Every year the Acadamae—Korvosa’s prestigious school of the arcane arts—opens its gates to the city to host the Breaching Festival, where the most skilled infiltrators are invited to enter the magically guarded Hall of Wards or die trying. Testing their luck against the university’s strongest defenses, the competitors pull out all the stops as they vie for a chance at a fortune in gold and magical treasure. This year, the school’s headmaster has invited the heroes to participate, against the contest’s longstanding traditions.
Trapped in the mysterious Castle Amber, you find yourselves cut off from the world you know. The castle is fraught with peril. Members of the strange Amber family, some insane, some merely deadly, lurk around every corner. Somewhere in the castle is the key to your escape, but can you survive long enough to find it? TSR #9051, from 1981
Mimic Madness is a psudeo-adventure for 3rd edition with four interesting mimic encounters. These four encounters are structured in a way that they can be used together as one adventure, or each individually dropped into any adventure from EL4 to 7. The encounters vary the mimic's tactics significantly, such as by having them we a weapon rack that wields the weapon it holds, pretending to be animated furniture using its ability to speak, and pretending to be a floor covering a pit; none of them rely on the typical chest or door mimics.
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.
Terrible cataclysmic occurrences herald the end of one Athasian age and the beginning of another. As the Great Earthquake rattled the Tablelands huge storm of lightning and torrential rain appeared over the distant edge of the Sea of Silt, a powerful defiler named Malignor watched for a sign from his master, Tithian, King of Tyr...
Part 3 of the Carrion Crown Adventure Path takes the heroes to the infamous Shudderwood in Ustalav. They travel to Ascanor lodge, the only safe place in the woods, to find more information on the necromantic cult The Whispering Way and meet a colorful group of npcs that reside at the lodge. The werewolf packs that live in the woods are on the brink of war as their pack leader has disappeared and as the heroes get involved, strange things start happening within the lodge. Soon all three story lines will intertwine and the heroes are left to piece the puzzle together and follow the trail left by The Whispering Way. It's worth noting that this book does an excellent job at fleshing out the npcs (lodge residents and werewolves) both through stat blocks and background information including history and motivations. This book includes: - “Broken Moon,” a Pathfinder RPG adventure for 7th-level characters, by Tim Hitchcock - The secrets of the Whispering Way, a notorious cult sworn to the powers of death and undeath, revealed in blasphemous detail, by Adam Daigle - Insights into the savage lives of werewolves, wererats, and other lycanthropes, by Gareth Hanrahan - Laurel Cylphra comes face to face with an ancient mystery in the Pathfinder’s Journal, by F. Wesley Schneider - Seven exciting and deadly new monsters, by Tim Hitchcock, Rob McCreary, and Patrick Renie
"Fishing for Gods in Strade's Gallows" is a Dungeons and Dragons 5e module designed for 3-5 players at levels 2-3. This module features NPC dynamics where cordial manners and a polite smile matter just as much as sword-swinging prowess. Original monster entries and dungeon maps can be found in the appendices. A medical shipment to the swampy town of Strade's Gallows takes a turn for the eccentric when the party happens across enigmatic shrimp-men who begin to worship them as gods. Can the party solve the mystery of Strade's Gallows' ailment, or will their new disciples botch it all up? This module includes a list of songs which convey the mood of the setting. They are all online so it's easy to make a playlist.
Despite the bitter cold that reigns here nine months of the year, the Timberway Forest has long been a source of prosperity for civilized folk who live nearby. Many trappers and hunters spend the better part of the year within its borders, stockpiling furs and meat to trade in the frontier towns to the south, where they spend their winters. Most feel that the value of these commodities makes braving the Timberway Forest worth the risk. Recently, though, a small group of trappers and hunters has awakened a terrible new menace in the forest. Based in a remote hunter's abode called the Bluerock Lodge, they hunted the animals of the woods more out of a deep-seated desire to be cruel than a need to feed themselves. In particular, they focused their hateful attention on the local Timberway lion population. Timberway lions are rather small (more like leopards), but they are known for being lithe and wary. Still, the trappers had the advantage of intelligence and tools, and before long they had slaughtered the entire pride save for its leader. As the winter worsened and game grew ever more scarce, this last surviving lion began to starve. At that point, the darker forces of nature took notice, and the Timberway Forest gained a predator like no other. Frozen Whispers is a short D&D adventure for four 3rd-level player characters (PCs). The scenario is set mostly in and near a remote hunter’s lodge in a snowy forest. The scenario can be placed in any cold area of your campaign world that features a remote tract of woodland—a copse of trees near the arctic circle, a swath of taiga near the treeline on a high mountainside, or even a normally temperate forest caught in the grip of an unnaturally snowy winter. As always, feel free to adapt the material presented here as you see fit to make it work with your campaign.
Katha is a fully built city with nearly a hundred NPCs, dozens of shops, and many different factions all vying for power over this growing city. Katha is a growing city-state that can expand (or regress) in any direction depending on the choices of your group. It can easily suit any party of any size or level but is designed for mid-level parties with money to spend. The city will grow (or shrink) and change at the party's every move, making it a city full of potential. The document also includes a map and key for the city, four stat blocks for two major NPCs, a new monster, a boss fight, and a dungeon map. Katha is designed to be placed into any setting with only minor alterations. Advice for how to fit Katha into your setting is provided throughout the document. Included is also a plotline that can span anywhere between four and ten sessions. The Cult of the Storm, a mysterious and millenarian cult, hopes to bring about the end of the world so that it may be reborn. Several of the groups and NPCs in Katha are secretly working for the Cult. Will your party realize that they are accidentally helping them in time to stop the Cult from assembling the four parts of the weather control artifact and starting The Storm? The plot will also develop the city and reward your party not with wealth, but with property and the ability to build what they want and invest their time and energy into growing Katha.
The town of Phandalin, nestled in the foothills to the east of the Sword Mountains, continues to grow since being rebuilt after the devastation wrought by rampaging orc hordes. It recently survived violent gang activity, drow machinations, and even the attention of a green dragon. But can it withstand a new threat, bizarre but no less perilous: the fame brought by a visit from none other than loremaster Volothamp Geddarm? Six 1-Hour Mini-Adventures for 1st-4th Level Characters. Also included in the purchase of this adventure is a version specially converted for use with the Fantasy Grounds virtual tabletop software. The converted adventure features all the text and maps from the original adventure along with cross-linking of monsters, spells, magic items, equipment, and story elements, plus the powerful rules automation for which Fantasy Grounds is known.
Deep in the forest, something is stirring. An evil fey sorcerer, cast out of the First World millennia ago by her own kin, has found a way to break through the ancient walls of her prison, and carries with her a vengeance too deep to be sated. For the quiet Andoren town of Bellis, busy celebrating a long-awaited marriage, it's a time for joy and laughter. Yet the forest that's always sheltered it is growing dark, and things are moving in the heart of the woods...
An Urgent Rescue is a classic, low level adventure designed for a group of 3 to 4 2nd level players. It should take about 2 to 3 hours to play through. This is the third adventure in the miniseries which is scheduled to be published one adventure a week until completed. The previous adventure of the miniseries is A Chance Encounter.
The adventurers have delved into the Abyss to strike at the Demon Lord of Undeath, Orcus. On the layer of Thanatos, the Blood Lord has many outposts from which he spreads his corruption. One of his primary lieutenants is Doresain, the Ghoul King. If the PCs kill Doresain in his lair, they will strike a real blow against the foul demon lord.
In the canyon of Thunder Rift, in the village of Kleine, goblins have always been a nuisance, but the natives have dealt with them and continued an otherwise peaceful existence. Now, a valuable magical item, called the scepter of truth, has disappeared! The ingenuity of the crime bears the mark of the goblins' leader, the Master Thief Raven. The scepter must be recovered, but there is no one in Kleine with the strength and courage to penetrate Raven's trap-laden hide-out, deep in goblin territory. A party of stout adventurers might survive the mission, but they will have to be quick, smart, and especially careful.
The Haunt Unlock the secrets and drive back the evil from Montarthas Manor A one shot, 6-8 hour Horror themed adventure, designed for characters of 4th or 5th level. In ages past, an ancient town was lost and destroyed to a seige of orcs. Only one building survived and to this day, the manor is the only still standing building to be seen for miles around. Some say it is haunted, a few whisper of great treasures within, whilst others whisper that it is the manor itself that lives! No one knows for sure, only that a great evil haunts its halls. Do you dare enter Montarthas Manor?! DISCLAIMER! This will be a challenging adventure for 4th level player groups of 3 to 5 players with some deadly encounters. However, ideally The Haunt is tailored as a medium difficulty adventure with plenty of excitement, horror, suspense and danger for a 5th level party of 4 to 5 players.
Ra’s Evil Grin challenges adventurers of at least 11th level who are seeking a powerful magic item—the globe of Arden. If a different item suits your campaign better, another appropriate powerful item can be substituted as the final objective. This dungeon culminates in a battle with Dendorandra, a lesser marilith known as a dark daughter. As a lead-in to this adventure, the GM may use a map from another treasure hoard showing the location of the globe (detailed more fully in “The Legend of the Globe of Arden,” below) or a priestly tome describing Arden, the long-dead avatar of Ra, and the wondrous powers of an unknown artifact called the globe of Arden. Such a tome might mention that the globe emits rays as intense as those of the sun, destroying all they touch. In any event, characters should need to consult with sages and oracles to determine the location and history of the globe and dungeon. A sage could also provide a map to the dungeon’s location, referenced in the “The Legend of the Globe of Arden,” below. We set the dungeon on a small, remote island far across the sea, but you can relocate it to suit your campaign. This dungeon provides numerous puzzles, a few traps, and only two monsters. Those monsters, though few in number, should challenge and threaten even the most combat-hardened party—particularly after the party encounters all the vicious creatures that inhabit the Island of the Globe.
A Pathfinder/3.5 Compatible Adventure for 4 level 7 PCs Deep within the blasted desert wastes a mysterious black tower has been sighted. The structure is not marked on any known map and has not been seen in this location by travellers in the region, yet there it stands. The adventurers set out to explore this ancient, isolated tower that appears ripe for the plundering. Within they face a gauntlet of insidious traps and supernatural horrors. The deeper the adventurers delve, the more secrets of the tower’s origins they uncover. The tower’s sinister creator does not rest easy in his arid grave – the adventurers must face him if they are to survive the Tower of Screaming Sands. Also included in “Tower of Screaming Sands”: Five deadly new traps: The Chamber of Ten Thousand Teeth, The God’s Grasp, Chamber of Flooding Sand, Hall of Arcing Blades and Descending Stone Block. A new monster – the scorpion swarm. Rules for whirlwinds, a new magical hazard GM tips for running overland travel.
Your party has just spent the better part of the day travelling in dismal weather and you've just located an appropriate place to camp when, out of the drizzle filled sunset, the terrifying screams of a woman can be heard through the patter of rain through the trees. Great! You're cold, miserable, and now you have the moralistic compulsion to investigate and render assistance to a damsel in distress. What you don't realize is that morals and damsels always means more trouble than what you may be willing to pay. Will your party survive long enough to see the dawn through the Screams at Sunset? Screams at Sunset is an adventure for characters of 2nd to 4th level or 4th to 6th level. Approximate runtime is 4 to 6-hours. The adventure includes 3 maps, a Battle Stat Tracker for all encounters within the adventure, and an intriguing puzzle that without all the clues, could lead to a shocking conclusion.
For decades, the city of Chala, nestled on the banks of the Leal River, boasted a prosperous fishing business. The community's life revolved around the wide, slowly rolling river that meandered miles northward into the Blackweed Swamp Now the city faces misfortune, pestilence, and decay, because the sacred Tefnut statue has been stolen. All clues suggest that the sacred object was carried into the heart of nearby Blackweed Swamp. But who, or what, would commit such a crime? Whoever is responsible, the statue must be recovered, at any cost.
This adventure takes place in the Moonsea of Faerûn. The players have been brought to Melvaunt to search for the missing scions of the city's great families. To the north, in Thar the orc tribes converge on the ruined fortress of Xul-Jarak, flocking to the banner of a charismatic warlord. There, he intends to sacrifice the scions of the great families of Melvaunt in a bloodritual to Gruumsh. The players will escape Melvaunt, search along the wilderness of Thar for the Fortress of Xul-Jarak, and then explore the dungeons of the ruined fortress and hopefully rescue the scions before they are sacrificed. There also is a Web Enhancement by Eric Cagle on the archives of wizards of the coast's website designed to scale the adventure to level 8. For example, it replaces the Owlbear with a Tyrannosaurus. This is an easy to scale adventure with much of the player's difficulty coming from intelligently avoiding problems, choosing how to approach each floor in the most tactical way, and quickly adjusting when something goes wrong. The adventure has sidebars including common orc battle cries (In Orc!), ready to use orc names, weather and random encounter table in Thar, a description of what happens if the party fails or partially succeeds, and suggested minis for each of the encounters. There is even an extended description of the bloodspear ritual, an event the party is not meant to encounter in a normal run. The appendix is detailed for all the humanoid characters including the scions and their equipment, the named villains, and variety of unnamed orcs the party will encounter. The fortress also offers an opportunity to introduce the players to the Underdark and the Zhentil Keep. There is a passage to the Underdark the players can accidentally explore, and return to later. Emissaries from Zhentil Keep have come to watch the ritual and have their own motivations. These npcs provide an opportunity for exposition and role playing at a point which otherwise might be combat heavy, acting as a valve for the first floor - helping or hurting the party with subtle magic should the difficulty be off.