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.
By a well-trodden road lies the estate of the Eryx family. At some point the estate was converted into a roadside inn. The merchant Robert E. Wardlove has received an urgent letter from his daughter Derleth. She begs of her father to arrive in haste to the faraway inn and take her back home safely for the Evening of Still Streets draws near... Enigma of the Eryx Estate is a break from the usual dungeon crawls of the Shadowdark RPG system recommended for characters of lvls 1-3. During this adventure players get to solve a murder and the mysteries that surround it. Exploration and intrigue are emphasized as player characters gain XP for uncovering secrets. Combat is in a more minor role during this adventure, but if the players don't figure out the mystery by midnight, they might be in a fight for their lives. The adventure is designed for ease of running with punctual room and character descriptions.
A derelict raft drifts into Mulmaster’s harbor carrying a young woman. Delirious with hunger, the only words she seems able to speak so far have been “ash and fire.” The only other clue to her identity is an ornate tattoo. Is the woman insane, or is something nefarious at play?
This horror-based adventure takes the characters to a manor shrouded in mists to discover that it is inhabited by deceased victims, arcane experiments, and a ruthless woman looking for new victims. The characters become trapped in the mists and must unravel the history surrounding the dubious deeds that have taken place in the manor. To leave, they must either defeat evil or bargain with it.
Please come right in. What can we get started for you? We’re so sorry about that noisy eyesore across the street. I assure you, steps are being taken to solve that little nuisance. Oh yes. Steps are being taken. We have some lovely new teas in from far-away lands. Very mild but oh so delicious. And our cook just took some gorgeous biscuits out of the oven. I’ll bring you some to nibble. Now I need to run down to the basement for some more linens. I won’t be gone long, but my girls will take care of you while I’m away. And I’ll get that racket across the street taken care of. Yes, I most certainly will. Miss Teree runs a elegant teahouse in the upscale part of the city. But when a kobold, Sug, buys the inn across the street, her sales plummet. But then Sug starts finding rats in his basement, and they somehow manage to kill his bouncer. Sug suspects Miss Teree has something to do with his bouncers death, but he needs help figuring out how.
Things are not always what they seem in the cursed forest near Wardenwood village. Can the characters hold back the primal forces of evil and keep innocents from losing all they hold dear? The Curse of Wardenwood is a deep woods horror adventure for 7th-level characters. It's a one-shot that takes about 3-5 hours to complete and includes: -A sadistic witch, a prowling werewolf, and a surprise twist -Four new monsters that stalk the haunted woods -Combat cards for each monster, PC, and special treasure -High-quality digital maps for use with virtual table tops
Trouble always comes in threes. For years the mansion has hidden its secrets and its sorrows, but now it has returned to dreadful life. The Ghost of Mistmoor is an investigative adventure where the PCs are tasked with finding the entrance to a secret vault in a haunted mansion. There are ghosts to be had, but unbeknownst to the characters also a cunning thief and her sidekick took residence here. It does not contain many combat encounters but has a rich list of spooky events, some from the ghosts, some staged by the thief. Pgs. 52-70
Dragonbowl is a setting and pulp action adventure in one. It plunges a party into a rich festival scenario that revolves around a deadly gladiatorial contest, where the dangers they face in the arena are almost secondary to those they encounter in the murky criminal underworld they find themselves in: a world that stinks of corruption, human trafficking, illegal dinosaur-trading, necromancy, blood sacrifice and unnatural arcane experiments. The action takes place in a vast cavern in Mount Waterdeep, known as the Underbelly, where not only Dragonbowl Arena, but also an entire festival grounds – consisting of temples, bars, casinos, funfairs and markets - has been constructed to host this grand sporting extravaganza. With Xanathar, Jarlaxle, Davil, Volo and the Black Viper all in attendance, and scores of 'entanglements' (faction missions) to keep players busy, Dragonbowl can be played as a sequel to Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, or as a first step towards the Undermountain and the Dungeon of the Mad Mage. Equally, it can be played as a stand alone adventure, or easily transported into other settings. The adventure is written for a party of four 6th level adventurers, and easily customisable for three to five players, of any mid-tier level (the adventure contains maps and handouts adapted for both 4 and 5 player tables). The adventure is designed to last around ten to fifteen 4-hour sessions, but can very easily be shortened or lengthened according to the DM's desire. The adventure features all three pillars of play: combat (in and out of the arena), social interaction (a succession of parties and parades, where players can get entangled in NPC business) and exploration (30+ locations in the festival grounds alone).
The best of intentions. Pay your taxes or go to jail - and don't even thing about using magic. Pgs. 8-23
A "simple errand" is never what it seems. It's a wizard's privilege - and curse - to change his mind. Pgs. 3-7
About a year ago, an adventuring party found themselves encumbered with more treasure than they knew what to do with. After brief deliberation, the group buried their hoard in a remote grotto inhabited by water birds. It was only a matter of time until one of the resident scavengers exhumed a most unfortunate item. Armed with a headband of intellect and a stash of other equipment for the taking, Belladonna the Bin Chicken began to study the abandoned spellbooks. The ambitious fowl quickly advanced as a mage, and set her sights on conquest of the surrounding areas.
In the Lodge, things are simple. They can look like you. They want to BE you. And in their home, the only thing standing between you and death is six millimeters of glass. Can you escape the Polished? Find out in Six Millimeters, a thrilling horror adventure for the world's greatest roleplaying game! Take 4-6 of your friends through the Lodge, an extradimensional space overrun by nightmarish beings that can strike from any reflective surface. Shardlings revel in the paranoia caused by their reflective horrors, sowing doubt and mayhem until the opportune moment presents itself. Panes, meanwhile use their impressive stature to quickly overwhelm their foes. Spellcasters especially are in for a nasty surprise! This adventure is intended for 1st-level characters and uses milestone advancement to ensure they reach 3rd-level throughout the course of the game. For players who take their time investigating the Lodge and discovering its dreadful past, this adventure may take 7-9 hours to complete. Given the adventure’s horror elements and milestone advancement, Six Millimeters is easy to use as a starting scenario to the Curse of Strahd adventure. Content Warning: Suicide, Self Mutilation
Awash in a sea of phlogiston, three wizards battle for mastery of reality! But with each new day all gains are lost and the game begins anew. It is up to the adventurers to upset this ancient balance, winning free of the shrinking demi-plane before all is reduced to the roiling stuff of raw Chaos! Will you strike a bargain, swearing fealty to one of the fell masters? Or will you attempt to master your own fate, pitting your luck and skill against arcane foes? Whatever you decide, you must act quickly, for gray worms press in from all sides and time grows short! An exploration-based adventure for 2nd level PCs, Fate's Fell Hand challenges new and old players alike. Only the most cunning of PCs can hope to thwart the machinations of three dire wizards and escape Fate's Fell Hand!
As you begin your adventuring career you find that your stomach rules your initial steps. After finding the small community of Morgesh where word of a haunted/cursed/dangerous manor house is gained. As you find a few new associates, you opt to clear out this blight on the area. Hopefully the drunkards won’t cause you too much of a headache…
A kid-friendly adventure for heroes of all ages and experience levels! When the ancient wizard Tyndareus develops a craving for a special treat from his childhood, he will stop at nothing to get his hands on the best apple pie in the whole world. He hires a group of adventurers to seek out the bakery that once produced the wonderful dessert – unfortunately for them, the bakery has long since been overrun by goblins. But all is not as it seems at Grammy’s Bakery, and Tyndareus isn’t the only one who’d do anything for those pies.
Lord Dragle was set to auction off his most recent discovery, the Shroud of Olindor. The elven relic was certain to make Dragle a wealthy man. Such a pity he had to die. But the plot surrounding Dragle’s death is far more layered than it appears. It is up to the player character to discover the hidden motives and ultimately recover the Shroud of Olindor. Part 2 of the Olindor Trilogy.
What Makes Heroes into Villains? Damien Anthilas has fallen from ally to adversary, but something desperate in him has struck a chord with you. Why would he risk everything to steal the memories of the citizens of Anduria? Left with only a cryptic clue, the characters seek answers from the burned out remnants of his former home. Anthilas Manor is a place of dark magic and even darker history, where the ghosts of the past hold sway and the influence of the mad god is still felt to this day
Sehvain Malual is renowned for his work in necromancy, using the dark art to destroy the undead pestilence polluting the world. However every warrior must hang his proverbial sword and retiring from adventuring life, the wizened elf settled down in a nearby town purchasing a small townhouse. Here, he would finally find the peace he so craved, or such he hoped before he found The Black Lexicon. What dark intent consumes Sehvain’s time is anyone’s guess, but only the PC can uncover the Legacy of Darkness.
A good deed never goes unpunished in Ravenloft. Evil feeds upon itself - but it also feeds upon the good. Pgs. 54-74
The widow insists there are demons in her house. She hears them at night in her root cellar, and now they call out to her. But she is old and nervous and her mind often plays tricks on her. * * * Two men, their heads fully sheathed in large, black hoods, dig quickly in the darkness of the cellar. The hole grows deeper as their shovels bite into the earth. "This will teach those meddlers their place," laughs the tall, hefty figure. "But it's too bad this was an accident," the shorter, slim figure says haltingly. "But don't you see the advantage?" snapped the tall man. "They will fear us now. They will fear for their lives." Grunting. they heave a sailcloth bundle into the hole. As it falls, a woman's hand dangles lifelessly from the folds. Who is the woman? Why will her death trigger riots and unrest in the city of Specularum? And the assassins: Are they Torenescu, Radu, or Vorloi? Or, curse of curses, the Veiled Society? This special game adventure provides a section of paper buildings and figures to cut out and use, giving you three dimensions to your game play! TSR 9086