The Frozen Necromancer is a three-part adventure for Fifth Edition that takes player characters from levels 1 to 4. This adventure is the first in a storyline of four modules called The Demonplague that can be used as an entire campaign that takes characters from level 1 to 20. The entire adventure (or just pieces, characters, or encounters from The Frozen Necromancer) can be dropped into any fantasy setting with minimal changes
Many centuries ago, the dwarven kingdom of Sarphil stretched out across the Galena Mountains east of the Moonsea. They dug for the precious metals hidden beneath the rocky terrain, and they established numerous cities and settlements to aid in their excavation and manufacturing efforts. This was during the early days of Myth Drannor, the elven kingdom in the forest of Cormanthor, and the dwarves and elves initially clashed as each sought resources and expanded their territories. Myth Drannor and Sarphil eventually settled their differences, and many dwarves moved into the elven city to offer their services and expand their knowledge. In the Galena Mountains, Sarphil continued to flourish. Unfortunately, these days of prosperity did not last long. The last great king of Sarphil was lost in the dwarven city of Mount Throndor, beneath the mountain peak of the same name, and Sarphil withered under bitter clan disputes since no single family could claim legitimate lineage over the fragmented kingdom. What happened under Mount Throndor has been a mystery for thousands of years. Many attempts have been made to reclaim the lost riches and legacy of the last Sarphilan king, but powerful wards have prevented intrusion under the mountain, wards erected by the dwarves of Sarphil. Were the wards built to keep outsiders from intruding – or to keep something inside from escaping? An enterprising dwarven leader wants to find out, but she is going to need some help from a band of heroes. Horrors of Mount Throndor is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure of exploration, darkness, and terror featuring a lost dwarven city overrun by forces from the Far Realm and the journey to cleanse it once and for all. The adventure is designed for a group of 11th-level characters, and successful completion of the adventure should put the characters at 16th level. Here There Be Monsters Mount Throndor has become infested with madness from the Far Realm. During their journey to penetrate the ward and through the city itself, the characters are going to face gibbering horrors, unpredictable slaadi, fanatic stone giant cultists, degenerate star spawn horrors, mutant derro, undead dwarves, and countless golems. The ancient breweries of Mount Throndor have produced alementals who slither in the darkness, and a great dwarven war juggernaut named Big Hans stomps through the city. Legendary Villains and Epic Moments Though it has been sealed, Mount Throndor is not empty. The characters have opportunities to meet, interact with, and (likely at least) combat against powerful foes within the legendary dwarf city. A dwarf lich, a Far Realm spider goddess, an iron-encased demilich, and a melted flesh derro warlock monstrosity all await, along with a mind-bending force - Great Cthulhu! The characters have a chance to face an avatar of Great Cthulhu in the dwarven depths in the final confrontation of the adventure to free Mount Throndor and rid Faerun of a Far Realm invasion! An Adventure of Exploration Mount Throndor is a big, sprawling complex, a dwarven city with two major strongholds, a bridge system spanning a massive underground lake, and a deep mining complex. The scale is difficult to grasp and convey. Previous examples of adventures featuring these elements have included maps - usually lots of them, great spawling maps connected at ends to make huge subterranean dungeons. It is the classic image of a D&D dungeon crawl, and the map is a key component to its visualization. However, in this adventure, the maps are handled differently. There are certain areas, ususally outside the dwarven city itself, that include maps that are suitable for use at the game table, either in theater of the mind style or grid-and-miniatures. Mount Throndor itself is presented with an abstract map, and exploring it utilizes the exploration procedure outlined in Appendix A. Characters traverse the huge subterranean system using this abstract system, and during their travels they are going to run into random encounters and sites with more interesting and complex encounters.
"Can you solve the Labyrinth within 13 hours and get back what was stolen from you?" A 4-Hour Adventure for Tier 1 characters optimized for APL 3 taking place in the Feywild Domain of Delight, Labyrinth, where everything seems possible and nothing is what it seems. This adventure takes place when the characters have been abruptly teleported into the Feywild Domain of Delight, Labyrinth. The Kobold King has given the characters thirteen hours to solve the labyrinth, or they will lose what he stole from them forever. "It's only forever, not long at all..." Pillars of Play: Skill challenges and exploration. Minimal/optional combat. Content warning: Non-consensual theft Adventure Inspiration: Jim Henson's Labyrinth (1986)
Centuries past, Lady Ilse ascended to scion of House Liis by trading the archdevil Mammon what he wanted most: her immortal soul – and a diabolical betrothal. The triumph proved hollow, for every year on the eve of her fell covenant, she was beset by visions of Mammon and her foul promise. Seeking to save herself, she was buried alive, swaddled in the holy symbols of a dozen divergent faiths. This desperate ploy held Mammon at bay for centuries…but a devil can afford to wait a very long time. After hundreds of years, the last of the holy wards has fallen. The devil has come to collect his due. Tonight a storm crashes against the ancient manor house and forgotten spirits rise from the muck and mire. The fallen belfry tolls once more, announcing the hellish fete. As the adventurers arrive to explore the Black Manse, Mammon calls for his winsome bride. He will leave with a soul at the end of the night. The only question is: Whose?
A hidden trail leads through a swamp to a dilapidated shrine. A profound evil is nearby. The shrine is either to a powerful dead thief, or a god of thieves. A cool, simple little puzzle protects some treasure. Just cash! No items. A short interlude designed to be dropped into an ongoing adventure. Pgs. 61-63
A strangely delivered advertisement has led you to a sage named Demetrios. He needs a rare component to complete a desperately needed potion. The journey to retrieve it will take you through a large, unexplored swamp to a ruined keep, the former headquarters of a vile cult that once claimed the lives of many innocent youths. You cautiously accept the mission... To solve the mysteries of "Baltron's Beacon," the characters must excel in handling wilderness, building ruins, traps, puzzles, and new monsters. This adventure, originally designed for tournament use, is now available for your own campaign. TSR 9152
This adventure is about fighting monsters and being heroic. It’s also about discovering hidden and forgotten secrets, and then using those secrets later to the heroes’ advantage. The heroes will fight lizardfolk and hawklords, undead and basilisks, and some strange and malevolent creatures from a plane beyond Orden. The heroes will have the opportunity for a handful of negotiations which can be hugely influenced by piecing together secret information uncovered earlier in the adventure. Combat encounters in the adventure are built to generally take at least 3 rounds, sometimes more - they can be complex! The heroes will be expected to spin multiple plates at the same time! The adventure reward an average of 12, but as many as 20 Victories. Depending on your experience running and your table’s experience playing Draw Steel, how many side objectives the heroes follow, as well as a bunch of other factors, it could run around 20 to 32 hours of playtime. In the Tullow Vale of Vasloria, a centuries old town is built around a weathered statue said to seal away an ancient evil. Ajax's Hawklords bombard and lay waste to the town, stealing the statue, and in the chaos, the pitiless Deatheye Yslansh and her lizardfolk minions abduct the citizens! Can you save the people of Ivywatch before they are put to the Deatheye's fell purpose? And what or who exactly have the Hawklords unsealed? This adventure is about fighting monsters and being heroic. It’s also about discovering hidden and forgotten secrets, and then using those secrets later to the heroes’ advantage. The heroes will fight lizardfolk and hawklords, ogres and basilisks, and some strange and malevolent creatures from a plane beyond Orden. The heroes will have the opportunity for a handful of negotiations which can be hugely influenced by piecing together secret information uncovered earlier in the adventure. Combat encounters in the adventure are built to generally take at least 3 rounds, sometimes more - they can be complex! The heroes will be expected to spin multiple plates at the same time! The adventure will reward an average of 8 to 18 Victories. Depending on your experience running and your table’s experience playing Draw Steel, how many side objectives the heroes follow, as well as a bunch of other factors, it could run around 20 to 32 hours of playtime. The adventure contains: - 12+ combat scenes, including a boss battle. Most combats have objectives beyond just “kill everything” - 2-3 montage tests - 1 small, safe location to take respites in, full of NPCs with opinions - 1 big, complex, puzzle-y negotiation - 10 new custom treasures and titles, and other player rewards - A brief setting primer to Tullow Vale
The town of Proskur has been cut off from the rest of the kingdom of Cormyr by a terrible storm, just as its people begins to suffer from a feinting sickness. Now the crops are failing. Are these the acts of a vengeful god? Or something more sinister? While aiding the good peoples of Cormyr in their plight against goblin hordes, the restless dead, a band of cut-throat pirates and the wilds of the Gritstone Moorland, the adventurers must investigate the true cause behind these calamities while uncovering a century old past, following in the footsteps of a legendary band of knights. Will they bring the fight to the evil hag, Bad Blood Hattie in her accursed Bloodtower lair? Or doom Proskur to become a blighted ruin?
While the name Codic Keep used to have prestige associated with it in the past, it is now a crumbling fortress blasted years ago by a large tornado. Now the ruin sits next to a swamp and is pretty much left ignored. Recently word has reached Feastelburg that strange lights have been noticed near the keep and many have wondered if the wanted criminal relative has returned to reclaim the property. Wanted posters of “Si” Codic have been circulating for quite some time with a reward of 1500 gp for his capture. Who’s up for a swamp trip?
The PCs follow the trail of some particularly competent kobold thieves to the lair of a dragon cult deep in the swamp. There they discover efforts underway to grant sentience to the skeleton of a powerful red dragon once named Flame. Eventually the PCs determine that trouble has returned to the Western Mountains in the form of a band of fire giants ruled by a clone of the original red dragon named Flame.
For decades, the tiny village of Ravenmoor has existed quietly on the upper reaches of the Lampblack River. Linked to the outside world only by an overgrown, mostly forgotten trail, the villagers are comfortable with their isolation. Certainly, the lack of a village inn, the oppressive humidity, and the bug-infested moors and swamps that surround the village do little to encourage visitors. When a clerk in the city of Magnimar discovers that, due to a clerical error, the village of Ravenmoor hasn’t paid taxes in years, a tax collector is sent to the distant community to settle accounts with its mayor. When the tax collector fails to return, however, a group of adventurers must travel to the town during its Founders’ Feast celebration to investigate his disappearance.
The Frog People were never a threat before, more of a nuisance really, they would show up once a year steal a few things and drink some ale. Then they would be gone. This year though they did not leave and now they are taking people! The town needs help and it has found it in you and your friends.
Today we bring out a scenario for a pair of budding first level adventurers. Originally used to teach D&D to a novice, this fleshed out into a trio of adventures set on the northern island of Esaq off the coast of the ancient Greyloch Kingdom. Home to a Halfling population, the adventure takes two young people on a thrilling adventure after the duo’s home is raided by slavers. The novice delvers head east to rescue their family and fellow villagers!
Step into the nightmarish bog where there are only two options: fight for your freedom... or be doomed to wander endlessly in through these dreadful wastes until your death. Do you have what it takes to defeat the vengeful hag and break free from this prison?
An investigative city crawl adventure for Shadowdark RPG (or any OSR-style system), designed for experienced players levels 1-2 Set in the decaying city of Brannam, players unravel a web of fear, blood, and buried secrets. A local alchemist has begun killing in secret, rekindling old fears of an old terror. The city's decline threatens to spiral into collapse, and far below, something older and hungrier waits to wake. This adventure includes: 3 separate dungeons (The flooded Sewers, the forgotten Catacombs, and the cursed Ruins of Edric von Braech's keep) Open ended design and layered mysteries with multiple outcomes and failure states A fully explorable city with random encounters, evolving factions and escalating panic. Custom rules for spell mishaps, nightly murder checks and decay events as Brannam unravels Modular content designed to drop into your campaign
Thane Tinewiner’s daughter has been kidnapped just before her betrothal and her love slain! Who will avenge this mockery? Can the girl be brought back alive? Is your PC brave enough to face this challenge alone? Surely a handsome reward will be at stake but more so the fame of saving a damsel in distress and the honor to go with it. Few clues are available and most of the Thane’s military are on the hunt for the woman so you’ll need a little bit of luck if you are to grab the honors and save the day.
Some weeks ago, a tiny sliver of shadow crept into Yarralanya Swamp. It fed on the worms, then on the fish and snakes, growing larger over time until it threatened the lives of the swamp folk, who took up their weapons and fought back, to no avail. In order to buy time for a second attempt, the swamp folk began to steal livestock from the nearby village to satiate the beast’s hunger. After all, who but those villagers could be responsible for unleashing this threat? Soon after, a band of adventurers visiting Rishel’s Hollow find themselves tasked with a simple mission: end the theft of cattle by whatever means necessary. This adventure should run for 3-5 hours, either as a standalone one-shot or as part of an existing campaign, especially one featuring creatures from the Shadowfell or the experiments of a mage. Encounters assume a party of 4-6 level 4 characters.
Bloodpurge, a bayou village in the Flooded Forest, has come under siege by malevolent powers. Many hunters in this shanty-town have gone missing. Desperate folk murmur rumors of evil lurking in the willow groves.
Centuries ago in the Black Swamp, Castle Kraal was a well-respected keep. Its warriors defended the folk of Thunder Rift from the marauding bands of ogres and goblins who swarmed to attack from the Horned Hills. And then one day the keep and all of its warriors vanished, never to be seen again. Now, all these years later, historians are still trying to find the answers to the disappearance of Castle Kraal, answers which may be hidden in Kraal's ruins. The heroes are asked to investigate and to try and solve the mystery. Be Warned: Not every mystery wishes to be solved! Recommended for beginning players and DMs For use with the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Game Box. TSR 9434
The Stranger Stone, a rock that is to be used in a ritual to save the town of Berribury, has been stolen. The characters must track down the thieves and retrieve the Stone. A Four-Hour Adventure for Tier 1 Characters. Optimized for APL 3