A community for lazy dungeon masters
649 adventures found
Cover of The Show Must Go On
The Show Must Go On
AD&D
10 pages
0

This is a scenario for Runequest characters with skills between 50% and 75% and little Rune magic, or AD&D characters of 4th- 5th Level. Statistics are given in full for the Circus troupe, who can be played as PCs by the party, or run as NPCs, though they should be essentially non-combative. Stats for the other major NPCs are also given at the back of the adventure. INTRODUCTION Ghararna is a prosperous little village in a fertile valley, surrounded by mountains on one side and steppes on the other. However, a Horde of Barbarian Nomads have recently arrived in the area: they took three hostages from the village to ensure obedience, and are planning to stay for the winter. Worse still, they plan to attack a nearby tribe of non-humans, the Karagol, in the mountains near the valley: they have captured a leader of the tribe, throwing the Karagoi into confusion. The villagers have had good relations with the tribe; they fear the coming war will destroy the friendship. Also, the likely battleground will be the villagers' fields, destroying the unharvested crops that are vital for surviving the harsh winter. To counter this threat, the village elders have pooled all their resources to hire the party: their objectives are to make the Horde leave without carrying out any reprisals against the village, to rescue the hostages, and to ensure the tribe do not attack the village. The villagers have also paid Sravindly, the boss of a travelling circus, to take the party into the camp as part of the circus: the circus will give what aid it safely can. Once in, the party can learn what the Horde is like and decide on their course of action, either acting immediately or after the circus leaves.

Cover of Terra Incognita
Terra Incognita
5th Edition
Levels 5–10
24 pages
0

The Case of the Kidnapped Cartographer A dear friend of the party has gone missing; Boddyknock the gnome cartographer, supplier of maps and charting equipment. Can the party solve the mystery of his disappearance? Do they have the bravery to delve deep to recover their lost ally? What horrors will they uncover in the cavernous expanse beneath their feet?

Cover of Threshold of Knowledge
Threshold of Knowledge
Pathfinder 2e
Level 1
15 pages
0

The graduates of the Magaambya are known as some of the greatest wielders of magic in Golarion. Now it's time for a new group of students to take their first steps on the path to greatness. In Threshold of Knowledge, you take on the role of one of five students from the prestigious Magaambya, the oldest school of magic in the Inner Sea region. When a teacher goes missing, it's up to these new heroes to step up and solve a wicked mystery that threatens the existence of the Magaambya itself! Threshold of Knowledge is a short adventure for 1st-level characters that takes the heroes into the Magaambya and the nearby city of Nantambu. In addition, the five pregenerated characters provide a quick way to jump into the adventure right away in this exciting offering for Free RPG Day! Grab some dice and some friends and play the role of new heroes in training!

Cover of The Showdown in Skalintown
The Showdown in Skalintown
5th Edition
Levels 4–7
13 pages
0

The party makes their way into a small mining village by the name of Skalintown. They quickly realize that the people here are terrified, hiding behind closed doors and peering out through boarded up windows. A gang of criminals that call themselves The Calamity have promised to destroy the city and everyone in it if they don't receive a tribute of twenty thousand gold by the end of the week. This is a poor town and even with everyone's wealth combined, it doesn't come close to that value . . . but they are fighters. Perhaps all they need to hold back these invaders is some help. The deadline is four days away and the closest town that would be able to help is three days travel one-way. Skalintown tried to reach out for aid, but no one cared enough to risk their own lives to help them. Now they must rely on your players for help. The party will need to rally the townsfolk and strategically decide how to prepare for the assault. Do they dig trenches to trip up enemy wolves, do they train the townsfolk to use crossbows, or perhaps they create explosives to detonate when the bandits make it into the city? Each of the party's decisions affect the final battle and means that every group will have a unique experience in their fight against The Calamity. This adventure is heavily influenced by the traditional Wild West shootout. Try to capture that feeling for your players by playing music of that era, in the way the townsfolk act and speak, and the way the town itself is operated. There are thousands of different options for the fight and if your players play their cards right, they make quick work of the gang and earn a pretty penny while they do so.

Cover of Lowdown in Highport
Lowdown in Highport
AD&D
Levels 3–5
26 pages
0

Important: The adventure is 1e but it has monster conversion notes for D&D 4th edition The town of Highport, once a human community overlooking Wooly Bay from its perch on the northern coast of the Pomarj, fell prey to hordes of humanoids swarming out of the jungle-covered hills surrounding the settlement. Though the orcs, goblins, kobolds, ogres, and gnolls razed much of the place in their ferocious rampages, the smoldering ruins they left behind soon became a new kind of community, a place of trade between the humanoid “locals” and the unsavory human traders who have no compunction about doing business with them. Slaves are a commodity in ready supply in Highport’s market, since many pirates raid up and down the coast of the bay, putting fishing villages to the torch and filling their holds with captured refugees. Slavery has become a thriving business in the town, and rumors abound of a cartel of Slave Lords who run things from behind the scenes, filling their coffers in secret from the buying and selling of human chattel. The trade has become so prolific that the good folk to the north have grown tired of these depredations and decided to fight back. Forces of righteousness and honor have recently descended upon Highport, some openly and others in secret, in various attempts to destroy the machinations of the Slave Lords and abolish the abominable enterprise that has taken far too many loved ones from home and hearth. One such doughty servant of goodness is Mikaro Valasteen, a cleric of Trithereon. Mikaro slipped unnoticed past the crumbling walls of Highport with a single mission: to rescue and transport as many slaves to their freedom as possible. Mikaro and a handful of faithful assistants located a number of escaped slaves—as well as rescued a few more not sufficiently restrained and guarded—and shepherded them through the gates and beyond the reach of their humanoid tormentors, returning them to their lands and homes. This covert freedom brigade enjoyed remarkable success early on, since the servants of the Slave Lords were often lax in their vigilance and sloppy in their efforts to prevent loss of the “merchandise.” After one too many shipments never made its destination, the humanoids stepped up their security and the normal channels of escape from Highport closed to Mikaro and his team. He cannot risk exposure by smuggling the freed slaves through the gates as merchandise any longer, since shipments of goods are now regularly stopped and checked. No longer able to free the slaves in that manner, Mikaro began hiding his charges in an abandoned villa in a particularly rundown part of the town. Although they are safe for the moment, their numbers have grown unmanageable, and the priest fears it is only a matter of time before someone slips up and brings slavers to their doorstep. Ever more desperate to find a new means of escape from Highport, Mikaro has started work on a plan that is both daring and dangerous. He intends to use a series of old sewers coupled with natural caverns running beneath the town as an escape route to the sea beyond the walls. But he needs someone to clear out the creatures and pitfalls he knows lie within. Pgs. 2-27

Cover of Salted Legacy
Salted Legacy
5th Edition
Level 1
16 pages
0

"A series of disturbances plagues the Dyn Singh Night Market, an endlessly changing maze of stalls filled with incredible wares, enticing smells, and magical lights. Accusations fly as the characters become entangled in a feud between the well-respected Tyenmo and Xungoon merchant families of the Siabsungkoh valley. To prevent the families' conflict from escalating, the characters must earn the trust of the market's vendors and gain their help to unmask who's behind a rash of vandalism and thefts."

Cover of Fair Salvage
Fair Salvage
3.5 Edition
Levels 7–9
8 pages
0

An ancient and mysterious race revisits Freeport for the first time in two centuries. The adventure culminates in an encounter with a strange new race. The adventure from that point is up to the GM, but could include the PCs facilitating diplomatic relations, negotiating recovery of ancient artifacts without bloodshed, or working with an underground rebellion to rid Freeport of the Strangers. It's probably not an adventure to take on as a beginning GM. NOTE: The Tales of Freeport that contains this adventure is NOT one of the versions currently available in the Green Ronin store. Those contain short stories. This is an older item that appears to no longer be available from Green Ronin. It is possible that the adventures within it have been included in other products since then. But I have linked to the original product on DriveThru RPG.

Cover of OA4 Blood of the Yakuza
OA4 Blood of the Yakuza
AD&D
76 pages
0

In the port city of Nakamaru, the masks of deceit and treachery embroil the entire city. Plots and counterplots, loyalties, revenge...all can be found in this city of Wa. You have been thrust amidst this cauldron of intrigue. You must pick your loyalties with care. Will you side with one of the yakuza gangs in their secret battle for control of the streets? Will you throw your fate into the political whirlwind that surrounds the powerful families of Nakamaru? Will you sohei battle his rivals for the hearts of the people? Blood of the Yakuza is an adventure for use in your Oriental Adventures campaign. It includes a colorful map of Nakamaru and descriptions of the major NPCs, districts, and factions of the city. All of these make Nakamaru an exciting and dangerous place for adventure! TSR 9203

Cover of Potions 11
Potions 11
5th Edition
Levels 4–5
17 pages
0

This adventure is light and comedic and is indeed a heist adventure! It is designed as a one-off side quest for an established party but can be tweaked to work as an introductory adventure for characters meeting one another for the first time. This is ideal for a well-rounded party in which each player can show off and play a vital role in the mission’s success as they rob an evil potion master blind! Players can obtain potions of Heroism, Invisibility, Flying and Mind Reading. This adventure is perfect for DMs looking to fill a shorter session or injecting some light humor after an intense end-of-the-world campaign.

Cover of The Black Tower, Part 1: Beasron Keep
The Black Tower, Part 1: Beasron Keep
AD&D
Levels 1–4
6 pages
0

The Black Tower is an adventure designed for use with either the Rolemaster books Arms Law, Claw Law, Spell Law and Character Law; or the Advanced D&D Players Handbook, DMG and Monster Manual 1. Rolemaster parties should consist of 5 to 8 characters, level 1-3. AD&D parties should consist of 5 to 8 characters, level 1-4. The main part of this adventure is written in a form which makes it partially independent of the games system chosen. The details of NPC's, creatures and specific magic items are presented at the end of this episode. This is the first part of the Black Tower adventure, though the tower itself does not appear in this issue. This scenario introduces the characters to the area, and to some of its inhabitants. Characters playing this episode should have both the equipment, and a reason, to enter the tower in the next issue. Magical weapons given in the adventure will have two plusses, one for the twenty-sided dice based ADED system, and one for the percentile dice based ROLEMASTER system. eg. +1/+5 meansa +1 AD&D weaponora +5 ROLEMASTER weapon. This will also apply to magical armour and shields. The ROLEMASTER weapons will be superior, not magical, except where specifically stated.

A Traitor Amongst Us
3.5 Edition
Level 5
25 pages
0

An adventure for the Midnight campaign setting from Fantasy Flight Games. The adventurers make contact with the Baden's Bluff underground to investigate a pair of recent murders. This adventure emphasizes information gathering and deduction, rather than combat.

Cover of Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
5th Edition
Levels 5–20
320 pages
1

In the city of Waterdeep rests a tavern called the Yawning Portal, named after the gaping pit in its common room. At the bottom of this crumbling shaft is a labyrinthine dungeon shunned by all but the most daring adventurers. Known as Undermountain, this dungeon is the domain of the mad wizard Halaster Blackcloak. Long has the Mad Mage dwelt in these forlorn depths, seeding his lair with monsters, traps, and mysteries—to what end is a constant source of speculation and concern. This adventure picks up where Waterdeep: Dragon Heist leaves off, taking characters of 5th level or higher all the way to 20th level should they explore the entirety of Halaster’s home. Twenty-three levels of Undermountain are detailed herein, along with the subterranean refuge of Skullport. Treasures and secrets abound, but tread with care!

Cover of GameMastery Module D2: Seven Swords of Sin
GameMastery Module D2: Seven Swords of Sin
3.5 Edition
Level 7
32 pages
0

Long hidden away in remote vaults and guarded by powerful wards, the ancient Seven Swords of Sin have been stolen and brought together again for a terrible cause. Seven Swords of Sin is a lethal adventure that pits players against a vile enchantress, Tirana, in a trap-laden and monster-guarded dungeon. Only the brave (and perhaps foolish) can survive Tirana's lair and rescue the fabled Seven Swords of Sin from her heinous plot to unlock their deadly powers.

Cover of The Little Runners
The Little Runners
5th Edition
Level 7
21 pages
0

Has a new thieves' guild arisen in town? The signs seem to indicate it. But who are they and where have they set up shop? The PCs have been asked to find the new guild and "persuade" the thieves to direct their attentions away from the Riverine trade coster. It is up to them to decide how. A short urban side adventure for four 7th level player characters. For 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons.

A Second in Time
5th Edition
Levels 1–2
5 pages
0

A dispute erupts between a trade ambassador and a wealthy merchant and the players are hired as champions only to learn that they face a brutal and savvy opponent. Will the players be a second in time? "A Second in Time" is a two-hour adventure for 3-6 players. It is written for characters 1st-3rd level. The players act as a champions in a harsh blood sport that is as much the court of a river city as it is entertainment. This module includes a new poison, a new type of item and a rudimentary rule for addiction. The river city of Lotian is a rough place, where might often means right and the thirst for blood is nigh unquenchable. Gold may be the currency of the realm but justice is paid for in blood...

Cover of WG6 - Isle of the Ape
WG6 - Isle of the Ape
AD&D
Levels 18–20
48 pages
0

Isle of the Ape is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game World of Greyhawk campaign setting, in which the events occur in a magical demiplane of the same name created by the mad archmage Zagyg Yragerne TSR 9153

Cover of CAF17 - Problems at Vanessa's Point
CAF17 - Problems at Vanessa's Point
5th Edition
Levels 4–5
28 pages
0

I know we told you that we closed out the convention scenarios for 2017 but we were wrong! One of our favorite conventions (CafCon) is named differently and therefore overlooked! Problems at Vanessa’s Point is a nice little urban adventure that was made for six, 4th level players. The party hits town during a big celebration and is presented with a business opportunity. The local militia is out seeking a group of problems and the celebration needs some extra security. This sandbox style scenario is filled with strange encounters for your own campaign or play it straight through! The scenario was at several 2017 Convention offerings and was always a big hit. The original characters are published under HOF4 (free).

Shades of Grey
3.5 Edition
Level 4
6 pages
0

A short adventure for the Midnight campaign setting from Fantasy Flight Games. On a mission to retrieve information important to the resistance, the adventures get caught up in struggles between factions of the Shadow.

Cover of Forest Maker
Forest Maker
AD&D
Levels 11–13
47 pages
0

Most adventurers know better than to listen to rumors. But when the rumors speak of a magical forest blooming deep in the burning stretch of the Alluvial Sand Wastes, even the most battle-hardened gladiator takes notice. A mysterious summons has gone out to the humans and demihumans of the Tyr region, luring them to the new forest and promising Athas' salvation. Now your characters have heard the call - but will they heed the Forest Maker, or seek to destroy her? Designed for 4 to 6 characters of 11th to 13th level, Forest Maker brings player characters from the sun-baked streets of Tyr to the walled fortress of Altaruk and beyond. Forest Maker is a stand-alone adventure.

Cover of The Elven Guild
The Elven Guild
5th Edition
Level 2
14 pages
0

A short adventure that can be used as part of a larger campaign or run as a one shot for 3-4 Tier I or II characters. An all elven guild has taken on a large job for an unknown character. They are doing everything they can to fulfil the contract regardless of who gets hurt in the process. On this short adventure the characters will run into and a foul of the Elven Guild. Can they stop them from finalizing their plan. This adventure includes hooks for additional adventures that can be run after this adventure is completed.