Welcome to the seat of power in the Duchy of Starryshade! This large city is where the Archduke Meldor Gantrius IV rules his land. A walled city on the bay, Vandosia is bustling with activity. A busy seaport sits down the road from the fortified city with regional farmers coming into town every day. Many former adventurers call the city home and training guilds are available for those levelling up. While “mostly” safe this city is not without adventure, especially with the massive sewer system below the streets.
"The Warlock's Crypt" is a fext and noctiny lair suitable for four 9th-level characters. This adventure can be completed in a single session. An ancient warlock king known as the King in Silver, whose patron was Death itself, knew he was growing old and would soon die. The aging king pledged the souls of his two sons, the Black Prince and the Red Prince, to Death in exchange for his own eternal life. As the final worlds of the pledge pass his lips, the old king collapsed to the ground, dead. Elsewhere in the castle, the two young princes died suddenly in their sleep. All three were interred in the royal crypt within a nearby burial mound. ultimately, the king got what he asked for - he and his suns were returned to life as fext in the service of Death itself. When the fext awoke and climbed out of their coffins, they were confused because it seemed they were trapped within the small royal crypt. Then, the King in Silver discovered a secret door leading to a hidden stone stair that descended into a complex of ancient tunnels and chambers. At the far end of the complex, the fext discovered a second set of ancient stone stairs leading up through a shaft to a hidden exit on the surface. The three fext now lurk within the lower chambers, doing their patron's dark bidding. When commanded, they creep forth from the crypt to spread death during the dark of night.
Days ago, a portal to the Elemental Chaos appeared near the PCs’ home city. Since then, it has grown into an enormous sinkhole that periodically belches fire and brimstone. The rip in reality threatens to overwhelm settlements and a nearby river unless someone ventures through and closes it from the other side. Pgs. 102-107
In the town of Gafolweed, the market is in disarray: toppled barrows and collapsed tents spill their contents onto the muddy ground. Merchants and locals flee the scene as you arrive. In the midst of the destruction stands a muscular, green-skinned humanoid—an orc! Three bodies lie near his feet, the victims of his bloody axe. He turns to you, a vivid red tattoo of a bleeding eye prominent on his brow. The orcs are gathering in numbers unseen in many generations and make war upon the people of the Borderlands. The cause of this deadly conflict is entwined with the history of the unholy mark that all the orcs now bear. Will your fellowship of budding heroes be able to quell the Wrath of the Orc God?
Everybody's a fool for a lost kid. He wanted power but settled for scraps - for now. The outcast wizard Lertol has adopted two leucrotta, and their team is ambushing passing travelers and robbing them with no-one the wiser. The players first fall into this trap when the leucrottas mimic a lost child and a search party in the middle of a night at camp. If the players leave to investigate the voices, the wizard loots the camp while they are gone. The players can then follow the wizard back to his lair and get their treasure back. Pgs. 48-49 & 28
When you read the posting for this job, you knew what you were getting yourself into. "Lady of means requires the assistance of a stalwart group of adventurers willing to undertake a mission of the utmost importance. Discretion is required." Words like that never mean that the woman in question is looking for someone to weed her Garden - unless, of course, it's full of man-eating plants. Those are the kinds of words you only post if you are really in a bind. If it's a matter of life and death. If you're desperate for help and willing to pay for it through the nose. It just so happens that you've made yourself quite a reputation lending just that kind of aid to people in just that kind of need. And the money hasn't hurt you any either. So when Lady Elena Zadrian tells you that her father - the near legendary alchemist Sir Timoth Zadrian - has gone missing, well, you're not all that surprised. Lady Elena looks upon you once again, brushing the long blonde hair from her bright blue, tears soaked eyes. "My father lives outside of a village only four days ride from here, a sleepy, little place called Cuthder," she says. "He comes to see me every 4 months. He's a forgetful, old man, but I could set my clock by his visits." She chokes back a sob. "It's been eight months since I last saw him. I fear something has gone horribly awry. Either brigands have robbed his tiny castle, or one of his experiments may have left him dead - or worse." The lady stares you straight in the eye, and you can almost taste her desperation." My father is a good man, wise and Noble, but if word of this disappearance were to get out, it would hurl my household into a shambles. I need you to travel to his castle and learn for me what has happened to him, quickly and quietly." "Please," she begs of you, her Ruby painted lower lip beginning to quiver. "I need your help. And I'm willing to pay - handsomely." She has your attention.
It's a horrible time to have a curse! Each wielding a powerful item to a family legacy, your players are a group of young adventurers who barely survive an attack on their order of vampire-hunters by agents of Dracula. After escaping, they discover Dracula has placed a curse upon the land which makes restful sleep difficult outside of hallowed areas. Dracula, "alive" on another plane but dead on this one, must be resurrected so they can kill him, end the curse, and avenge their dead. To accomplish this goal, the player characters must journey through forest, marsh, hill, and underground paths to retrieve relics of Dracula's last life from keeps and fortresses overrun by monsters and the undead. If they can resurrect him, he will be weak and easy to kill... but the adventurers aren't the only ones who want Dracula on the Material Plane, and Dracula is not the only vampire in the world. Gameplay overview This adventure takes the players from 2nd through 9th or 10th level on a milestone basis as they choose where to travel in what order to retrieve what they need. Starting at a happy gathering at the Belmonte Order, which the characters are hereditary members of, the campaign kicks off with a bang as the group retrieves their chosen legacy items, salvages what other gear they can in a race against time and a growing number of foes, and then escapes to begin their quest. In addition to the six main "dungeons," there are two optional regional lairs, traveling vampires, and many foes along the way. Most of the towns in the area have managed to survive, providing points of light at which the party may stop, long rest safely, acquire supplies, and socialize. Travel is hazardous! 5e classes are balanced for resource management across a 5-8 encounter adventuring day. The campaign is designed to have a semi-variable flow of encounters as the party traels around the area. Encounters grow progressively more difficult as time passes and the party spends more time within a region. These are not random encounters rolled on a table, but encounters designed to be unique to each area's geography, combat terrain, and mix of foes. As the party spends more time in a region or revisits it, the encounter difficulty increases. Dracula's curse requires a Constitution saving throw to successfully long rest outside of Hallowed areas (towns). The difficulty scales up over time, forcing the party to balance speed and safety as they try to accomplish their goals without pushing beyond the limits of what they can handle. The game concept, general map layout, and some enemy distributions are loosely inspired by Castlevania II for the NES, one of the forerunners of the "Metroidvania" genre. Dracula's Curse is indeed a game in which the forests are dark and full of monsters, and every night is a horrible one to have a curse. Includes 15 Legacy items, from weapons like whips and swords to a shield, a belt, or a decanter of holy water 60+ enemy statblocks 8 unique dungeons with unique layouts & challenges 5 inhabited towns with multiple named NPCs 100+ travel encounters (expect to use 30-50%) The module is printer-friendly with no artwork and straightforward grid maps for location-based encounters which require one.
Your time on the mainland of Calentria has come to an end and with an appropriated ship you find yourself approaching a collection of island in the middle of the ocean. Some of the sailors that have ventured into this area before report there may be a language barrier. As you approach a large land mass a dark shape in the sky seems to take notice of you…
A mysterious tower beckons. Recently a strange tower hidden in the forest was rediscovered, but only one scout returned to tell the tale, but a strange tale of cults, bandits and ghosts it was. Dare our heroes explore this forgotten place? Originally from the Danish convention Fastaval as part of the living campaign, Hinterlandet. Now presented here for the first time in English. It is an adventure with emphasis on exploration and meeting the unknown.
Questing through the forest, you will be tested. Which side will you take between a wizard and the Keepers of the Veil? Will you be able to find the materials necessary to help cure your friend of the ancient evil that assails him? And when it comes down to it, what are you willing to sacrifice for your beliefs? Third Time’s the Charm picks up where Second Glance left off and invites the PC to find a wizard who can help heal the Crystalline Curse slowly paralyzing the PC’s friend and protector. As the party grows closer on this adventure, learning to depend on one another, they must also navigate the Veiled Wood’s changing landscape, deciding who they can trust and who they will help as much lies in the balance. Though this was written as the third installment in the Crystalline Curse Trilogy, this adventure can be inserted into any campaign setting and scaled accordingly. Third Time’s the Charm is part of our mission to bring you high-quality, ready-to-play material that supports adventuring parties of 1 Player and 1 DM. This adventure is written for a third-level character in a one-on-one 5th edition D&D campaign. Everything you need for your own two-person game is inside! This product includes: -A 3rd or 4th-level adventure adaptable to any setting -Stat blocks for one new creature and two NPCs -A region map, two sitemaps, and a hand-drawn dungeon map to aid the PC’s investigations -A fully realized forest region with fleshed-out NPCs and places to explore -Detailed backstory for the ancient warrior sheltered inside the PC’s treasured amulet -Four custom magical items And helpful tips for DMing a one-on-one game This adventure is perfect for those looking to begin or continue their duet campaign. Published by D&D Duet.
A sorceress discovered how to access the Temple of Harmony. Since then, day and night no longer follow their natural cycle. The sorceress has never been seen again. The adventurers are responsible for solving this problem: by gathering the masks of the entities on an altar, the cycle will be restored, but nothing will be the same as before… 'The Six Masks of Harmony' is a system-agnostic pointcrawl, focusing on social interaction. The players will be transported to a temple in the clouds where the six spirits of day and night once lived in harmony. The delicate balance between the forces of the temple's inhabitants was shattered when an intruder decided to interfere. What really happened here? Will the characters manage to escape alive? Play to find out! What you'll find here: A complete 8-site one-page pointcrawl adventure with easy preparation. A GM's Pamphlet containing tips on how to run the adventure and adding a table of random encounters and 6 magic items (the 6 masks of harmony).
Ever needed to spice up a stay in a city? Or, ever needed something to fill the gap between sessions when you are missing a player? Add a little flavor to the adventurers’ city visits with a rampaging mummy, a circus gone wild, a haunted inn, and much, much, more. This 80-page supplement contains 26 encounters written by best-selling Dungeon Masters Guild writers and new writers! Encounters in the Savage Cities includes: •26 unique encounters / mini-adventures ◦A mix of combat, roleplay, and investigation •Scaling Suggestions for CR 1-10 •New creatures •Custom Art •Downloadable Custom Maps (as a separate file) These encounters are location generic and are designed to be easily added to any campaign. Use them to introduce new players, as inspiration for a new campaign, as a one-shot, or whatever else you can think of.
A mysterious ship emerges from the dark ocean mist, its lantern-lit deck silent and empty. When invisible hands cast lines and ropes over to the characters, will they accept the invitation to board and enter the secret afterlife of departed sailors? Ghostlight is a nautical sword-and-sorcery adventure and includes: -A haunting foray into the afterlife for good and evil sailors -A mad witch, a dashing rat pirate, and a tavern full of departed souls -Combat cards for each monster, PC, and special treasure -High-quality digital maps for use with virtual table tops
Two hundred years ago, the great dwarf smith Durgeddin the Black built Khundrukar, a hidden stronghold for his war of vengeance against all orckind. For years Durgeddin labored, until the orcs discovered Khundrukar and stormed the citadel, slaying all within. Legends say that Durgeddin's masterful blades and glittering treasures were never found.
Goblin attacks have always plagued the farmers and merchants who live and travel along the roads leading to Whitesparrow. But a recent rash of new attacks are something different. The goblins of one particular tribe have gotten particularly smart, attacking with careful tactics and cunning ambushes. The village guards haven’t been able to outwit the goblins, even when laying traps of their own and hiring mercenaries to stop them. Even as goblins go, Rosethorn isn’t much to look at. He’s small and runty, and yet a lucky break placed him in charge of the Brownleaf goblin tribe. When he claimed a powerful magic relic from a dead wizard three months ago, Rosethorn found his intellect multiplied many times over. The world began to make a more intricate kind of sense to him, and he saw patterns in the ways other folk traveled the roads. After hiring a spy in Whitesparrow to tell him which wagons to pursue, Rosethorn cunningly bribed the wagons’ guards to throw battles in the goblins’ favor. He then moved the lair of the Brownleaf tribe away from their dank caves and into the ruins of the Bearded Man—an enormous dead tree at the center of the Howling Wood. There, Rosethorn continues his campaign of ambush against the foolish villagers, increasing his wealth and power with each robbery.
This 80-page supplement contains 38 encounters written by many of the Dungeon Masters Guild’s best-selling writers. Encounters in the Savage Jungles includes 23 encounters / mini-adventures of various difficulty that can be used while the adventuring party braves the uncharted and savage jungles. It also includes 15 Quick Encounters, and additional resources. Although inspired by the Tomb of Annihilation, these encounters can be used with any official D&D campaign, or in your own home campaign. Many could even be used in forest, wilderness, or swamp settings. These encounters are location generic and are designed to be easily added to any campaign. Use them to introduce new players, as inspiration for a new campaign, as a one-shot, or whatever else you can think of.
The rich merchant Quintus Felerius has not slept in a week. He is paranoid of vengeful nightmare wraiths that seek to kill him in his sleep. Exhausted and delirious from his lack of sleep he hires experienced adventurers to stand guard in his bedroom while he sleeps. Little do they know that the curse upon Quintus is about to sweep them into the Nighmare Zone of the vengeful Ikari... Nightmare Zone of the Ikari is a Shadowdark RPG adventure designed for 7th level characters that takes them inside the mind of their troubled patron after he and his previous mercenaries were cursed by a vengeful Oneiromancer. Explore his troubled past and see if you can keep him from panicking and taking all of your minds with him. The adventure is designed as a oneshot, but can be incorporated into an ongoing campaign pretty easily since it takes place in another dimension.
A lone king arrives at the city's bustling harbor with hopes of negotiating peace for his people in a distant land. But an assassination attempt puts his mission in danger and reveals the king's hidden enemies. Can the characters protect King Rami and help him gain the political influence needed to achieve a lasting peace treaty? Treaty of the Tiger King is a diplomacy-focused, urban one-shot for 1st-3rd level characters. It take about 3-4 hours to complete and includes: -Social events, intrigue, and hidden assassins -Respect-earning mechanics that influence a treaty negotiation -Combat cards for each monster, PC, and special treasure -High quality digital maps for use with virtual tabletops
Your magic user friend has had his spellbook taken by marauding bugbears. He, and by extension you, are tasked by his mentor to recover the tome. Now you must track the goblinoids across the maze like hill country to find his stolen book. Pgs. 9-24 of Polyhedron #28
This setting is a collective of different area encounters for several different character levels. While this land was a frequently traveled area for the adventurers it was used for a variety of challenges. While not every challenge is met for every level it is up to the PCs to decide if they are up for the challenge they discover. Of course you can always ‘discourage’ or hide some encounters from the party. It can also be used in an area frequented by the PC party that can offer an increased challenge with each visit they make.