This adventure has a lighter tone but isn’t completely out of place in a serious campaign. The challenges include combat, puzzles, traps and a legendary monster; Jack, in a Box. Does the party need to find something that an evil (and possibly mad) mage may have secluded away in an extra-dimensional space, and ordered an evil Jack-in-the-box and his toy army to protect it at all costs? Well that’s convenient because that is exactly the kind of situation that "Trapped in the Toybox" can help you with. Alternatively maybe that Dragon fight went a little too well for your party, maybe this “cursed chest” could help teach them a little humility. This adventure is designed for 4 (1d6 + 1) adventurers of 8th level who are in possession of a sense of humour. The toybox was created by a chaotic yet playful wizard, in order to hide an enchanted amulet under the protection of Jack. The adventurers should find themselves trapped inside the toybox, and they're in Jack's world now. Jack is the master of this domain and protector of both the amulet he has been entrusted with and the only exit of the toybox. There are a number of ways the adventurers may have come to be inside this toybox, e.g., the toybox may be found as part of the adventurer's loot in a dungeon or dragon's hoard, upon investigation it drags the adventurers inside. Note: This module commemorates our first themed week of Reddit's /r/Monsteraday and ties together this week's monsters in a dungeon designed for four 8th level adventurers.
In a small hamlet, things are strangely becoming tidy in the night. Far from being pleased, the citizens are alarmed by these events. A local painter has gone missing, as has a travelling scholar. What is going on here?
The exciting artifact series concludes with AS3 – Peregrination. With a pair of control rods in hand you are guided to an ultimate prize, a Gnomish flying vessel! The rods have directed you to a crashed ship buried in the sandy beach. A check of the debris sheds light on the mystery of the artifact and a description of how to repair the intricate machine. Apparently finding the vessel is just the start!
A group of Azer were captured and brought here long ago to create a powerful weapons that ensured a long dead king’s victory in a bloody war. For some time they obeyed, churning out weapons and crafting monuments in the king’s honor, but as time went on, animosity towards the king grew stronger and stronger. The Azer betrayed the king, using the might of their “perfect” weapons to strike his men down before retreating to their forge and closing it off from the rest of the world. They have been locked a away in solitude for some time now. The entrance to this bunker has been uncovered though, and it is up to a brave group of adventurers to travel down into this place and see what they have been up to for all of these years. This dungeon has rules to modify all encounters for a group of players levels 3 through 6 and is intended for a party of four. If you have more players, feel free to adjust the difficulty up one level for each additional player or simply tune the monsters to your needs. This dungeon contains many original enemies, a unique puzzle, and an environment that is meant to inspire awe to the wonders of crafting. They are in a place of flame and metal, so a dwarf should feel at home while elves may be uncomfortable.
It’s been a long few days of travel and the adventurers are tired of eating rations and sleeping on the ground. The road opens to a small town with an inviting tavern. The smells of grilling meat and ale fill their nostrils and the sounds of laughter and music float out the tavern’s door. Unlucky for the adventurers, they’ve stumbled upon Dragon’s Breath Tavern. What starts out as a pleasant evening of food, drink, and entertainment soon evolves into an adventure that takes the party into and under Dragon’s Breath Tavern. The adventure includes roleplay, exploration, combat, and a dice game called Demon Dice. Although written in a non-specific location, this adventure could be run as a one-shot during the WoTC official campaign – Curse of Strahd. The adventure includes an isometric map and a top-down map of Dragon’s Breath Tavern. Dragon’s Breath Tavern is a 3 to 5-hour adventure for a party of 4 to 5 characters of levels 3rd to 5th. Available as PDF or for Fantasy Grounds.
This one-shot is designed to give players a taste of epic level adventuring without the need for two years of campaigning first. It can be completed in a single long session, or two or three shorter ones and should be relatively straightforward to run. The players get to pick from pre-generated epic-level heroes (downloadable free from winghornpress.com) or create their own, complete with backstories of valor and adventure. At the very moment of their death, these titanic heroes are plucked from their own time by a powerful angel and tasked with saving the world - and possibly much more besides - one last time. Over the course of their adventure the party will encounter all manner of powerful creatures far beyond the reach of regular adventurers, and face tasks that would leave even stout-hearted heroes dumbstruck. So sit down and grab some dice… it’s going to be a long night.
Sometimes you can just be in the wrong place at the wrong time... Sheltering from a savage storm, a group of fledgling adventurers find themselves trapped by circumstances and powerful forces from a bygone age. Escaping from dark and dismal caverns, the heroes must brave a nightmarish trek through haunted and hostile terrain, pursued by an mysterious assailant to the very walls of Anduria – home of the greatest civilisation in the world. On the edge between madness and salvation, they must broker a deal with shadowy cults and political powers to determine not only their own fate, but potentially that of the Eternal City itself.
The circus is in town, but there's something quite not right about it. There are rumors of missing children, evil plots, and more. Can you discover the hidden secrets inside of Bitterbark's Magnificent Circus? Intended as a stand-alone adventure, but there are notes on how to include it as part of the Castle of the Mad Archmage mega-dungeon adventure.
When a DM feels he or she has been over-generous on handing out treasure, this brief adventure can be useful for parting players with their cash. A magic-user is holding an auction, and interesting items are available - although others also seek the treasures, and are willing to go to great length's to get them.
The only requirement for this dungeon is a heavily forested area, meaning it can be dropped into just about any world. It ties in heavily with Fey creatures so I suggest a hook regarded some ancient relic hidden away by the Fey that must now be retrieved. Perhaps the former ruler had an agreement with the ones who hid this relic away, but a new ruler has taken the seat of the Emerald Queen and all agreements have been terminated.
Built into what was thought to be an inactive volcano, the Halls of Beoll-Dur were created as an isolated training ground for dwarven clerics. However, upon their mountain shaking itself awake the dwarves discovered that they shared the mountain with something far more sinister. Few escaped to tell of the massacre as an horde of salamanders rising from the fiery depths, claiming the halls for their king. Now the temple sits desecrated, waiting for the day that hero's will purify it of the evils within.
Nanfield is an island village of over 50 NPCs with mysteries plaguing both its present and its past. It contains a unique ecosystem and economy and a ship full of friendly pirates that will invite you by for dinner after accidentally attacking your party. It can be inserted into any campaign as an interlude during a travel montage, as a one-shot encounter, or as the base of future adventures. It best suits a party of level 4 to 8 characters, but can be easily modified or run for lower or higher level groups. Advice on fitting the encounter into your campaign is provided throughout. Nanfield contains over 50 NPCs you can use, several very unique and compelling characters, a Druid stat-bloc, a ship-to-ship fight, an investigation, and a fight with a Harpy (or more, depending on the outcome of the investigation).
From the magazine: "A voice in the darkness offered him power, with only one string attached: first he had to find some adventurers." A fiend and minions of the plane of fire have set up shop beneath a small town, and have been attracting evil minions to their lair! In this town of Jenkel, the religious leader (named Broderick) is secretly under the influence of the demon and has been doing her will out of his own greed for power. A tilted pyramid appeared in the town years ago, and is actually the tip of a tower buried in the town. The tower leads to a dungeon and a shrine where the party can fight off the demon and rid the town of the evil influence.
From the magazine: "An act of mercy released a creature of unspeakable evil. Now, only you have a chance to stop it." A vrock has been trapped inside a stone circle outside the village of Sundown. This stone circle remained untouched for thousands of years, until an unwitting mage decided to depetrify one of the standing stones that he mistakenly thought was a helpless farmer. This released the vrock, who killed the mage and has been trying to regain enough power to plane shift back to its home. This module primarily is based on investigation and problem solving, with a final fight with the vrock at the end. Roleplaying should be emphasized. The town of Sundown is fleshed out with NPCs and stores for player exploration.
Who could know what is hidden within the secluded mansion of the crazed mage? Well, now, when nobody has seen him here for more than a year, it’s the best time to find out! A 4-hour adventure for two 1st–2nd level characters. Small Party Adventure: Though the party size of 3–5 characters is considered optimal in D&D, there are times when you can only gather one or two players at most. This adventure is designed exactly for such occasions.
Summoned from across the multiverse, a small group of heroes must enter an ancient pyramid and prevent the Elder God Nyarlathotep's return to power. A Lovecraft-themed oneshot.
PCs must save a group of kidnapped elven women held in the dungeons beneath a good elven temple taken over by an evil cleric. An elven village is threatened by a dark Priest known only as the Rahib. He has kidnapped two of the village's fairest maidens and now demands that Rahasia, the most beautiful elf, surrender herself to free the others. The player characters are drawn into this adventure when they find a plea for help from Rahasia. The only way to free the captured maidens is to enter an old temple, built upon the ruins of a wizard's tower buried under a mountain. Note: the setting is unspecified, but certain tie-ins, like the wines, prefigure Ravenloft. See: https://twitter.com/chrisperkinsdnd/status/703751906703749120 TSR #9115, from 1984
The wizard Abracadamus hid the Forever Stone in the darkest depths of a failing mine, coerced monsters into serving as guardians, and rigged the dungeon with traps galore. Then he died, as all good wizards do. Many heroes have fallen prey to the Forever Stone’s lure of immortality. To date, only one stalwart band has plunged into the Mines of Madness and lived to tell the tale. You think you’re better than them? You think you got what it takes to grab life by the stones and conquer the dungeon that won the 2012 Gygaxian Award* for Bonecrushing Awesomeness? We seriously doubt it, but go ahead . . . prove us wrong! Mines of Madness is a Very Special D&D® Next Adventure written for PAX East 2013 and designed for four 3rd-level characters.
The Dwarven clans are in chaos, and a powerful host of goblins stand poised to sweep over the land in a wave of death and terror. Only the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords- one of the most powerful weapons ever created by the dwarven race- holds the key to ultimate victory against the massing humanoids. Can the PCs brave the labyrinth of an abandoned dwarven stronghold to find the Axe?
The Wizardarium of Calabraxis starts off with strangely behaving apemen, but players who start to explore the cave where they reside will soon discover there is a lot going on: ancient civilizations, the mad experiments of a forgotten wizard, and a couple unique magic items are guaranteed to provide a lot of bang for your buck to your players. This module has stats for the DCCRPG, but if one wants to work around the weird dice, this module is probably at home in just about any OSR rules system.