster you're sent out after is so dangerous that even mind flayers fear it. And the illithids want your help!" Earthquakes hit the area around Needlespire mountain, affecting both dwarven and deep gnome villages, and the local mining industry. Deep gnome expeditions discover an illithid outpost! This adventure includes roleplaying encounters with both deep gnomes and illithid in their quest for the true cause of the earthquakes. The creature causing the earthquakes is a draknor which has sent its huge tentacles into the earth seeking magma to fuel its growth. Pgs. 38-60
Constant attacks have been carried out in the forest region near Holyrock. The small town of Taveiro Village was raided by a group of Goblins that are plundering the agricultural region near the city. There is suspicion that there is a lair of these beings near the village, but so far, no one has been able to find the place. The mayor of the city is hiring adventurers to discover and eliminate this band of Goblins. It offers a big reward, in addition to allowing the booty found with these beings to own the heroes. Are you ready for the challenge? ” Goblins Lair is a “One Shot” style adventure, one that you can play in an afternoon or fit into your larger campaign. This adventure is designed for up to 4 players from level 1 to 3. We recommend using the basic BX books or the old D&D books. Have Fun! Published by Voxelhouse
FVS7 - Arena of the Gods is a special and non-traditional setting that has dual uses. This scenario brings a single PC to the grand coliseum and pits them against an enemy or enemies in front of a crowd. The danger is high with no one to help and this offering can be quite deadly. A couple of ideas have been outlined for the adventure for its usefulness and, while written as a solo, multiple players could be used in a team formation with an increase in opponents. Take a peek at this special offering that is also free!
Strange catches have long plagued fishermen's nets -- but none so strange as rotting fish that twitch and gasp for days after they are taken from the water, or a gilled githyanki's severed head found in a shark's belly. Do these briny omens lend credence to rumors of a sunken githyanki city caught in a necromantic civil war? This is a sequel to "The Death of Lashimire" (Dungeon Magazine #116). This adventure makes use of rules and options from "Stormwrack" and the "Expanded Psionics Handbook". Pgs. 60-82
While investigating rumors of a dangerous blue dragon wreaking havoc in the deep desert, the heroes tumble under the sands into the magically sealed dome of an ancient palace. The temporarily weakened dome reseals above them, and they are left to explore the golden palace of Zahadran, once seat of power for the legendary Caliph Ardishir the Magnificent. But the dome is weak because it has been assaulted by the mythical storm demon Azi Dahaka and his trapped minions, evil creatures that were sealed under the magical dome to keep them from ravaging an unsuspecting world.
A 12-page adventure for OSE CONTAIN THE UNDEAD! Between jagged peaks hides a small dagger shaped temple. Inside live the followers of Polsin, half-elf god of vengeance. They spend their days plotting and obsessing over those that wronged them, but at night they tend their great cemetery. A few weeks ago a new adept stole the cemetery key and opened Polsin's tomb to steal his dagger. He died in the attempt, but now the graveyard's denizens have risen from the dead and treathen the outside world. Take the dagger! Face the tomb's defences and retrieve the lost dagger of Polsin, a legendary weapon capable of defeating any kind of undead and bring peace to the cemetery. Polsin's Dagger is a low level Old School Essentials adventure for a party of 1-4 players. Perfect for a one shot or a random encounter in an hex crawl.
A murder mystery adventure for AD&D. Can the police solve the mystery in time? The Arch Mage is dead. Murdered. The players must solve the mystery before time runs out. Pgs. 41-61
Some monsters don't have any class. The quest for knowledge can be as dangerous as any other. The heroes investigate a library after one of the locals claims to have seen a librarian be attacked by a tentacled creature. In reality, a group of orcs found a secret entrance into the library and the "tentacle" is merely the whip that the leader wields. The party must make their way through a labyrinth hidden underneath the library and rescue the hostages. Pgs. 4-9
Local farmers have been coming into Feastelburg recently recounting harrowing stories of a growing number of attacks upon the land. Farmers and travelers have decidedly noted that the creatures causing the problems are troglodytes. The creatures seem to be becoming bolder in their attacks as initially they were at night under cover of darkness. The last several attacks have occurred during daylight and the recent reports have included chasing down and murdering farmers and pilgrims alike. Several farms have been put to the torch and it has the town on edge.
The water pounds the base of the cliff with the relentless power of time. Jagged rocks appearing and disappearing in the foam of the sea like gnashing teeth. Above it all on the top of the black cliff sits a small house and the dark light tower. The magistrate has sent your party to investigate why the light has gone dark.
Long ago, before the arrival of civilized humanoids, a large colony of ogres thrived in the local area. When a great invasion from another dimension threatened this colony, their king, Koptila, prayed for his people to be spared. The gods heard these pleas, but commanded Koptila to sacrifice himself. The leader did so, and the clan disappeared—whisked away by the gods and lost to time. Over the years, a city grew up above the former subterranean home of the ogres, and no aspect of Koptila’s ancient bargain was preserved or remembered. Even so, the stars are aligned for the return of Koptila and his people. These powerful repatriates are unlikely to appreciate the changes in their old home. A sage has found dusty documents prophesying this return, and he asks the PCs to investigate the catacombs to defeat the potential threat to the city. The PCs travel down through city sewers and subterranean passages before finding the catacombs that the ogre colony once called home. Pgs. 48-53
The Golem Master, creator of pricey artificial servants, hasn’t been seen around for some time. His house stands dark and silent. Dare you enter?
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
What's waiting for you at the bottom? Adventurers are more than welcome - they're nourishment! Pgs. 4-15
The mysteries and legends surrounding Whispering Widow Woods have always been enough to scare off the timid. The dense canopy shrouds the forest floor in darkness even at mid-day, and the tangled underbrush inhibits travel and can disorient even seasoned woodsmen. Lately, though, terrorized residents have described attacks by normally docile creatures, such as black bears. Respected citizens told wild tales of unprovoked attacks by treants, sprites, and brownies. The last two curious souls to venture into Whispering Widow Woods have not returned. Tales of Enchantment has no mechanism built- in to keep the players on track. That is part of the problem for them to solve. They can go as far afield as their bad judgment takes them, but the farther afield they go, the more trouble they find. TSR 9428
Deep within a forgotten temple lies the Storm's Eye, a powerful sapphire coveted by the monstrous Behir, Krykzor. In The Storm's Eye, adventurers must navigate deadly traps, confront ghostly knights and phase spider minions, and solve a lightning-powered puzzle, all while racing against time to escape a collapsing temple. Designed for a party of levels 6-7, this one-shot adventure offers thrilling combat, intricate puzzles, and dynamic challenges as players face the storm and claim the treasure—or risk being lost forever.