The kuo-toa are a piscine race with a psychic affliction that makes them behave erratically and invent gods when feeling threatened. That same affliction gives them the power to bring those gods to life. Blibdoolpoolp is the most widely worshipped, and thus most powerful, of their gods. Blibdoolpoolp views the kuo-toa as her children despite having been born after them. Like all good mothers, she nurtures and protects. One of her chief concerns is understanding the kuo-toa’s psychic affliction, which causes them to undermine themselves whenever they strive for greatness. She discovers that a corrupted elder brain deep in the Underdark has a connection to the race; though the connection gives them psychic powers, it also turns them into powerless thralls, explaining their self destructive behaviors. Constrained by the same leash on her children, Blibdoolpoolp seeks adventurers to destroy the elder brain. Its death would free the kuo-toa, but potentially at great cost: if the kuo-toa lose their powers, will Blibdoolpoolp die?
The waters of a sunless sea meet a pebble-strewn shore, beyond which opens a wide Underdark vista shimmering with pale cave-light. Titanic columns as big as castles march miles into the misted distance. The wide, steeply sloping base of the nearest colossal column is carved with streets, walls, and elaborate structures, many with gaping, empty windows. A few glimmer with faint illumination. Are you brave enough to explore the spire-city and face the terrors that lurk within? Part 2 of the Barrow of the Forgotten King series. Followed by Fortress of the Yuan-ti.
a baron recruits the party to find a set of magical swords as well as explore a mine shaft that connects to the under dark
nside this full-color, 132-page anthology you’ll find five best-selling Adventurer’s League quests for level 1-10 characters. Inside are over 20 illustrations, including a half-dozen full-page pieces by the esteemed Andrea Alemanno. Also included are instructions on how to weave these adventures into an ongoing story arc as part of your campaign. Tier 1 (Level 1-4): The Cornflower Hive (SFBAY-04-01): What links an infamous Zhentarim mercenary with a brilliant but tormented artificer? To find out, the adventurers must break the goblinoid siege of the village of Westfir. After the bizarre goblins are defeated, the Cornflower Hive must be destroyed. Ultimately, what secrets are held in the grain mill by the Westfork river? The White Well (PDXAGE-01-01): The Gommurg Clan of hill dwarves rarely deal with outsiders. The dwarf clan’s isolation has gifted them with great skill and wealth. Unfortunately, their pride has made them vulnerable to an ancient power confined centuries ago. An exile has magically foretold the clan’s destruction. This diviner is the only one who knows how to stop the evil threatening the Gommurg. Tier 2 (Level 5-10): The Barrows of Solina (STORM-01): Zhentarim traders. Shadowy figures roaming the fields near Hillsfar. How do these all relate? Everything traces back to the recently unearthed grave-barrows. Rescuing a caravan from undead attackers, the adventurers learn of an ancient danger. The Dark Hunt (PDXAGE-02-01): The village near Oreclasp Keep has been reporting brutal owlbear attacks that have left people missing or dismembered. Lord Oreclasp has placed a bounty for every owlbear beak brought to Oreclasp Keep. The villagers don’t suspect the deeper problems brewing in the land. Under Earth & Stone (SFBAY-04-02): A Mulmaster refugee named Ani Kuleimatt discovered references to a forgotten mine near the Moonsea, a mine rumored to produce an unexpected export. The adventurers are hired to locate the complex and secure its resources for the Mulmaster Diaspora.
Hellmaw Island is a place of legend, a hidden fortress protecting the greatest treasures in the world. Rumour says it is guarded by wicked traps, bizarre and terrifying monsters, and maddening enchantments. Our heroes have been tasked with penetrating this mysterious stronghold, and they will find it to be stranger and more dangerous than anything they have encountered before. Assault on Hellmaw Island is a 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons adventure for characters of levels 5-10. It will take 4-8 hours to complete.
After a drow girl goes missing, characters must delve into the depths of the Underdark to bring her back. As they journey through the dark, characters discover not all monsters are monstrous and webs are capable of restraining all manner of creatures; in fact, they can capture magic itself.
If absolute power corrupts absolutely, Matron Maelora best beware; her plans for total domination of the Underworld are already close to satisfactory completion, while attacks on the Upperworld have become increasingly successful. The other power-hungry drow families of Holoth may despise her but they know a true leader when they see one, and House Gullion has been revealed as the family to lead them all on the path to glory. With the entire Underworld in chaos and the Spider Goddess regularly communing with her chosen Matron, far greater dreams than mere regional conquest are within the grasp of the drow, as Maelora prepares her grand dark elf army for victory! With other mystical allies standing firm with the Matron, other Underworld races beneath her heel or cowering behind fortified walls, and every drow ready to play their part when she gives the word, what could possibly stop her from achieving her final triumph and fulfilling her destiny? But even the greatest of plans has a flaw if you look hard enough, and a party of stout heart and strong resolve can make a difference. At first, such a party may well believe it is on a smaller adventure, perhaps to win a few baubles or some small acclaim by rescuing a few kidnapped villagers. Soon, however, those adventurers will realise that much more is at stake, and that they are the ones who will need to make moves against the evil Matron Maelora and her increasing dominance if both the entire Underworld and Upperworld are to be saved. But how will they go about it? Can they ensure their own success when an entire city is standing against them? Only they have the chance to halt the Rise of the Drow! Published by AAW Games.
In Prisoners of the Drow, a band of adventurers storm a drow outpost, confront the drow mage in charge of it, and rescue prisoners held within. The heroes must bypass traps and devious defenses to reach their goal and accomplish their mission. The adventure is designed for a party of five adventurers between levels nine and twelve. It features: Encounters by Level - Varying types and quantities of creatures are suggested based on the party's actual level, allowing each encounter to present the appropriate challenge to the party. Encounter Notes - Suggestions for how to run combats are provided for game masters who place an emphasis on engaging, tactical battles. Inciting Action - Suggestions for ways to present the adventure to players are provided. Ease of Use - The format and style of the document allows the game master to find information quickly while running the game at the table. Detailed Maps - What's an adventure without maps? Not much else to say here. This adventure is designed as the first in a two-part series. The second adventure Into the City of Spiders takes the adventurers into a drow compound far from the surface. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/247674/Into-the-City-of-Spiders
In the Anauroch desert, darkness is growing. The followers of the Vile Spore Goddess Zuggtmoy have stolen the dreams of the Bedine Seeress Deja, trapping them in an eldritch artifact. Unless her dreams are returned, the Seeress will descend into madness, and her people along with her.
The Ghost Tribe of Orcs were driven from their home under Wyvern Tor by some terrible evil. They marched to Phandalin and attacked, only to be defeated. Now the heroes will go beneath Wyvern Tor to discover the terror that chased out the orcs and perhaps find the source of the orc’ssardonyx. Journey to Beneath Wyvern Tor is the third of four parts in the After Lost Mine series. It will play out the journey 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 out the orcs.
Dark Water Trap is a mini-adventure that has a single encounter that involves Duergar using darkness and anti-darkvision to get the player to fall into a Pit trap full of water, so that the party will drown. The encounter either works as a standalone (Ie. the Duergar have been causing trouble), or as a part of a larger adventure or dungeon, Duegar or otherwise. Pgs. 26-27
The land of Felora is a stable pedocracy off the Feso Seaway. Generally considered a safe place to live because of a low humanoid population and a large defensive wall that rings the country. The same cannot be said for the area to the west known as the Wildlands. Once a thriving human land the area was taken over in humanoid raids a century and a half ago. With the aggressions against the wall lessening the Council of Wisdom is organizing groups to go in and explore the land for possible "taming". Potential explorers will be paired off with non-combatant survey teams. Are you new adventurers ready for a job? Played at Epic Nerd Camp '17!
The Underdark is a subterranean wonderland, a vast and twisted labyrinth where fear reigns. It is the home of horrific monsters that have never seen the light of day. It is here that the dark elf Gromph Baenre, Archmage of Menzoberranzan, casts a foul spell meant to ignite a magical energy that suffuses the Underdark and tears open portals to the demonic Abyss. What steps through surprises even him, and from that moment on, the insanity that pervades the Underdark escalates and threatens to shake the Forgotten Realms to its foundations. Stop the madness before it consumes you! Note for DMs: This adventure is not for the faint of hearted, to run or to play. The module starts with 10 NPCs traveling with the party through the grueling Underdark. This number can grow. The encounters within the book are often incredibly deadly for the characters that would be going through it. This is because the module expects them to run or talk their way through the events, or, in some cases, the module expects them to lose. If your players aren't the kind of party to run, talk, or surrender, do not get this adventure. The module almost requires that you use milestone leveling because the experience provided does not commonly get players to the levels they should be once they get to certain milestones in the story (7th when they leave the underdark, 15th when they face the demon lords.) Good luck and happy questing.
From the magazine: "The monster you're sent out after is so dangerous that even mind flayers fear it. And the illithids want your help!" Earthquakes hit the area around Needlespire mountain, affecting both dwarven and deep gnome villages, and the local mining industry. Deep gnome expeditions discover an illithid outpost! This adventure includes roleplaying encounters with both deep gnomes and illithid in their quest for the true cause of the earthquakes. The creature causing the earthquakes is a draknor which has sent its huge tentacles into the earth seeking magma to fuel its growth. Pgs. 38-60
Written by the setting’s creator, incomparable RPG author Monte Cook, Ptolus: Queen of Lies is an action-packed fantasy adventure painstakingly re-designed for Ptolus: Monte Cook’s City by the Spire. Involving numerous challenging scenarios for characters of 11th level, Queen of Lies is filled with dozens of dark elf personalities, cunningly showcasing their alien culture—a world of merciless betrayal and sinister lusts. Deep below the surface, in the sunless lands of the Netherdeep, creatures of darkness build weapons and amass armies, dreaming of invasion. An attack on a peaceful elven shrine in Emerald Hill sends the heroes on a quest to retrieve stolen artifacts and kidnapped friends. All signs point to the actions of the dark elves of Ul-Drakkan, far below the city of Ptolus. However, even within that ancient fortress, there exists a deeper darkness.... Underground enemies lurk beyond every twisting passage, and strange creatures abound. The foul culture of the dark elves is both decadent and cruel, and the heroes may discover that they’ve stumbled into a web of deceit and treachery spun by the self-styled queen of the dark elves. Can the player characters complete their mission without being discovered, or will they find out, perhaps too late, that their actions been orchestrated all along by the wicked Queen of Lies? Published by Fiery Dragon Productions
What elder evils lurk in the depths of the freezing mountain ruins? Find out in The Stoneheart Ruin! The adventure features: An adventure set in a desolate, wintry mountain landscape. 16 pages full of intrigue and mystery, containing full color maps, plus 2 unique monster stat blocks. Provides a great introduction to Mind Flayer lore and mythos for Tier 1 players. Can easily be set in the Spine of the World for use in Rime of the Frostmaiden. Let your characters test their mettle as they climb and face the ancient dangers lurking in the cracks of The Stoneheart Ruin! “I have no explanation for any of these finds. We heard disturbing noises coming from further within the mountain; thunderous and growling.” Excerpt from a pamphlet, signed: “Koralia Meadring, Anthropologist Extraordinaire” Koralia needs you to investigate her most recent discovery: a ruined cavern deep in the mountains. Her small team of academics did a cursory walk-through and think they've found a big breakthrough! However, they left in a hurry after being frightened by the horrors they heard coming from deeper in the mountain. They escaped and found one of their team was missing - a goliath named Marek. You must climb the mountains and locate the ruin, make certain that it is safe for study by Koralia’s team, and if possible, find and rescue Marek, whose fate is uncertain. Made during the November 2020 RPG Writer's Workshop.
The Shattered Circle is an AD&D® adventure for four to six player characters of 1st to 3rd level. For many ages, the standing stones known as the Circle of Cahervaniel have stood on a grassy hilltop, unremarkable and unmenacing, but something has changed. A powerful artifact deep within the earth has been uncovered, and its evil power has corrupted the recent inhabitants of a dungeon complex. The chitine live within, a cross between humans and spiders created by the drow, but trying to live a quiet existence. The evil Foundingstone has corrupted some of the chitine, and split their society in two, bringing them to conflict. Adventurers who navigate the chitine factions and dangerous dungeon will need to end the threat of the Foundingstone and the solve the mystery of the strange dark unicorn Mizar that has appeared recently around the stones. Interestingly, one of the unique magic items in this adventure, Icerazor - is said to have grown from a shard of Frostrazor, a sword that appears in a famous later adventure - Return to White Plume Mountain. There is a brief mention of Suloise, so it can be considered a Greyhawk adventure, but clearly states it can be placed anywhere.
"The module takes place in a large cavern that is part of an extensive underground cave network. It can be used as a side-trek encounter in the Undermountain or Night Below campaign." -- from the adventure. Includes a small keyed map of the cavern.
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.
Part megadungeon, part underground expedition, Operation Unfathomable serves as both a one-shot adventure and a campaign framework. PCs are (optionally) drafted at swordpoint to recover the Nul Rod, a priceless artifact that was recently lost in a local prince's foolhardy attempt to destroy the Chaos Gods of the Underworld. The PCs have been drafted as an expendable set of pawns to venture into the vast and bewildering Underworld and retrieve the Nul Rod. With the Underworld's innumerable beasties being on high alert after the prince's expedition, the PCs must sneak through the incredibly dangerous Underworld. Fighting is not as important as stealth, fast-talking, and running away rapidly. This is the expansion from Sholtis's original Operation Unfathomable, released in Knockspell #5 (2011).