A Giant Ransom is a short adventure for four 11th-level characters. There are opportunities for diplomacy, stealth, and combat, based on the choices the PCs make, so any mix of classes is appropriate. The adventure can be set in any campaign world, in a frontier region near glacier-covered mountains. The newly appointed Duke Castaril Ambrinigan has recently relocated to a modest, newly constructed keep near the frontier town of Ormanlak. He and his family arrived safely, but a caravan containing family heirlooms was waylaid by a band of frost giant raiders. Most of the items were of no consequence to the Duke, with the exception of one: a three-foot tall golden statue of a lion. The Duke, wanting to avoid a war, sent an emissary to the frost giants. He offered gems totaling 10,000 gold pieces in value as ransom for the lion. The giants accepted, and a time and place was set for the exchange. But there is more. A white dragon named Whildenstrank lives in the midst of a nearby glacier, and has maintained a network of winter wolf spies, including some in the frost giants' camp. Through these spies, Whildenstrank learned of the capture of the golden lion, and the upcoming trade. Thinking that the lion would make a fine addition to his frozen treasure hoard, Whildenstrank has prepared to strike.
...There are older things in these forests too; the knights did not just battle the pagan kings of man but also the forest dwellers; the wodewose. Spend too long in any tavern or listen to a village alewife and you’ll hear stories of knights and wodewose duking it out in little patches of now cleared pastures. One of these little villages is the village of Levnec, a sad little town ruled by a self appointed lord banished from his seaside villa far to the south. His name is Lord Kristoph and he has been looking to hire some transient sell swords to solve his problem. Some of the townsfolk are (repeatedly) going missing and others are refusing to work, even after examples were beaten and hobbled by his men. Seeing as the townsfolk are blaming the local Gnomes, he would simply like these drifters to saunter in the wood, murder some Gnomes and bring them back to show the townsfolk there is nothing to fear (except him) and to get back to work.
The Ghost Tribe of Orcs have been driven from their home under Wyvern Tor by some terrible evil and have traveled to the top of the hill overlooking Phandalin where they camped last night. Their chief, driven mad by unknown horrors, prepares to attack the city and claim it as his new home. The heroes, who raced to the town ahead of the orc tribe, spend the night helping to prepare defenses and rest when they can. Can the heroes help defend the town or will the orcs wipe out the inhabitants of Phandalin? Once the town is safe, how will the PCs handle a moral dilemma? Orcs Invade Phandalin is the second of four parts in the After Lost Mine series. It will play out the invasion of Phandalin using the new mass combat rules from Unearthed Arcana. Part III will be the trip to the orc’s former cave settlement and then into the darkness beneath. Part IV will have the party deal with the terror from the Underdark that drove the orcs out.
From The Magazine: "Every summer, Duke Hightower holds a competition quite different from the traditional jousting and archery tournaments held by similar lords of his station. The rules of his tournament change from year to year, and, to oversee the games, the duke has appointed two wizard brothers who help choose the setting and create the rules and challenges of the competition. This year the competition is called the “Owlbear Run,” an overland race that requires each participating team to escort a live owlbear from the town of Telvorn to the town of Milvorn. The teams will face a variety of challenges; some are devised by the wizards, others by the competing teams or their sponsors, and some occur entirely at random. All of these tests are in addition to the challenges inherent in motivating a temperamental owlbear. Fortune and fame await the first team to cross the finish line, and the local lords sponsoring the race are eager to enlist skilled champions for their causes." Pgs. 2-27
The loggers of the West Wood have been logging these lands for over five years without a problem. Now, an eerie entity demands that they cease their logging activities and evacuate the forest immediately. If they refuse, they will die. When the PCs arrive to help they find that things are not so black and white. The decisions which they make will have permanent and lasting implications for the entire region. Will the PCs choose to save the forest and lose the support of the village, or destroy a sacred elder tree in order to win the hearts of the loggers and their families?
The Hell's Vengeance Adventure Path begins with "The Hellfire Compact," an exciting new adventure in which the players take the roles of evil characters in the diabolical empire of Cheliax! A paladin of Iomedae and knight-errant of the Glorious Reclamation comes to the town of Longacre, inspiring the citizens to join the uprising against the Thrice-Damned House of Thrune. First as amoral mercenaries, then as retainers of the wicked archbaron of Longacre, the evil adventurers must move quickly to put down the insurgency and keep the town from falling to the knight's rebellion.
"TRAPPED! What’s that gigantic stage? Why does that village look so out of place? How do you escape this place and why are those two ballistae arguing like siblings?! Find out in the Mezzanine, a Domain of Delight created by an Unseelie archfey named the Grand Director." In the land of fairies, lives an imprisoned archfey named The Grand Director. He made the mistake of disrespecting his evil queen and tries to perfect his horrible play. Within this adventure you will find an Unfinished Wall, a Dance Battle, and Trippy Mushrooms. Your characters have become trapped in the Feywild and they must get the locals to set aside their differences to help the archfey revamp his play for the Unseelie Queen.
The Free City of Zobeck has thrived since overthrowing the tyrannical Stross family. But an ancient bargain gives the Queen of Night and Magic a claim to the city—and now the shadow fey have seized Zobeck as their own. The city’s only hope lies with a band of heroes who can outfight and outwit the shadow fey in the heart of their own realm: the maze of treachery and deceit that is the Courts of the Shadow Fey. This 148-page 5th Edition adventure contains 100 NPCs, a map with more than 60 locations of the Courts, and more than 40 combat and roleplaying encounters. Courts of the Shadow Fey takes you from the mortal world to the heart of Shadow, where you’ll: Fight your way through the dangers of the Shadow Realm to reach the shadow fey’s courts Engage in dangerous courtly intrigue, trying to increase your status to win an audience with the Queen herself Duel for honor, and perhaps win the hand of a lover among the fey nobility Can you free Zobeck from the grasp of the shadow fey? Or will your fate become a tale told in hushed tones as a warning against angering the Queen?
Children and a cleric have been kidnapped from a small coastal town by undead creatures who crawled out of the sea. Defend the Captain's Folly Tavern, investigate the mystery, swim through underwater caverns, and fight the monstrous denizens of the deep in order to save the kidnapped civilians! This adventure includes: 4 New Monsters, 4 New Magic Items, A Seafaring Skill Challenge, & Complications for an Underwater Chase Encounter!
Ten days ride north of the great city, there is a small town named Treefall. Up until recently, this town was well known for its rich harvests, happy villagers, and prosperous weather. These days, however, the once-proud details from Treefall have turned darker. Instead of tales of unending prosperity, you hear hushed whispers of a great curse that has struck the once-happy village. Word has it that, where once roamed contented cattle, now strange beasts hunt by the moon's cold light and terrorize the hapless region. You have scoffed with the others at these stories. Despite the things you've seen in you adventures with your friends, the thought that such ill might befall such a sleepy town strikes you as terribly unlikely. There is plenty of evil in the world, true, but there are also much bigger and better targets. But, tonight despite the firmness of your disbelief, the stories come to find you. You have been traveling north along the roads on your own business, enjoying the rich fall colors and warm afternoons. Your camp os small and secure, with a roaring fire and meat cooking over the flame. It's one of those crisp autumn days that makes you long for a warm hearth after a long ride in the cool air. Still, the fire is good enough for now and you and your friends have a wonderful meal, talking and singing and laughing, anticipating a restful sleep beneath the blanket of stars. Until the beast attacks.
“A Prisoner’s Escort” is a 2nd-level (1st echelon) quest written for the Draw Steel role-playing game by MCDM. It can act as a bridge between major adventures, or on its own. This adventure has about 7 scenes, with around 5 victories, and can probably be run in about one or two typical 3-hour gaming sessions.
The earth churns in a city graveyard, revealing not the undead but an ancient war machine. A great iron transport bores its way up from depths below, disrupting funeral rites and sending the citizens into a panic. With an opportunity to investigate and reap the rewards of bravery, the party closes on the graveyard. There they discover that the pilots of the strange vehicle are soulless automatons who have spent an eternity burrowing toward the battlefront of a long-forgotten war. In this action-packed and gritty adventure, the party must battle automatons, breach the iron transport, and put down its mad and malfunctioning commander.
A new threat preys on the local trade road. Rumored to have ties to the legendary undead wizards, Vecna and Acererak, Geoff the Dread Tailor has awakened to garner his revenge on the living. A group of stalwart heroes must arise to put an end to the Dread Tailor’s depravations or all will be lost. This adventure includes: a small village of friendly allies, an optional haunted ruin to discover, an entire lair of creatures (with map!) to explore, three new magic items, two new monster descriptions, interactive document links, and more fun than a bag of scorpions (don't ask)!
The first savage tide has already touched the mortal world, yet none who live today recall this time of red ruin. Unleashed from the cruel heart of a fell seed known as a shadow pearl, this savage tide swept over an ancient city perched atop the crown of a remote island. The tide transformed beggar and noble, merchant and thief, resident and visitor into feral, ravenous fiends. The fruits of centuries of labor came crumbling down in a matter of days, and when the survivors tried to stem the tide by destroying the pearl, the resulting blast of power sunk their city into the boiling lake of death. Through it all, the Abyssal architect of the savage tide watched, taking pride in the ruin. When the tide's final ripples had faded, what was left became known as the Isle of Dread. Now, after a thousand years, the true masters of the Isle of Dread look upon new targets, new cities beyond the horizon, compelled by the hateful will of their demonic lord Demogorgon to prepare for the coming glory. This time, the doom will not be limited to one hapless city. This time, all of civilization waits unknowing on the shore, blissfully ignorant of what the incoming tide brings in. "There Is No Honor" is the first chapter of the Savage Tide Adventure Path, a complete campaign consisting of 12 adventures that will appear in the next twelve issues of Dungeon. For additional aid in running this campaign, check out Dragon's monthly "Savage Tidings" articles, a series that helps players and DMs prepare for and expand upon the campaign. Issue #348 of Dragon kicks off this series with details on six affiliations based in Sasserine that your players may wish to join. And if you're running Savage Tides in the Forgotten Realms or Eberron, make sure to check paizo.com for the latest conversion notes for each adventure. The Savage Tide Adventure Path debuts as a new band of heroes confronts exotic monsters, undead pirates, and a sinister guild of thieves on the cusp of unleashing a murderous coup. Pgs. 14-46
You are hired by a merchant to protect a rare item, a crystal crown, for one night against the attempts of the city's thieves guild. The arrogant guildmaster has informed the merchant that he will steal the crown and he cannot be stopped. Continues in Part 2 in Polyhedron #23 Pgs. 13-20
Tonight, a ceremony of light is taking place on the surface. Meanwhile, a world away in the city of spiders, a drow matron solidifies a pact with soul-consuming entities who require great sacrifices in trade for unimaginable power. Drow eyes turn to the surface. This book contains a mega-adventure and setting, taking characters across the surface and into the depths of the world. Adventurers will meet unique denizens, battle horrors of the Underworld, explore epic locations, and fight to stop the rise of the drow.
This Adventure is based on the web comic series, Table Titans. It is set in the same village that part of the comic takes place in, however the path of the adventure does not follow the story line set in the comics. There are familiar elements that are a wink and a nod to fans of the comic, but it is a unique story. The adventure is set around the village of Haverford, currently beset by an unknown [i]Terror[/i] that has resulted in many many deaths in the surrounding forest. The adventures have arrived at this once peaceful hamlet and if they discover the source of the [i]Terror[/i] plaguing the region they will be handsomely rewarded. The Terror of Haverford is a starter adventure. Characters will advance from level 1 to 4 if completed. This adventure has both social and combat encounters, as well as combat encounters that can be solved socially. If characters aren't thorough in their investigations they will be taken by surprise by what lies ahead.
Years ago, brave heroes put the denizens of the Temple of Elemental Evil to the sword. Now, dark forces whisper again in the shadows of the once-deserted temple - forces far more insidious and dangerous than any sane person could dream. Evil has risen again to threaten the village of Hommlet. A continuation of the original AD&D Temple of Elemental Evil, made for a party of 4th-level adventurers, taking them up to 14th level.
This quest takes the player characters through a harrowing journey of dangerous adversity! The characters are informed that some unknown adversary has disrupted an ancient tree called Wise Willow. This sends them first on a subterranean excursion into ancient tunnels infested with curiously ravenous Thri-Kreen! Then, they are introduced more formally with Wise Willow, who requires their services to cure her terrible plague! The players must then navigate the wild maze of her surface roots, purge it of grotesque creatures, and then find the cause of her ailment. Doing so excites the interest of the deities, Lathander and Sylvanus, who descend from the heavens in a glorious show of light and mysticism! The two divine beings then graciously bestow their gifts upon the party to reward their deeds. The player characters embark on a perilous journey that will test their resourcefulness and wits in a building arc of intensity. The environments are deeply detailed by the boxed text and should provide you and your characters a sturdy foundation for your creativity to launch from. There is a compelling story full of lamentations as well as laughs. The robust exposition sets up hours of challenging, combat-heavy “dungeon delving” throughout the quest. The aim is to maintain a versatile balance between “hack-and-slash” and “immersive storytelling” play styles, so that everyone can enjoy it in their own way. The numerous optional components allow you to scale the difficulty to your liking, and there is plenty of space for you to use your own creativity to enhance the content. Guts, Gods & Glory is a Dungeons & Dragons module using the 5e rules. It is designed to be played by three to six players of sixth to eighth level. It takes place in the Sword Coast setting of the Forgotten Realms, specifically the Elturgard region. Changes can be made to make it playable in a nondescript setting.
When her father goes missing, a young adventurer has no other choice than to gather her friends and head for the city of Loudwater. Soon after she gets swept away in an obscure design threatening to drag the entire region into chaos and war. At the heart of this mystery, lies not only her father, but the long-forgotten history of her once-despised family and a primordial beast influencing events from the shadows, moving her family like pieces on a chess board. Visit www.perfumersdaughter.com for more information. You can also address me directly on The Perfumer's Daughter Q&A on Facebook. All battlemaps and dungeons are free to download for use in digital platforms (such as roll20) on the aforementioned site.