The colony of Farshore has survived on its own for years, a secluded and struggling hamlet perched on the western shore of the tiny island of Temute. An island dwarfed by the savage landscape across the narrow channel to the north, a landscape of rugged mountains, tangled jungles, and trackless swamps. This is the Isle of Dread, and its resources and hidden treasures are matched only by its peril. Yet for all these dangers, what may bring doom to Farshore is not an invasion of inhuman monsters from the mainland, but an invasion of all-too-human monsters from across the sea. "Tides of Dread" is the fifth chapter of the Savage Tides Adventure Path, a complete campaign consisting of 12 adventures appearing in Dungeon magazine. For additional aid in running this campaign, check out Dragon magazine's monthly "Savage Tidings" articles, a series that helps players and DMs prepare for and expand upon the campaign. Issue #352 of Dragon magazine features rumors of Farshore, a helpful list of improvements the PCs can make to the colony, and other features to help get PCs oriented in their new home on the Isle of Dread. The destruction of a pirate ship signals the beginning of a Crimson Fleet invasion. The PCs must race against time to prepare for the onslaught before an old enemy can release another savage tide. Pgs. 28-59 Also see Pgs. 60-71 Backdrop: Farshore City of Hope.
Under raging stormclouds, a lone figure stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of castle Ravenloft. Count Strahd von Zarovich stares down a sheer cliff at the village below. A cold, bitter wind spins dead leaves around him, billowing his cape in the darkness. Lightning splits the clouds overhead, casting stark white light across him. Strahd turns to the sky, revealing the angular muscles of his face and hands. He has a look of power - and of madness. His once-handsome face is contorted by a tragedy darker than the night itself. Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind's howling increases as Strahd turns his gaze back to the village. Fas below, yet not beyond his keen eyesight, a party of adventurers has just entered his domain. Strahd's face forms a twisted smile as his dark plan unfolds. He knew they were coming, and he knows why they came, all according to his plan. He, the master of Ravenloft, will attend to them. Another lightning flash rips through the darkness, its thunder echoing through the castle's towers. But Strahd is gone. Only the howling of the wind - or perhaps a lone wolf - fills the midnight air. The master of Ravenloft is having guests for dinner. And you are invited. TSR 9075
Far2 – Discord at the Docks is a short adventure based in the city of Phoenix in Fartook. Similar to Far1, this adventure is for low/novice level players. The adventure begins as your ship docks in Phoenix and you and your group debark. The scenario was designed for five players and gives them a variety of small problems to tackle. The PCs were on a delivery mission but mistook a subject on the dock as the intended recipient. The true owner is not pleased at the foul up and demands the party fix it IMMEDIATELY. Part of the inspiration for GenCon 17’s adventure, this scenario gives a number of “inconsequential” encounters that bring depth to urban adventuring!
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.
It begins in the marketplace or main square of a town when the calm, peaceful day is interrupted by a hulking golem trouncing through town, smashing objects, and attacking townsfolk. The party witnessing this should intervene and stop the rampaging golem with combat or by luring it into a nearby warehouse to trap it so it can be damaged and, eventually, destroyed by the town guards. When the party examines the golem’s remains, they find bones encased in the metal armor and the name 'Quartztoil' written in gnomish script. The town guard explain that this is the eighth construct they have encountered in the area in the past six months. The party can then go on to investigate the name 'Quartztoil', leading them to learn of an old, gnomish, aspiring artificer, Penaral Quartztoil, who had a lab and workshop in a tower in the nearby mountains, but who has not been heard from for close to a century. Published by Nord Games
Riches beyond imagination await! Buried decades ago, the great treasure of the notorious Captain Jadescale is waiting at the Mistcliff. Though the exact location of the treasure is unknown, it’s said that the owner of the Shore of Dreams has clues about the location, although nothing is ever that straightforward when it comes to treasure. Can you unearth the secrets of the treasure of Captain Jadescale or will you be undone by its mystery? This 3 - 6 hours adventure features: • 18 pages full with social encounters, dungeon crawling, puzzles and a hint of mystery • custom art and handouts for your players • custom map with a DM and a player version • custom TashMob paper miniatures • new monsters, npcs & magic items A Dungeons & Dragons adventure for characters of level 5 to 7.
This book goes over the various rules around the faction of the Zhentarim in Phandalin and the Forgotten Realms, making it easy for any new or veteran DMs to integrate it more into the core stories being told, and making the faction feel more useful for the players that choose to join. The adventure, Barrhindlun sees the adventurers working for the Zhentarim and traveling to the town of Leilon and finding their way beneath to the muddy lost city of Barrhindlun, where bandits of the Xanathar Guild have been sent to reclaim a Crystal Orb.
For many years folks have gazed into the churning black vapors of the Shadow Rift and wondered at the horrors that might lie within. Some have speculated that it might be a realm of the doomed, where tortured spirits suffer the hours of eternity. Others have speculated that it might be an empty domain, waiting for the arrival of a master who is evil enough to claim it and shape it in his own image. Ever the mysterious Vistani do not know what secrets are hidden in the depths of this gaping chasm. Now, the time has come for the veil of Shadows to be parted. Loht, king of the shadow elves, has reclaimed the mighty Sword of Arak. With this relic, he intends to set in motion a plan that has taken thousands of years to form. He will throw open that vary gate of darkness and invite one of mankind's greatest enemies to walk the land of the living. And if he is not stopped, the rivers of Ravenloft will run red with the blood of the innocent. The adventure can be played independently or in conjunction with the Ravenloft Adventure Servants of Darkness. TSR 1163
A Ravaged Land... Villains that really are larger than life... A time for heroes... A decade ago, the land of Geoff was overrun by a horde of giants, ogres, and evil humanoids, its people either slain, enslaved, or driven into exile. Now at last the tide has turned. The time to free the people of Geoff from their servitude to the giantish tyrants has come! But don't forget to watch your step when you confront the true masters behind the giant Clans! Contains the full text of three classic adventures by Gary Gygax: G1, Steading of the Hill Giant Chief; G2, The Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl; and G3, Hall of the Fire GIant King. Details Eighteen new encounter sites in the war-torn land of Geoff, linked together to form a grand campaign. Provides dozens of hours of gameplay as the heroes struggle to free an entire country from the grasp of giant overlords. TSR 11413
The Red Road is a quest for 2nd-level heroes. This quest is intended to be a one to two session, monster-of-the-week–style adventure: a memorable, early stepping-stone in the heroes’ career. The heroes can earn up to six Victories over the course of this quest. A mystery smolders in the village of Asher that'll lead the heroes on a breakneck race through the woods. Make every action count—every little misstep could inch you and many innocent people closer to a bloody end! The Red Road assumes you understand how to play and run Draw Steel.
Moonless Night is an adventure module composed of short adventures which are compatible with both the first and second editions of the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons game. The adventures are designed with novice players and dungeon masters (DMs) in mind; more experienced gamers may find the action too scripted, the dangers too forgiving, and the plot too linear for their tastes. In such a case, the DM is encouraged to expand, revise, and delete as necessary.
A newly constructed temple of Bahamut lies along a road outside a rural township. As the PCs approach the place, a scream for help erupts within it. Pgs. 60-65
A rare breed of wolf has apparently been staging daring attacks on citizens of Rendrick. A group of hunters seek to claim bounty on the beast, but as the PCs quickly learn, the wolf isn't all it appears. Something sinister lurks in the woods near town, and the PCs must act quickly to save innocent lives. Pgs. 16-26
2023 ENNIE Awards Silver Winner in the Best Organised Play category! The Dai Meow-Ou is dead, you’re accused of murder, and you have until sunrise to clear your names. It’s time to put on your thinking cats and play detective, adventurers! Can you sniff out the real killers before your time runs out? A Pawsome Feywild Murder Mystery for Tier 1 Characters. Optimized for APL 3. From the 2019 ENNIE Award nominated author of the Neverdusk Trilogy and experiential horror mystery The Waystop comes a brand new roleplaying & puzzle-lite adventure lovingly crafted as an homage to the films and novels of Japan's golden age detective fiction and set in the Feywild domain of Roku-Nyan, where cats rule and dogs drool! This 4-hour module is designed to be played using Theater of the Mind, and depending on the characters and their decisions, multiple endings are possible. It debuted at Lion City Conclave 2022, a community convention in Singapore that supported Causes for Animals (Singapore). The v1.2 package (9 July Update) includes: - Enhanced copy for better clarity & Jason's Cheat Sheet for running a smoother game. - Art inserts by Ryan Tan Chen Wayne (Ryzwayne). - A high quality digital map pack for key encounter locations, in Black & White (as befits the genre) by digital artist Ryan Tan Chen Wayne (Ryzwayne). - High quality puzzle packs and resources designed by Jason Koh, with illustrations by Ryan Tan Chen Wayne (Ryzwayne). - Token pack featuring our assassins. - Bonus DLC Street Map.
A midwinter adventure for Draw Steel. Battle dangerous ice monsters, explore a strange fey realm, and negotiate with a powerful archfey to save a village from endless winter! This one-shot takes about 3 to 4 hours to complete and is balanced for three to six 1st-level heroes. Includes notes on how to adjust for a shorter session length or for higher-level heroes (up to level 8). Heroes can earn up to 3 victories. The Snow Queen's Fury is designed to introduce players to the core mechanics of Draw Steel—basic power rolls, combat, negotiation, and montages—in an easily digestible order. It's a great beginner one-shot, but would also work well as a seasonal interlude for an ongoing campaign. The adventure includes: - a charming midwinter festival with plenty of roleplay opportunities - one combat - one negotiation - one montage And your files will include: - battlemaps for all combat encounters (including a Christmas variant) - a reference map for the director - custom statblocks (including malice abilities!) for new ice-themed monsters - a PDF version and an Obsidian vault version of the adventure, for easy reference mid-session - a bonus level 10 solo statblock for the Snow Queen herself, just in case your heroes decide to do something really foolish
The search for a missing paladin takes the PCs deep into the heart of a frontier torn apart by cult wars—and face to face with an ancient evil. The paladin Jaryd set out to find and destroy the Hand of Naarash. He was never heard from again. Now the PCs must retrace Jaryn’s steps across the harsh wilderness and determine what has become of the noble warrior. Pgs. 29-59
"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
The sleepy village of Raven's Lake has a secret: A terrible god lives in the depths of the settlement's namesake. The citizens of Raven's Lake know that something lives in the lake. People who go out on the lake after dark go missing far too often and frequently turn up weeks later with no memory of where they've been. The local church of St. Cuthbert has been abandoned no fewer than seven times in the last two years, each time its lone cleric packing hastily and fleeing town without a word. Adventurers who come to Raven's Lake have a habit of vanishing forever. The truth is that something does indeed live in Raven's Lake but it is far from a deity. It's an exiled aboleth by the name of Zlorthishen. Pgs. 33-36
Short adventures and persistent random encounters to shake up the streets of your city! Tiny Weird Adventures: Urban Edition is a collection of short Tier 1 adventures to be used in conjunction with the Fifth Edition of the most popular fantasy RPG of recent times, easily adaptable to your medieval fantasy game of choice. You will get 6 urban-themed adventures to enhance your game with stories of exploration and intrigue around a big city. Each adventure describes short-lived events that can range from a short random encounter to a one-shot adventure. Each adventure has its own Weird Rumors and Unfolded Paths that will help you expand your campaign in new directions. Content 6 Tiny Weird Adventures! The Creepy Handshake: In the midst of a major crime wave, adventurers are hired to find a lost "pet". His identity, however, is somewhat peculiar... The Trickster Sword: In the big city, not all that glitters is gold: play this adventure to meet a magical weapon from another world. Vengeful Trash: What happens when a faith man loses patience? The gods aid him, of course! Help maintain order in the city or face the weirdest kind of creature ever seen! Sick City: Living behind the great walls of a big city may seem safe, but what if the real danger comes from within? There is no time for quarantine: cure the curse that falls on the population or go insane forever! A Love Supreme: After an unresolved event, two souls separate. Is every form of love valid? Play to find out! The Mug Mystery: In a newly opened tavern, a picture of a bald dwarf holding a mug is getting everyone’s hair up. Appendix with tables to generate NPCs instantly! A multitude of names of various types: human (male, female and neutral), elven, dwarf, dragonborn, orc, and surname for Halflings. Additional rules to give your NPCs more color, granting them Desires and Personalities. Quick custom NPCs creation according to its stat block: generate specific Personalities and dDesires for your guards, thieves, and town clerics. 5 new monsters and antagonists! Use the bizarre and smelly Garbage Golem and scare your players with the fury of rot. Add an extra dose of horror to your game with Unraxda, the demon of subterfuge and violence, able to possess and control his victims Meet little Crawly, the best undead rogue in town. Populate your encounters with the Fragile Zombie and give your players the opportunity to make their way across the battlefield by slicing through these weakling monsters! Lopo the Necromancer is the low Tier version of an end-of-campaign boss: perfect for starring in a battle full of evil minions.
Despite the adventurers’ best efforts, more creatures joined under Bad Fruul’s banner. No longer content to simply attack caravans or isolated homesteads, the hill giant warlord descends upon Parnast at the head of a great force of humanoids. SEER warns the adventurers (directly now) in time to rally the town and prepare defenses, but a heroic effort is required to break the siege.