After a few adventures you decide to find safety in a city setting. Along the way to Morristown you discover a few abandoned villages causing to wonder what is going on. With further investigation you quickly discover that something sinister is afoot and begin to uncover an evil cult! Can your party rescue the citizens and put an end to the nefarious religion?
The Premature Burial is the first in a series of four interconnected stories that recall the themes and atmosphere of Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Terror. Baldur's Gate, year 1492 DR, a dark and terrifying sect works secretly in the slums with the aim of punishing all those who have long oppressed, marginalized and killed the city's poorest and weakest citizens. The patriars, unaware of anything, are the cult's main targets, and a magical plague is about to fall on them that can cause a veritable slaughter. The characters will find themselves caught up in these dangerous events and will be drawn into a spiral of horror, blood and madness that will strain their bodies and souls. The Prior who leads the mysterious cult has "a special plan" in mind for them and will do anything to achieve his goal. Players will be forced more than once to question their morals and make difficult choices in a scenario of complex social conflicts, personal revenge stories and tremendous machinations. What repercussions would the cult's plan have if it were carried out? And what would happen instead if it were averted and the patriars continued to run the city as they always have? Shadows as black as night once again loom over Baldur's Gate, and this time they may change its face forever. - Adventure: story lasting 4 to 8 hours for characters ranging in level from 4 to 6 - Setting: adventure set in the famous city of Baldur's Gate but easily adaptable to any setting - Narrative: detailed descriptions and an emphasis on story immersiveness - Roleplay: in-depth characterization of NPCs with biographies, descriptions of their personalities and their physical appearance - Bestiary: 3 new customizable opponents with the mechanics "Affixes," which can add an extra degree of complexity to confrontations, and " Weak spots," which grant a strategic advantage to characters who manage to discover them - Magic: obscure and unknown spells used by cultists to carry out their plans - Layout: designed to make it easier for DMs to browse information, featuring special attention to color coding and visual immediacy of text boxes - Maps: 3 maps available in high resolution, VTT and printer-friendly versions - PDF: available in high-quality, interactive, printer-friendly print versions - Playlist: a collection of songs selected by the authors to create the right atmosphere during game sessions
Every priest in the city dreamed last night of a forgotten temple carved into the side of a nearby mountain. In the dream, a storm raged deep within the temple, and the dreamers knew instinctively that evil forces sought to unleash that storm upon the surrounding lands. Pgs. 120-125
As you begin your path to adventuring fame, fate brings you a gift. The military is attacking a humanoid army not too far away but their powerful force has splintered the insurgents. Different groups of aggressive humanoids are now off on their own and the military is overwhelmed trying to track them down. Word has it that one such group is headed to the revered Oracle at Nyo! Your time has come and fame is within reach!
Two days ago while in the Village of Balis you heard a rumor of an abandoned monastery. With such a deserted location already so close at hand one could not refuse the temptation of checking on its possible gains-whether it is treasure or knowledge that is to say. Yet the gains must surely be worthy of someone as adventurous and brave as yourself. Through further investigation of the rumors of the townspeople you have discovered that the old monastery is said to be haunted with the dead walking the grounds. Directions were located and after a final day’s praying you set out to locate the Monastery of the White Rose.
Deep in the wooded wilderness, the village of Grimmsgate is an outpost town on a seldom-traveled trail, right at the edge of nowhere. The village’s half-ruined temple of Law, dilapidated inn, drunken blacksmith, exiled trader and a few fur-trappers are enough to keep the bloody-minded denizens of the dark forest at bay, but nobody really expects the village to still be there in another ten years. The woods have become too dangerous for the trappers who once caught animals for fur, and merchants no longer travel the poorly-maintained road. What great evil and what fabulous treasures are to be found in these lands? A brave band of adventurers might make their fortunes here. Or perhaps they might never return… Grimmsgate is an introductory adventure for the Swords & Wizardry tabletop roleplaying game. The Swords & Wizardry rules are needed to play this adventure.
Eons past the fabled sorcerer-kings of Parhok perished in a rain of eldritch fire. But legends hold that one tribe survived the apocalypse, fleeing with their slaves to a hidden city, where the greatest enchanters of all time could sleep away the centuries, and awaken in a future age as rulers of a ruined land. Now once more the forbidden spells of the Parhok threaten the good folk of the Known Realms. A kingdom lies ensorcelled, a royal family ensnared by the forgotten dweomers of a long-dead race. When the best attempts of seers and diviners have failed, it falls to the heroes to save the kingdom. Have the sorcerer-kings risen to reclaim their bejeweled thrones? Or has a more sinister power bent their ancient magics to its sinister will? Only the most courageous and cunning of heroes will emerge victorious from Dragora’s Dungeon.
Off in the wilderness are the ruins of a temple that once belonged to the God of Balance, Tyr. It has long been abandoned by the traditional followers, but it is certainly not empty. A few clever individuals have found a way to harness the magics that still reside deep within this holy place and are attempting to use it to give life to an Iron Golem. The party must stop them at all costs or have a powerful monstrosity released into the hands of some terrible individuals.
A level 3 temple incursion adventure by Brad Kerr. In a golden temple of healing on a sundrenched island, blissful amnesiac patients are held prisoner by monstrous caretakers. Intruding PCs will need their wits and their swords to unravel the temple’s secrets, snatch its treasures, and escape. For Old-School Essentials (OSE) Included as one of four adventures in "Old-School Essentials Adventure Anthology 1"
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. This adventure sees the characters ally with the Athar of Sigil to raid the Abbey of the Iron Star and destroy the devils within who are attempting to bring Asmodeus to Sigil.
Your time on the mainland of Calentria has come to an end and with an appropriated ship you find yourself approaching a collection of island in the middle of the ocean. Some of the sailors that have ventured into this area before report there may be a language barrier. As you approach a large land mass a dark shape in the sky seems to take notice of you…
Moon over Graymoor is a short adventure written for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, for first level player characters. It is intended to be a good first adventure to run; something for new players, or even a new Dungeon Master to try. The players are turned loose in a hamlet that has suffered a handful of vicious murders, and it’s up to them to investigate. Players will gather clues, canvass the villagers, and if they’re smart, pick up a few things along the way that might just give them enough bite to face off against the beast, and survive.
With your fame building in the Great Plains of Dorack you have received word of an abandoned temple that has been showing signs of life. Years ago the followers of the old deity Sobek built a temple to honor him. The cult died out after a successful raid by Plainsmen who looted the complex after killing off the monks who inhabited it. A few days after the temple sacking the chieftain responsible for the attack fell ill and died of a mysterious disease. As it was believed a curse befell the warlord, the area was abandoned and considered taboo. Lately strange lights have been seen near the old temple and a giant stone alligator has been spotted in the area. The Plainsmen cannot go to the area as the old taboo is still in place and have asked your party to investigate.
Sometimes wandering through the frontier garners information as opposed to bloodshed. In this adventure the party stumbles across a party of Plainsmen who tell the party of some strange goings on at a remote graveyard. They tell the party that they observed ghostly figures after a lightning strike and small fire. As they were unprepared to deal with the undead but suggest if the party is up for some experience, perhaps they should head north in the morning!
For better or for worse. It's up to you to make sure this is the happiest day of their lives - not the most embarrassing! A wedding and a jealous lover what could go wrong. A small and light hearted adventure perfect for kicking off a campaign in a city. Pgs. 50-57
You have traveled to the westernmost point in the Duchy of Starryshade as you make your way to the borderlands. Your final stop in the duchy is a small roadside inn called the Shepherd’s Spear Inn. While stopping for a respite you hear a few tales including a mysterious abbey nearby. This structure is said to only appear for a short time every three years. Magic and wealth are said to be lost within the walls of this structure and with little else to do this might be a final hurrah for your stay in Starryshade!
For the past several days, dozens of strong earthquakes have rocked the coastal area surrounding the underground Temple of Poseidon. Since the first quake, there have been a growing number of reports of strange events and macabre occurrences throughout the area. Several families near the temple have abandoned their farms and refused to return. They claim to have been terrorized by inhuman specters who prowled about their farms late at night. One of the farmers says he found a farm animal crucified and eviscerated in a ritualistic fashion on his front porch. Following the first tremors, all communications with the Temple of Poseidon, seemingly the center of the troubled area, were cut off. Messengers dispatched to the temple to request guidance from the Holy Oracle located there have not returned. Now the darkness has spread to this town. Unnatural births have occurred. Strange cries can be heard in the night, and there is a cowl around the moon. Magical divining has proven useless in naming the dark forces that invade. Many of the townspeople have already abandoned their homes and those who remain have but one recourse left: They have sent out a cry for hardened adventurers, experienced in dispatching evil. They must travel to the temple to discover the fate of the men there, and, if possible, elicit their help in destroying the growing heinous power. Pgs. 31-46
The village of Trunton is the focus of conflict between the ruling paladin of the God of Vengeance and secretive cultists. As the PCs become embroiled in the unrest, a series of supernatural events lead them to investigate a ruined tower outside the village. When they discover the grim secrets underlying the situation, whose side will they take?
In what became known as the Age of Madness, an astral lich calling himself the Crimson Hand descended from the sea of stars, setting his fell gaze upon Gaea. Her red moon he made both his temple and his phylactery, and from there he sought to enslave those who would be ruled and devour those who would not. The Ancients of the four corners of Gaea united their knowledge against this threat, constructing a colossal golem, and inscribing the four POWER WORDS upon four scrolls. These scrolls they fed to the colossus, who ascended to the crimson moon in an instant. The sages of the realm watched as the flashes of battle signaled in the night sky, ending as the crimson moon itself split in half. The lich and the colossus were destroyed, and the Age of Madness was ended. Millennia have passed, and now a new threat rises from the netherworld. The four POWER WORDS have been forgotten, lost among the shattered remnants of the moon. The sages have once again united what remains of their power, this time to teleport a paltry handful of crusaders to retrieve the lost scrolls before the world is doomed.
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.