"The maester and his students were due back three days ago, and we have to leave! Do what you can to find them and bring them back!"
An adventure seed for characters of approximately 4th-6th level. Arriving at the base camp, on the foothills of the smoking Mount Winderval, you have had time to reflect on the journey that brought you here. You have travelled in search of Maester Weir, an elven sage, and his students who came to study the mighty volcano in the weeks before its eventual eruption. Already, smoke thickens the sky above, and streams of radiant magma drip from the high peaks. The villages and towns within a week's travel have evacuated to safer lands for the next few weeks or months, and you have been tasked with finding the maester before the volcano's eruption. Base Camp The base camp itself is deserted, the canvas tents cracking and flapping in the hot, thick winds. The expedition's wagon is clearly missing, and with some survival skills, you can tell that the wagon headed up the mountain along one of the trails. The ash fall makes it hard to track, although you can tell that it travelled some time ago. In the abandoned tents, several journals can be found, wrapped in wax-paper and weighed down with stones. They tell of Maester Weir's intense study of the volcano, and his discovery of the Nurn Khaldur ruins, a little further up the mountain, as well as the location of the Coalrain Mine, designated as the team's rendezvous point if anything went wrong. The foothills themselves can also be explored. Foothills The regions around the volcano show signs of ancient lava-flow, long since hardened over centuries. It looks like there may once have been villages closer to the mountain, as well as roads crossing the plains, but only traces of them remain. A hungry Manticore, most of its prey fled to escape the imminent eruption, will prey on adventurers spending too long in the open. Coalrain Mine This ancient diamond mine played out its seam decades ago, and has been abandoned for some time. The doorway has been disturbed, and scrape marks can be seen in the ash. A small cache of crates can be found just inside the door, as well as ashy footprints leading further into the mine. There, more bedrolls can supplies can be found, as well as one of the Maester's students- a young scholarly expert named Beringin. He is terrified, but relieved if things can be explained to him. He says he's heard whispers and seen spirits emanating from a lava flow deeper within the caves. He says he fled after the Maester wanted to lead the other students further up the volcano from the temple ruins, and has been waiting for them here desperately. If persuaded, he will leave, and meet any other survivors further away. Deep in the mine, six Magmins can be found, gleefully incinerating all the rock they can find and reshaping it to their desire. If vanquished, the magma they have created sloughs off a few raw chunks of diamond, able to be broken free and turned into nearly 1,000 gp worth of cut diamonds, with some skilled work. Nurn Khaldur ruins This ruined temple of glossy black rock juts from the side of the mountain about halfway up its slope. Its walls are heavily worn, and many of the stones have tumbled down. The ash here is thick on the ground, easily an inch or two and powdery like soft snow. The air is thick and smoky, but able to be breathed. The ground shakes violently every hour or so, causing most people to be knocked prone. The expedition's wagon can be found outside, the harness straps slashed and the mules long since fled. Within the temple, recent traces show that the Maester and his students were taking rubbings of some of the wall reliefs, and a few more journals have been wrapped and left outside the central hall. These journals are written by Orpah, one of Maester Weir's students, and detail the Maester's fireside chat one night where he disclosed his own history- he was born in one of the villages directly below the volcano centuries ago, and only barely survived the lava flow that killed everyone else in the village. They speak of his driving desire to climb the volcano's peak and meet the 'imprisoned empyrean spirit' that has caused its violent rumbles and lava flows, as well as his promise they if they can reach the right point, they will be safe from the volcano's eruption. Within the main hall, there are about thirty terracotta statues, many fallen and shattered by the temple's rumbles. The wall reliefs here depict a vast humanoid figure beneath the mountain, and a building that looks much like this temple, but atop the very edge of the volcano. They show a person being pushed from the edge into the caldera, and the figure below resting again. Accidentally pressing on any part of the figure animates the terracotta warriors as a dozen suits of Animated Armour, which will attack intruders. In ancient times, these would have been deactivated by ritual words, but only careful study of the reliefs and knowledge of arcana might reveal this word now. Magma Fields Attempting to climb further up the mountain means crossing the magma fields, where the smoke is thick and choking, as well as the ground being lit by massive rivers of glowing lava. A trio of Magma Mephits, a pair of Smoke Mephits, and a Salamander which have crossed the planes makes their home here, splashing happily in the dense liquid. They attack those who cross their territory and attempt to head upslope. Upper Slopes Reaching this area will be a trek through intensely hostile territory- not only up a mountain slope in belching volcanic smoke, but also intense and exhausting heat. Characters travelling this high should be forced to make at least two Constitution saving throws, with each failure conferring a level of exhaustion. Resistance to fire damage, and useful survival skills, grants advantage on one of each of the saving throws. The ground continues to shake, the tremors growing stronger and more frequent. It is clear that the volcano is in imminent danger of full-blown eruption, and that continuing will be intensely dangerous. Kagh Baduhr ritual site At the volcano's very peak, the heat is like standing next to a blast furnace, and the air is thick with ash. An ancient temple can be found overlooking the roiling caldera, built of the same angular black stones as the previous ruin. More of the terracotta warriors are arrayed guarding the doors as if against intruders, four per door, and violently resist any efforts to enter. The temple itself is strangely whole and free of ash and damage. Within the ritual site, a wide gallery open to the elements can be found. Maester Weir, his skin covered in ash and his face streaked with clay adornments, is deep in the throes of some ritual. His students are huddled, starving and terrified, and tell that he will not let them leave. Although he promised to make them safe, he has clearly gone mad, and says he needs to sacrifice all of them to free the spirit beneath the mountain and make the entire region safe. At this point, Maester Weir, who has become an Embermage, turns on the party and decides to add them to his sacrifice, too. He and the three Magma Mephits he has called launch an all-out attack, hoping to slay them and cast their bodies into the caldera as offerings for Prometheon, a primordial spirit vanquished and sealed away during the Titan Wars. Only then can this region be free of the empyrean's struggles against his binding. If Maester Weir is vanquished, the clock begins ticking, and the PCs and the surviving students will have to flee the volcano as its fury begins to vent. Escape Fleeing the volcano's slopes will be no less dangerous than its ascent, and periodic checks against the oppressive heat, magma flows, and tumbling boulders launched by the eruption. Escaping the mountain's immediate vicinity halts the immediacy of the danger, however. The volcano continues its eruption over the course of the next month, bringing smoke and ash across half the continent and smothering the nearby valleys in molten rock again. However, if you prefer, the Empyrean Prometheon might actually loose his bindings and slip free for some time to threaten cities nearby, or hide away to become a danger again later. That's all up to you! Trekking to far-off climes (well, far-off for some of us) is a staple of fantasy literature and gaming - putting people in an environment outside of their experience and control, where the environment itself is as much threat as setting. Glacial settings are an ideal example, allowing barbarian characters to show off their experience in cold climes, letting utility casters shine by removing debuff effects from the chill, and giving an opportunity for strange and dangerous creatures.
A glacier is defined as a persistent body of dense ice that is moving under its own weight. In other words, there's little to no dirt or rock, it's all just ice, for hundreds or perhaps even thousands of feet down. It's likely but not always covered in snow, and temperatures are going to be quite low. The glacier also moves- it's sliding at a very slow rate (maybe feet or just inches) per year. Here are some reasons your characters might have to venture through glacial regions:
Legends tell of the Caladrius, a mysterious bird with gold-flecked white feathers, possessed of such purity that they can heal any poison merely by touch. Hunters sight these birds and give chase, and nobles have offered bounties worth a barony's ransom for capture of the bird. The vile goddess Talona, Mistress of Poisons, is said to have offered immortality as a reward to one of her servants who can bring her the bird, so that she can brew the perfect poison from its corrupted flesh.
In a land devastated by cataclysmic war only a few generations ago, and still in the throes of a fiendish plague that broke a kingdom and its army, sightings of the Caladrius stir hearts and make the people believe in hope once again. A sanatorium where patients go to their deathbeds has all its patients rise, cured, one morning. They speak of their feverish dreams, of seeing a white bird and hearing its curious call in the night-time, and of their bandages falling off to reveal clean flesh. These rumours spread like wildfire, and hunters from all over gather to capture the Caladrius for their own use. These bands of hunters are as follows:
The hunting teams assemble at the green of the nearby village, gathering for some days before the bishop can give his blessing to their hunt. They mingle a little, competing in tests of might and strength to get to know one another. Here, several are surreptitiously slipped minor poisons in their foods by the Talontar to weaken them. Sightings of the Caladrius indicate it may have departed into the Lincona Woods during the winter, an unpleasant place to be even in the best of weather. Here, the tension between the teams escalates to skirmishes, shedding blood but not quite taking lives, unless they're sure they can get away with it. There are a few ruins that litter the depths of the Lincona Woods, ruined during the war. In one of these, formerly a shrine to one of Talona's sister goddesses, the Caladrius has been nesting. The clearing around this shrine is scattered with malignant undead, oozing decay. Inside this ruined shrine, a small amount of peace surrounds the nest of the Caladrius. Soft snow flurries through the lightbeams in between the fallen rafters, and there is an aura of consecration that keeps out the undead. Here, the battle for the Caladrius - and surprisingly, its eggs - becomes deadly in earnest. The Talontar reveal themselves, promising painful and bloody deaths to any who oppose them, while blades are drawn by those who have needs of their own. A violent showdown is interrupted by the appearance of a zombie dragon, crashing through the roof. A frantic defense against the dragon and its servants could unit unlikely allies in the only way to prevent plague enveloping both kingdoms. Requested by reader Nate O'Connor. The stone giant known as the Rumbling Sentry keeps watch over a valley pass and wards off bandits. Arumalok, as he is named, swore a powerful oath to his ancestors to guard their cavesfrom intruders, and has spent centuries sitting watch, mostly (and accidentally) disguised as a mossy boulder. Those who idly damage the valley, or who intrude on the caves where his people make their homes, or those who would do harm on other passers-by, incur his wrath. This most often comes in the form of a horse-sized boulder being hurled at their head at tremendous speed, although he is not shy about taking to hand-to-hand combat with these foes.
Arumalok is a Stone giant who has sworn the Oath of the Ancients, and glowing chains of magical energy seem to bind him without restricting his movement. He can use his powers to resist magic, and to bind those foes who attempt to intrude on upon his territory. However, he is content to observe those who cause no damage to the region, and enjoys hearing songs and chatter from those who make camp in the area. If noticed and welcomed, Arumalok may join in, singing in a deep throat-rumble or telling an epic of his people, who pass through the region only about once a decade. As a dweller in the Dreaming World (as stone giants call the realm with a sky), Arumalok is lonely even among his own people, and craves some kind of interaction from time to time. STATISTICS Arumalok's statistics are identical to a stone giant, with the following additions: Huge giant, lawful neutral Challenge 8 (3,900 XP) Aura of Warding. Arumalok and friendly creatures within 10 feet have resistance to damage from spells. Divine Health. Arumalok is immune to disease. He also suffers no drawbacks of old age, and can't be aged magically. ACTIONS Greatclub. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 15ft., one target. Hit: 19 (3d8 + 6) bludgeoning damage and 4 (1d8) radiant damage. Ensnaring Strike (Recharge 5-6). Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 15ft., one target. Hit: 19 (3d8 +6) bludgeoning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or restrained by magical vines for 1 minute. Large or larger creatures have advantage on this saving throw. While restrained by this ability, the target takes 3 (1d6) piercing damage at the start of each of its turns. A creature restrained by the vines or one that can touch the creature can use its action to make a DC 17 Strength check. On a success, the target is freed and the effect ends. Hooks:
Merry Xmas, one and all, dear readers! It's been a long year, and you all deserve some presents... so for those of you running games during the holiday season, here are some ideas you can steal (actually, let's consider them freely given) for a quick game, whether that's teaching your family what "that dungeon game is all about", opening up a box set with the cousins or friends, playing a game while cosy and warm with your partner... however you enjoy your holidays, make sure you enjoy them with your loved ones!
(All of these are at least partially based on traditions from various cultures, so if you do use them, be as respectful as you'd want them to be of your traditions!) Festival of Lights It is a tradition that once a year, everyone in the city wears their finest clothes, lights every lantern in the house, sets off fireworks, and celebrates life and joy to celebrate the victory of light over darkness. However, a vile Gloomdark threatens madness and violence. Find the clues that reveal the monster, and drive it away forever! Enlightenment Day A powerful Monk has been meditating under a Bodhi tree for years and has finally called his dearest disciples together to speak to them his final secrets before his ascendance. However, a demon of illusion tries to tempt and destroy him through three watches of sleep as he guards his students. With the PCs' aid, each of the students can meditate on the lessons learned before their master is gone. Kill the Krampus! For one week of the year, a terrible devil named the Krampus is loosed on the earth to punish wicked children. The child of a dear friend has been naughty and repents of their wickedness- but their coal has already been delivered, marking them as the devil's newest victim. Defend an old manor house, Home Alone-style, against the devil to protect a child who has learned their lesson! The Weirdest Winter Druids of a local circle are concerned that the local Frost Giants are trying to bring about eternal winter by sabotaging their Winter Solstice ritual, designed to bring back the sun. Can the PCs defend the druids' grove all through the night until the first light of dawn? Satyrnalia A band of Satyrs are holding a town hostage with their enchantments- forcing them to eat, drink, and make merry for days on end! One by one, they must be persuaded, or defeated, to end their spell and bring blessed peace to the town! Yule Be Sorry A great gathering is held at the Lord's longhall to celebrate the longest night of winter, and a great log has been cut from a sacred tree at the priests' direction. But the Cold Walkers and their Shadow Hounds roam the earth this night. As the Lord's champions, the PCs are sent to shepherd in the old and lost, and to prtect them from harm this night. Second Dedication Following a long and costly war, the high temple is to be re-consecrated. However, only a single cask of ritual oil remains to light the sacred flame. Through divine intervention, the oil lasts long enough for the eight days of ritual, but the temple must be protected through the night from those who would see it fall again. Help the Gifts Get Through! A shipment of gifts (or medicines, or healing potions, or... whatever you want it to be, really) needs to get delivered to the next town over, through heavy snow, wolves, and goblin attacks. The PCs are conscripted, or hired, to make sure that all the children can sleep soundly tonight! Casting the Fireballs On the first day of the year in one kingdom, it is customary to remember the time enemies were turned back by the fireballs of the nation's Warmages. The townsfolk construct 'fireballs' made of pitch and sticks on the end of a string or rope, and swing them while dancing a jig through town, before hurling them from the clifftops down into the dark sea. But when the Sahuagin can be seen climbing the cliffs by the fireballs' light, everyone must fend off a full-fledged invasion! Festival of First Fruits Those who formed their own nation celebrate a 'Festival of First Fruits' celebrating their own self-determination and independence from their enemies, and showing gratitude to their revered ancestors. But when the ritual mat and candelabra are stolen by a thief from outside the nation, the PCs must help save the holiday by returning them in time! Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 25 December 2021. It is said that grief does not change you, it reveals you. This can certainly be true in a roleplaying game context- whether missing a beloved NPC, mourning the loss of a favourite character who rolled poorly, or even the loss of another player who has left the table. This should also be seen in NPCs during the game- unlike a pre-programmed video game, NPCs should notice when people they love die, whether that's from a dragon attack, a party of murderhobos invading, or a vile plot.
Here are some plot hooks you can use to spark off an adventure, themed around grief, loss, and mourning. 1 - Denial: “Most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it.” -George R. R. Martin Driven onwards by rage, a friend has passed into death without realizing it, awakening as a revenant to seek vengeance. Bearing horrific wounds, they seek out their friends for aid in locating their enemy. 2 - Anger: "My father was slaughtered by a six-fingered man. He was a great swordmaker, my father. When the six-fingered man appeared and requested a special sword, my father took the job. He slaved a year before it was done. The six-fingered man returned and demanded it, but at one tenth his promised price. My father refused. Without a word, the six-fingered man slashed him through the heart. I loved my father. So naturally, I challenged his murderer to a duel. I failed." -Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride An NPC asks for assistance in a quest of vengeance against someone protected by legal or illegal means. 3 - Bargaining: “Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement.” -J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings An NPC has been arrested for their role in a death in a different city or kingdom, and faces extradition under guard. However, other parties are trying to kill them off early. Do they deserve to be protected from these people, and will their crimes warrant the punishment they may face? 4 - Depression: “There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.” -Laurell K. Hamilton, Mistral's Kiss Facing the loss of lifestyle and happiness resulting from a spouse's death, an NPC begs for help in relocating. This will involve sorting out debts and owed favours that cannot be paid any more. 5 - Acceptance: “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” -Lao Tzu An NPC long ago sold their soul for power, and their debt has come due. While they have made peace with the time that has passed, they ask the PCs to look after the family they have left behind. 6 - With Great Power...: "You're not just anyone. One day, you're going to have to make a choice. You'll have to decide what kind of man you want to grow up to be. Whoever that man is, good character or bad, he's going to change the world." -Jonathon Kent, Man of Steel A good person dies protecting the PCs or other NPCs from harm, leaving them with a debt to pay. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 14 December 2021. Those who have heard of the terrible Talisman of Ultimate Evil might know of its power, allowing the wielder to open up a flaming rift below their target and hurl them into the earth. Even fewer know of the the fate of the once-proud city of Rezada, which was banished into the depths of the earth centuries ago. Although most of the smaller buildings were shaken apart and destroyed entirely, the main castle survived in a shattered form.
Some decades ago, a clan of dwarven Forgelighters, venturing into the Underdark in search of lost clanholds, came across Rezada. They reported being started by the ruined human castle in a clearly unnatural cavern, its spires embedded in the cavern's roof. The darkened windows were haunted by terrible cries of the damned, and the clan chose to beat a hasty retreat, pursued in the darkness by pale and screeching figures with filthy talons and teeth. Those who survived reported of their bizarre find, and lamented the loss of their beloved kin. How you can use Rezada, the Fallen City, in your games: - Whatever unknown curse once befell Rezada has targeted another city, hundreds of years later. The player characters must venture through dozens of miles of pitch-black tunnels to reach the fallen city and discover what clues they can find as to the source of the curse. - Following the instructions of the dwarven Forgelighters, explorers might be startled to discover that the castle has now become known as the Redoubt of Sorrow, haunt of the ghoul-king Choktog the Hunter! What seemed like a simple exploration might become a terrible trap led by a wily and cruel lord. - Recovering some relic left by the slain dwarven Forgelighters could be an epic journey in itself. Perhaps an artifact of the ancient dwarven people, carried to assist in recovery of lost clanholds, was lost in the darkened tunnels. Those dwarves faithful to the traditions of their people might accompany an armoured vanguard to recover the relic, although perhaps not all members of the caravan are so earnest in their quest? Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 9 December 2021. Stories tell of a remote keep that has recently built a new tower, one that bears a beacon that burns with balefire. This beacon sweeps around slowly, visible for several dozen miles, and burns images into the brains of those who see it, causing them to falter, act unpredictably, and become mad, falling on each other with violence. Those who have survived its terrible glare call this the Demon Beacon.
A nearby lady is concerned about the effects of this tower on her territory nearby, and is willing to offer a purse to those brave souls who would dare investigate. Effects of the Demon Beacon: The demon beacon's great green light washes over the area surrounding the keep, illuminating a cone 35 miles long and hundreds of feet wide at its furthest distance. It makes a full revolution once per hour (moving about 4 miles per hour at its furthest extension, and considerably faster the closer you get to it). Those who do not find cover or avert their gaze, becoming blinded while the beacon's light is upon them, must make a Charisma saving throw (DC 11) or gain a short-term madness (DMg, page 259) for 1 minute or until the beacon's light has moved off them. For each time that a creature fails this saving throw, the save DC of the demon beacon permanently increases by 1, manifesting as an obsessive desire to see into the heart of the light. Those who choose to stare full into the beacon must make a Charisma saving throw (DC 15) or gain a long-term madness for 1d10 hours, and during this time, their alignment shifts one 'step' towards evil. What has caused the Demon Beacon? - The beacon might be the result of a reclusive band of cultists, trying to bring their patron into the Material realm by causing corruption and madness on an immense scale. If so, the cultists, and the machinery responsible for this terrible beacon, must be destroyed. - The beacon might be only the side effect of a wizard's study into the Far Realm. Perhaps they are attempting to rescue a companion lost in that terrible place of madness, and shunting its energies outwards is the only thing keeping them sane enough to keep on trying. - The tale of Kroft, the Industrious Rogue, includes an awful aside that tells of the fear and madness that some extraplanar beings can produce when tormented. Perhaps a band of zealous templars have invented new and terrible ways of torturing some kind of demon, in the hopes that they can learn its secrets, convert it, or produce some other effect from it. Whatever their reasons, the effects on the countryside around cannot be accepted, and the Lady of the region is happy to sign a warrant for their arrest or executions. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 4 December 2021. Ilyxeos, a silver dragon known as 'the Kind', crusades relentlessly against evil dragons to increase the size of his hoard. He makes the location of his lair, on a secluded mountainside, common knowledge. He also ensures that the paths there are clear from all but the most inconsequential threats, allowing travellers to journey to beg a boon of him. In truth, Ilyxeos has built his hoard in order to fund social programs and relieve debt, allowing petitioners to take all the wealth they need to avoid trouble, often for just the promise that they be generous to others.
A stern but understanding dragon, Ilyxeos sometimes pays messengers to deliver messages calling specific adventurers to perform tasks for him, or sending messengers to call for commitments to be honoured, sometimes by the debtor's descendants. If knowledge of those debts has not been passed along, Ilyxeos often asks for a service to increase the size of his hoard, often accompanied by then donating it to a nearby orphanage or improving a nearby community. How you can use Ilyxeos in your game: - A player character might be descended from someone who owes a great debt to the dragon, perhaps enough gold to have absolved their debts long ago, enough for them to be prosperous now. This could launch the party into an adventure to liberate treasure from the vault of a tyrant, the lair of another dragon, or some kind of other treasure-hoarding monster. - A PC in great debt might be directed (perhaps by one of the dragon's servants, or perhaps by the dragon himself, in magical disguise) to Ilyxeos' remote lair to solve all their troubles. The sign saying "take only what you need" at the cave entrance can be confusing, but Ilyxeos means it. - For a PC who hears of the dragon's wealth and plans to rob it, the offer might be too tempting to pass up. The dragon's appearance, reclining upon a bed of coinage and fabulous gems and jewellery, seems to be one of incredible privilege. However, his generosity and mercy can be astounding. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 20 November 2021. Sometimes, just surviving and getting out is an adventure in itself! While confronting a dragon in its lair reduces the chance of collateral damage to bystanders, the same doesn't exactly hold true if the dragon decides to pay you a house-call. A dragon can wreak unimaginable disaster on a densely-populated area- even if its breath weapon doesn't kill people immediately, the property damage can be colossal (for example, the damage from the Battle of New York in the Avengers movie is estimated at around US$80 billion).
Here are some encounters you can use to build up the stakes and wear your characters down before they get to deal with your big threat, whatever it is- a dragon, giants, a portal full of monsters, a big beam of light shooting into the sky. - Escaping a building as it collapses around you - Helping civilians trapped under wreckage - Scaring away opportunistic looters from an armory or treasure-vault - Dealing with a squad of enemies who are advancing through the rubble - Exploring a toppled ruin, now sideways, that bridges a moat, crater, or crevasse - Helping civilians get to safety while destruction rains down from above - A rooftop battle, as the building falls away - Finding an underground haven and negotiating with the thieves' guild to give shelter - Dodging the notice of a colossal beast or flying creatures from above Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 13 November 2021. I recently wrote a 'starter adventure' for Dark Sun in 5e, to use as an introduction for new players to Athas. A friend, Michael Hill, provided some internal art to help explain the layout of one of the encounters.
You can download the adventure here, please feel free to give it a play, and let me know if you have any feedback! At the peak of a mountain surrounded by crystal-clear skies and whipping winds, sits a solitary winged figure. They seem to be meditating, and disturbing their rest might be a welcome respite- or a deadly error.
This figure is Tirahnan, a Deva who has taken a sabbatical to regain some measure of calm following a particularly vicious battle against the forces of Evil. Tirahnan is titled the Guardian of the Gates of the East Wind, and a protector of innocent children. How you could use the Celestial on Sabbatical in your games: - Interrupting Tirahnan's meditation with any sort of violence leads to immediate retribution, while an offer of friendship or kindness may lead to welcoming discourse and company. Simply knowing the name of a powerful Celestial might be a very useful thing for later on, when people are able to cast spells like planar ally. - Tirahnan's help might be sought out by locals in desperate need of aid, and ask adventurers to call the deva to help them. The deva's meditation renders it unable to hear such calls (perhaps some force is interfering, or has trapped it upon the mountaintop?) for now. - Those who would wish capture or death of such a powerful being for some reason might offer some great bounty for this service. In particular, evil cults might hire bounty hunters or assassins, or have agents of their own who might be able to undertake such business. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 8 October 2021. Player Characters generally tend to be the ones of the "taking" end of robberies than being the victims of one. And should they have some belongings stolen, you are more likely to have them swear a vicious campaign-derailing oath of bloody vengeance by taking their favourite +1 longsword than you are by having a villain burn a dozen orphanages. So, fair warning: use this sparingly and with caution, as a theft like this can very much undermine your players' confidence in their own safety, and make them personally feel attacked.
While a simple smash-and-grab certainly gets the effect across, a real proper master thief who can get in and out unnoticed will quickly earn their ire, and they will almost certainly drop everything they are doing to retrieve whatever has been stolen, plot be damned. The variety of spells that can quickly locate a stolen object or even a person are quite wide from about 5th level onwards, and can quickly derail most thefts from anything other than a dedicated team of magically-equipped burglars. However, you can put this 'on rails' somewhat by offering to steer their quest for vengeance- perhaps the thief has broken some law of the local Thieves' Guild, and they offer assistance (maybe with some strings attached) to help track down the thief and recover their belongings. Another option would be having this rash of thefts affect another NPC- perhaps a noble or mage who can pool resources with the PCs and offer a clue. If you are going to spring this on your PCs, it would be wise to foreshadow this by mentioning that thieves are common in the area, and to demonstrate the levels of guard activity on the streets as they pass by. If you want to add further complication, you could take a leaf from other heist stories, and add extra teams of thieves, bounty hunters, or archaeologists who are trying to recover artifacts (possibly even ones that the PCs have just 'liberated' from an ancient ruin themselves). Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 2 October 2021. Clarn Fastness was once the seat of power in the Bellton region, and home to Earl Franic Branislav. Over a century ago, a curse saw the entire castle and the mount it was built on sunk below the cold waters of the vast lake surrounding it, and all lives were lost but a single servant, spared for some unknown reason. Now, only the top of one tower can be seen above the waves, lonely and ruined.
On clear days, the walls and spires of the castle can be seen stretching down into the inky depths, and adventurers have been known to hire boats from the local villagers in order to attempt swimming down to explore the castle's walls, but few have returned from the icy darkness. Some have spoken of seeing figures still stalking the halls by candlelight, and looking out the glazed windows. Other explorers say that from time to time, a door can be found in the basement of the tower which leads down into the interior of the fortress. Who know what evil lurks in the heart of this cursed fastness- phantoms, spirits trapped between life and death, or some other kind of challenges? It is said that the curse which sank the citadel resulted from Earl Branislav's betrayal of a witch who had performed some service for him, but the specifics have been lost to time, and buried beneath the inky waters of the Clarn Mere. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 28 September 2021. Adventurers are often on the lookout for a little more coin, and going bounty-hunting either as their main side gig, or as a brief dalliance, is a favourite way to do it. Here are some bounties offered for targets, and what they might have done, as well as complications that can make claiming the bounty more difficult.
1 - Wanted for Murder! Matias Mangual, brigand. 50gp reward. Matias is an escaped slave with a high price on his head, and is trying to escape those who would see him in irons again. He slew his overseer in escaping, and just wants to make his way home to his family. 2 - Wanted! Dead at any costs! The traitor Ransekh. 1,000gp reward. Ransekh is indeed a traitor, known for having opened the gates to the Crimson Fortress while it was under siege for a sum. Now, scorned and hated by all those who survived the slaughter, he broods over a tribe of Goblins who he has beaten into submission. 3 - Bring back ALIVE! 50 gp for information, 500 gp for living return. The thief known as the Lily Shadow. The Lily Shadow is a talented catburglar who stole a fabulous package of uncut gems from a crime lord following a heist. The crime lord wants to make an example of the thief to discourage any further 'initiative'. 4 - LSOT KAT. Plz Halp. 3sp. Looks like this <stick drawing of a cat>. The local orphans have lost their cat, and have pooled a small pile of copper pennies for its safe return. The cat got out after a door was left open, and has made its way across town into an abandoned warehouse. This adventure could lead into further danger with criminals, guards, or cultists (or all at once, go nuts). 5 - Reward for bringing in those who took my staff. See Archmage Tadraek for details. Archmage Tadraek's staff was stolen recently, and he wants it back. But more importantly, he wants to punish those responsible. He suspects his former housekeeper, who has gone missing since the robbery, but does not have the time or skillset to go searching himself. He is willing to part with his prized Ring of Protection for returning the volatile Staff of Power, as he fears what it might do in the wrong hands. 6 - Lord Gavyn Dathalzi, Peer of the Realm, Purse of the Exchecquer, is hereby stripped of all titles and ranks, and a purse of 10,000 gold coins is offered for his capture. By command of the King. Lord Gavyn Dathalzi is an embezzler who has been lining his own pockets for years. While this would ordinarily be punished by some quiet imprisonment as a Ward of the Realm, and loss of some family estates, the amount embezzled was quite astronomical and when confronted, he drew a weapon and fought to escape. Several bounty hunters are likely to pursue this bounty at once, and Gavyn himself might be able to turn some of them with the offer of hidden coin. 7 - For forfeit of ransom, the knight Sir Clementine Mournlance is declared an escapee. 1,000 gold coins offered for her return, unharmed, 500 gold for dead body. Sir Clementine is a knight who gave her promise to surrender when captured, and a ransom of 1,000 gold pieces was agreed upon. However, when she saw that her captor planned to use her to ambush the family members who would bring her ransom, she escaped and is fighting her way home to save them. 8 - Miscarriage of Justice! The judge Reth Willowsworn has accepted corrupt bribes! 100 gold pieces for his capture and bringing to trial. Reth Willowsworn is a travelling judge who is accompanied by a pair of Knights while on the road. While thoroughly morally corrupt, the bribes have been for approving shoddy building practices rather than for making faulty judgements. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 16 September 2021. While most adventures are based in standard European temperate forest settings, changing location can make for a real change of pace and theme. To steal a march on my current D&D campaign, which is set in an archipelago of tropical islands, here are some set pieces which you can use to set up explorations, swashbuckling nautical fun, and adventure galore!
1 - Clamoroso Island: This island, marked by several rough stony peaks that guard the inner valley, is ringed by terrible storms. The thunder echoes from the peaks, and rumours of earlier explorers say that some fabulous lost city lurks in the shadowy vale between the peaks. 2 - Atolón de Orilva: A series of pleasant crescent islands with crystal-clear water shield a dreadfully dark sinkhole, potentially more than a hundred fathoms deep. No diver who has descended below the light level has ever returned. 3 - La Isleta Arenosa: A low island that vanishes during king tide, used as a meeting-place and marketplace by traders and the locals of nearby islands. Its beaches are shallow, warm, and inhabited by amiable tropical fish. 4 - Bellburn Reef: A distant collection of tall rocky towers with precarious wooden huts protruding from the sides, this area is visited rarely by traders. However, the guano of its gulls makes a valuable tradestuff, and locals are famed for their feats of athletic acrobatics, racing along the crumbling tops of the stacks as they head out into the sea. 5 - Teratawa Isle: A large island with a smouldering volcano. There are forests of out-of-place tree varieties, and it seems as though a flock of Wyverns circle the volcano's peak. Several tribes are known to populate the island, most of them neutral or friendly to outsiders. 6 - Vonmere Skerry: Once a fortified colony of the Free City, this port has become a pirate haven. It is famous for accepting travelers under any flag, and accepting any trade goods offered- if the price is right. It is home to a rough blend of sailors and traders, as well as practitioners of forbidden magics. 7 - Beaconmack Holm: An island famed for its unstable geography, even in the waters surrounding it, it is now topped by an arcane lighthouse to warn travellers. However, ships passing by in recent years have reported seeing its light flickering. 8. Vallant's Island: This lush island is home to a rich variety of bizarre monsters and terrains, as well as a small sheltered harbour claimed by an accentric and influential nobleman. He hosts hunting parties, although some who have enjoyed his hospitality tell that there is a misty plateau that even Vallant and his soldiers avoid at great cost. 9. Ma'Kai Tapihana: An island that the natives tell is haunted by demons, it has remained unsettled by colonists. Several expeditions have ventured onto its grey, rocky shores, but few survivors have returned, their faces aghast and their tongues stilled. 10. Enutanga Nopera: Fabled to have been the seat of power of the 'Queen of Blood' over eight hundred years ago, this island has sunk below the sea, although the stone monoliths and step pyramids that marked her vicious reign are visible at low tide. Enterprising divers sometimes chance swimming down to explore, and some have returned with carven stone idols or gems that have made them wealthy. Others, however, have vanished in the depths. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 3 September 2021. While it's fairly commonplace for adventurers to leave town to go on an adventure, it can be a welcome change of pace for the adventure to come to them! If a merchant brings back some kind of monster frozen in ice, captured in a cage, or unearths some imprisoned being beneath the earth, adventure can erupt swiftly onto the otherwise-safe streets and tavern floors.
Threatening somewhere that seems safe can change up the feel of an adventure mid-event, whether that involves changing evading the notice of the patrolling guards to escaping the vision of the vicious hellbeast that's been unleashed, or saving loved (or hated) NPCs from the familiar streets of your hometown. Suddenly, knowledge of where the windows and doors are, how far it is from one district to another, and the level of NPCs in the area will be incredibly useful. The creature may not even be beatable at the PCs' level- the challenge might be in evading collapsing buildings, rescuing NPCs, and fleeing to safety (like the beginning of Skyrim, for example). Some monsters you could use for this idea: - Giants - Demons/devils - Beholders - Dragons - Abominations (including the Tarrasque!) At lower levels, you could consider a Hydra, Deepspawn, or other similar creature with the ability to influence multiple events across a large area. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 17 August 2021. A famed and feared pirate, 'Laughing' Loretta is a reaver, a murderer, and a desecrator of sacred places. Once a privateer of the King's Navy, she was left to die on the flaming decks of her ship by her less-than-loyal crew, and the monster that survived swore vengeance on every mother's son who sailed under the King's flag. Over the last fourteen years she has raised a fleet of four of her own ships, and used them to sink no less than sixteen of the Navy's vessels, sacked four ports, burned two temples to the ground, and been responsible for hundreds of associated deaths. Her deeds are legendary, and the King's Navy set a price of 5,000 gold pieces for her death or capture over a decade ago.
Now, she has committed an act which has dramatically escalated the urgency- Loretta has staged an assault on the King's Port itself, shredding his prized galleon and sinking it to the bottom of the harbour in flames, demolishing a part of the palace with cannon-fire, and looting the treasury, which included relics of the royal family itself. The crown has increased the offer to 10,000 gold pieces and a noble title, payable immediately upon delivery. This prize has attracted ne'er-do-wells, other pirates, and bold merchant-warriors keen to make their fortune, but the wily and power-drunk pirate has made her lair in an old fort on the distant Isla Aratoria. There, she is defended by her wild and dangerous crew, flush with success and vicious in their revels. Rumour says she has also made some sort of pact with a sea serpent to defend the waters surrounding her island. But perhaps some of her past crew, abandoned in a prison complex some years ago, can be persuaded to share the secrets they knew? The quest to find the Pirate Queen will be a long and dangerous one, but perhaps one worth a noble sum? Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 8 July 2021. Quests with magical causes can make for some of the more interesting and exciting adventures.
Here are a few you can use for your game: 1. Archmage's Labyrinth: An archmage renowned for their intricate traps and tricks has died, seemingly of natural causes. One minute after their funeral, an arcane message appears on every street corner across the continent in fiery letters, promising the path to the archmage's hidden library of spells if they can only solve the riddles included. The messages burn out after a minute, leaving only what people have written down or can remember, and leaving an entire continent's worth of mages and treasure-hunters trying to race each other to the destination. 2. Redemption: A captured prisoner from the Wytch Clans has promised to make amends for her actions in the war. However, her behaviour leads others to believe she may have some ulterior motive, and the members of her clan are gathering outside the city. In the meantime, she stalks the confines of her cell, a confident snarl on her face. 3. Discovery: Rumours of a new lethal kind of magic spell are sweeping the streets. An orphan is the only survivor of the spell's aftermath, and several factions, including the worshippers of a demon cult, the apprentices of a powerful mage, and magic-hating nihilist barbarians are all on the lookout for the child, and the PCs may be the key. 4. Electromagical Pulse: A brilliant star-flare of magical light appears over the city, and all of the magical effects in the city blink out. While this is inconvenient for those wielding magic in the short term, long-term effects protectin the city and ancient wards alike are gone too, and perhaps long-imprisoned foes are able to escape their bindings... 5. Divine Death: The ground quakes and the minds of worshippers are thrown into anguish as they feel the murder of a deity itself. Its energy is consumed utterly, leaving a gaping hole in the pantheon, and escalating tensions as the gods themselves struggle to understand such an unthinkable murder. 6. Network Connectivity Issues: A network of portals is discovered, each leading to strange and curious locations. A team of explorers is assembled to map the network as thoroughly as they can, and discern the meaning for the network itself. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 1 July 2021. The fabled 'Crescent Crawl' is a journey known to students, young nobles, and bravos of the Crescent City. Those who walk its path begin their drinks late in the afternoon, and those who even reach its end have rarely done so before the early hours of the morning. Although the crawl doesn't have to be done in the specific order, the tradition asks that those taking the pilgrimage partake of the house specialty in each of the taverns along the journey. The taverns, and their specialties, are as follows:
1. The Clean Pearl: This quiet, dignified tavern serves a cup of aged white wine, almost vinegar, with a very cheap pearl dissolved in it. This is said to soothe the stomach. 2. The Thick Drum: An Orc-themed bar with distressed furniture serves 'Oogakh', a rough red wine cut with beef juices. It is thoroughly awful, and no dignified Orc would be seen in the premises. 3. The Abstract Demon: Decorated with a magically-animated hanging sign, this tavern is close-by to the Mages' Academy and serves a cherry wine called The Devil's Kiss in a decorative pewter chalice and top, which smokes and must be drunk in one draught. 4. The Old Man of the Forest: This tavern features a halfling 'wild man' who capers about and terrorizes the patrons. Its specialty is a cup of syrupy maple liqueur, hard to gulp down. 5. The Folding Crane: This tavern is hung with paper room dividers and features small rock sculptures with running water. Its drink is a gooseberry liquor served in a tall vial. 6. The Old City: Popular with landholding nobles and law-clerks, this tavern's house specialty is a simple and foamy brown ale. 7. The Twin Locks: A tavern with buildings on both sides of a street, connected by a bridging balcony. The tavern's specialty is a red wine served with ice cubes. 8. The Ruthless Swan: Set beside the university green and famed for the aggressive birds which attack students, the Ruthless Swan's specialty is a trio of cheap and stomach-rotting liquor shots. 9. The Howling Devil: A rough tavern popular with mercenaries, drinking here usually involves trading punches with one of its muscular bouncers. Asking for the house specialty attracts derision from all of the tavern-goers, and is likely to result in a suprise blow to the back of the head. 10. The Froghemoth: An exotic tavern staffed by waiters wearing faux-Froghemoth headbands, the house specialty is a goopy green melon-flavoured wine that wriggles slightly in the throat. People sometimes go missing from this tavern without explanation. 11. The Bat's Whistle: A gothic haunt popular with warlocks and necromancers, this tavern serves absinthe-laced milk to newcomers. 12. The Yellow Library: An antiqued tavern which is decorated wall-to-wall with bookshelves and favoured by wizards. The specialty is a tall glass of white wine with a torn-off piece of spell scroll at the bottom of the glass. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 24 June 2021. |
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