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 simple hunt for a werewolf, or so we thought. Find its lair and slay the beast. No use for wolfsbane or other superstitions. Silver and magic would win the day. A worthy challenge, but nothing horrific, surely. Yet we never expected what we found in the Graenseskov, and our hubris cost us dearly... ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ฌ๐ค๐จ๐ฏ is an 80-page bookmarked Ravenloftยฎ adventure for characters of 1st-4th levels focused on mystery and exploration. It can be used in conjunction with ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ก๐, either as an introduction to Barovia or adapted as a side quest, as part of the original expanded Ravenloft setting, or it can be used as a stand-alone horror adventure-setting. ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฑ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ, and potentially much more for groups embracing an investigative style of play. In the mists at the edge of Count Strahd von Zarovichโs realm lies the Graenseskov, a land of deep woods and bleak hills overrun with wolves. A Beast haunts these misty lands, leaving bloody corpses and terror in its wake, the product of a hagโs curse placed upon the boyarโs manor. But the Beast is no arbitrary killer. The PCs find themselves drawn into the mystery of uncovering the Beastโs identity and breaking the hagโs curse before the Beastโs final victim gurgles their last breath and the Beast is beyond any hope of redemption. Requires the ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ'๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐๐ and the ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ฅ. This is a 63 Mb ZIP file containing a watermarked PDF of the updated adventure, a PDF with handouts, a PDF DM's cheat sheet, and PNG files of the Graenseskov region map for the DM and players. ๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฌ: โข The DM (or the Tarokka) determines the guilty suspect and their motives, offering a different experience for each groupโs play-through. โข A vivid cast of characters with a NPC index. โข Escalating random encounters, special events, and techniques for DMing a mystery. โข New monsters: black annis hag & loup du noir. โข All units given in SI & metric. โข Handouts and maps for DMs and players. โข DM's cheat sheet with quick prep notes, clue checklist, handy Tarokka tables, tips on running the Beast, and a decision point flowchart. ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฐ May 16, 2016 DM's Guild Pick of the Episode! Thanks James! http://www.thetomeshow.com/e/round-table-119-giants-and-the-talented-bestiary/ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ๐: The big update! Fixed several editing and grammar errors, including an error in Appendix D, and the repeated paragraph on page 12 (page 13 in new document). Added a new special event - Hanging the Vistani - to Chapter 1 which ties together several dangling plot threads. Clarified "Adjusting the Adventure" & added Werewolves in the Mist to the "Adventure Hooks" in the Introduction. Added two pieces of thematic filler art. ๐๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ๐: Added a DM's cheat sheet PDF to the zip file.
The best of intentions. Pay your taxes or go to jail - and don't even thing about using magic. Pgs. 8-23
"The Alchemists' Guildhall" is a rusalka lair suitable for four or five 6th-level characters. This adventure can be completed in one session.
Faced with an unusual alliance of giants raiding the countryside, the party must venture into the steading of hill giant chief Nosnra and uncover maps to the locations of the other giant strongholds. โSteading of the Hill Giant Chief โ can be run as a stand-alone adventure, or you can play it as the first part of a four-part series that continues with โWarrens of the Stone Giant Thaneโ (Dungeon 198), โGlacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarlโ (Dungeon 199), and โHall of the Fire Giant Kingโ (Dungeon 200). The adventure is part of the Against the Giants series originally by Gary Gygax, hence the writing credit.
We get it. Factions are an integral part of D&D, but it's not always clear how to use them in your campaigns. Luckily, Factions of Sigil has you covered for each of the twelve main factions found across Sigil and the Outlands! This supplement goes over the various rules and lore around the primary factions found in Sigil and the Outlands, making it easy for any new or veteran DMs to integrate the factions more into the core stories being told, and making them feel more useful for the players that choose to join. Complaints have been made to the Transcendent Order of a Slaad and its Bladeling allies that are disturbing the peace in Sigil, who in turn have tasked the characters to restore a sense of tranquility to the old Mastervale Manor.
Haedirn Lastlight is a respected elven wizard and sage. After the death of his lover Lyonthel, the elf has been overcome with grief and has locked himself away in his study- a small manor on the cliffs of Wailing Crag. Haedirn has not been seen for over a year now, and those that knew him are beginning to worry. Worse still, a band of ogres has been terrorizing the nearby town, slaughtering the town folk and haughtily boasting the elf wizard is dead. The PCs must put a stop to the ogres' attacks, make way to Wailing Crag to root out the rest of their gang, and lay Haedirn Lastlight's tortured remains to rest.
Gifts for Him is a short, challenging, open-ended, gothic-horror, 5E-compatible Christmas adventure for tier 1 characters to be run in about three sessions, but it can be easily adapted as a one-shot. It contains over 25 pages with original artwork, three original battle maps, three unique monsters, stat blocks for five NPCs, three magic items, and a partridge in a pear tree. ----- The village of Bargrave has a secret. Every year, on Christmas Eve, the villagers cower in their homes while a savage beast prowls the streets, wreaking bloody doom on whomever has not left it a suitable gift on their doorstep. But Elias Buhl has had enough. This year, the old farmer wonโt be buying the beast a gift, hoping instead to bait it into attacking him at his homestead, where he will trap and kill it once and for all. But he canโt do it alone. Buhl has hired a band of adventures to help him fortify his home, set traps, and slay the creature. They have three days to prepare, gather allies and equipment, and plan their defense. Orโฆ They can dig a little deeper and uncover what Bargrave has been hiding all these years. Will they slay the beast, as agreed? Might they capture it to use it for their own ends? Can it be redeemed? Or will they die โ their blood melting the snow โ just the latest victims of the creatureโs reign of terror? --- Gifts for Him is a complete, playtested, illustrated adventure that is currently pay what you want.
An Adventurers League Con-Created Content Module. Tier 1, 2-4 Hours. (Compatible with Homebrew games too!) May I have the next 100 words to convince you to purchase this adventure? **PITCH BEGINS!** This module features three ways to play: join the Knights of Holy Judgment, the Cult of Zariel, or the forces of Chaos as you search for a lost Angel of Tyr, Ser Vindictus. Play like it is 1990 and experience the first Adventurerโs League module to use 16-bit art for maps, tokens, NPC portraits, and magic items! Each purchase includes the PDF, Fantasy Grounds module, four maps, 15 tokens, comic art for the backstory, and an imaginary high five from the author. Make a DC 92 Wisdom saving throw. On a success, reroll! On a failed save, buy this adventure! **PITCH ENDS!** Authorโs note: This is part one of a two part Tier 1 series. I plan to make future Verses if these do well and people like them. Thanks for looking at my adventure and please leave an honest review! -Anthony Joyce (Twitter: @Thrawn589) All artwork was commissioned and commercially licensed for this module. Pixel Art by: Joaquin Reymundo "Dsurion" (Twitter: @Dsurion) Comic Art by: James Gifford (Twitter: @Mrjamesgifford) Fantasy Grounds Module by: Chris Jernigan
About: This encounter was cooked up in the Write your First Encounter workshop by the Storytelling Collective. It CAN be slid in as a side quest in any urban or sub-urban context, or be adapted to add confusion to any rescue mission you are presently running. Synopsis: Through the doorway a young woman shackled to the wall matching the description of Helena can be seen. Though disheveled and looking to be in great discomfort, her beauty is remarkable. But on closer inspection, there are other people here โ three identical Helenas! Noble woman Elize Cleron has hired the party to infiltrate the catacombs under the Schaefer Estate and free her twin sister Helena. Helena is being held captive by the Schaefer family, trade rivals rumored to have ties to the underworld. Elize has been unable to free her sister herself because of her identical appearance. Rather than pay an unrealistic ransom, Elize has provided the party with what they need to break her out. This encounter is intended for 3rd level characters.
The General who commanded the successful and profitable Crossroads Mercenary Company turns up murdered in his home, on the very eve of his scheduled announcement of which of his ambitious captains heโs chosen to succeed him as commander-in-chief. Every one of those commanders was in the house when the murder occurred, so theyโre all suspects. If thatโs not enough to keep things exciting, the clock is ticking down to zero. The General made a pact with devils years ago, and unless the murder is solved quickly, an infernal gate will open, allowing devils to flood through the Generalโs mansion into the world at large.
Long ago, a local priest created a warded graveyard on a remote hillside. As the years passed, it gained a reputation as a spot whose defenses were powerful enough to keep undead in and tomb robbers out. Adventurers began to bring the remains of any creatures they suspected might become restless in death to the Tomb Steppe for interment, and in time they also sought aid against such creatures from the friendly priest. After his death, a brief spate of undead activity commenced, then died away once again. As the years passed, the tales of undead activity in the Tomb Steppe faded into legend, and colonists began to move into the lands nearby. The town of Night Falls was founded a short distance from the graveyard, and it grew quickly into a thriving trade center and farming community. Realizing that the Tomb Steppe was safe enough during the day, the citizens began burying their dead there rather than building new crypts on pristine farmland. Because this method of interment was cheap and easy, people from many surrounding communities brought their dead to the town as well. The business of burial brought new prosperity to Night Falls, and a guild called the Funerary House sprang up to control the trade. But it seems that the threat from the Tomb Steppe has not entirely been laid to rest. The Great Mausoleum -- the largest and finest tomb in the steppe, has been unsealed, and an apparition has been seen within. Who will go to the Tomb Steppe by night and reseal the tomb? Lest Darkness Rise is a short adventure for four 7th-level characters. In keeping with the season, it has a stronger horror theme than most D&D adventures. This scenario can be used as the climax of a series of adventures featuring its secondary characters, or it can simply be a site-based adventure that the PCs stumble across at the right moment. The scenario is set in a semi-civilized area in the far north, far from cities and churches, where winters are harsh and summers never get very hot. These inhospitable conditions have resulted in a low humanoid population. The scenario need not be set in such a wilderness; a rural farming community far from cities works just as well. The only real requirement is that the area have few settlements. The action takes place in the small town of Night Falls and a nearby necropolis of tombs, mausoleums, and graves known as the Tomb Steppe. As always, feel free to adapt the material presented here as you see fit to make it work with your campaign.
A message delivery? That's your first "adventure"? Oh well, a quick trip to the woods and drop off a missive to an Elven Bard and you can do real hero stuff! Upon your arrival problems present themselves because, well you are in Filbar afterall!
It's feeding time at the zoo and you could be the main course! Raven Aldritch, mysterious and beautiful, runs the Aldritch Research Centre and Zoo for her father, a powerful mage. He enjoys turning dangerous creatures into terrifying monstrosities. But daddy is away and the magical shields that hold the creatures in their enclosures have failed. These monsters are rampaging through the research centre endangering the lives of the innocent workers. Raven desperately needs help to regain control, and sheโs willing to pay the right group of adventurers handsomely. Will you come to her rescue? An adventure for the worldโs greatest roleplaying game. Fifth edition compatible. A one-shot for a party of Level 3 adventurers
Dr. Rudolph Van Richten and his network of investigators have hunted and put an end to numerous creatures of the night across the Domains of Dread. But some foes are more elusive than others, and will require the aid of heroes to put an end their reign of terror and close out these open cases. A simple rest turns into a waking nightmare as visions of death haunt the heroesโ dreams. A Dream of Eternal Sleep is the introductory adventure to the ghostly Night Terror, Kazander, and begins within adventurersโ own dreams. It provides the basis for an extended campaign that will take heroes through the cerebral and nightmarish domains of dread as they seek a way to confront this foe in the Nightmare Lands. Content Warning: Near-death Experiences, Recurring Nightmares, Sleep-walking, Possession.
Despite the bitter cold that reigns here nine months of the year, the Timberway Forest has long been a source of prosperity for civilized folk who live nearby. Many trappers and hunters spend the better part of the year within its borders, stockpiling furs and meat to trade in the frontier towns to the south, where they spend their winters. Most feel that the value of these commodities makes braving the Timberway Forest worth the risk. Recently, though, a small group of trappers and hunters has awakened a terrible new menace in the forest. Based in a remote hunter's abode called the Bluerock Lodge, they hunted the animals of the woods more out of a deep-seated desire to be cruel than a need to feed themselves. In particular, they focused their hateful attention on the local Timberway lion population. Timberway lions are rather small (more like leopards), but they are known for being lithe and wary. Still, the trappers had the advantage of intelligence and tools, and before long they had slaughtered the entire pride save for its leader. As the winter worsened and game grew ever more scarce, this last surviving lion began to starve. At that point, the darker forces of nature took notice, and the Timberway Forest gained a predator like no other. Frozen Whispers is a short D&D adventure for four 3rd-level player characters (PCs). The scenario is set mostly in and near a remote hunterโs lodge in a snowy forest. The scenario can be placed in any cold area of your campaign world that features a remote tract of woodlandโa copse of trees near the arctic circle, a swath of taiga near the treeline on a high mountainside, or even a normally temperate forest caught in the grip of an unnaturally snowy winter. As always, feel free to adapt the material presented here as you see fit to make it work with your campaign.
Part of the First Quest Box Set TSR1105, this is an adventure designed to introduce new players and DMs to AD&D. Ever want to spend a night in a haunted house? Want to know what it would be like to meet a ghost? Well, doom creeps closer and closer with each hour your heroes spend in the old house on Harrow Hill! Are they brave enough to make it through the night? Or will the ghost claim some new victims? First Quest Adventure Book Pgs. 28-44
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 wonโt cause you too much of a headacheโฆ
Mr. P has a job for you. You must investigate three robberies that took place in Waterdeep in the past few days, and connect them to whoever is responsible. All clues lead you to a certain mansion, but it is certain that the raid will not be easy, as they are always watching, always one step ahead... Who's watching you ask? What do you mean? No one is watching.
A Ghastly Mess is a one-shot adventure for a group of 3rd-level characters that takes place in a haunted mansion Unlike your regular haunted house, the inhabitants of this building are far from scary. The ghosts of the former staff still live in itโor, well, unliveโnot realizing theyโre deceased and unable to move on because of it. The Lord of the mansion still awaits the return of his beloved, Lenore, for which he has commanded the staff to have the house in pristine condition. Help the only alive member of the staff, a sleepwalking old-man, clean the house, defeat any and all monsters that might be lurking in the somewhat abandoned building and help the ghosts pass on to the great beyond in this short but exciting adventure! The story includes a host of interesting characters for your players to meet, each with their own unique personalities and accompanying art; an array of unique monsters specially designed to challenge your party in more ways than one; and an intriguing mystery surrounding Lenoreโs fate and what happened to the members of the staff. Now, you might be thinking โhey, this ainโt spooky at all, what gives?โ and to that I say: how dare you?! Nothing is scarier than doing your chores! Thatโs why we built an adventure around it! That being said, A Ghastly Mess is not meant to be a scary story, but rather an interesting mystery-type of social adventure. Most combats can be resolved by running away, the stakes are low, and the NPCs donโt think of the situation as anything more than a normal day in their lives. The tragic aspects of the story have already happened by the times the characters show up, and the intent is for everything to go well from there.