Nestled on the coast of the Azure Sea is Saltmarsh, a sleepy fishing village that sits on the precipice of destruction. Smugglers guide their ships to hidden coves, willing to slit the throat of anyone foolhardy enough to cross their path. Cruel sahuagin gather beneath the waves, plotting to sweep away coastal cities. Drowned sailors stir to unnatural life, animated by dark magic and sent forth in search of revenge. The cult of a forbidden god extends its reach outward from a decaying port, hungry for fresh victims and willing recruits. While Saltmarsh slumbers, the evils that seek to plunder it grow stronger. Heroes must arise to keep the waves safe! Ghosts of Saltmarsh combines some of the most popular classic adventures from the first edition of Dungeons & Dragons including the classic ‘U’ series and some of the best nautical adventures from Dungeon magazine: The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh Danger at Dunwater The Final Enemy Salvage Operation Isle of the Abbey Tammeraut’s Fate The Styes All adventures have been faithfully adapted to the fifth edition rules of Dungeons & Dragons. Furthermore, this book includes details on the port town of Saltmarsh, as well as plenty of hooks to kick-off each adventure. Play through each story in a seafaring campaign leading characters from level 1 through level 12, or pull out sections to place in ongoing campaigns in any setting. The appendices also cover mechanics for ship-to-ship combat, new magic items, monsters, and more! “The Saltmarsh series consistently ranks as one of the most popular classic D&D adventures,” said Mike Mearls, franchise creative director of D&D. “With its ties to ocean-based adventuring, it was an obvious step to augment it with additional sea-based adventures and a robust set of rules for managing a nautical campaign.” Hoist your sails, pull up anchor, and set a course for adventure!
Several days ago, a colony of myconids were born from the gloom and rot of a swamp near a small fishing town. They found a place to form their new colony, and settled on a crumbling mausoleum in a long-forgotten graveyard. Their rapport spores have been spreading unchecked, and have begun to infect the dead buried underneath the marsh. These dead have risen as spore servants, which the myconids are using as watchdogs to protect their new home from unwelcome intruders—like the adventurers. In this encounter, the characters stumble upon an old country graveyard in the middle of a swamp. When they investigate, they fall under attack by the living dead! Once they fend off their undead assailants, an investigation of the mausoleum reveals the true villain behind the attack: a group of mycanoids that infested the corpses with their spores, turning them into telepathically controlled puppets. From here, the characters can either negotiate with the mycanoids or kill them. This encounter’s three acts are: The Discovery: the characters find an abandoned graveyard. The Trial: the characters are attacked by undead. The Revelation: the characters learn that the zombies are really mycanoid spore servants, and can try to reason with the mushroom-people or destroy them. Either way, there’s treasure!
In Wheloon, a city known for its vibrant green slate roofs, a new temple to Mystra is in the final stages of construction. But something rings false among the heavenly spheres- or at least among those who mouth the pieties of Mystra while plotting magical mayhem behind closed temple doors.
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
Deep in the heart of a forsaken and filthy mire, a great amphibious foe awaits. Led by an ancient evil from the world's history, can you stop thesummoning of the Demon Frog- God? If not, you may face the Devourer of Life! Also available as 5E and Swords & Wizardry.
Turnover is upon us once again! Compete against rival adventuring groups to collect as many hidden, magical eggs as possible! Although the egg hunt begins within the relatively safe confines of Leilon, players will inevitably need to range further if they hope to win the competition. Tired of watching your children have the time of their lives hunting for magic eggs while your inner dragonborn barbarian stews and simmers on the sidelines? Well, thanks to An Egghunter's Guide to Adventure they no longer have to! This adventure supplement is much more than a full length adventure! It is a source of inspiration and template for how you can incorporate an egg hunt into any pre-existing campaign. It is the frolicsome spirit of Easter painstakingly updated to fifth edition standards!
Goblin attacks have always plagued the farmers and merchants who live and travel along the roads leading to Whitesparrow. But a recent rash of new attacks are something different. The goblins of one particular tribe have gotten particularly smart, attacking with careful tactics and cunning ambushes. The village guards haven’t been able to outwit the goblins, even when laying traps of their own and hiring mercenaries to stop them. Even as goblins go, Rosethorn isn’t much to look at. He’s small and runty, and yet a lucky break placed him in charge of the Brownleaf goblin tribe. When he claimed a powerful magic relic from a dead wizard three months ago, Rosethorn found his intellect multiplied many times over. The world began to make a more intricate kind of sense to him, and he saw patterns in the ways other folk traveled the roads. After hiring a spy in Whitesparrow to tell him which wagons to pursue, Rosethorn cunningly bribed the wagons’ guards to throw battles in the goblins’ favor. He then moved the lair of the Brownleaf tribe away from their dank caves and into the ruins of the Bearded Man—an enormous dead tree at the center of the Howling Wood. There, Rosethorn continues his campaign of ambush against the foolish villagers, increasing his wealth and power with each robbery.
The Approaching Swarm is a short adventure for four 9th-level characters. The party can consist of any mix of classes, but it should include at least one character that is good in wilderness settings, such as a druid, ranger, or barbarian, and at least one cleric. This scenario should prove a reasonable challenge for characters from 8th to 10th level. The adventure takes place in a swampland that is near a small settlement. A band of rag-tag settlers have carved out a small settlement, called Crivdall, on the edges of a great swamp that is infamous for its terrible creatures. The area is rich with resources, and the settlers have done well hunting and foraging in the swamps. Unbeknownst to them, however, an insane druid has taken notice of their transgressions and wants them to leave. The druid, Aleretheral, is a half-orc with a curious affinity for insects and vermin. The swamp is home to numerous breeds of monstrous insects, some of which the druid has begun to breed to make them even larger and more aggressive. Through his abilities, Aleretheral has set enormous vermin onto the helpless settlers, preying on them as they venture into the swamp. With autumn rapidly coming to a close, the settlers are becoming desperate as more of their numbers are killed by hordes of marauding vermin.
"Terror by night! The village of Orlane is dying. Once a small and thriving community, Orlane has become a maze of locked doors and frightened faces. Strangers are shunned, trade has withered. Rumors flourish, growing wilder with each retelling. Terrified peasants flee their homes, abandoning their farms with no explanation. Others simply disappear. . . No one seems to know the cause of the decay -- why are there no clues? Who skulks through the twisted shadows of the night? Who or what is behind the doom that has overtaken the village? It will take a brave and skillful band of adventurers to solve the dark riddle of Orlane!" TSR 9063
A malicious and virulent force possesses the Vermyr Woods. The local wild-life has fled; known paths have mysteriously vanished or shifted; and locals have been found hanging dead from trees yet their eyes watch... they always watch. The hopes of the people are dwindling quickly. Believing that evil harpies have afflicted the woods, brave Captain Harkin set forth to serve them righteous justice! Even the mighty druid Algalor is nowhere to be found. Time passes and their worries compound. Why have the harpies attacked? What is the fate of Algalor and Captain Harkin? What is this mysterious evil that plagues the Vermyr woods? Who is Cartman's dad? The heroes will stumble into this mystery as they travel to Homid. They will discover the truth of the harpies as well as the fate of the heroes who safeguarded this region by delving deep into a forest labyrinth that feels alive! Will it consume them or will they be strong enough to defeat the evil at its core! Published by: Paper Dragon Tales
This quest is for a party that urgently needs to resurrect a fallen character but lacks the means of casting or accessing standard resurrection spells. With no other options, the party seeks a hag whose preternatural magic can bring the deceased character back to life. However, the characters must save the hag from a misguided group of knights looking to slay her. Includes a quest-related NPC that a player can control if they're waiting for their character to be resurrected.
"Temple of the Deep Ones" is the lair of a group of deep ones and their god, suitable for four or five 7th-level characters. This adventure can be finished in one session. Ship captains report that a mysterious island has surfaced in the middle of a heavily trafficked trade route. Worse, ships that venture too close to the island are assaulted by a terrible creature and its servants. The island is disrupting trade throughout this part of the world, and several ships have already been lost. Unbeknownst to those that know of the place, the island rises at the will of Shar-Ngolyeth, a long-lost deity also known as That Which Lurks Beneath the Waves. The island is populated by a cult of deep ones and the beasts they have subjugated in the name of their dark god. The creature responsible for sinking ships is an aspect of Shar-Ngolyeth, a kraken. It is not meant for combat encounters; it's largely a plot device in this encounter.
You’ve arrived at the small community of Smentz (15 locations!) to regain strength after your last adventure. While speaking with the people of the small village you catch wind of some ruins across the river that may have a mine or cache of ore and ruins to investigate. Your group is not the first who has had interest in searching but those that have ventured east have not returned. Are you ready for a bit more adventure?
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!
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
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
A religious festival in the nearby town of Saratoga is the spot your introductory level PCs have opted to begin their careers. With so many people coming to the festival the group anticipates finding information on adventures they can start their budding careers with. Action begins sooner than expected as the celebration is interrupted by a group of Stirges bothering some of the revelers and it quickly gets worse…
This introductory level scenario brings a new group of players into an area formerly controlled by the Tunnmaa Dynasty. This group of rulers was rich in gold and gems before collapsing. It is well known that their kings, known as Ga Mantse, were buried in underground barrows that are well hidden and protected by traps. A few days ago a group much like your own found one of these hidden tombs and attempted to investigate. Sadly for them they were not up to the task. Can your party succeed where they failed?
The little fishing town of Saltmarsh is threatened! Why are lizard men gathering force nearby and why have they been buying large quantities of weapons? A party of bold adventurers must answer these questions or the people of salt marsh will never live in peace! Danger at Dunwater is the second part in a series of three modules designed and developed in the United Kingdom for beginning adventures with the AD&D rules. Its plot follows direct from that of the first part (Module U1 - The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh.) TSR 9064
One page side quest, one page maps. For decades old Alma Scarlet-thorn and her cat, Ferox, entwined as witch and familiar, reveled in tormenting travelers passing near her lair. But, recently, Alma has favored her newly created mist golem more. Although Ferox has enjoyed the power of their bond, she now believes the magical connection is no longer worth this jealousy. The cat, Ferox, has been searching for a way to punish her mistress or remove the golem. Adventure hooks provided. Published by Wicked Cool Games