The hobgoblins were not the only forces that remained after Kalarel was slain. Before the Keep’s portal was fully sealed, evil spirits from the Shadowfell escaped into the Nentir Vale. They were drawn to Kalarel’s own dark soul, which remained in the mortal world thanks to a spirit-orb the priest had created to prevent him from moving on after death. The presence of these malignant spirits caught the attention of a frost witch called the Rime Mistress and her followers—unaligned territorial beasts—who rose up to defend their domain. The Rime Mistress knows that the spirits present a greater threat than the hobgoblins do, so she and Prang, the Iron Gauntlet leader, have agreed to an uneasy truce. Thus, the hobgoblins and the creatures of the Cairngorm Peaks are united in their struggle against Kalarel’s spirit army.
Under the Temple Crypt is the first in a series of site-based, Swords & Wizardry** compatible, “micro modules” that can be dropped into just about any campaign (especially a sandbox-style campaign). No underlying story-hook or rationale for exploring the site is given here. This dungeon assumes that there is a temple somewhere with a mysterious walled-in doorframe in the basement crypt. The walled-in doorframe predates the temple itself and leads to ancient subterranean structures that hint of an older civilization as well as an expansive underworld.
The Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path begins here, in the small coastal town of Sandpoint. Five years after a tragic fire and spate of brutal murders, the people of Sandpoint eagerly anticipate the Swallowtail Festival to commemorate the consecration of the town's new temple. At the height of the ceremony, disaster strikes! In the days that follow, a sinister shadow settles over Sandpoint. Rumors of goblin armies and wrathful monsters in forgotten ruins have set the populace on edge. As Sandpoint's newest heroes, the PCs must deal with treachery, goblins, and the rising threat of a forgotten empire whose cruel and despotic rulers might not be as dead as history records.
"More than five hundred years ago, clans of dwarves and gnomes made an agreement known as the Phandelver’s Pact, by which they would share a rich mine in a wondrous cavern known as Wave Echo Cave. In addition to its mineral wealth, the mine contained great magical power. Human spellcasters allied themselves with the dwarves and gnomes to channel and bind that energy into a great forge (called the Forge of Spells), where magic items could be crafted. Times were good, and the nearby human town of Phandalin (pronounced fan-duh-lin) prospered as well. But then disaster struck when orcs swept through the North and laid waste to all in their path. A powerful force of orcs reinforced by evil mercenary wizards attacked wave echo cave to seize its riches and magic treasures. Human wizards fought alongside their dwarf and gnome allies to defend the Forge of Spells, and the ensuing spell battle destroyed much of the cavern. Few survived the cave-ins and tremors, and the location of Wave Echo Cave was lost. For centuries, rumours of buried riches have attracted treasure seekers and opportunists to the area around Phandalin, but no one has ever succeeded in locating the lost mine. In recent years, people have resettled the area. Phandalin is now a rough-and-tumble frontier town. More important, the Rockseeker brothers - a trio of dwarves - have discovered the entrance to Wave Echo Cave, and they intend to reopen the mines. Unfortunately for the Rockseekers, they are not the only ones interested in Wave Echo Cave. A mysterious villain known as the Black Spider controls a network of bandit gangs and goblin tribes in the area, and his agents have followed the Rockseekers to their prize. Now the Black Spider wants Wave Echo Cave for himself, and he is taking steps to make sure no one else knows where it is." Extra Info from AL.com users: by @marcellarius. "There are a variety of locations in this adventure: the town of Phandalin, a gang hideout, a ruined keep in the forest, a destroyed village, and Wave Echo Cave (a dungeon crawl). The adventure is written in a sandbox style and relies on the players to choose their path. Phandalin offers several side-quests which could serve as hooks for continuing adventures. The premade characters have ties in their backgrounds to NPCs and locations. If you're not using these you'll need to consider other ways to introduce key NPCs."
Hundreds of years ago, the elves and goblinkin fought for control of known space in the Unhuman War. The elves emerged victorious and the goblinkin were driven out to lick their wounds an plot revenge for another day. That day has come. After centuries of plotting and building, a new race of advanced orcs known as the scro have rallied the goblins, hobgoblins, and kobolds. It is only a matter of time before they infiltrate known space to wreak destruction on the inhabited planets. The elves are looking for a few good adventurers to infiltrate a scro base and steal any information valuable to the war effort. Your PCs are offered the chance to become heroes?or die trying. Goblin's Return is a 64-page adventure set in the second Unhuman War. The first of a two-part module series, it can later be linked with Heart of the Enemy or it can be played as a stand-alone adventure. TSR 9347
In the flooded temple is hidden a great treasure, and the adventures are in race to get there first, but the ancient temple is the home of Death's Messenger and several cults each with their own agenda. Will the adventurers survive or be dragged off to the lands of the dead? The Flooded Temple is a low-level OSR adventure based on the greatest RPG ever written as system agnostic and easily adapted to your favorite version. The adventure was originally written for the Danish Living Campaign The Hinterlands, and it is for the first time presented in English. The adventure introduces the players to a different tradition of adventures, and it one with a focus on exploration and encountering the unknown. The adventure contains several new items to entertain your players, and several challenges for them to overcome as they encounter the residents of the abandoned temple. The Flooded Temple also have a prequel, Tomb of the Dragon's Heart, and a sequel, Grave of the Heartless. Published by Greis Games.
The heroes arrive at the eponymous Keep on the Borderlands, a fortress on the edge of civilization built to stave off the chaos and evil of the wilderness. Using it as a home base, a party can make forays into the surrounding wilderness, encountering monster and marauder alike. The centerpiece of the adventure is certainly the CAVES OF CHAOS, a network of tunnels and caverns found in the walls of a nearby but isolated ravine. It is here that hordes of evil humanoids have made their home. Through combat and negotiation, the players can try to explore and map out these caves, perhaps with the aim of accumulating valuable treasure or even cleansing the land of evil creatures. However, even the Caves are not all they seem. Beyond the goblins and kobolds lurk dark horrors: cults dedicated to fiendish chaos and a Minotaur's enchanted labyrinth await the unprepared adventurer. But for the hero who is brave, clever, and fortunate in equal and sufficient measure, great treasures and glory await in the Caves of Chaos that lie beyond the Keep on the Borderlands! TSR 9034
The lost city of Archaia - an ancient ruin sunken into the earth - lies deep in the badlands. In recent years, caravans from Eastdale have come under attack from orcs, goblins, and worse. Some say these blood-thirsty warbands have made lairs in the deep caves and ruins. Sill others say the ancient halls are filled with magnificent treasures left by the Archaians. Are you brave (or foolish) enough to delve The Forbidden Caverns of Archaia? The Forbidden Caverns of Archaia (FCoA) is a 296-page classic megadungeon for use with any old school fantasy role-playing game. The pages of Forbidden Caverns are crammed full with new material, maps, amazing art (including special surprizes by former TSR artists), as well as an amazing colour cover art by Ex-TSR artist Erol Otus that matches Barrowmaze Complete as a sister-book. The Forbidden Caverns of Archaia will keep your players on their toes and your campaign going strong for years. FCoA is brought to you by the Old School Renaissance (so don’t forget your 10’ pole).
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.
Bugbear Fight Pit is a mini-adventure with a single main encounter that follow the Bugbear Jeeshank tricking the players into a trap with the challenge of single combat to stop his activities. If the players fall for it, they will be faced with a large number of ranged attacks, and additional clever tactics and use of the terrain. Pgs. 15-17
Somewhere in the heart of the steaming jungle lies the answer to the whispered tales - rumors of a magnificent city and foul, horrid rituals! Here a brave party might find riches and wonders - or death! Is your party brave enough to face the terrors of the unknown and find the Forbidden City! TSR 9046
After arriving at a seemingly abandoned trading post, the heroes discover to their horror that all the inhabitants have been transformed into black trees! Upon further investigation, they find clues that lead them to the hidden lair of Nockmort, a treant gone bad. Nockmort has been transformed by the strange radiation of a meteorite he discovered, and now he is a terrible force of evil. The characters must enter his sunless garden to save the town. And along the way they just might discover fabulous treasure...
The Abyss Approaches! Something wicked—and monstrous—stirs around the rugged Isgeri town of Saringallow, where the hated legacy of noble Chelish diabolists runs deep. With the recent disappearance of several apprentices, the nearby menace of particularly grotesque goblins, and the unsettling rumors about the old Sarini Estate, Mayor Sandra Trinelli knows that she needs help, and she needs it fast! The heroes must confront one of these crises, or all three, if they hope to stem the tide of darkness that looms. Before too long, the heroes discover that villains with ties to the Abyss have set their sights on Saringallow, and won't rest until the settlement and all its innocent inhabitants fall victim to their madness-inducing predations! Gallows of Madness is a 64-page, highly versatile collection of three adventures for 1st-level characters. Each adventure also includes scaling information for parties of 2nd-level characters. Written with beginning Game Masters and players in mind while also providing challenging content for veterans, these adventures can be prepared quickly and run separately or in any order. For GMs who wish to run a deeper, more narrative game, this volume also offers an overarching timeline of events and detailed tips for running these adventures as a cohesive whole. Bonus content includes new monstrous foes and a gallery of NPCs to help easily connect the adventures, plus a gorgeous double-sided poster featuring an overview of Saringallow and a miniatures-scale battlemap!
For as far back in time as the tales of history stretch, the area bordering what is now the Lands of Launewt has been a foreboding, practically impenetrable forest. When the lords who ruled the various borderlands united to form the Council of Launewt a century ago, the forest was in the same physical condition as it is now: thick, dark, and expansive, said to be so dense at the center that sunlight pervaded the foliage only on the brightest days. Pgs. 41-56
Danger Lurks in the Lendore Isles. Bands of evil creatures prowl the hills overlooking the town of Restenford. Now you have come to this sleepy little village looking for adventure and excitement. You seek to fathom the unexplored reaches of Bone Hill and unlock the mysteries of Restenford. TSR 9045
This adventure concerns a once-proud fortress that fell into the earth in an age long past. Now known as the Sunless Citadel, its echoing, broken halls house malign creatures. Evil has taken root at the citadel's core, which is deep within a subterranean garden of blighted foliage. Here a terrible tree and its dark shepherd plot in darkness.
Beneath an ancient castle on the borderlands, reclaimed from the ruins of a lost civilization, there is a dark and deadly tournament being held. Seven stalwart adventuring companies, each representing a wealthy noble house, delve into the depths of the Dungeon of the Black Fey Mithelvarn. Each races to be the first to claim the power of the infernal machine that drives it, and find the Elixir of Immortality it contains. Can your party take up one of the relic banners and face the challenge of the dungeon, as well as the lethal competition from other companies seeking the prize? This adventure is formatted to both 1E & 5E gaming rules. Also available in PDF.
The giants are only a half-mile away - straight up. Giants and humanoids that sail down from the heavens? Where could they be coming from? No base town or general area map has been provided, as this adventure can take place anywhere and can be easily integrated into any existing campaign.The DM should make sure that the town in which the PCs start is large enough to provide most anticipated supplies, spells, and services. This module is not a simple hack·and slay expedition. It also involves diplomacy and wit; if the PCs attack everything in sight, they may be destroyed. But the adventure is not entirely negotiation, for it has a good share of hearty dungeon exploration as well. Pgs. 4-23
The land lies under a curse. Fruit drops to the ground, its pulp black and rotten. Leaves curl and wither on the branches. Animals flee the parched vale, or starve. Long ago, the Downs prospered under the care of Druids, but the priests of nature have retreated deep into the woods and rarely show themselves. One old man claims that the Druids have the power to save the valley, if only someone could find their Oracle to seek help. Will you reach the Forest Oracle of the Druids in time? And if you do, can they really lift the curse? Or does the answer lie elsewhere? Only the most daring and cunning adventurers will save the Downs. N2: "The Forest Oracle" (1984), by Carl Smith, is the second AD&D adventure in the novice (N-) series. Unlike its predecessor, it is not intended for 1st-level adventurers, but instead for 2nd level and up. This conversion guide allows DMs to run the original module with 5th Edition rules and provides a reference sheet for encounters. Also contains suggestions for placement in the Forgotten Realms. To use this conversion guide you will need a copy of The Forest Oracle, originally available in hard-copy and now for sale in Digital format on the DMs Guild. Visit Classicmodulestoday.com to find out how you can create your own classic module conversions and sell them on the DMs Guild.
Having put down a rising of giants, it was discovered that the motivating force behind their depredations was that of long-forgotten evil - the Dark Elves. Determined to seek out these creatures, a body of doughty adventurers mounted an expedition to learn the strength of the Drow and bring retribution to them (DUNGEON MODULE D1, DESCENT INTO THE DEPTHS OF THE EARTH). This module contains background information, a large-scale referee's map with a matching partial map for players, referee's notes, special exploration and encounter pieces, a large map detailing a temple complex area, encounter and map matrix keys, and an additional section pertaining to a pair of unique new creatures for use with this module and the game as a whole. A complete setting for play of ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is contained herein. This module can be played alone, as the second part of a series of three modules (with DESCENT INTO THE DEPTHS OF THE EARTH, D1, and VAULT OF THE DROW, D3), or as the fourth part of a continuing scenario (DUNGEON MODULES G1, G2, G3, D1, D2, D3, and Q1, QUEEN OF THE DEMONWEB PITS). TSR 9020, From 1978