The end of the road. A lonely fort stands on the banks of a mighty river. It is here the hardy bands of adventurers gather to plan their conquests of The Hill, the hulking mass that looms over this tiny settlement. The Hill is filled with monsters, they say, and an evil witch makes her home there. Still, no visitor to The Hill has ever returned to prove the rumors are true or false. The thrill of discovery is too great to pass up, and only the river stands in the way. The adventurer's boat is waiting! This module is designed for use with the D&D Basic Rules. A trip through the wilderness begins a unique challenge for the novice player and Dungeon Master. TSR 9078
The General who commanded the successful and profitable Crossroads Mercenary Company turns up murdered in his home, on the very eve of his scheduled announcement of which of his ambitious captains he’s chosen to succeed him as commander-in-chief. Every one of those commanders was in the house when the murder occurred, so they’re all suspects. If that’s not enough to keep things exciting, the clock is ticking down to zero. The General made a pact with devils years ago, and unless the murder is solved quickly, an infernal gate will open, allowing devils to flood through the General’s mansion into the world at large.
Your PCs are reaching the upper end of the heroic tier. New worlds are opening up to them—they might have already ventured to the Feywild, for example, and made contacts with inhabitants of that magical plane. Now they are ready to take their first steps into the darkness. The Shadowfell awaits... Vandariel, a shadar-kai witch who calls herself the Voice of Pain, is a fanatic devotee of the Raven Queen. She has founded and become the self-proclaimed high priest of a bizarre cult, the Lords of Pain, whose purpose is to bring more fey into the shadow pact with that goddess of death. Although the original shadar-kai entered this pact voluntarily, and the race breeds true, Vandariel is consumed by what she sees as a divine mission to reveal the mystery to all fey—whether they wish it or not. Those who do not come voluntarily to the truth are brought against their will. Dark stalkers move like the night, seeking out and abducting suitable subjects. This Side Trek can serve as an introduction to the dangers of the shadow realm. It works well for PCs who are approaching the paragon tier, since it presents a reasonable challenge for characters of 10th level. It is suitable as a climactic encounter for lowerlevel adventurers, as well. It consists of only two encounters.
Expand your game with this collection of 56 NPCs of various Challenge Ratings, thirteen of which include maps and details of their lairs. Add these NPCs as a side-quest, a main villain, a one-shot, a bounty for easy money, or however else you wish. Written by some of the best-selling authors on the Dungeon Masters Guild and outstanding podcasters, each NPC includes an image, a backstory, motives, flaws, and a stat block. Some even include new magic items!
Sometimes things are not what they seem. While the PCs are sailing through pirate-infested waters, a crewman spots the floating wreckage of a sailing ship. Two survivors are standing on the deck waving frantically. The survivors — an eccentric old man, and a noble woman, claim to be merchants from Waterdeep, but are in fact pirates. During an attack on a merchant vessel, the old man, a mage, had missed with a fireball and hit their own ship causing serious damage and killing several crew mates. As punishment, the pirate leader left them marooned on the wreckage, taking the ship they had attacked. This is a short module focused on roleplay. Combat is unlikely as the pirates have no reason to attack or threaten their rescuers. The female survivor seeks a hidden treasure, which could provide a hook for ongoing adventure. While the module isn't explicitly written for solo play, it could be easily adapted for any group size provided the power balance between rescuer and pirate is maintained. Pgs. 24-25
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
A fallen clock tower holds components from an ancient artifact. Upon discovery of the components, competing agents look to launch expeditions to uncover additional components scattered across distant places—and times. The now-lost Temple of Moloch and the construction site of the legendary Tomb of Horrors are two of those locations. However great the risks, finding the components demands the effort, for whoever does so can reassemble the fabled Infernal Machine of Lum the Mad!
The Kroth Magg hobgoblins run the trade city of Glip Dak in the Troll Hills of Thar. From there they have taken control of the trade routes along the northern Moonsea. A young noble has been captured for refusing to pay their tariffs and his house looks to hire adventurers to rescue him.
When the brides of death become the marauders of Nibenay, When the dead must die and the unsleeping must wake, Then the Dragon shall be born anew. For centuries the Veiled Alliance has been a thorn in the side of the mighty sorceror-king Nibenay. Now the stars are right and the mysterious Shadow King has decided to rid himself of his unremitting rivals. But the Veiled Alliance is not easily defeated. They too have been watching the stars, and they know that the history of the great city has reached a crucial juncture. Both sides stand ready for a great battle, but neither is prepared for the disaster that looms over the city. By the time the sun rises again, the city will be in ruins and the task of rebuilding it will fall squarely on the shoulders of a small band of adventurers. The future is theirs to decide, for good or evil.
A Book of Books Candlekeep Mysteries is an anthology of adventures written by members of the Dungeons & Dragons community. Each adventure begins with a book that the characters find in Candlekeep, an enormous library located on the Sword Coast in the Forgotten Realms setting. If you're not running a Forgotten Realms campaign, you can adapt the adventures in this book for other settings, substituting any large library similar to Candlekeep. Examples from other published D&D settings include the following: On the world of Exandria, the Soltryce Academy in Rexxentrum (a large city on the continent of Wildemount) or the Cobalt Reserve in Westruun (a small city on the continent of Tal'dorei) On the world of Eberron, the Library of Korranberg in the nation of Zilargo, the University of Wynarn's library in the nation of Aundair, or Morgrave University's library in the city of Sharn On the world of Oerth, the Great Library in the Free City of Greyhawk Contains: The Joy of Extradimensional Spaces Mazfroth's Mighty Digressions Book of the Raven A Deep and Creeping Darkeness Shemshime's Bedtime Rhyme The Price of Beauty Book of Cylinders Sarah of Yellowcrest Manor Lore of Lurue Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion Zikran's Zephyrean Tome The Curious Tale of Wisteria Vale The Book of Inner Alchemy The Canopic Being The Scrivener's Tale Alkazaar's Appendix Xanthoria
As you move throughout the countryside a rider appears in the distance and begins to close quickly. Hand going to your weapons you ready yourself for danger but notice the rider is very young. Timmy Little introduces himself and warns you of a bout of Goblin-Pox at his village. Many people are sick and need help. Timmy says he and other young people have been sent out to find heroes to save the town and asks if you can help. While the boy cannot provide a great deal of information on the malady he advises you that the people of Troburtandban who aren’t sick can help with information. Once you agree he rides off to find additional help.
Clues discovered in Diamond Lake lead to the Dark Cathedral, a forlorn chamber hidden below a local mine. There the PCs battle the machinations of the Ebon Triad, a cult dedicated to the three vile gods. What does the Ebon Triad know about the Age of Worms, and why are they so desperate to get it started? "The Three Faces of Evil" is the second installment of the Age of Worms Adventure Path, a complete campaign consisting of 12 adventures, several "Backdrop" articles to help Dungeon masters run the series, and a handful of poster maps of key locations. For additional aid in running this campaign, check out Dragon's monthly "Worm Food" articles, a series that provides additional materials to help players survive this campaign. Issue #334 of Dragon provides comprehensive lists of all the things you can find for sale in Diamond Lake's (often) dubious shops. Pgs. 16-47
Anea, the Amazon queen, and her warriors have helped neighboring king Eriklius defeat the usurper Todeuclis. When king Eriklius ascends the throne he covets the hand of Anea, but she refuses. In a fit of rage he sends his warrior Euclatis to destroy her palace and the surrounding town of Gythaclea. Anea—gravely wounded—pleads with Nyx, Greek goddess of the night. She asks for the power to take revenge. Her plea is granted, at the cost of being turned into a medusa. As rumors spread that Anea is still alive, the heroes are sent by King Eriklius to retrieve her. It seems an easy mission, but they soon discover all is not as it seems... Pgs. 157-163
Among the snow globes that sit gathering dust there is one quite unlike the others. One is full of sand and an ancient library. Shake it and you’re transported to the dungeon. Here's what it has: Beautiful cartography from Dyson Logos 27 keyed rooms to keep your players busy for a few sessions A new enemy called the Mummies who do no damage but burst into sand that gets into armor and skin, spreading a deadly disease A sand golem Pharaoh who can multiply A twisted lich (or moderately low level) who collects teeth A sphinx searching for the answer to a riddle A few traps (including snakes and skin-burrowing scarabs) A treasure room that has roughly 10,000gp worth of assorted treasures, making it difficult to export It exists inside a magical snow globe, meaning it can fit into your campaign world with ease Has repercussions and ways to continue after the fact Basically this is a dungeon for a more Old School feel.
Shall you claim the glory of heroes, or accept your doom? You have raised the ire of the goblin warlord, and now you flee his kingdom with war parties hot on your trail. You must reach the borderland town of Felsentheim, for if you do not, no alarm will sound to hearken the coming of the Dogs of War and your bodies will lie in the forest grass, forgotten by all but the worms! Shall you claim the glory of heroes and warn the people or accept your doom and suffer death in the Treklant? Enter again the World of Inzae, where all things slip into the Maelstrom, and from hence true heroes are born.
An ancient palace constructed by the mighty Wind Lord Boreas has a new master: the gnoll sorcerous matriarch Odjanbago and her clan—the Archthieves. With the flying Sky Palace at her command, Odjanbago’s legendary clan of thieves and killers have cast a shadow of fear over the Southlands’ northwestern desert. All tremble in fear of the Archthieves, from the jinnborn tribes of the Dominion of the Wind Lords to the priests of Bastet in Nuria Natal. Even lords of Midgard’s Seven Cities grow uneasy at their mention. Whether they hail from the Southlands or elsewhere in Midgard, the PCs must shoulder the responsibility of ending Odjanbago’s reign of terror.
There's trouble in Allesley! An Eastbrook farm has been attacked and people slain. But by what? The people are frightened, the Reeve is concerned, and the Constable wants you to figure out what’s going on. The last time this happened, goblins attacked the town. Does this mean war? This is the first adventure in a series to come in 2017 which builds on the introductory mini-adventure in the Eastbrook starting area.
Uncover a Hidden Legacy A lost passageway on the upper level of the most infamous dungeon in Faerûn has recently been uncovered. When a patron hires a band of adventurers to brave the dangers of Undermountain, a search is on to uncover secrets of an apprentice of the dungeon’s lost creator – Halaster.
An evil oracular being has taken up residence in a lonely valley. The only access to the valley is through a thick, dead wood whose shadows draw out foul memories from those who travel there. The oracle, Lurinax, has recently divined the season in which the world will end. This knowledge is greatly prized by many, so the evil fortune teller hides in his lair, protected by maddening winds and the souls of those he slew to obtain his knowledge. In this grim and dark adventure for tenth- and eleventh-level PCs, the party must travel the trail of shadows, face the manifestations of Lurinax’s victims, and finally the evil oracle himself.
Between the settled human lands and the orc-filled mountains rests the barony of Honshar. The residents have grown used to occasional orc raids, but now they find themselves facing a full-scale war. As if that wasn't bad enough, the orcs have kidnapped an important political figure from Honshar, along with a crucial magical item - the Silver Key. Unless the key is recovered, it could be Honshar's undoing. Both the key and the hostage are being held in the orc city of Krimba-hai, so getting them back will be tricky. However, there is a plan.... TSR 9508