People keep asking for "beginner" dungeons. Everyone can name "classic" dungeons - Tomb of Horrors, Barrier Peaks, Ravenloft, etc. - but in order for those adventures to make sense, there needs to be some sort of introduction. It's like all the adventures we have are Bach concertos. People keep writing amazing works of staggering genius, but someone needs to write a book on how to play the piano. I had the same questions, and since I couldn't find anything satisfactory, I decided to write the kind of dungeon I would have loved to find. I wanted to write the best basic OSR dungeon for beginners that I could, and I also wanted to show the design process. If you like this dungeon, please share it, tell people about it, print copies and leave them lying around local game stores, or email this post to friends who have "always wanted to try D&D but don't know where to start". The entire thing is and always will be free.
A wizard has kidnapped a young lumberjack... What macabre ritual will he preform with his blood? What devil will he conjure to occupy his body? In to what kind of aberration will he transform the young man? A maiden wants to recover her fiancé, a father wants to recover his son, a village wants to recover it's hero. The village anxiously hopes the road will bring courageous characters, who have the valor they lack to undertake the journey to the tower of the wizard. A caravan can be seen on the horizon... Un mago ha secuestrado a un joven leñador… ¿Qué macabro ritual llevará a cabo con su sangre? ¿Qué demonio conjurará para ocupar su cuerpo? ¿En qué aberración convertirá al joven? Una doncella quiere recuperar a su prometido, un padre quiere recuperar a su hijo, un pueblo quiere recuperar a su héroe. La aldea espera ansiosa que el camino traiga valerosos personajes que tengan el coraje del que ellos carecen para emprender el viaje a la torre del mago para rescatar al joven. Una caravana se divisa en el horizonte… Published by Caravana
Bastion Bay has become a bustling trade hub under the guidance of the cunning Capa Meriosa - but all is not well in the former pirate town. A monstrous undead shark stalks the seas, sinking any ship that gets too close; the newly built light house has gone mysteriously dark; and rumours swirl of twisted witches and other horrid things stalking the night. The port has been shut with no ships allowed to leave and tensions are running high. Bastion Bay is on a knife edge, and a new ship is just pulling into port... The Beast of Bastion Bay is an adventure for the 5th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons! It is designed for 3-5 5th level characters, and assumes a wide range of skills and abilities. It is designed to be played across multiple sessions and should take between 5 and 10 hours to complete. The adventure centres on the port town of Bastion Bay but can easily be transferred to any small or medium port town as long there are nearby islands and caves. This adventure was designed to have an equal balance of combat, exploration, and role-playing encounters.
The heroes find themselves on a road recently beset by bandits. As they stop to rest for the night near the ruins of an old fort, the truth behind the bandit attacks is revealed: War Dogs. The heroes must fend off the attack before figuring out how to stop the body bandits once and for all. This product contains: - A short adventure for a 1st-level party. - A drop-in, little-prep adventure for any campaign. - 2 combat encounters - 1 negotiation - A 5 room dungeon - Cartography from Dyson Logos with starting positions for encounters. - Written for 5 heroes, with scaling for as little as 3 and as many as 6.
A man built a temple to a woman who died. It became a shrine for those who lost a spouse too soon. Later. Much later. A young couple came. Their tribes warred so they could only marry in death. It was poison. Which angered HER. They walk the temple ever since, cursed by a shrine spirit. She has a hatred of suicide only dead widows can know.
The greatness of a dwarven citadel is measured by its greatness of wealth. The dwarves steadily work mines and forges to fuel the wealth needed to make their presence known throughout the realms. Unfortunately, this also makes them known to those that would seek the opportunity to steal their glory and riches. This story occurs in a place that has experienced this struggle for millennia. New threats emerge as old threats become rivals through the tides of time. This story... your story... is another chapter of this ancient struggle.
These are three one-shot dungeon delves. Each delve features nine rooms or locations full of challenges and interactivity. Each delve has only one type of monster, but they are complex, and there are lots of them! This volume of Wicked Little Delves includes three small dungeon adventures: - a new twist on the classic spiders-in-the-cellar, - a prison full of attack dogs, and - an abandoned cult lair full of pirate treasure and killer crabs. SYSTEM: Each monster has stats for Fifth Edition, Old School Essentials, and Into the Odd. These adventures are intended for characters at levels 1, 2, and 3. They are mainly focused on exploration and combat, with some minor social encounters. Estimated run time for each: 1 session, or 2-5 hours. Each adventure includes one complex original monster and a variety of unique treasures. ADVENTURE TYPE: Low Level / Combat / Exploration / One-Shot / Dungeon Delve
Sometimes sneaking into the dungeon, avoiding traps and slaying monsters is the easy part. The hard part is getting back out alive. This is a dungeon crawl adventure with a twist, the adventure starts at the end of the dungeon with the party trying to find their way back to safety.
In the fetid waters of the Rotbog, the Wraith’s Breath lies wrecked. Those squalid remains were once the proud vessel of the Dread Pirate Ghostbeard, during his fanatical pursuit of the Lost Gold of Tagua. Whether he found a piece is not known, though it is said that a mere touch of the treasure can infect one’s soul with the ‘Gold’s Will’ – a compulsion to reunite the scattered booty. Perhaps that explains Ghostbeard’s mad obsession. Risen of the Rotbog is a short, undead-pirate-themed encounter for four to six 2nd level characters that builds towards a chilling showdown with the Dread Pirate Ghostbeard. It can be easily slotted into an ongoing campaign, or can work as a short one-shot. The file includes a battle map - one version for the players, and one with GM annotations.
"An army on the move, an ancient artifact, its purpose long forgotten, and the sinister plans of an unknown foe: When these elements combine, it's bad news for the good-aligned cities of the Blood Plateau. A massive band of orcs is marching on the Monastery of the Yellow Lotus, intent upon taking the "Flower That Does Not Bloom." The heroes must trek through goblin-infested tunnels and monster-filled woods ahead of the orcish horde, in a deadly Race to the Yellow Lotus." This adventure is the second in the "Tales from the Blood Plateau" series, but works well as a standalone or an intro to another campaign. Though the party does not actually engage the Death Knight/Blackguard antagonist, he is the primary driving force behind the events of the adventure. Published by MonkeyGod Enterprises and Highmoon Press
Do you want to fight a moon? The Matter of an Overmind is an epic space-faring Draw Steel adventure for three to six 4th-level heroes. When the heroes follow a protean ship through the ethereal void, they encounter a rogue planetoid which turns out to be a living overmind! How do you even fight something that size? At 4th level! Hop aboard your starsail and find out! Over the course of 2-3 sessions of play, the heroes can earn up to 8 Victories. This adventure includes: - Four combat encounters of varying difficulty - A negotiation and a high-action montage test - 10 new monsters, 1 retainer, and a new title to claim!
Ever wanted to face the cold, dark, and dangerous unknown without the advantages of a fantasy hero? This is your chance! Fifth Edition Funnel puts a spin on character creation. In the Funnel, each participating player quickly generates several 0-level characters blessed with the abilities and low survivability of your average commoner. Those that survive will be promoted to 1st-level heroines and heroes. The Funnel bonds characters over common challenges they meet and (hopefully) overcome. The surviving 1st-level characters share a common origin as adventurers. Instead of merely rolling dice, there is a trial by fire where average people succeed against the odds to do something heroic (or hide under a table in a tavern).
A horror fantasy adventure for 3-5 1st level characters The hunched beast prowls the forest, sniffing at the still air. The roiling sky flashes and thunder breaks the silence. The time is near and the beast senses it. The monstrous form bounds toward the darkened village, a demonic howl in its throat... Shipwrecked on a perilous shore, a group of adventurers stumble into a blighted land and come face to face with a great black beast with a terrible curse. Can they unravel the mystery and solve the Barghest's curse before it’s too late? - 58 pages, 10 locations, 10 dungeon rooms - 2 new spells and 5 new monsters - Over 20 original illustrations - Inspired by English folklore - Emphasis on exploration, interaction, and usability
The ruined Thorp of Rhu once produced honey, apples, hard cider, and mead. Villagers now stay away as they believe Rhu is cursed. Years ago a witch, Katla, was cheated from a reward promised for chasing away an attacking giant. Furious, she waited for her chance at revenge. Over a year, Katla created many small sack dolls and gifted them to Rhu’s children. One night, each doll animated, killed the sleeping adults, and set the village on fire. Now Sorcha, the village elder, asks the PCs to go to Rhu to locate a lost dwarven friend, help a restless soul, and find out what really happened to Rhu long ago. These outsider sack doll spirits take great pleasure in tormenting and slaying weaker creatures. At Rhu, the PCs encounter murderous sack dolls, learn the villagers’ & dwarf’s fate, parlay with spirits, and clash with Bloody Tears, the witch’s minion & spirit familiar. Published by Wicked Cool Games
A location-based adventure for PCs of the 18th to 19th level. This module presents the PCs with a flavorful town to explore. Just as they have gotten comfortable, perhaps in the middle of their beauty sleep, a rapidly spreading outbreak of Zombies envelops the town. The PCs will have to quickly figure a way out, help others in need, and make other choices while fighting off the hordes of Zombies.
A short adventure for the Midnight campaign setting from Fantasy Flight Games. Harried by pursuing Shadow forces, the adventurers take refuge in the fissures of a vast glacier. In these icy caverns they battle the risen remains of an orc tribe and make contact with a powerful potential ally.
The small town of Boldon, and its surrounding villages are afraid. Dozens of people are missing, some speculate lost to some nefarious purpose. A broken drunkard tells fantastic tales of an evil temple and the horrible things within. The rare few who know the legends and history of the region are beginning to think the dark times have returned; not seen since the fall of the first age of man. People are beginning to feel the icy fingers of fear closing in. The party becomes aware of these events, and is inspired to investigate. This leads them to a broken man who tells them a story of a lost temple. Has it been rediscovered by men seduced by its forgotten evil? The drunkard’s tale leads to others who might help the party discover more before they face The Lost Temple of Forgotten Evil. Published by Fat Goblin Games
The Beautiful Hardcover Book available today at Compose Dream Games! Hell used to run on fear. Now it runs on quarterly projections. When Greed seized the Burning Throne, the first thing to go was overhead. Guards? Redundant. Torture specialists? Consolidated. The Styx? Outsourced. What remains is a skeleton crew of overworked fiends, a crumbling infrastructure of eternal punishment, and one very exploitable gap in security. Your players are the strike team. The mission: extract a damned soul who knows too much. The catch: even a budget Hell is still Hell. Expect devils who've traded pitchforks for pivot tables, infernal middle management clinging to what little power remains, and hazards that would make OSHA weep. A Privatized Little Hell is the adventure for tables that have outgrown dungeons and want something with teeth—and a severance package. A high-level dark comedy adventure for 5e that will make your current capitalist hellscape seem less bad. God’s been robbed. We’re breaking the thief out of Hell to find out where he stashed the goods. Are you in? Normally Hell would never relinquish a soul, but after a tumultuous infernal fiscal crisis/civil cold war, Pride’s out, and Greed is in. Guards have been downsized, security assets have been sold, and the Forces of Good have hatched a plot. Yet even in destitution, Hell is still dangerous. There are only a few heroes strong enough to attempt such a mission: your players! A Privatized Little Hell is a 5e-compatible Black Comedy Dungeon Crawl for roughly four characters of sixteenth level. This is a high-level hellscape that’ll keep your players chuckling, gasping, and fighting to escape. Warning: this adventure will kick your ass and charge you for the pleasure! Includes A Rare Find - The Definitive high-level indie adventure for 5e. Tortured Artistry - 104 lush pages of rich, raucous writing and art. Encounter design that respects your players' power - No trash mobs. No filler. Every fight is a set piece worthy of 16th-level legends. NPCs you'll actually remember - Devils with performance reviews, damned middle managers, and one very stressed archfiend trying to make Q4 numbers. Loot worth dying for (again) - Magic items that feel like rewards, not spreadsheet entries . The Depth Crawl System - Procedural hell generation for when your party inevitably goes off-book into the abyss.
The company discovers the Easterly Inn, a piece of the Shire in the land of the Beornings. But the Wild is still the Wild, and it takes more than Hobbit cooking to keep adventures at bay; in no time, the companions find themselves involved in the search for a missing trade caravan. Their quest will put them on the road to the High Pass, and see them go over hills and under hills. Published by Cubicle7
Centuries ago, the four deities worshipped by mortals – Kishar, Kotaresh, Lyth, and Asar-Segt – threatened to drown the world in a flood of saltwater to punish the living for their impiety. The oracles and witches of the realm struck a desperate bargain with the gods, however, and convinced them to spare the world. In exchange, the mortal kingdoms were bound to demonstrate their faith once every generation by sending their most courageous and adroit warriors to the Crucible, a ziggurat in the lowest valley of the land. Every quarter-century, on the first full moon of summer, an eclipse darkens the night and the sealed ziggurat opens. Many traps, tricks, and guardians lie within the Crucible to test those who enter. Few who heed the challenge of the gods survive – most find only quick death. If the races of the world are deserving of the gods’ affection, their champions will overcome the trials of the Crucible and light the Divine Brazier hidden in its uppermost chamber. If they are not, the flickering candle of civilization will be snuffed. Little of value will have been lost. Published by Defy Danger and Save Versus Death