Table For Two

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TABLE FOR TWO 9 ADVENTURES FOR 1 DM & 1 PLAYER

CREDITS PROJECT LEAD Megan Irving

COVER ART D.W. Dagon

WRITERS Ally Sulentic, Cat Evans, Collette Quach, David Markiwsky, KC Shi, Leon Barillaro, Megan Irving, Miranda Mels, Paul Keiter, Samantha Lavender

EDITORS Cat Evans, David Markiwsky, Leon Barillaro, Liz Gist, Megan Irving

ARTISTS Amet, Alison Huang, David Markiwsky, D.W. Dagon, Eric Grimoire, Jennifer Peig, Liz Gist, Luciella Scarlett, Kari Kawachi

LAYOUT David Markiwsky DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. All other original material in this work is copyright 2020 by its respective author and published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction and Tips for Running Duets

4

Tea for Two

5

Hidden Valley

14

Missing in the Underdark

23

An Inheritance of Heads

30

The Unmaking

36

Whispers of Nightmare

45

Atonement 54 The Heist of High Hill

59

Take a Wish Foundation

69

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INTRODUCTION

COMBAT Let the player control NPCs during combat. Perhaps they have a follower like a squire, page, etc, or can hire bodyguards. If there are follower NPCs in the adventure, give them basic combat stats from the Monster Manual, or use the new Sidekick rules from the Essentials Kit - Megan

The typical Dungeons & Dragons group has one DM & four players. Most adventures from WotC and home-brew sites like this one are balanced around this figure. But I’ve always struggled to find that many people who both want to play and have time to play. In fact, my usual party is two players and one DM, but I often play with just one player. I know I’m not alone in having a small group, especially right now as we’re all stuck at home during this pandemic.

When you have less players, the CR of monsters goes way up, especially when there’s a few of them. I like to balance this over encounters - a few encounters of lots of very weak monsters (like the Minions from 4e, monsters with only 1 hit point),, and a few encounters of one stronger monster. - Megan

So I gathered a group of really talented authors and artists to put together this volume; a set of adventures that can be played with just one DM and one player. They all rose to the challenge, creating the awesome adventures and incredible art you’ll find in this book. I’m honoured to have been able to work with them. I hope you enjoy our adventures.

Let the player skip combat altogether. This is a very loose way to play D&D, but I find one on one D&D can feel like more of a shared narrative and less of a wargame. To do this, just ask the player how their character deals with the combat encounter and then move on. Make sure they lose some health/spell points/etc each time, otherwise the overall adventure can feel too easy. - Megan

If you’re new to playing with a small table, here are some tips and anecdotes, from our tables to yours:

NARRATIVE Give the player more control over the narrative. With only two voices, they can be a more equal partner in shaping the story you’re playing together. - Megan

Don't stop roleplaying in combat. Ideally this would be the case for all D&D, but with several players and many monsters, detailed portrayals of each foe can understandably fall by the wayside. With just one PC facing off against a single villain (or at most, just a few), however, there's no reason to choose action over acting. This doesn't just apply to speech, either—throw in shoves, dodge actions, ready actions, anything less tactically optimal as long as it's in character for them. - Sam

Let the player control NPCs during narrative scenes. - Megan Don't be afraid to be vulnerable! With only one PC on the stage, you can shine a bigger spotlight on their emotional responses, and the emotional responses of the NPCs they interact with as well. - Sam Having only one player gives you the opportunity to leverage their character’s backstory in a much stronger way. Take the time to discuss the backstory of your player’s character and even build some NPCs to act as long term rivals or antagonists. -David

ANECDOTES Our one-on-one sessions usually run about 1½ to 2½ hours. You move through your prep a lot faster with only one player. You also don't get downtime like you do in a usual D&D session, and that amount of non-stop playing can be tiring. - Miranda

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TEA FOR TWO By Collette Quach A simple stroll outside turns into a trip into another plane of existence. Stuck in the domain of Euphoria, the adventurer must find a way out of this plane before they lose themselves in the bliss. Content Warnings: Mental Illness, Drug Use, Eating Disorders

LEVELS 1 -3

ADVENTURE HOOK

BLISS Throughout this adventure there are moments where the magic of the domain of Euphoria affects the adventurer as it attempts to make them a full denizen of this world. There are points where players must roll a Bliss check,which is a DC 9 Wisdom Saving Throw to ground themselves in reality, avoiding from falling into bliss, gaining a Bliss stack. A player can fail this check up to 10 times before they become citizens of the realm and decide to stay here permanently. Bliss is accrued throughout the adventurer’s time in Euphoria. It can happen randomly via a dice roll or through story beats.

The only hook needed for this adventure is the fall into a portal to the domain of Euphoria. The portal can be found in woodland areas: in caves or under trees, alcoves, or tree trunks.

ADVENTURE BACKGROUND

There are ways to center the adventurer’s mind and remove a single stack of Bliss - for example, spells such as lesser restoration. Adventurers can roll a DC 14 Wisdom check to remove a Bliss stack. However, this action can only be taken five times.

Before playing this adventure please note that this story involves mental illness and neurodivegency as one of its main themes. Take the time to discuss with your player lines and veils: what should be avoided and what can be explored lightly. If need be, take breaks to recenter yourself.

CHAPTER 1: DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

This adventure is suited for players of level 1-3, preferably level 1. Inspired by the story of Alice in Wonderland, the adventurer falls into a demiplane of Euphoria, a minor plane within the Feywild. This small demiplane is home to lush and vibrant flora. The colors of this land are bright vibrant pinks, yellows, and oranges. Everything is highly saturated and bright.

The adventure begins when the player wakes up in a land of vibrant pinks, yellows, greens, and oranges. They are in the middle of a vast field of tall, yellow grass. On one end of the field is a road that leads down a paved path into a forest.

In the plane of Euphoria, the residents run on an almost constant motor, wanting to do everything right now, even if it is completely off topic from the conversation or what they were doing before. The native residents of the realm are fey folk, similar to those found in the greater Feywild.

INTO THE WOODS WE GO... The woods close in from the vast meadow, solitary and quiet. The trees breathe and sway in the wind in a quiet croak. Eventually, the paved path turns to dirt. Trees seem to repeat themselves...or do they?

This adventure does not involve any combat. However there are skill checks and other ways to interact with Euphoria.

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Roll a Bliss check. On a failed check, in addition to a stack of Bliss, the adventurer is overwhelmed with euphoria, taking a break to stare at the plants and trees around them.

GRABBING ATTENDEES ATTENTION Simply asking for their attention doesn’t work as the attendees are too absorbed in whatever debauchery they are doing. Below are examples that players can do. The DC for the roll will always be 14.

This should be the first introduction to the Bliss mechanic.

A PICNIC FOR 1,000

Charisma (Performance) Check: Adventurers can sing, dance, perform a joke, even a soliloquy to captivate an audience.

Twists and turns leads down a solitary path to a meadow. Lamps, lanterns, and various party trinkets are suspended on the branches of trees, lighting the way. The smell of freshly baked pastries and breads is absolutely enticing.

Strength (Athletics) Check: Adventurers can perform feats of strength such as lifting or throwing objects to awe a crowd.

The meadow is filled with hundreds of denizens from humans to elves to eladrin and to even various other faefolk of Euphoria. A gigantic picnic blanket covers the entirety of the meadow. Dishes of food and pitchers of drinks are placed around the area while hungry picnic goers stack their plates high with dishes.

Dexterity (Acrobatics) Check: Adventurers can perform feats of dexterity such as gymnastics to dazzle the attendees.

There is a sense of merriment, as opposed to the confusion the adventurer has been through before.

Eventually, after asking many guests, they direct you to a small group near the center of the picnic. An autumn eladrin lounges on the grass, gazing at the sky. Their name is Equinox (they/them, autumn eladrin (MToF), Neutral). It takes a bit for them to respond. They do know how to leave Euphoria, but it slipped their mind. They ask the adventurer to join them in cloud watching until they remember where it was.

A JUGGLING CONTEST In one corner of the picnic is a crowd of people, cheering as various objects are thrown into the air. Juggling pins, balls, even pies are being thrown into the air by various performers. In a sudden flurry, all the juggling objects are thrown in the air and expertly caught by the performers. In front of the crowd, boomed a powerful voice of the announcer, an eccentric human (True Neutral, Commoner)

The clouds swirl into various shapes and scenes, dancing in the sky. It’s mesmerizing. Roll a Bliss check. A success keeps the adventurer from being mesmerized. A failure has the adventurer drifting off in a trance staring at the clouds. Time passes until Equinox shakes them to reality.

“What a lovely display of acrobatics! And now who’s next? Don’t be shy! We take all jugglers from all skills. Even non-jugglers! You! How about you?”

Remembering where the portal is, Equinox tells the adventurer that they can go to the Court of Euphoria. The Court would be able to send the adventurer back home. The Court often changes settings, but Equinox recalls that the lieges recently felt like being in the trees.

The announcer points out the adventurer and beckons them to participate. If they agree to perform, there are various items available to juggle: balls, cakes, knives, metal tea pots, expensive porcelain dishes, and chairs. The more daring the item, the more the crowd is excited. A Charisma (Performance) check with a base DC of 10, going up by 1 for each daring object chosen.

HERE? THERE? OVER THERE? With a direction to go, the adventurer can find the Court of Euphoria. There are four paths in the cardinal directions. One path is the path they came from, and another is into the woods. The third leads to another sprawling yellow field; the fourth leads to a cave. If the adventurer decides to go into the cave, they can jump to Trial of Ecstacy in Chapter 2.

CLOUD WATCHING Many of the attendees for this picnic are enjoying the festivities and ignore the adventurer if they ask for directions. However there are ways to attract the attention:

DEVELOPMENT Head deeper into the woods to find the Court of Euphoria.

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CHAPTER 2: THE COURT

The Lady of Sport (She/her, spring eladrin (MToF), Chaotic Neutral): A lady whose vice is hunting. Animals or people, it’s all out of sport rather than for survival. A deer quickly dashes past the adventurer before the lady shoots and arrow narrowly past them, hitting the animal.

The adventurer climbs up the spiral ramp higher and higher up the large tree, arriving at a grand palace within the trees. Almost suspended in the area, this palace is the court of the domain of Euphoria. The hub of Bliss, the Court rules over the domain in debauchery and revelry.

RITE OF PASSAGE The lieges of the domain have access to a portal to take the adventurer back to their home plane. However, the lieges love to see their domain grow with new denizens. So the tests are planned to influence the mind of the adventurer to keep them here as a citizen. They put the adventurer through trials one from each liege in order to gain passage to the portal.

LAYOUT OF THE PALACE The spiral ramp leads to the main hall: a wide open corridor that stretches down, almost as if it extends past the tree’s width. Two winter eladrin (MToF) stand guard down the main hallway, and two stand at the grand doorways. Past the doorways is the throne room. It houses the lords, ladies, and leiges of the domain of Euphoria. They are all seated around a grand banquet table.

TRIAL OF LETHARGY The Lord of Lethargy asks you to try and put an artisan to sleep. While an amazing artist, Yara (she/her, commoner, neutral good) is a workaholic. The Lord of Lethargy wants her to take a nap. He provides you with a couple of items to help you in your quest—sleeping pills, a bow and arrow, hot chocolate, and a pillow—before promptly falling back to sleep.

THE LEIGES OF EUPHORIA There are a total of six lieges that govern the domain, each with their own vices The Lord of Lethargy (He/him, winter eladrin, Neutral): A lord whose vice is laziness and sloth. He lounges on a reclining couch, lazily consuming various fruits in front of him.

Bliss is gained if you force the artist to go sleep i.e. drugging her or coercing her to sleep.

The Lady of Consumption (She/her, noble, Neutral): A faefolk dressed in elaborate finery, more than the other lieges. Her vice is overindulgence; be it food, drink, clothing, she has the best in quantities that are more than enough for her. The food is elaborately placed around her, with different tastes and smells. She also eyes at the various dishes being brought to the table and reprimands those that aren’t up to her standard.

No Bliss is gained if you convince her to take a nap on her own with a successful DC 16 Charisma (Persuasion) check.

TRIAL OF CONSUMPTION The Lady of Consumption tasks the adventurer to bake an elaborate cake for her. She hands the adventurer a recipe for chocolate blue rose sponge cake with black lily drizzle.

The Liege of Amusement (They/ them, noble, Neutral): A lord whose vice is finding a good laugh or thrill, no matter the cost or situation. They are quietly putting together a small tripping hazard for whoever walks by. When a servant holding a large tray of food trips over the hazard, the food flies off the plate, splashing everywhere. They burst out in a jovial laughter upon seeing it. The Liege of Ecstacy(Siya, Pronounced sh-ah, noble, Neutral): A faefolk whose vice is drugs and illicit materials. Siya is in a trance-like state after smoking from a hookah pipe, which produces a sweet and pungent odor. Even breathing in too much of the smell secondhand causes the adventurer’s head to spin. The Lord of Secrets (He/him, summer eladrin (MToF), Chaotic Neutral): A lord whose vice is knowing too much about everyone. He is loudly gossiping with the Liege of Ecstacy about a lesser noble of the domain.

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with Black Lily Drizzle ke Ca se Ro e Blu e lat oco Ch for e Recip Ingredients for Black Lily drizzle ial liquor 1 small bottle of Effervescent (A spec found in the domain of Euphoria) 1 small bottle of sugar lily, 4 sprigs of Shadowfell variant black plant, Save 1 for garnish (from the top of the most) where the light hits the flower the

Ingredients for Sponge 2 cups of freshly ground white flour e of 1 cup of water from the Elemental Plan Water cut) Crushed blue rose (preferably freshly 2 bars of Infernal Chocolate 1 Roc Egg 1 stick of Unicorn Butter

Steps for Sponge der. 1. Grind the blue rose to a fine pow m. 2. Melt the chocolate, keep it war nts. 3. Combine the rest of the ingredie 4. Add the chocolate; mix well.

5. Mix in the blue rose. 6. Fill a cake tin with the batter. minutes. 7. Bake at a high temperature for 20 8. Let cool for 30 minutes. Steps for drizzle 1. Finely chop 3 sprigs of black lily. off all the alcohol. 2. Pour Effervescent into a pan; burn 3. Add sugar and chopped black lily; y; 4. Keep on heat until a syrup consistenc Assembling the Cake the syrup on top on top of the 1. Once the cake has cooled, drizzle cake until completely covered. 2. Garnish with leftover black lily.

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The Lady of Consumption expects the best cake the adventurer has ever made. All the ingredients are located in the kitchen wing of the palace. The servants are too busy with their own tasks to help find it, but give you suggestions on what these items look, smell, or taste like. The kitchen has four notable areas to search: the kitchen itself, the dry pantry, the cellar, and the multiplane greenhouse. They are amongst various ingredients that look or smell similar. The DM can create different options the adventurer has to choose from. The cellar houses the Effervescent and the water. The liquor is an iridescent purple blue smelling of berries. The water is a bright blue green color, similar to a clear ocean. The dry pantry has flour, chocolate and sugar. The flour is with other bags of flour with different types and grain types. The sugar is white sugar that can easily be found. The infernal chocolate is a dark chocolate. It has a bit of heat to it, but is incredibly decadent. There is pre-crushed blue rose in a jar, however it is not the correct ingredient the lady wants. The kitchen has egg and butter. The roc egg is a medium large egg that’s pale tan with pale gold speckles. The butter looks like regular butter but has a distinct cream taste. The greenhouse has the blue rose and the black lily. The blue rose is a small bush with large protruding thorns. The black lily is growing on a rock, distinct with it’s deep black color. To get the ingredient the lady wants, adventurers must climb up the rock to reach the lilies at the top of the rock. Once the ingredients are found, the adventurer can simply roll a performance check. The base DC is 18. However choosing the correct ingredients reduces the DC by 1 for each correct item.

TRIAL OF AMUSEMENT The Liege of Amusement wants you to spice up a wedding. They send you to create as much mayhem as possible as their gift to the newlyweds. Jokes and basic entertainment such as dancing work on a successful DC 13 Charisma (Performance) check. Causing true mayhem at the wedding, while giving bliss stacks, is guaranteed to make the guests and the newlyweds remember this day. An example of that can be the adventurer overtaking the first dance or upstaging the speeches.

If adventurers makes the cake correctly, the Lady says: “How delightful! So soft and moist. The flavor is just how I like it!”

If adventurers fail to make the cake correctly, they roll a Bliss check. The Lady says

TRIAL OF ECSTACY

“I cannot believe this?!? Is this what you call a cake? What does your plane even eat? Fine. I suppose you did the job I asked of you. I would suggest you take some cooking classes when you return to your plane. It might do you some good.”

The Liege of Ecstacy asks the adventurer to retrieve a lost shipment of their favorite drug. Siya tracked it down to a cave and provides the adventurer a portal to the destination. The cave is filled with flowers of dark pinks and blues. A sweet odor permeates throughout the cave. A successful DC 10 Intelligence (History) check reminds the adventurer that the smell is similar to the drug the Liege was using.

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Further investigation reveals that the odor comes off of the pollen from the flowers of the plants. The shipment is located in the second level of the cave down a slope.

The liege will begrudgingly remove the effects of the flower pollen if asked.

TRIAL OF SECRETS

Along the way, the adventurer must roll a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw to dodge incoming flower pollen. On a failure the adventurer inhales the pollen. While it’s not in its most refined form, it has some mind altering effects.

The Lord of Secrets has a masquerade soiree in another wing of the palace. In that soiree is someone who he wants to assassinate. As a game, he wants you to find out who it is.

EFFECTS OF THE FLOWER POLLEN

WHAT YOU KNOW

1st dose: Movement speed is reduced by half. Roll for Bliss

• The mark wears a mask with ram horns, resembling a tiefling

2nd dose: Disadvantage on Wisdom and Dexterity checks

• The mark has an emerald armadillo pin • The mark is a minor noble of the court

3rd dose: Disadvantage on all checks

• The mark abstains from alcohol

4th and onward: Adventurer rolls for Bliss with the DC going up by 1 for every following pollen (Max 20)

• The mark secretly has an affair with another noble The attendees know the game the lord plays. They don’t easily give information and keep their lips sealed. The adventurer must find ways to loosen their lips. Everyone has a vice or secret and can slip up. Adventurers can simply try to sweet talk their way for the truth. Or they can use more illicit means: bribery, eavesdropping, maybe even coercion. It’s all fair game in the Lord of Secrets’ court.

The deeper the adventurer goes, the higher the chance the adventurer runs into pollen. Whenever [when should the DM roll?], roll a d10; on a 1-5, the adventurer encounters more pollen spray. Once the shipment is obtained they venture back up to the portal to return to the court. The portal can appear as soon as the adventurer has the shipment in possession to lower difficulty or to save time.

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1d12

Guest Secret/Vice

1

The guest overindulges in alcohol

2

This guest is having an affair with another guest

3

This guest is a voyeur

4

This guest drugs and robs another guest

5

This guest is planning on murdering another guest

6

This guest is planning a coup of the Lord of Secret’s

7

This guest is conspiring to hunt down a prized unicorn of the Lady of Sport

8

This guest is not on the guest list for this soiree

9

This guest has forged their invitation for the soiree

10

A group of guests are planning on committing a heist

11

This guest has cross contaminated the banquet table

12

This guest has a very short temper

“You’ve been in Euphoria for long enough. I never said it was one person. Don’t you know not everything is what it seems?”

TRIAL OF SPORT The Lady of Sport asks the players to hunt down a rare animal in the back gardens of the palace. The guards provide the adventurer with hunting equipment, should they need it. They can receive a bow with 20 arrows and/ or a spear. They are then escorted to the gardens behind the palace. The garden is like any garden, but suspended with the trees, with a transparent sturdy glass as the ground. The gardens consist of weeping willow-like trees, with their leaves iridescent blues, purples, and greens. The rare animal that the Lady of Sport wants is an iridescent tiger (MM) with a white coat that shimmers with the same colors as the gardens. The lady specifically says that you bring her the tiger, but does not specify to bring it dead or alive. Doing this, the adventurer must roll a Bliss check. However, if they bring the animal alive they do not need to. The Lady would in fact be surprised that she never thought of that before.

DEVELOPMENT

There are three possible marks: Liege Armand, Lady Diyoza, and Lord Ambrose, who each match the description given. The mark is Lord Ambrose and Lady Diyoza.

Once the trials have been completed, the lieges give the adventurer access to the portal home.

Bliss is gained if the player guesses wrong, and the lord tells the adventurer:

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CHAPTER 3: A VERY IMPORTANT DATE

Each time they are returned to the Hall of Esch, roll 1D10. If the result is less than 5 or less, the adventurer rolls a Bliss check.

DEVELOPMENT

It is time to escape the domain of Euphoria. Time is running short before our dear adventurer becomes a denizen of Euphoria.

Reaching the correct door, the adventurer climbs out of the Domain of Euphoria and back into the Material plane.

A FAST TRACK TO EUPHORIA

CONCLUSION

The Lieges of Euphoria, with their tasks now complete,reveal that the door behind them leads to their escape. How specifically, they do not tell you the details.

If the adventurer escaped Euphoria with less than 4 stacks of Bliss:

THE HALL OF ESCH

You scramble out of Euphoria, tumbling back where you fell through in the first place. With a logical head on your shoulders, you escape the domain of Euphoria. In the end, the influence of the leiges did not get to you.

Through the doors, is a room filled up, down, and side-toside with stairs leading to closed doors. There are levels and levels of stairs with doorways going up as far as the eye can see. These doorways lead to various portals throughout the multiverse. But which one is it?

If the adventurer escapes Euphoria with 5 stacks of Bliss:

Adventurers can try to look for signs of what’s the correct door. They can use various skill checks, all with DC 14. Refer to the table for signs and what happens when you go in.

You climb out of the portal leading back to the Material Plane. You hug the ground, making sure everything around you is real. You feel the pull of Euphoria. The beckoning of the demiplane. But it’s behind you now, echoing in your head.

For ease of play, adventurers can return through the door to get back to the hall, with the room rearranged. Ideally the door to the material plane won’t appear until after the 2nd return to the hall. Plane

Signs

What Happens When You Go In

Feywilds

The smell of flowers and a slight haze of pink and white

A pool of clear water stands before the adventurer. The water has the properties of lesser restoration which can remove 2 stacks of Bliss. This effect can only happen once.

Shadowfell

Black smoke seeps out from the edges of the door.

Dropped in the pitch back darkness. Survival check DC 12 to navigate back to the doorway

Elemental Plane of Water

The faint smell of salt and crisp rain

Adventurers are dropped into a pool of water. The doorway is a 30ft swim.

Elemental Plane of Fire

The smell of singed hair and burnt wood.

Adventurers are dropped into a lava pool. The doorway is across a couple of rock stepping stones.

Astral Plane

Whispering in the wind

Adventurers land in an area full of floating rocks. The doorway is on one of the floating islands.

Euphoria

A sweet odor of baked goods

Bliss check, before being thrown back into the Hall

Material Plane

The scent of home

Proceed to the conclusion

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If the adventurer escapes Euphoria with more than 6 stacks of Bliss: Tumbling out of Euphoria, you arrive back into the material plane. You brush the dirt off of yourself. Looking back at the ground that spit you back out you think, “Maybe another trip there later?” No no no. That’s not right. Euphoria isn’t your home. But something, just something, is calling you back when you look back at where the portal used to be.

If the adventurer reaches 10 stacks of Bliss: The more time you spend in the plane of Euphoria the more you feel like you belong here. There is a method to this madness. Maybe staying here isn’t such a bad idea. Or maybe you always lived here? I think it’s time to have some tea. Maybe a picnic.

ADVENTURE TIE-INS If the adventurer reaches 10 stacks of Bliss, they become trapped in this realm. However, there can be moments of clarity, where the adventurer remembers their true home.

AUTHOR’S NOTES/ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I always had a habit of overthinking my writing, wondering if certain aspects of the adventure fit with one another. With Tea For Two, the challenge was to not do that. To just write whatever comes to my head. Just like the denizens of Euphoria, it’s to put down without a second thought.

AUTHOR BIO Collette is a California based writer and game designer. She has a strong passion for diversity and inclusivity either by creating or inspiring others to get into creating themselves. Her work can be found in Uncaged Volume 3 and Friends Foes and Other Fine Folks. Follow her on Twitter @ collettequach.

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HIDDEN VALLEY By Megan Irving A nobleman has hired the adventurer as a bodyguard to explore an old piece of family land tucked away in a valley for forgotten treasures. However, nothing is as it seems—the nobleman is just waiting for the right moment to betray the adventurer and take the treasure for himself. Also, the valley is full of dinosaurs.

LEVEL 5

ADVENTURE HOOK

CHAPTER 1: THE EXPEDITION

The adventurer is hired to guard a nobleman exploring an old jungle.

As the adventurer enters the town, read the following.

ADVENTURE BACKGROUND

Past the well-guarded gates, the town is a bustling hub of activity. There are people everywhere, gossiping loudly and trying to sell their goods in the open-air marketplace. In all the chaos, it takes you a moment to notice the posh elven man standing in front of you. He’s young and well-groomed, wearing a green velvet doublet and a supercilious expression.

Lord Rolen is a complete fraud. He was born into a rich family but was disowned as a young man after they discovered his thievery and violent assaults. Since then, he’s made a living through a combination of honest adventuring work and clever scams. He also has a bad habit of murdering his adventuring partners and taking their share of the treasure. The adventurer has never seen or heard of Lord Rolen before, but they may have known some of his victims.

“Welcome to our fair city, adventurer,” he says. “My lord has heard great tales of your valorous deeds. He has need of your skills and will pay you very well for your efforts. He’s waiting for you at the tavern. Please, follow me, and he’ll explain everything.”

Recently, Lord Rolen discovered a valley inhabited by dinosaurs and spotted with ancient ruins while adventuring. He murdered his ill fated adventuring companion, an elven woman, so he could have all the treasure for himself and then promptly discovered a huge door, probably leading to a treasure vault, that required two people to open. Now he’s running a scam to get someone to help him open that door and get at whatever is inside.

If asked, the courtier introduces himself as Arannis and his patron as Lord Rolen Turtendorff. He doesn’t know the details of the task but assures the adventurer that it’s honourable and well-paid.

The adventure starts in a large town or small city. The adventurer should be passingly familiar with it, but not know every person who lives there.

MEETING LORD ROLEN Arannis leads the adventurer to a nearby tavern called The Drunken Quaggoth. He takes them through the rowdy first floor and up to the quieter second floor where a posh elven man with an unpleasantly toad-like face and blond ringlets is drinking red wine by himself at a small table. Arannis introduces his master, Lord Rolen Turtendorff, then leaves.

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Lord Rolen (he/him, elf bandit captain (MM), chaotic evil) explains that his great-uncle Lord Harrelford recently died, and among his possessions was a map of a nearby jungle that indicated an unexplored valley that belongs to the Turtendorffs at its center. The map indicates there is treasure in the valley, and Lord Rolen wants protection while searching for it. He offers the adventurer 100 gp to guard him while he explores the valley, plus a 25% share of any treasure. If asked, Lord Rolen Turtendorff explains that he’s from a rich family, who owns large sections of land outside the City. A noble adventurer from the area or an adventurer who successfully makes a DC 15 Intelligence (History) check is mildly familiar with the Turtendorffs, but has never met Lord Rolen or Lord Harrelford before. If this is mentioned, Lord Rolen just smiles and says that they must move in slightly different circles. Lord Rolan has certainly heard of the adventurer. Lord Rolen orders drinks while he and the adventurer work out the final terms of their deal. He apologises that he cannot put up the adventurer in his own manor, as it would be improper. An adventurer who succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check or has the noble background knows that this is a lie. He says they’ll meet in the morning at the tavern. The tavern has rooms available for 8 sp.

INVESTIGATING LORD ROLEN If the adventurer asks people in the tavern about Lord Rolen, nobody knows anything about him. The courtier, Arannis, is a well-known man for hire around town. With a successful DC 18 Dexterity (Stealth) check, the adventurer can follow Lord Rolen to a small manor house just outside of town. Looking through windows, they see it’s a posh house, perfect for a young lord. There are no portraits or heraldry on the walls; nothing to tie Lord Rolen to house Turtendorff. Lord Rolen is furious if he sees they’ve followed him, but will still work with them. He claims he’s currently estranged from his family, but the map is real.

INTO THE JUNGLE Lord Rolen and Arannis meet the adventurer at the tavern in the morning with a small carriage loaded with two large explorer packs (PHB). Arannis drives them to the jungle, says he’ll return the day after next, and leaves them there. Lord Rolen unrolls a big map, and leads the adventurer into the jungle.

READING THE MAP The map is not to scale, but it clearly shows a valley with a treasure vault at the center of the jungle. There are a number of strange symbols and landmarks on the map that

15

Lord Rolen says will guide you to the treasure. Lord Rolen consults the map with the adventurer’s help multiple times during the jungle expedition.

ISSUES WITH THE MAP If the adventurer is proficient in Survival, Perception or Nature, has ranger levels, or is proficient with cartography tools, they notice that the map has been created very recently. If questioned, Lord Rolen says this is a reproduction of the original map that he drew himself so that nobody would see that the map was missing. He didn’t want to alert the rest of the family to the importance of the map.

FOLLOWING THE MAP To follow the map, make three DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) checks. If the adventurer is a ranger or has the outlander background, make these rolls with advantage. On a failed check, roll on the Jungle Encounters Table. If a result is rolled twice, reroll or use the next unused entry. To shorten the adventure, make one survival check instead of three. To lengthen the adventure, run each encounter in turn.

LORD ROLEN IN COMBAT Lord Rolen is trying to stay in-character as a mostlyhelpless nobleman,though he’s wearing studded leather armour and is carrying a scimitar, a dagger, and a light crossbow. To this end, he tries to stay out of combat, hangs back and mostly uses his crossbow. He only uses his melee weapons if necessary.

1d4

Jungle Encounter

1

Quicksand

2

Giant poisonous snakes

3

Climbing up a cliff

4

Insect hive

GIANT POISONOUS SNAKES Lord Rolen takes a turn leading the party and immediately trips over a huge vine. The vine starts angrily hissing - it’s a giant poisonous snake (MM), not a vine, and it’s furious. A second giant poisonous snake drops from the trees ahead, and the two of them rear up, baring their fangs. The snakes are angry but calm down quickly if the adventurer and Lord Rolen hide or try to run away. If the snakes are reduced to half health, they run away.

CLIFF CLIMB Ahead of the party, the jungle is broken up by a small rocky cliff. There’s no obvious paths up, they’ll just have to make a DC 15 Strength (Athletics or Acrobatics) check to climb up. On a failed check they fall, taking 1d6 damage, but can then climb up without making any further checks.

QUICKSAND The jungle floor is wet and marshy, sucking at the adventurer’s feet. They must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or become caught in quicksand. To pull themselves out, they’ll need to make a DC 15 Strength saving throw, taking 1d6 bludgeoning damage on a failure and half damage on a success from the crushing sand.

INSECT HIVE Lord Rolen falls into a large hole. The adventurer can pull him out without making any checks, but as Rolen emerges from the hole, so does a huge swarm of insects (MM). The hole was their hive, and they’re angry at being disturbed. The insects are very territorial and stop attacking if the adventurer and Lord Rolen leave the area. Otherwise, they retreat back into their hive if they are reduced to half health.

16

THE PASSAGEWAY

is proficient in History, has the sage background, grew up in the area, or makes a successful DC 15 Intelligence (History) check, they remember legends of an ancient civilisation in this area.

After resolving the final jungle encounter, read the following.

THE CLOAK PIN

Finally, after hours of hiking through the unfriendly jungle, you come to a passageway cut through a huge rock. Two roughly-carved statues of winged beasts stand on either side.

If the adventurer investigates the statues, or has a Passive Perception score of at least 13, they notice that Lord Rolen is wearing a cloak pin in the same artistic style as the statues. If questioned, he says the pin was a gift from his great-uncle.

“This must be it,” Lord Rolen says, his voice hushed.

DEVELOPMENT

He shows you the small image on the map marking the valley entrance—two statues on either side of a tunnel. You’ve made it—the valley must be on the other side of the passage.

The party has reached the hidden valley and can now explore it, searching for Lord Rolen’s treasure.

THE STATUES The statues are of a strange hybrid beast with a human face, lizard body, and big feathered wings. If the adventurer has encountered dinosaurs before or makes a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check, they immediately recognise the statues as humanoid quetzalcoatlus. If the adventurer

17

CHAPTER 2: THE VALLEY

3. To the left are big open rocky platforms up against the valley cliff walls. They’d have to be careful to scramble to the top, but from there it’s a clear run to the hill. Occasionally, large pterosaurs land on the rocks and screech at each other.

When the adventurer enters the passageway, read the following.

Regardless of which direction they choose, they need to get to the valley floor first, and go through some of the jungle. The adventurer must succeed on a DC 12 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to scramble down the loose rock leading to the jungle, or fall to the bottom and take 1d6 bludgeoning damage.

As you walk through the passageway, you can hear a strange animal screech. Light momentarily blinds you as you exit the stone passageway onto a huge rock platform, high above the ground, in a perfect spot to survey the whole valley. Below is a large lake and smaller rock platforms reaching out of the thick jungle. On the other side of the valley, the jungle thins out, revealing a huge sloping hill that leads to a cliff face with a cave entrance. Lord Rolen points to it.

VALLEY FLOOR This part of the valley is a thick jungle of huge trees, each as wide as two people standing abreast. Tucked between the trees are several small statues and shrines, carved in the same style as the passageway guardians. If examined, the adventurer may find a small amount of treasure; roll on the statue treasure table. On a duplicate, they find nothing, as the statue has clearly already been looted. This is where Lord Rolen actually got his cloak pin.

“That’s it,” he says. “I’m sure of it. That’s where the treasure is.” Before you can respond, a huge bird-like lizard flies past. A dinosaur! It’s chasing several smaller pterosaurs, and you recognise its awful hungry screech as the strange noise from earlier. You look down into the valley and see more dinosaurs; racing through the clearings, leaping out of the lake, and soaring across the jungle. One of the flying dinosaurs - a huge pteranodon - separates from its flock and flies straight at you, squawking angrily.

Lord Rolen immediately flings himself out of the way, gibbering in fear.The adventurer must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw to dodge out of the way or take 1d6 piercing damage. After startling Lord Rolen and the adventurer, the pteranodon soars away.

JOURNEYING ACROSS THE VALLEY

Statue Treasure

1

A rusted dagger with a hilt intricately carved to resemble a dinosaur.

2

A handful of spikes and teeth from dinosaurs that a blacksmith could use to decorate weapons or armour, or a jeweller could use to make jewelry.

3

20 blunt arrowheads. If cleaned up and attached to arrows, they create +1 arrows.

4

An amulet carved with the face of a crowned human-dinosaur hybrid.

After examining three statues, read the following.

There are clearly a few ways across the valley towards the cave, and none of them look safe. Lord Rolen says the map is unclear about which way is best and leaves the decision up to the adventurer. Make the following options clear to the adventurer: 1.

1d4

A shiver runs down your spine. Although the jungle around you is quiet, your finely-tuned sense of danger says that something is terribly wrong. You peer through the vines up ahead and see a dinosaur camouflaged against the trees, only betrayed by the gleam of its eyes, claws, and teeth.

Straight across is dense jungle, and they can hear distant roars coming from it.

2. To the right of the jungle is a huge lake. They probably can’t swim across, but alongside the lake is marshland they could carefully cross. Every so often they can see splashes in the lake and dinosaurs swimming in it.

You turn back to Lord Rolen to warn him, only to find him staring in fright at another dinosaur baring its teeth at him through the trees. They’ve flanked you, and from the look in their eyes, they’re hungry.

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The party are attacked by two hungry deinonychus (VGtM). The huge trees surrounding the combat can be used by either dinosaurs or the party for cover.

saving throw to jump behind a ruin and avoid the stampede, or take 1d6 bludgeoning damage. Small dinosaurs with sails on their backs, dimetrodons (VGtM), rush past. Behind them an allosaurus (MM), roars and chases them. As it enters the clearing, it stops and sniffs the air. It can clearly smell Lord Rolen and the adventurer. As the dimetrodons escape, the allosaurus starts prowling around the ruins looking for its next meal.

After the fight, read the following. After fighting the dinosaurs, you and Lord Rolen continue through the jungle. It finally thins out, and you emerge into a clearing. In front of you, above the canopy, is the cave. To your left, the clearing continues to the valley walls, where rocky outcrops and cliffs rim the valley. To your right, the clearing becomes a marshland next to the lake.

The adventurer can hide in the ruins to avoid the allosaurus with a successful DC 20 Dexterity (Stealth) check (made with disadvantage). Otherwise, they need to fight for their lives. The allosaurus is hungry, vicious, and fights to the death.

Lord Rolen looks at you and shrugs inelegantly. His posh hairstyle is in disarray, and he’s covered in dirt, sweat and blood. “Which way should we go?”

LAKESIDE If the adventurer chooses to go by the lake, read or paraphrase the following: It’s hot and humid by the lake, with huge, palmsized insects buzzing around menacingly. When they suddenly vanish, you’re grateful; it’s hard enough navigating the sucking mud beneath your feet without trying to deal with bugs as well. Then you realise why they left.

THE ADVENTURER’S CHOICE Depending on what the adventurer chooses here, go to the Jungle, Lakeside, or Rock Platforms section. After playing that section, go to The Hill section and continue from there.

JUNGLE

A huge dinosaur launches itself out of the depths of the lake, sending a wave of muddy water over you and Lord Rolen before landing in the shallow water at the lake’s edge. With a roar, the plesiosaurus grabs Lord Rolen with a powerful bite and starts shaking him in mid-air.

If the adventurer chooses to go through the jungle, read or paraphrase the following: You push your way through more of the dense jungle, startling a group of small dinosaurs nibbling at a large fern and emerging into a large clearing filled with the ruins of ancient buildings. Most have been worn down to crumbled foundations, but there are a few bare walls still standing. More small dinosaurs are wandering through the area.

THE PLESIOSAURUS On its first turn, or when attacked, the plesiosaurus (MM) hurls Lord Rolen into the mud, dealing 1d4 bludgeoning damage. The dinosaur is very hungry but dislikes leaving the water. If the adventurer and Lord Rolen run away, it won’t follow them very far. Otherwise, it fights to the death.

THE RUINS If the adventurer investigates the ruins, they find an old wooden box tucked against a wall inside one of the buildings. The wood is so old that it’s half-rotted away, and inside is a magical weapon. Depending on the adventurer’s class, it is either a staff of the adder (DMG), doss lute (DMG), or longsword of warning (DMG).

THE CHEST After dealing with the plesiosaurus, the adventurer trips on a partly-submerged chest and must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or fall flat on their face in the mud. The chest must have drifted across the lake and ended up stuck in the banks. Inside is a circlet of blasting (DMG).

THE STAMPEDE There is a loud roar in the distance, then a crashing of branches and trampling of dinosaur feet as a stampede approaches. The adventurer must make a DC 10 Dexterity

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ROCK PLATFORMS

THE LANDSLIDE As the two walk across the rock platforms, Lord Rolen trips over some loose rock and accidentally starts a small landslide. The falling rocks and the final crash are so loud that they silence the whole valley for a long moment.

If the adventurer chooses to go across the rock platforms, they first need to climb up them. They need to succeed on a DC 15 Strength (Athletics or Acrobatics) check or fall and take 1d6 bludgeoning damage while climbing. They’ll also need to help Lord Rolen climb up.

The silence is broken by a loud screech as a huge quetzacoatlus (VGtM) flies up. It lands on the rock platforms behind the adventurer and Lord Rolen and screeches again. The quetzalcoatl is very angry at the adventurer entering its territory and fights to the death. The party can try to outrun the quetzalcoatl with a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check or jump down into the jungle. If they jump down, they’ll have to take another path to the hill.

Once they’ve reached the top, read the following: From here, you have a great view of the beautiful valley, and can safely watch as a huge dinosaur leaps out of the lake to eat some small dinosaurs that were flying low overhead.

THE HILL

Along the cliff walls are a series of nooks and holes; some look natural but others look man-made. In some of them are small statuettes in the same artistic style you’re becoming familiar with, and in others are small urns.

After resolving the encounter, read the following. You hike through the valley, avoiding other dinosaur predators, and eventually reach the base of the hill. Looking up the slope past the sparse trees, piles of rocks, and the occasional grass-grazing dinosaur, you can just barely spot the cave entrance. It looks like there are more statues surrounding it.

THE URN Most of the urns are empty; if there were things in them, they’ve since been taken. Only one has something inside: a small amulet carved like a quetzalcoatlus. This is an amulet of proof against detection and location (DMG).

You start hiking up the hill, but something catches your eye. Tucked almost out of sight, behind a huge rock, is a dead body. Lord Rolen sees what you’re looking at, and grimaces. “Looks like we’re not the only ones who’ve heard about this place,” he says. “Come on, let’s go! We’re almost there!”

THE BODY Lord Rolen tries to discourage the adventurer from investigating the body, but if they do, they find a young elven woman in chain mail. She’s been dead too long to identify and has no weapons or other belongings on her.

KING OF DINOSAUR VALLEY Near the very top of the hill, Lord Rolen leaps to the top of a small boulder and proclaims himself King of Dinosaur Valley. The boulder starts shaking and sends him flying. He falls and takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage. The boulder turns, revealing an angry dinosaur attached to it. The dinosaur, an ankylosaurus (MM), roars at the adventurer, lowers its head, and paws at the ground, ready to charge. The ankylosaurus is angry and fights to the death.

20

THE CAVE

puzzle is solved and the orbs are placed on the statues at the same time, read the following.

After resolving the ankylosaurus encounter, read the following:

As the orbs are placed carefully on the statues, there’s a loud grinding noise inside the cave: the sound of a huge stone door opening. Lord Rolen sprints inside, and all you can do is follow.

At the top of the hill, you find the entrance to the cave, flanked by two statues. The statues look the same as the ones at the entrance to the valley, but have outstretched human arms with empty cupped hands.

The door at the back of the cave is open, and past it are piles of treasure - the vault, just like the map promised. Lord Rolen is standing in the doorway, blocking your way into the vault. He draws his sword. Behind him, sunlight refracts on bars of gold and shimmering gemstones…

The cave is small and empty; just a tunnel carved into the cliff leading to a huge stone door at the back of the cavern. Flanking the door are two stone plinths, each adorned with a large crystal orb.

“The treasure is mine,” he says. “Thanks for helping me open the door, I couldn’t do iton my own. But it’s time for you to go. Leave now and tell nobody of this place, and I’ll allow you to live. Come one step closer and I’ll cut you down.”

“This is it!” Lord Rolen exclaims. “Here’s where my great uncle was stopped! Surely there must be treasure behind that door. We just need to open it, and we can take it all!”

LORD ROLEN

DEFEATING LORD ROLEN

If questioned, Lord Rolen now explains that his great uncle once told him of a great treasure hidden behind a door; that’s how he recognises it. If pushed or questioned further, he gets angry and tells the adventurer to leave it alone. They’ve almost gotten the treasure; what else matters?

If the adventurer doesn’t approach and asks questions from a safe distance, Lord Rolen comes clean about everything. There is no great-uncle, and there is no Lord Rolen Turtendorff. He’s been here before, with his previous adventuring partner - that corpse you saw earlier - but betrayed her too early and couldn’t get through the door alone.

DEVELOPMENT The party has made it to Lord Rolen’s treasure - if they can get past the strange door blocking their passage.

If the adventurer leaves, Lord Rolen doesn’t follow them, as he’s too busy stuffing his pockets with as much treasure as he can carry. He intends to keep his promise and let them live - for now.

CHAPTER 3: THE DOOR

If the adventurer does approach him, Lord Rolen attacks and fights to the death using the bandit captain (MM) statblock. If the adventurer removes an orb from the statue, the door swings shut, leaving Lord Rolen on the other side to suffocate and die. If the adventurer does this, but also wants treasure, they’ll have to wait for him to die, then find a way to place both orbs on the statues at the same time. If they manage it, they’ll find Lord Rolen’s corpse inside the vault. He has bloody fingernails, and the door has bloody scratches down it - he died trying to escape.

The door is huge and flanked by two stone plinths. On each plinth is a dish, and on the dish is a crystal orb. The orbs need to be placed on the dish of the statues outside at the same time to unlock the door. Two people are therefore required to open this door, which is why Lord Rolen couldn’t open it himself.

THE ORBS The orbs are very heavy, and only one can be carried at a time. If the adventurer’s size is Large, they can carry both if they drop all their weapons and equipment, but they move at half speed while carrying both orbs.

THE VAULT Once Lord Rolen has been defeated, the adventurer is free to explore the vault. There’s an incredible amount of treasure inside the vault, including items that spark new adventures (eg: treasure maps), art objects that can’t easily

If the adventurer can’t work out how to open the door, Lord Rolen grows impatient and solves the puzzle in a suspiciously uncharacteristic flash of brilliance. When the

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REWARDS

be carried, too much gold to easily carry out of the valley, and at least one really cool magic item. As an example, the vault could include:

The rewards for this adventure are XP from combat, one of the three hidden magic items, and treasure from the statue caches and main vault. The adventurer also gets the reward of knowing the location of the vault.

• A vault amount of gold in large bricks • Three huge golden statues of dinosaurs with ruby eyes • Locked chests with royal golden jewelry inside • Stone tablets with messages carved into them in an ancient, forgotten language. They could lead to finding the ancient civilisation that used to live here. • A small case with a pair of gloves of missile snaring (DMG) inside • A weapon rack full of rusty spears, maces, long daggers, and a gleaming longsword - a sword of vengeance (DMG) • A potion box, half-full of sealed potion bottles. The labels are so old they’ve completely worn away. • A half-scorched but still readable treasure map in a map case. This leads to another treasure vault - but who left it here, and why?

DEVELOPMENT

XP Reward

Encounter

50

2x Giant poisonous snake

50

Swarm of insects

200

2x Deinonychus

225

Allosaurus

225

Pleiseiosaurus

225

Quetzalcoatlus

350

Ankylosaurus

350

Lord Rolen

AUTHOR’S NOTES/ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

They found the treasure together, but only one person can take it home. Will it be the adventurer or Lord Rolen?

CONCLUSION

I always flick past the dinosaur section in the monster manual when I run adventures, so when I sat down to write this one I decided it had to focus on dinosaurs. The rest of the adventure just flowed naturally from that - you can’t have a secret dinosaur valley adventure without a traitorous adventure leader.

How this module ends depends on the adventurer. If they’ve killed Lord Rolen, they can try to claim the treasure and escape the valley. They can’t carry it all, but now that they know it’s here, they can venture back into the valley to collect more of it on another day. Leaving the valley might be an adventure on its own; the adventurer may run into more dinosaurs on the way out if they’re not careful.

AUTHOR BIO Megan is an Australian software developer who writes and plays D&D adventures in her spare time. She’s contributed to multiple anthologies including Uncaged, Beyond the Basics, Book of Seasons, and Friends, Foes and Other Fine Folk, as well as published more unconventional rpg zines and pamphlets on mogibear.itch.io. Her twitter handle is @ mogibeargames.

Once they leave the valley, they can wait for Arannis and try to get a lift back to town. Arannis was only hired by Rolen recently to make himself look more legitimate; he has no loyalty to the man past money. Nobody does, so there are no real consequences to killing him. If the adventurer didn’t kill Lord Rolen, he will eventually send assassins after them, fearing their knowledge of the treasure cache.

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MISSING IN THE UNDERDARK By Paul A. Keiter Caravan shipments from a Svirfneblin village to the city of Neverwinter have stopped. The adventurer is approached to provide additional protection for a caravan headed to the village. When they reach the entrance to the Underdark, they must enter on their own and explore. Will they discover the cause of the disruption in the caravans?

LEVEL 5

ADVENTURE HOOK

Apry (he/him, half-elf commoner, CG): A denizen of Neverwinter wood and partner of Argus. He tends the garden outside of their little cottage.

This adventure is designed for a single 5th level character. The adventure takes place in and around a large city, such as Neverwinter in the Forgotten Realms.

Argus (he/him, half-elf scout, CG): A beekeeper who lives in Neverwinter wood with Apry. He maintains the beehives and collects honey from them.

The adventurer has been contacted by Irdra Coalfirth to provide extra protection for her wagons as they travel to the svirfneblin village in the Underdark.

Biknuk Smeltbone (he/him, svirfneblin, NG): A friendly svirfneblin returning to his village. He has been away from his family and is looking forward to seeing them again.

ADVENTURE BACKGROUND

CHAPTER 1: LEAVING NEVERWINTER

Decades ago a group of daring adventurers entered the Underdark through a cave in the Neverwinter Wood. During their trek, they encountered a svirfneblin village who offered them shelter and protection in exchange for defeating a balhannoth that had been preying on the village. As a result of this, a relationship was formed, which led to a working relationship. A trade agreement was reached between the svirfneblin village and merchants in Neverwinter. Recently an oblex entered the cave and has disrupted trade by attacking the guards and caravans.

The adventurer starts at The Parched Pegasus tavern. The DM can either have them hired as part of the caravan or roleplay joining the caravan. Irdra has already hired six guards for her two wagons. The wagons hold apples, cheese, corn, potatoes, cloth, and leather. In addition, Biknuk Smeltbone is travelling with the caravan because he is headed back to the Svirfneblin village. Kaspar, a human commoner pilots the other wagon. Note to DM: Biknuk’s class should be chosen to compliment the player. Four templates are provided in the Appendix.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE Irdra Coalfirth (she/her, dwarf commoner, NG): The leader of the caravan. She has a deep voice and appears gruff and grizzled to those who don’t know her. She is calm and collected under pressure, having led caravans for many decades.

23

existed for years without any issues. The Svirfneblin trade bloodstone gems, ore, and metalwork in exchange for the food.The adventurer has time to purchase last minute supplies before the caravan leaves. The caravan will travel along the river, and it will take a full day to reach the edge of the Neverwinter Woods.

GOOD NIGHT, SWEET ADVENTURER The journey from Neverwinter is peaceful. After the adventurer goes to sleep for the night, they have a dream. If the adventure enters an elvish trance, they still experience the dream. You close your eyes and before you know it, sleep has embraced you. Seconds later, you find yourself walking along a path with tall trees shading you from the sun. As you pass each tree, you notice a black-feathered bird in it. Its eyes lock with yours as you pass. As you travel deeper into the woods, the trees block more and more light. A raven flies past you. Then another. Within seconds you are surrounded by ravens flying on all sides of you. There are so many flying about, that you can no longer see yourself. In fact, you wonder if you are even there.

DEVELOPMENT When the adventurer enters the wood continue to Chapter 2.

CHAPTER 2: ON THROUGH THE NEVERWINTER Beings who spend any amount of time in Neverwinter Wood feel uneasy. This is not magical, but an effect that emanates naturally from the Wood. Irdra is used to this feeling, having travelled this route countless times. However, the guards show signs of unease and nervousness as the group heads deeper into the woods.

You have agreed to be part of a caravan that trades with a Svirfneblin village. The caravan master, Irdra Coalfirth, strokes her braided beard as she tells you that while this is a standard route, a wagon that was expected a couple days ago has not arrived. “This is usually a safe route, but I want to bring extra support just in case.”

The route leads the party to the abode of Apry & Argus, which is roughly 20 miles from where the caravan entered the Wood. Irdra suggests the party stay there and travel to the entrance of the Underdark, which is 5 miles away, the following day.

Irdra shares all she knows, which is: a caravan from the Svirfneblin village was due to arrive in Neverwinter a couple of days ago. This is a regular trade route that has

During the journey, a number of events fuel the group’s sense of unease. Roll on (or select from) the table below as many times as you feel is appropriate.

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1d6

Cause

Effect

1

Clouds pass in front of the sun, reducing the amount of light.

The light level dims suddenly as the light slowly fades to a dull grey.

2

Wind blows nearby tree branches.

A strong breeze picks up and shadows of the tree branches dance around you.

3

Crows decide to move to another location.

A flock of crows bursts from nearby trees, breaking the silence with a chorus of caws.

4

A fox watches the caravan from hiding.

On a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check, the adventurer notices glowing eyes staring at them, which then disappear. With a 15 they also notice a bushy tail as the creature disappears.

5

A squirrel drops a nut while returning to its nest.

Something falls from above and hits the adventurer on the head. On a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check, they notice the acorn that hit them on the ground next to them. With a 15 or higher, they also notice the branches above their head bobbing up and down.

6

A deer disturbs the caravan while fleeing from a distant bear.

The adventurer hears branches breaking and the sound of hoofs trampling the ground roughly 50 feet in front of and slightly to the left of them. A large doe bursts onto the path ahead of the caravan amid a shower of leaves fluttering to the ground. The doe quickly crosses the path and crashes back into the forest to the caravan’s right. The trampling sound soon fades giving way to the peaceful quietness of the forest again.

COTTAGE IN THE WOODS

Roll 1d6 on the table below if you want to include random encounters while the players through the forest. 1d6

Encounter

1

1 black bear (MM) out scavenging for food.

2

1 green faerie dragon (MM) looking to pull a prank on someone.

3

1 elvish scout (MM) and 1 elvish veteran (MM). They are members of the Eldreth Veluuthra, a group of elves who hate humans and attack. In addition to the stat blocks in the MM, they have the elvish traits from the PHB. This includes darkvision, keen senses, fey ancestry, and trance.

4

1 giant elk (MM) chewing on some berries.

5

6 gnolls (MM) scouting for a new cave to call home.

6

6 orcs (MM) stalking a deer for dinner.

A small log cabin with a wooden roof nestles in the clearing ahead. To the left of the cabin is a small garden. A figure dressed in blue overalls and a large straw hat is working in the garden. As you approach, you hear the buzzing of bees. Irdra turns to everyone and says, “We’ll camp here for the night!” The figure in the garden stands and waves. “Back for more roasted vegetables, Irdra?” A large smile is visible beneath Irdra’s beard, and she turns to the figure. “And bread with some of that delicious honey!”

The cabin is home to Apry and Argus, who trade root vegetables and honey with the caravan. Apry and Argus provide a nice, warm meal for the group and in the morning give Idra some more vegetables and honey in return for other goods. Over dinner, they mention they have not seen any other caravans for a couple of days. While they do not have room for the entire group in the cabin, Apry and Argus invite the caravan to stay the night in this area, and Irdra accepts unless the adventurer objects.

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If the party stays the night they might notice the following:

Irdra suggests the adventurer go ahead and investigate while the rest of the caravan stays behind. Biknuk offers to accompany the adventurer.

• Owls hooting. • Leaves rustling.

DEVELOPMENT

• Glowing eyes.

When the adventurer enters the cave, proceed to Chapter 3.

DREAM The evening passes without encounter, but each member of the caravan has a bad dream. The dream differs for each person, but each feels a sense of loss and loneliness. An example is provided below, but the DM should tailor the dream to the adventurer.

CHAPTER 3: A LAND DOWN UNDERDARK

Sleep comes easy for you tonight after a day of travel. As you dream, you see yourself in a dark room… at least you think it is a room, because you cannot see any walls or distinguishing features. As you try to walk towards a wall, your footsteps echo, filling the room and your ears. When you stop, the silence is as overwhelming as your footsteps were. Suddenly, a shiver travels from the base of your neck down your spine. You feel as though you have lost something, but are not sure what. You look around the room, but the darkness covers your eyes like a blanket. You wonder how you got here. Another shiver travels down your spine. The feeling of loss grows stronger. You are being drawn somewhere, but you know not where. No matter which direction you turn and go, you feel as though the darkness is enveloping you. The feeling of loss grows. You are unsure why you are here, where you are going, or even who you are. You find yourself floating towards a twisting, bubbling formless shape. With that you snap awake.

Note to DM: You can use any of the maps provided if you need a more detailed depiction of the underdark tunnel. The tunnels leading into the Underdark have been carved out of the surrounding stone. The floor provides slightly bumpy travel (like a dirt road), but otherwise is wellmaintained. On a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check, the adventurer notices there are wheel grooves in the ground, indicating frequent travel by wagon.There are periodic torch sconces on the wall. Most of them are unlit currently, and a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals they have burned out. Roll 1d6 on the table below if you want to include encounters while the adventurer travels underground:

ENTRANCE TO THE UNDERDARK After a couple of hours of travel, you see a cave entrance ahead of you. The entrance is twenty feet wide and twenty feet tall, easily allowing a cart to enter. To the side of the cave is a svirfneblin guard wearing dusty chainmail and wielding a spear. He gives a nod to Irdra as you approach.

The entrance to the cave is guarded by a single svirfneblin guard. He relates that no one has come out of the cave for several days, and asks the caravan to investigate. The guard tells the party the way is typically lit and staffed with guards and regularly spaced checkpoints to maintain safety.

1d6

Encounter

1

1 darkling elder (VGtM) Searching for a secluded cavern to hide in.

2

1 derro savant + 1 derro (MToF) looking for some prey.

3

1 flumph (MM) heading back to its cloister. It can be convinced to help the adventurer.

4

1 maw demon (VGtM) searching for its next meal.

5

1 phase spider (MM) beginning to weave a web.

6

1 grick (MM) hiding in the nooks of the tunnel waiting for a meal to walk by.

To help maintain the safety of the caravan route, svirfneblin guard posts are placed roughly every mile.

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FIRST CHECKPOINT

You come upon the third checkpoint and similar to the other two, find the bloated corpse of a Svirfneblin guard on the ground. The stench emanating from the corpse makes your stomach turn. You hear the repetitive sound of water dropping nearby.

The first checkpoint is a mile from the entrance. There the party comes across the body of the deep gnome guard, who was killed by the oblex. You have travelled for about a mile when you come upon where the checkpoint should be. You can see a body on the ground, and portions of it appear to be squirming. As you approach, rats scatter from the corpse. Some of the rats carry off pieces of flesh. The torches have burned down to the ends.

The Grick (MM) is hiding among the rocks twenty five feet from the guard, waiting for prey to come by. The Grick gets advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) hiding in the rocky terrain. If its check is higher than the adventurer’s Passive Perception, it surprises them. A successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check indicates the deep gnome was killed recently in a fight, and a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check shows evidence of his armor being pierced by a sharp object. On a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check, the player finds the source of the dripping water to be a stalactite nearby.

A successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check indicates the deep gnome was killed recently in a fight, and a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Medicine) check shows no evidence of weapons being used.

FOURTH CHECKPOINT

SECOND CHECKPOINT The second checkpoint is two miles from the entrance and the guard was also killed by the Oblex.

As you approach where the checkpoint should be, the sound of your footsteps echoes throughout the tunnel. Four svirfneblin bodies lay on the ground, circling the driverless wagon almost as though still trying to guard it, even in death.

You have travelled for another mile when you come upon where the checkpoint should be. You can see a face-down body on the ground and as you approach, you see it is bloated. A small pool of foul-smelling liquid has begun to collect under the bodies nose. As you look closer, you can see a few maggots writhing on the corpse.

At this checkpoint, the adventurer finds the lost svirfneblin caravan. The wagon contains a small box of assorted gemstones and a barrel of salt. Each of the bodies has been attacked by scavengers and therefore cannot be recognized. Everyone here was killed by the oblex. On a successful DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check, the adventurer notices small puddles of ooze around the corpses.

A successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check indicates the deep gnome was killed recently in a fight, and a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Medicine) check shows no evidence of sharp weapons being used. In addition, with a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Survival) check, the adventurer finds recent svirfneblin footprints approaching from the first checkpoint and ending where the guard’s body is. The footprints do not appear to leave the area.

THIRD CHECKPOINT The body at mile marker three has had their armour pierced. There is a Grick nearby, which attacks when it sees the adventurer.

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OBLEX-DI, OBLEX-DA Your footsteps echo louder than before as you approach the next checkpoint. A svirfneblin woman sitting, eyes downcast, on a large rock doesn’t notice you at first. As you approach, she raises her head and her eyes sadly stare into yours.

An adult oblex (MToF) is currently living in the crack complex in this tunnel. It is currently creating a simulacrum of the caravan driver from Checkpoint 4, but can also produce up to three simulacra of any of the dead svirfneblin guards from Checkpoint 1, 2, or 4. It utilizes the simulacra to distract the player, attacking when it senses an advantage.

DEVELOPMENT When the party defeats or drives away the oblex, proceed to the conclusion.

CONCLUSION A svirfneblin patrol reaches the adventurer soon after the oblex is defeated. The leader recognizes Biknuk, if he is present, and offers to take the adventurer back to the village. If Biknuk is still alive, read: As you gather your breath, you hear the sounds of many people approaching. A group of svirfneblin soldiers enters the area. The leader looks at you and says, “Biknuk! I should have known you would be involved somehow!” Bitnuk replies, “Heralt! Good to see you again.”

APPENDIX Biknuk Smeltbone is an NPC that can be used to help the adventurer. Biknuk’s abilities should complement the adventurers. Listed below are Biknuk’s Svirfneblin abilities that are in addition to his stat blocks.

BIKNUK SMELTBONE

If Biknuk is not present, or is dead, the guard questions the adventurer regarding the caravan. In either case, the guardescorts the adventurer back to the village where they can rest and be rewarded.

Medium humanoid (Svirfneblin), Neutral Good Gnome Cunning. You have advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws against magic.

REWARDS

Superior Darkvision. Biknuk’s darkvision has a radius of 120 feet.

If the adventurer returns to the svirfneblin village, they are given the honorary title of Protector for the village, and deemed a friend. The adventurer also receives 10 bloodstone gems (worth 50 gp each) and a yellow diamond, which is an elemental gem (see Treasure, DMG).

Stone Camouflage. Biknuk has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks to hide in rocky terrain. Extra Language. Biknuk can speak, read, and write Undercommon.

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USING BIKNUK AS A FIGHTER:

USING BIKNUK AS A ROGUE:

Veteran (MM) with the following modifications:

Spy (MM) with the following modifications:

• Hit Points 40 (5d10 + 10)

• Armor Class 13 (leather)

• Speed 25 ft.

• Hit Points 30 (5d8) • Speed 25 ft

USING BIKNUK AS A CLERIC: Priest (MM)

AUTHOR’S NOTES/ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

USING BIKNUK AS A WIZARD: Mage (MM) with the following modifications: • Hit Points 30 (5d8)

This story is about using subtle horror to create suspense. I would like to thank TK Johnson because their incredible DMing and story telling style inspired me to attempt an adventure in this genre.

• Speed 25 ft. • Spellcasting. Biknuk is a 5th level spell caster. Biknuk’s spell casting ability is intelligence (spell save DC:14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). Biknuk has the following spells prepared.

AUTHOR BIO

Cantrips (at will): dancing lights, light, mage hand, mold earth 1st level (4 slots): detect magic, mage armor, magic missile, unseen servant 2nd level (3 slots): acid arrow, enlarge/reduce, hold person 3rd level (2 slots): counterspell, lightning bolt

Paul is a content creator for D&D 5e and a graduate of the RPG Writer Workshop. His adventure “Something This Way Slithers” is part of Vol. 3 of the Uncaged Anthology. He was also co-project lead and a writer for the best selling collection of diverse NPCs, Friends, Foes and other Fine Folk. You can find him on Twitter (@paul_keiter).

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AN INHERITANCE OF HEADS By KC Shi When the old woman of the wilds passed, she willed all her possessions to the people of the village. To the gardener she gave her seeds, and to the fisher she gave her jars of flies. And to the player character, she gave her lodge on the lakeshore, the grounds around it, and a geas to care for all the things that dwelled upon that land. Soon, however, the adventurer discovers that the old woman tended to more than just birds and bugs. None other than a rehabilitating hydra lurks in the lake – and this quest is not to kill it, but to keep it alive. Content Warnings: death, animal abandonment

LEVELS 7 - 8

ADVENTURE HOOK

CHAPTER 1: SCAEA’S WAKE

This adventure is intended for a single tier 2 adventurer, around 7th or 8th level. The hook works best if the adventurer has a strong pre-existing relationship with the woman who passed: perhaps she was a relative or a mentor. Seeing an animal in need will be enough to make some adventurers help, but the inherited estate can provide a suitable reward for others who need more convincing – so long as they fulfill the conditions of the will. If the DM feels the need to raise the stakes, failing this quest could earn the old woman’s ire from beyond the grave. The wilds seem more hostile if the adventurer abandons their duty, and if left to its own devices the starving hydra might venture into more populated areas in search of food…

Three days ago, great-hearted Scaea passed away in her sleep. Her body has already been washed and anointed, the coins placed over her eyes and the libations poured upon the thirsty earth. The only thing left now is the funeral feast in her honor. So many travelers have come to pay their respects to Scaea that the villagers have run out of benches. The guests sit on the grass instead, sharing bowls of salted eel and lentil soup, as the sun fades orange beyond the horizon. Those who knew Scaea – older folk, mostly, with wrinkled eyes and gray hair – reminisce over their cups about bygone days, and invite you to sit with them, to share stories in her memory.

ADVENTURE BACKGROUND

Scaea was a ranger who patrolled the wetlands that bordered the village. For nearly fifty years she kept the village safe from monsters and provided safe passage for many through the dangerous wilds. The past winter had been hard on her, though, and her patrols lessened in the months following. The day she died, she was found dressed in her finest and reposed in bed, as if she had known her time would come soon.

Conceptually, this adventure began as a way for a Beastmaster ranger to meet their animal companion, and can still be played that way by swapping out the hydra for a different beast. At its heart, though, this module is about caring for an inconvenient creature, and the central monster of this piece should feel as if it has moods, motives, agency, and personality. As written, the adventure has many names and details that reference ancient Greece, paying homage to the home of the hydra myth, but these can be altered to better fit your preferred setting.

The funeral guests invite the adventurer to talk about how they knew Scaea. So long as the player is comfortable with

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The elder’s palms are callused, but warm. “She left you no keys,” says Iphedris. “Only a pledge. Her lodge, the lake, and the grounds around it are all yours – if you promise to care for the creatures with whom you share that land. It was her last wish.” Her grip tightens, and she looks sharply down at you. “Don’t disappoint her.”

Anyone can give the adventurer directions to Scaea’s lodge on the shore of Lake Iophron. There is no need to leave right away, and the feast goes nearly until sunrise. There are many at the funeral who will need more than a night to say goodbye to Scaea.

WHAT WAITS AT IOPHRON Lake Iophron is a freshwater lagoon about a day’s travel from the village, in the center of a marshy wetland pinned between the mountains and the sea. While some fishers occasionally make the trek there to catch pike and carp, it is too out of the way to see much human traffic, and some locals even whisper that it is a sanctified place, best to be left to the wilds and the gods. The area is famous for its many springs, enshrined in pockmarked formations of limestone and gypsum.

this level of improvisation and roleplaying, the DM can use this as an opportunity to ask them questions about their relationship. How did they know Scaea? What did Scaea think of them? Their answers here should inform why Scaea decided to entrust her lands to the adventurer.

It is clear that Scaea went out of her way to tend and protect these lands. The marsh rings with birdsong and the chitter of insects, and all the trails follow deliberate, winding paths, careful not to disturb the burrows of wild creatures.

Another question runs through the undercurrents of conversation: who will safeguard the wilds now that Scaea is gone? Many young folk seem eager to prove themselves, though whether their courage will withstand the light of the morning remains to be seen. An adventurer with a passive Wisdom (Insight) score of 15 or more notices that one young man, bronze-armed Argius, seems particularly determined to take up Scaea’s mantle.

To find Scaea’s lodge, the adventurer must make a DC 10 Wisdom (Survival) check. On a failure, they spend an extra night stumbling through the bog but eventually find their way back onto the trail. The lodge itself sits on the edge of the lagoon, stilts exposed by the shrinking summer water levels. But as the adventurer steps onto the porch, the wooden boards creak, and something in the water hears…

Eventually, as the night grows late and the first guests take their leave, the village elder Iphedris approaches the adventurer. Over the last few days, she has quietly been executing Scaea’s will, for Scaea had neither spouse nor children and had wished for all her possessions to be distributed back to her community. The inheritances range from the eminently practical (a sharp knife for the butcher, new shoes for the mail runner), to the eclectic (tokens from the Lake Warden’s adventures, given to the old as reminders and to the young as inspiration), to the wise (the fisherman’s daughter has been given charge of Scaea’s many, many cats).

First, one snake-like head rises from the lagoon, then another, then three more, until the adventurer finds themself facing a fully grown hydra (MM). All five mouths yawn open wide – but adventurers with proficiency in Animal Handling realizes that the hydra is not preparing to attack, but waiting like a baby bird to be fed. If the adventurer makes it wait too long, then the hydra attacks once (an annoyed nip from a creature that does not know its own strength). If the adventurer hits it back, then it will shrink away with a mewling hiss. Whatever happens, the hydra makes it clear that it was here first, and it intends to stay.

This time, however, Iphedris comes empty-handed. She asks how the adventurer is doing, and once they have made enough small talk to satisfy courtesy, she clasps the adventurer’s hands.

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DEVELOPMENT

The hydra’s chances of survival on its own are slim but not zero, for it must have fed itself somehow in the time since Scaea’s passing. If the adventurer waits and watches, then eventually they see the hydra snapping at the wild fish that swim past its lair, like an eel – although the hydra fails more often than it succeeds, and the fish of the lagoon are learning to avoid coming near it.

Scaea charged the adventurer with caring for all the creatures that dwelled upon the land, and the hydra certainly dwells here. But why is it here? How will the adventurer take care of it? And will it stay here indefinitely, or did Scaea intend to release it back into the wild?

Caring for the hydra is a daily responsibility, and inevitably issues arise. At the start of every week that the adventurer spends taking care of the hydra (or at whatever pace the DM feels appropriate), one of the following scenarios occur. The DM can roll a d6 to randomly select a scenario, or pick one that seems fitting.

CHAPTER 2: THE CARE OF A MONSTER The hydra rarely moves from its lair, directly underneath the lodge. It emerges to beg for food whenever it hears the adventurer step outside and occasionally thrusts a head inside one of the windows when it wants attention. An adventurer who dives underwater or tries to inspect the hydra immediately sees the reason for its sedentary lifestyle: its hindlegs are crippled and atrophied, probably from birth, and it can only move by dragging its heavy body across the mud with its forelegs alone. (Mechanically, its walking and swimming speed are both reduced to 10 ft.)

ROLEPLAYING THE HYDRA The hydra is a young adult who has spent almost all its life in captivity. While tolerant of people, it is far from trained, and rarely responds to orders or direction. It drowses for most of the day and is grouchy when disturbed, but will snap awake immediately when it hears the creak of the wooden steps, which it has come to associate with food. Occasionally, the hydra has hyperactive moods where it will play catch or chasethe-lights between its many heads for hours.

1d6

Scenario

1

The hydra has been gnawing at one of its necks, and the corresponding head has been acting lethargic and limp. A DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) or Intelligence (Nature) check reveals that the hydra is trying to prune an older head, a normal process that can help prevent tooth infection and other diseases. However, hydras usually have others of their species assist in this process, and on its own, the hydra is making a messy and prolonged job of it. The adventurer can assist in the amputation, but if it takes too long, or if the adventurer cauterizes the wound and prevents another head from growing back in its place, then the hydra will fight back.

2

An awful fecal scent pervades the area around the lodge, and it doesn’t take the adventurer long to find the offending droppings oozing on the lakeshore. For some reason, the hydra hasn’t buried its leavings like it normally does, and it’s up to the adventurer to clean it up, for everyone’s health and sanity. The adventurer must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw in order to approach the feces. On a failure, they are poisoned and can spend a maximum of one turn attempting to clean up after the hydra before the horrific smell forces them away.

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1d6

Scenario

3

The hydra hasn’t emerged from its lair in at least three days. While this hydra isn’t the most active to start with, it isn’t healthy for it to stay cooped up for so long. The adventurer must coax the hydra into swimming, walking, or otherwise exercising, while being mindful of the way that the hydra’s immobile hindlegs impede its movement. It takes a DC 15 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check to draw the hydra from its lair, with advantage or disadvantage depending on the adventurer's use of spells, bait, or other creative solutions.

4

Before she passed, Scaea made the hydra a chew-toy that it could toss between its many heads, but the adventurer wakes up one morning to find the hydra morosely pushing torn scraps up against the front door: it played too roughly, and now the toy is in pieces. The adventurer can craft a replacement using the artisan’s tools of their choice, with the difficulty of the crafting check determined by what exactly the adventurer plans on building. The hydra will be satisfied by just about anything, but the toy will need to be particularly durable if it is to withstand play in the hydra’s many sets of teeth.

5

The adventurer wakes up one morning to find that the hydra has gotten into the stores of salted fish. It has gorged itself on supplies that were meant to last weeks, and as it slumbers off its feast, the adventurer must find a way to replenish its feed. Scaea ate her fair share of meat, and the pledge she laid upon the adventurer does not mean they cannot hunt or fish – but if they do, they must do so respectfully and sustainably. Foraging enough food for the hydra takes a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check, but on their first success, the adventurer catches a rare, endangered crab, unlike any they have ever seen before. Letting it go will honor their promise to Scaea, but will also mean that the adventurer will have to make the check again or else go hungry.

6

It is the dead of night, but the hydra won’t fall asleep. As soon as one head gets tired, another wakes up, hissing for food, playtime, or both. The adventurer must find a way to tucker the hydra out (either all at once, or one by one very quickly) if they want to rest at all tonight. The adventurer can attempt any solution they like, but suggested ones include relaxing chin scratches for the hydra’s many heads, a brief but intense bout of midnight exercise, and/or a spell like sleep. If they fail, the adventurer gains a level of exhaustion until the end of the next scenario.

For every successful resolution of a scenario, the hydra becomes more friendly with the adventurer. It becomes excited whenever it sees the adventurer approach, and it bares its throats often for scratches and pets. For every failure, the hydra becomes more distant. It sulks beneath the water except during feeding time and hisses at the adventurer if they get too close.

ROLEPLAYING ARGIUS AND ALCMENO Argius is a serious, focused young man who is determined to tame the dangerous wilds with sword and flame. His nephew Alcmeno is only twelve years old, and worships his uncle almost as much as he does the gods. Neither see the hydra as anything more than a monster to be slain and think the adventurer suspicious, at best deluded, for trying to protect it.

The adventurer will also likely have their own plans for the hydra beyond just cleaning up after its messes, and the DM should do their best to accommodate them in-between these scenarios. In addition, the wetlands around Iophron teem with birds and reptiles found nowhere else in the world, and the adventurer can fulfill their obligation to Scaea by caring for those as well (though they are far less demanding than the hydra).

The hydra does not respond to any of the adventurer’s orders or directions unless the adventurer succeeded two or more times in earlier scenarios, and will kill to protect itself. Argius and Alcmeno, meanwhile, will take a great deal of convincing to even get them to stop fighting. Unless the adventurer is spectacularly persuasive, they will most likely retreat only to gather reinforcements for their eventual return.

THE CHAMPION’S TRIAL A final trial occurs after the adventurer completes three of these scenarios. One afternoon, as the adventurer returns from errands in the bog, they find that they have visitors. Bronzearmed Argius (he/him, knight (MM), neutral good), who the adventurer might have spoken with at the funeral, and his nephew Alcmeno (he/him, acolyte (MM), lawful good) have come to slay the hydra. Both have already drawn their weapons, and the hydra, unable to run, is preparing to stand its ground.

DEVELOPMENT How did the conflict between the hydra and the hydra-slayers resolve? Who lived, and who died? And what does the adventurer intend to do with the hydra now that others know about its presence?

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CONCLUSION

AUTHOR’S NOTES/ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The conclusion of the adventure depends heavily on what happened in the final scenario. If the hydra died: Argius and Alcmeno return home as heroes, but Lake Iophron and the wilds around it suddenly seem hostile to the adventurer. The wild animals snarl or even attack the adventurer as they travel, and the adventurer only ever seems to find poisonous plants and herbs when they forage for food. Perhaps some toxin in the hydra’s blood has leaked into the waters? Or, perhaps, Scaea’s geas had greater consequences than she let on…

This adventure can be played as one-shot, or integrated into a larger campaign. It is, by design, rather open-ended, and would probably appeal best to players and DMs who enjoy social interaction and messing around with critters. Special thanks to Mr. Kitty and Maisey Roswell, two very different but equally lovable animal companions, for being constant sources of inspiration.

AUTHOR BIO

If either Argius or Alcmeno died: Word soon reaches the village that the hydra has claimed either one or two young lives. Soon, Iphedris puts out a bounty for the monster’s head(s), and more experienced adventurers gather to answer the call. The hydra will not survive long if it stays in Lake Iophron, and the adventurer must decide if they will flee (and where they will go) or if they will fight (and how many lives must be lost before enough is enough).

KC Shi is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles. You can contact her at [email protected], or find her on Twitter at @KCShiWrites. Ask her about bees.

If no one died: A tenuous peace exists between the village and the monster lurking in the lake. Did the adventurer convince Argius and Alcmeno that the hydra was safe? Does the adventurer intend to keep the hydra in Lake Iophron indefinitely? The answers to these questions should inform what happens in the days to come.

REWARDS If the adventurer demonstrated extreme patience and skill throughout the adventure, they may very well have a tame hydra on their hands. So long as the hydra did not die, then the adventurer also possesses a fairly pleasant dwelling in secluded lands, surrounded by charismatic wildlife. Very little gold is involved in the adventure as-is, but the adventurer could conceivably sell the lodge and the lands around it for a fair price of around 5,000 gp.

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THE UNMAKING By Cat Evans An adventurer has been hired, persuaded, or ordered to transport a sentient, magical weapon back to the place of its creation so that it can be unmade and the spirit inside - a powerful hero of times past - can be released. But the weapon is more than a tool: it’s a temptation. Will the character befriend the spirit inside, making it hard to destroy it? Or will they seek to exploit the powerful artifact they’ve been entrusted with? Content Warnings: Drug misuse/drink spiking

LEVEL 8

ADVENTURE HOOK

ADVENTURE BACKGROUND

The Unmaking starts with the character on the road. To get them invested in the adventure, it’s advisable to run a short ‘hook’ scene first. If you’re running an ongoing campaign you’ll want to use whatever characters, locations, and plotlines you already have in motion, so this is left open for you to customise.

Bendith is ancient. No weapon existed that was powerful enough to defeat the god-touched necromancer who called himself Arawn, so the hero Bendith - meaning Blessing, in a dead language - volunteered to have their spirit forged into steel, making themselves a weapon for their lover, Ceri, to wield. Ceri defeated Arawn, but at the cost of their own life. Since then, Bendith has passed through many hands, wielded in service to both good and evil.

At the start of the adventure, the adventurer has agreed to the task of returning the weapon to the Forge Temple for the process known as The Unmaking. Tailor the hook to the player character’s background as much as possible.

The weapon is so powerful it can change the balance of any conflict when wielded by someone who knows the secret to activating its full power (which the hero of this adventure does not).

• If the adventurer has a patron, ties to a faction or a country/government, that person or organisation has entrusted the artifact to them to destroy

It has been decreed that Bendith must be destroyed, a fate better than letting it be used in the service of evil. This will mean a final death for the spirit that resides in the weapon, but that’s a small price to pay. Isn’t it?

• Alternatively, a friend or ally came into possession of the weapon, realised its power, and asked the character to discreetly destroy it

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

• Or perhaps the adventurer found it amongst a hoard of treasure, took it off an enemy’s body, or received it as a reward for some previous job or quest. In this case, a priest or magic user might warn them how dangerous the weapon is

Vekava (she/her). A selfish, overconfident, human bandit leader. A stocky, red-haired, middle-aged woman. Lubbock (he/him). A cheerful, easygoing half-orc warrior, and member of the Endless Winter cult. Agrees with the cult’s ideals, but isn’t fanatical: he prefers not to kill or die if he can help it. Chatty, personable, and easy to get along with. Bulky, fat, and strong.

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Temperance (she/her). An aloof, scholarly, tiefling mage and member of the Endless Winter cult. Temperance is completely devoted to the cult, and would gladly give up her life for it. Knows the story of Bendith, and would love to wield it herself: she fancies herself as a great hero in the making. Pearlescent skin.

Choose either: • Attacks made with Bendith deal an extra (7) 2d6 points of damage, in addition to normal damage for a weapon of its type. Damage is the same type as the weapon’s normal damage, or: • Bendith can be used as an arcane focus, granting an additional +2 bonus to spell attack rolls, and raising the caster’s saving throw DC by 2.

Roslyn (she/her). A calculating, fierce, high elf. Influential in the Endless Winter, and determined to be the one to obtain Bendith. Silvery skin and platinum hair.

Bendith has 5 charges. These charges are replenished at dawn each day. The wielder can use a bonus action to expend charges as follows:

CREATING BENDITH

• 1 charge: Bendith whispers inspiring words to the wielder, granting them +1d8 on their next d20 roll

Bendith is a template to fit over any existing weapon: it should be something the player character can use. Whatever type of weapon Bendith is, it is always made of white metal, with a spherical blue crystal set into it.

• 1 charge: Bendith’s power flows into the wielder, granting them 1d10 temporary hit points or ending one of the following conditions affecting the wielder: blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, or stunned

Tailor Bendith’s personality to the character and/or use the tables below to generate a personality. Make them someone the player will enjoy interacting with, even if the character doesn’t like them. Only one detail is essential: Bendith is not ready to ‘die.’

• 2 charges: Bendith parries melee or ranged weapon attacks aimed at the wielder, adding +5 to the wielder’s AC until the start of their next turn.

Gender has been left out of the equation entirely, both because weapons don’t have gender, and because the bond between wielder and weapon can very easily be romantic if you and the player wish it to be. Pick whatever pronouns best suit, or leave Bendith’s gender unspecified.

BENDITH-THE-HERO Develop Bendith’s personality as appropriate, or generate it using the tables below. 1d4

Conflict

1

Neutral good

2

Chaotic good

• cannot be targeted by spells or magical effects

3

Lawful evil

• cannot be destroyed by any means other than The Unmaking

4

Neutral evil

BENDITH-THE-WEAPON Bendith has the following features: • +10 to Intelligence (History) checks,

• 30 ft. Telepathy. 1d6*

Trait (roll twice)

Flaw

Quirk

1

Can’t resist taking a risk

Overconfident

Sings softly in a dead language

2

Settles for nothing less than perfection

Flirtatious

Tells ‘dad jokes’

3

Gets bored easily

Talkative

Superstitious

4

Says what they think, with no filter

Untrusting

Tells stories of its former wielders

5

Prefers action over words

Curious

Corrects the wielder on minor historical trivia

6

Never gives up, once committed to something

Bitter

Foul-mouthed

* roll separately for traits, flaw, and quirk.

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CHAPTER 1: THE LONG ROAD AHEAD

This is a trap. In the unlikely event that the adventurer doesn’t realise this, Bendith mutters its suspicions into their mind. Unless the adventurer is extremely naive, they should not be surprised by what happens next. The moment the adventurer approaches the child in the road, three thugs (MM) and a bandit captain (MM) step out of the ruins around them. Three more thugs (MM) train heavy crossbows on the character.

The adventurer and Bendith face trials on the road and begin getting to know one another.

THE FIRST STEP

“We could do the ‘your money or your life’ nonsense,” announces the apparent leader of the bandits, a thickset, one-eyed woman with a mane of red hair. “But fresh corpses fetch a good price with city doctors, so I’m thinking we’ll just have both.”

Read or paraphrase the following: It’s a bright, sunny day. The city you set out from is no longer visible on the horizon, and it’s wilderness from here on out. Rolling hills, scattered stretches of forest, and the ruins of towns and forts destroyed long ago in the war against Arawn. You have three days’ travel to the Forge Temple, and you’ll be spending all of it alone.

TACTICS If the adventurer is mounted, the bandits shoot their steed and/or dismount them, making it harder to flee. The leader, Vekava, starts fifty feet from the adventurer, with several thugs in between. Each individual bandit flees if reduced to 10 hit points, but they only retreat as a group if Vekava is killed or flees.

Well, alone except for the weapon you’re transporting.

Get the player to set the scene. Ask them some/all of the following:

The bandits surround the character, making area of effect spells (like fireball) a very risky manoeuvre… and a very unethical one, since the child used as bait is a real child: Vekava’s eight-year-old grandson, Han.

• What mood are they in? • How do they pass the time while travelling? • How do they feel about their mission? • Where is Bendith? How much (if at all) have they looked at it?

Throughout the fight, Bendith cajoles the adventurer telepathically, imploring them to draw the weapon and make use of it:

CROSSED SWORDS Once you’ve established some key details, read or paraphrase:

“Use me, hero. I’ve been locked away too long. I ache to serve a purpose.” “You know the joy of combat, hero; why do you deny it to me?”

There’s a child in the road. They’re lying on their side next to a major pothole, squirming in pain, calling weakly for help:

“We needn’t kill them, hero. We can drive them away. I just want to work!”

“My leg! My leg, I think it’s broken!” You’re still just about close enough to farmland that it could be a kid who ran off chasing a stray sheep, but the area around you is nothing but field, dotted with stubby trees and the decrepit ruins of ancient buildings. One thing’s for sure: no one else is going to show up to help.

THE FIRST CAMPFIRE The rest of the day passes quietly. When the adventurer sets up camp for the night, ask them: • Where they make camp: in the open, in a ruined building, under a tree, etc. • What, if any, safety precautions they take • How they feel about their encounter with the bandits, earlier today

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CHAPTER 2: A COLD WIND

• How they feel about finding out Bendith can communicate - and about what the weapon asked of them

The adventurer and Bendith encounter a faction of enemies who want the weapon to advance their own nefarious plans. The cult called The Endless Winter are on this road specifically to ambush the character and take Bendith, and have been magically tracking the sword.

• What they’re doing to pass the time until they sleep Once the scene is set, read or paraphrase:

CHILL IN THE AIR

It’s hard to ignore the weapon. It’s with you. It feels like having another person sitting opposite you, waiting for you to make conversation.

The day passes quietly. A stretch of the road even has traffic on it: mostly merchants going from much further north, to much further south, or vice versa.

And then it stops waiting.

Ask the adventurer: • Whether they choose to ride along with a merchant caravan for company or keep to themselves

Bendith speaks to the adventurer telepathically, or audibly, if for some reason they cannot be contacted telepathically. The weapon is eager to make conversation. They are open to discussing their own experiences as a hero and as a weapon, but there are topics they actively desire to talk about, and others they will not touch.

• If Bendith is visible If they choose to ride alone, read or paraphrase the following. If they willingly accompany a group of merchants, dive into the scene at a later point (see below).

Actively Seek

Open to Discussing

Unwilling to Discuss

They want to be wielded; to stretch their legs, figuratively speaking. To be used is the only purpose they have, and to be denied it is painful.

Their own history (wars they fought in, monsters they defeated, people they knew). Often these stories end with a sad “but that was so long ago, I’m the only one who remembers any of it.”

How they feel about being wielded by evil people.

If this is the last span of their consciousness before they are Unmade, they want to go out ‘on a high’: to be used.

Why they let themselves be bound into a sword (it was the only way to defeat Arawn and they didn’t want Ceri to do it)

Ceri.

They know how hard it can be, being alone; solely responsible for some great deed. They are an ally, if the character needs one.

How they feel about being a weapon: “As a warrior, I was always a weapon. I wish I hadn’t been, but wishing gets you nowhere.”

Any other aspect of how they feel about The Unmaking (they know it’s coming, but that’s all they will say).

How the world has changed: The world hasn’t changed. There are still good people, and bad people, and it’s still hard to tell which is which.

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2. Every single one of the guards has some serious damage: Lubbock is missing a finger, another has lost an ear. One wears a mask over the lower half of her face. Any of them will tell the adventurer, if asked, that their injuries are caused by frostbite. If asked why so many of them have had frostbite, they clam up.

The caravan nearest you is small: a couple of covered wagons, and a lot of outriders, armed with the usual motley weapons that mean hired mercenaries. One of them, a big, fat, half-orc with a gentle smile and a wellloved battleaxe strapped to each hip, whistles to you.

3. The guards’ equipment isn’t as motley as it first appeared. They’re all carrying different weapons, and wearing different types of armor, but there are similarities. The hide wraps on their weapon hilts, put there for grip, are all the same and they’re all wearing similar blue and grey clothes.

“Looking for a spot of coin, friend? We’re down a guard.” A pearly-skinned tiefling woman with antlers watches from one of the wagons. Well-dressed, she looks to be the merchant in charge of the caravan, but she takes no interest in you.

4. It’s cold in the immediate area of the guards. Several degrees colder than anywhere nearby. If asked, Lubbock or Temperance (she/her, tiefling bard (VGtM), neutral evil), who is posing as the merchant admit that they’re from a group called the Endless Winter, and that they are only travelling as merchants to pass unnoticed. They’re in some trouble with the law. If the adventurer seems sympathetic to them, they explain their ideology, summed up in the Articles of Winter (see sidebar). If the adventurer still seems sympathetic, they ask for Bendith. They’ll pay: up to 500 gp, up to 700 gp if the adventurer haggles.

Lubbock (he/him, half-orc veteran (MM), neutral), explains that: • They’re carrying a valuable cargo (uncut gems, he explains if pressed) • He’s the leader of the mercenary guards. One of his crew got injured in a brush with bandits a couple of days ago and stayed back at the last inn to rest up • The road gets dangerous from here, going north, and the character looks capable • When it becomes apparent that they’re going in different directions (the caravan will follow the road when it turns north, and the character will carry on east), Lubbock offers the character a quick, easy fifty pieces of gold to join them until tomorrow morning. This would be convenient, and would not take the character out of their way

THE ARTICLES OF WINTER The world is cold and cruel. A new season of kindness and compassion is overdue. An age of ice will kill off the weeds and corruption of our era. And a new spring will bloom in the thaw.

From here, the encounter goes one of two ways: • The adventurer joins the caravan, becoming gradually suspicious of them as the day wears on, and the mercenaries attempt to drug or poison them when they camp, in order to steal Bendith (see Dinner And A Show, below)

If, at any point, the character tries to leave the caravan, becomes obviously suspicious, or refuses to sell Bendith, move on to Straight to the Point, below. If the character stays and makes camp with the group:

• The adventurer refuses, and Lubbock - regretfully attacks immediately (see Straight to the Point)

The guards and merchant are friendly and offer food and wine. The food is all cold: smoked meat, fresh bread, pickled vegetables, and the like. They do not light a campfire: none of them feels the cold.

DINNER AND A SHOW Over the course of the day, have the adventurer realise some details about the caravan. 1.

The wine is heavily drugged. If the character is actively checking for poison or drugs, they must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check to identify the telltale clove aroma of a common sleeping draught before they imbibe it. Each time the adventurer drinks a cup of wine, they must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or fall into a deep, dreamless sleep. The fourth and any subsequent saving throws made to resist the effects of the sleeping draught are made with disadvantage.

The “merchant” who rides on the caravan doesn’t seem to be giving any orders/really be in charge. It seems like a group of equals.

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CHAPTER 3: THE UNMAKING

If the adventurer falls asleep Bendith telepathically (or audibly, if necessary) wakes them when Lubbock tries to slit the character’s throat. Proceed to Straight to the Point.

STRAIGHT TO THE POINT

The adventurer reaches the Forge Temple, facing its defences and the forces of the Eternal Winter, and makes their decision: to keep Bendith with them, to unmake them, or to subvert expectations entirely because they’re a player character and that’s what they do.

It is highly likely that, at some point, the character will find themselves in combat with the Endless Winter. There are four guards (MM), plus Lubbock and Temperance. Temperance casts spells by singing, and all of them are accompanied by an icy breeze.

The Forge Temple is roughly one day’s travel from where the adventurer encountered the disguised caravanaway. When the adventurer character arrives, read or paraphrase:

Again, throughout the fight, Bendith insists that the character wield them. The Endless Winter are fanatics: they fight to the death. Lubbock is the only exception. If he is the last person standing, he surrenders and offers - calmly, but respectfully - to just go their separate ways. If the adventurer agrees, he warns them that more of the Endless Winter await them at the Forge Temple.

Where other ruins of the time have crumbled and collapsed, this one has simply receded. Grassy embankments rise high up the domed walls and climbing plants twine around the ancient stones. Frost creeps over the plant life, and many of the vines have withered and died. There’s an unseasonal chill in the air.

If the character flees, use the chase rules and Wilderness Chase Complications from Chapter 8 of the DMG.

THE SECOND CAMPFIRE Whenever the character stops to rest, Bendith again wants to talk. It manifests a translucent, ghostly figure of the same race as the player character. As with Bendith’s personality, design their appearance to appeal to the player: the weapon’s humanoid form should be someone they will see as a comrade, a friend, or even a romantic interest. The weapon is a little more forthcoming than their last conversation with the adventurer, and seeks to discuss: • How lonely its existence has been. • How it misses Ceri, who knew it as more than a powerful weapon. • How it was made to be a partner, not a tool. • Its suspicion that those who want it destroyed know of the Endless Winter, and don’t want it to fall into their hands. Bendith believes that with a worthy wielder, it could defeat the Endless Winter.

DEVELOPMENT When the conversation is over, and the character rests or returns to their watch, move on to Chapter 3.

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ENDING THE ADVENTURE

fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. An area splashed with magma deals 7 (2d6) to any creature standing on it, for the next three rounds, and is Difficult Terrain after that.

With only one character, there are so many possible outcomes it’s not possible to list them all. The character might choose to simply never enter the Forge Temple; fight the Endless Winter and destroy the weapon; fight the Endless Winter and keep the weapon; trick the Endless Winter into letting them keep the weapon; almost anything else! The key elements in play are as follows:

THE ENDLESS WINTER The Endless Winter await in the Forge Temple. There are five cultists (MM), led by Roslyn (she/her, high elf mage (MM), neutral evil) with the following modifications: • No 4th-5th level spells

BENDITH

• Change the damage type of her fireball to cold

Bendith doesn’t want to be Unmade. They fear death. They don’t know what awaits them on the far side of the Unmaking, and they don’t want to find out. They appear to the character outside the temple as a fully solid version of their appearance from the night before and explain their feelings. They negotiate, promise, and beg for their life if necessary.

• Swap her fly spell for thunder step • Add resistance to cold damage • Cannot be magically put to sleep; advantage on saving throws to avoid being charmed Roslyn attempts to negotiate for Bendith, then tries to intimidate the character into surrendering the weapon. If diplomacy fails, she attacks. The cultists fight to the death, but Roslyn flees if reduced to ten hit points.

Bendith does, however, want to deal with the threat of the Endless Winter. They would prefer to go inside the Forge Temple and… kill them all, frankly. They seem like exactly the sort of threat Bendith was made to address.

DEVELOPMENT

THE FORGE TEMPLE

The adventure concludes at the Forge Temple - but see Conclusion for possible future developments.

Exterior: The Forge Temple is a circular, domed structure with a square chimney protruding from the top and a small, square, antechamber at the front.

CONCLUSION

Dimensions & Terrain: The antechamber is ten feet square, and the circular forge room (where the Endless Winter await) is 30 feet in diameter. The forge itself stands on a stone catwalk five feet above a pit of magma, fifteen feet in diameter.

If Bendith is destroyed and the Endless Winter defeated, the adventure ends in silence and… victory? If this is not the case, there is considerably more wrapping up to do. Does the character return to their employer, or flee with Bendith? If they have the weapon, what lies do they have to tell to keep it? Do the Endless Winter issue threats of revenge? This is all up to you and your player.

The Unmaking: The temple responds to Bendith’s presence. Friezes on the walls light up as if glowing with magma and play out the ritual of The Unmaking in flowing lines of fire: the ritual involves heating the weapon on the anvil over the magma, performing ritual gestures above it, and plunging it into the magma. The entire process takes ten minutes to complete, and if interrupted, must be restarted from the beginning. With a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check the adventurer notices illustrations on the temple ceiling that show the magma pool drawing from, and flowing to, the elemental plane of fire. Bendith notices this if the adventurer fails to. Bendith correctly interprets the images to mean that their spirit is going to burn forever, rather than find any peaceful rest.

One thing is for sure: if Bendith is still with the character, the weapon is grateful. The character has earned their trust, their loyalty… and their friendship. It remains to be seen what that is worth.

REWARDS If the character has been promised a reward for destroying Bendith, they receive it. Otherwise, they get to keep Bendith. The weapon has additional powers not explored here: if the character can learn the command word, who knows what they might unlock?

Magma: The magma pool becomes agitated and begins to bubble and splash. Each turn, on initiative count 20 (losing ties), the magma splashes in a random direction (roll 1d12) and covers a five foot area. Any creature in the area must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 (3d6)

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AUTHOR’S NOTES/ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

AUTHOR BIO Cat is a UK-based writer and game designer who wants to be a hag when she grows up. She likes horror, dark fantasy, and has a weird crush on sentient weapons. Check out her work at linktr.ee/catevans and her Twitter rants at @ perpetualgloom

There are lots of things that make DMing for one player markedly different to DMing for a group, or even a pair. The DM needs a voice in every scene - but can’t ever be more powerful than the player character; the potential for close, personal, bonds between PC and NPC is much, much, stronger; a single player will find ways through your plot that a group would never manage, as there’s no compromising, acquiescing, or making sure everyone at the table has something to do. The best adventures I’ve run, and played in, for one character, are personal. They give the player a compelling question to answer (“Can I kill this ancient hero, who I’m getting emotionally close to?”) and the freedom to make whatever choice suits them (Kill them? Keep them? Something else entirely?). I think I’ve done it. I love this adventure. And quite frankly, I love Bendith. I hope there’s at least one player out there who does too.

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WHISPERS OF NIGHTMARE By David Markiwsky The Flaming Fist is pushing deeper into the jungles of Chult on a crusade to eradicate the threats to “civilized people.” When one of their captains, a chosen servant of the goddess of luck, is captured and imprisoned by the Yuan-ti, they hire mercenaries and adventurers to join an expeditionary force to rescue their captured captain. The Yuan-ti, whose ancestral home is being invaded by the Flaming Fist, seek a way to repel the invaders by delving into nightmare itself. The adventure is set in Chult, in the Forgotten Realms, but can be easily adapted to any setting where one might find a small civilization of yuan-ti. Content Warnings: Colonialism

LEVELS 10 -12

ADVENTURE HOOK

The Anti-Colonist (Inside or Outside Chult) If the adventurer witnesses the recruiters, either inside or outside Chult, and is struck by the immorality of what the Flaming Fist is doing, or questions the motives of the mercenary company, they are approached a short while later by a cloaked human female with tanned skin, a long braid of silver hair and abnormally bright green eyes. She introduces herself as Ezra, a native of Chult, and explains that she has had some run ins with the Flaming Fist in the past. A successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals that Ezra is a yuan-ti pureblood (MM) posing as a human. She believes that all the Flaming Fist care about is blood, conquest and gold, weaponizing faith and propaganda to fuel their war against everyone who is not like them. She believes that if they are not stopped, they will cut a bloody swathe across not just Chult, but the whole world. Ezra has been secretly gathering allies who feel the same way and is sending them to Chult to launcha rebellion against the Flaming Fist.

Recruited to the Flaming Fist (Outside Chult) If the adventurer is not already in Chult, they are bombarded by recruiters, leaflets and rumors promising treasure and glory to those who travel to Chult to fight the scourges of the jungle. If the adventurer speaks to one of these recruiters, they are told that the cities of Chult are under constant siege from the monstrosities that lurk in the jungle, how children are dragged away from their beds in the night and livestock wantonly slain, leaving the good people of Port Nyanzaru to starve. The recruiters promise the adventurer passage to Chult on a Flaming Fist ship, 50 gold pieces up front, and hundreds, if not thousands, more gold pieces in plunder. Recruited to the Flaming Fist (Inside Chult) A large crowd gathers in the market street of Port Nyanzaru, surrounding a flamboyantly dressed man standing atop a wooden crate that has been pushed out into the street. He is holding the battle standard of the Flaming Fist, a zealous mercenary company who operates within Chult. Flanking the man are two Flaming Fist soldiers in full armor and regalia signing up new recruits from the crowd to join the company.

If the adventurer sympathizes with Ezra’s point of view, she urges them to sign up with the Flaming Fist, take their gold and then sabotage their fight from within. She explains that there are other others among the Flaming Fist in Chult who share her views who will contact the adventurer when they arrive.

The man atop the crate shouts about the poison spitting snake men lurking within the jungle, whose terrible armies are being held at bay by the Flaming Fist. Those who wish to join the fight against the creatures of evil will be given weapons and armor, a stipend of 50 gold pieces and hundreds more gold pieces in spoils when the vicious threat is eliminated.

Note: If the adventurer is visibly yuan-ti, they will need to disguise themself in some way to infiltrate the Flaming Fist. If they have no way to do this on their own, Ezra provides them with a hat of disguise.

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CHAPTER 1: THE MISSING CAPTAIN

INVESTIGATING THE BODIES Examining the bodies reveals that many have clouded white eyes, burn marks and numerous cut and stab wounds. A successful DC 12 Intelligence (Medicine) check reveals that the blade wounds were inflicted after the burns, although the burns look severe enough to have killed the soldiers. A successful DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana or Religion) check reveals that the bodies were raised as zombies. Additionally, a detect magic spell reveals a strong presence of necromantic magic on the bodies.

After a river journey of several days aboard a Flaming Fist ship from Port Nyanzaru followed by a four day trek on foot, the adventurer arrives, along with a batch of mercenaries and Flaming Fist recruits at the Flaming Fist encampment.

MISCHIEF

This military encampment is in chaos and disarray. The 20 foot high wall of sharpened timbers which surrounds the encampment has been blasted in on the southern side. Once orderly tents lay in smoldering piles of blackened cloth on the ground and two dozen corpses are lined up in the centre of the camp as Flaming Fist soldiers work to build a pyre on which to burn the bodies. All around, Flaming Fist soldiers, numbering in the hundreds, look tired and shaken.

An ivory skinned tiefling, their curving black horns ornamented with gold, strides towards the adventurer and other new recruits. They are dressed in leather armor, across which has been affixed a Flaming Fist tabard, with a long, tasseled purple and gold silk scarf wound loosely around their neck and trailing down their back. They introduce themself as Mischief (they/them, tiefling, swashbuckler (VGtM), chaotic good), an acting lieutenant of the Flaming Fist who will be taking on command of the new recruits.

THE CAMP The Outer Wall. The outer wall is a circle of sharpened timbers, approximately 20 feet tall, surrounding the camp. It is adorned with 6 wooden guard towers equidistant around the wall, although one of these guard towers and a significant portion of the south wall have been blown apart. Tents. Forty plain canvas tents organized in neat rows of five each surround two large canvas pavillions in the centre of the camp. Each tent is emblazoned with the symbol of the Flaming Fist. However, at least fifteen of the tents have been burned to smoldering piles of charred fabric and the pavillion belonging to Captain Gamila Dan (he/him, halfing, warpriest (VGtM), lawful good) is half collapsed and heavily damaged. The Bodies. A double row of bodies (twenty-six in total) are laid out in the centre of the camp, covered by charred tent canvas. The Pyre. A 20 foot wide, unlit pyre, built up of jungle logs, brush and debris, ready to burn the bodies of the fallen. A successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check or a Passive Perception of 12 reveals that some of the debris that makes up the pyre are snake themed artifacts carved from wood and a number of books featuring pictographs. A successful DC 16 Intelligence (History) check reveals that the items are religious and cultural artifacts from the Yuan-ti. Any Flaming Fist soldier asked about the artifacts explains that the artifacts and books wereseized from a Yuan-ti settlement that the company raided before setting up the encampment. They have been using the books and artifacts they took from the Yuan-ti as fuel for their cook fires.

46

Mischief offers the following information about the camp and the current conflict:

The note reads:

• The conflict. The Flaming Fist has been in conflict with a settlement of yuan-ti who are nesting in the ruins of an ancient city in the jungle. The fighting has been ongoing for seven weeks, but the yuan-ti have been pushed back to the doorstep of the ruins and will soon be eradicated.

Ezra sent word of your coming. Though we are few in number, we will stop this genocide, one way or another. A friend.

• The wreckage of the camp. Before dawn this morning, the yuan-ti launched a surprise attack on the camp, using magic to destroy the southern wall and raising the soldiers who died in the blast as zombies. As the zombies tore through the camp, a force of yuan-ti captured Gamila Dan, a Flaming Fist Captain and a chosen of the goddess of luck, carrying him and a dozen other captives away into the jungle.

SECRET, SUBTERFUGE AND SABOTAGE If the adventurer chooses to sabotage the Flaming Fist encampment, they can make Dc 13 Dexterity (Stealth) checks to avoid the Flaming Fist guards or DC 13 Charisma (Deception) checks to deceive them. The following table outlines some examples of ways the adventurer can sabotage the Flaming Fist encampment and the effects:

• The counterattack. The Flaming Fist are planning to launch a counterattack against the yuan-ti at first light, in hopes of recovering their lost comrades and ending the yuan-ti threat.

Sabotage Action

Effects on Flaming Fist Soldiers

CHOSEN

Damage or hide armor

Chosen are those who are favored by or touched by a god. They often possess great power or blessings granted to them by their deity and are sometimes considered to be a direct conduit to that divine entity.

Armor class is reduced by 2, or armor class reduced to 10 if the armor is destroyed or hidden

Damage or hide weapons

Damage is reduced by half, or all weapons are replaced with daggers if weapons are destroyed or hidden

Prevent soldiers from sleeping

1 point of exhaustion

Taint or poison food supplies

The number of soldiers in all encounters in Chapter 2 are reduced by half.

Mischief instructs the adventurer and the other recruits to help move the bodies to the pyre, then settle in for a vigil for the dead.

THE RESISTANCE If the adventurer is not acting as a spy, skip this section and move on to Chapter 2.

If the adventurer sneaks away from the camp to warn the yuan-ti, while travelling through the jungle they are ambushed by two panthers (MM). When the adventurers reach the ruins of the yuan-ti city, proceed to Chapter 3.

If the adventurer is acting as a spy within the Flaming Fist, they may choose to take action during the night to sabotage or hinder the Flaming Fist counterattack.

EXTENDING THE ADVENTURE

A NOTE OF SUPPORT

For a longer adventure, extend this phase by allowing the adventurer’s actions to cause delays in the Flaming Fist counterattack and giving them a chance to meet the writer of the note, Ria (she/her, elf priest, lawful good). Ria is working as a medic for the Flaming Fist, but is a secret devotee of the god of knowledge who is trying to protect the cultural artifacts of the yuan-ti from destruction.

When the adventurer is shown to their tent and sleeping roll, there is a small book tucked beneath the bedroll. The book is written in yuan-ti pictographs (a character who can decipher the yuan-ti pictographs finds that it is a book of poetry). A note written in Common is tucked into the book.

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CHAPTER 2: INTO THE NIGHTMARE

The next portion of the adventure involves the adventurer navigating through the mists and encountering various characters and situations in the process. The outcome of each situation determines the form of the nightmare encountered in Chapter 3.

The next morning, the Flaming Fist soldiers mobilize for the attack against the yuan-ti. Equipment is prepared, rations are given out and the camp is mobilized for the assault.

THE NIGHTMARE The adventurer is stalked through the mists by something unseen. They feel its presence, hear it growling and clawing at the ground, but can’t see it through the mists. After each encounter, hint to the adventurer that it feels like the creature is getting closer.

The Flaming Fist army follows a path through the jungle that they have travelled before on previous assaults. After an hour of travel read the following: Through the tangled vines and tree branches, you get your first glimpse of a city fallen to ruin. A 50 ft wide causeway, paved with huge granite tiles, stretches toward the centre of the city. A stone pavillion stands fifty feet tall on either side of the causeway, supported by a forest of columns, covered in chipped and flaking painted frescoes. Beyond the pavillions, a huge sprawl of thatch-roofed houses and small, stepped pyramids are slowly being overtaken by the vines and foliage of the jungle. At the center of the city stands the largest of the stepped pyramids, rising 150 feet above the ground to a small structure at its peak.

THE NIGHTMARE’S ABILITIES Each encounter has a specified failure condition. Meeting this condition unlocks one of the Nightmare’s abilities in Chapter 3. If the adventurer resolves the situation peacefully, the corresponding ability is not unlocked and the Nightmare is weaker.

MIST ENCOUNTERS Roll on the following table to determine the order in which the adventurer meets each encounter, rerolling duplicates, until all 4 encounters have been completed.

As the Flaming Fist soldiers advance into the city, a low hissing filters forth from the ruins as the yuan-ti prepare to meet them in battle. As the first arrows fly out of the ruined city, and the Flaming Fist loose their first crossbow bolts, read the following: An ear-breaking scream of terror and agony rings out through the jungle. Around you, Flaming Fist soldiers clutch their hands over their ears, doubling over in pain as blood leaks from their ears. In the ruins, tails lash as Yuan-ti writhe in the same agony and all eyes turn to the center of the city as a flash of burning light blows the roof off of the small wooden temple atop the central pyramid. Flaming Fist and yuan-ti alike stand in shocked amazement as thick fog pours down the steps of the pyramid and into the streets of the ruined city and a thin black tendril reaches from the pyramid up into the sky.Then in an instant, the fog rushes over you, blanketing everything in white nothingness.

1d4

Encounter

1

Mischief

2

Bat Temple

3

Necromancer

4

Anathema

1. MISCHIEF The mist parts to reveal three Flaming Fist recruits. One of the recruits has been scalded by acid, his skin flaking away on one side of his face, while another lies in a heap on the ground, the victim of a pair of stab wounds. The third recruit is cowering with his head in his hands, but seems uninjured. Mischief stands protectively a dozen feet away, bloodsoaked and surrounded by dead yuan-ti. They hold a rapier in one hand and a dagger in the other, blood dripping down their ivory skin and a fierce battle grin twisting their attractive features. Mischief is given over to bloodlust, calling out into the mists for more yuan-ti to kill. When the adventurer approaches, Mischief explains that they are protecting the recruits and they won’t let anyone else be hurt, even if they have to kill every yuan-ti. The adventurer’s conversation with Mischief is interrupted as a wounded yuan-ti woman (yuan-ti pureblood, MM) stumbles through the mists. The woman is

NAVIGATING THE NIGHTMARE MIST The mists have filled the ruined city, cutting the adventurer off from both the Flaming Fist soldiers and the yuan-ti.

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wounded and unarmed. Mischief’s primary motivation is to protect the Flaming Fist recruits. They do this by attacking any yuan-ti they see, assuming that they are hostile based on his previous encounters with yuan-ti. Unless the adventurer stops them, Mischief attacks the injured yuan-ti woman and kills her.

The anathema’s six heads speak in unison: “You come into our city and try to take it from us. We who have been here since a time before history. You come to burn our books; to erase us from history. No. You are the ones who will be erased.”

Ally. The adventurer can convince Mischief to accompany them into the mists with a successful DC 14 Charisma (Persuasion or Deception) check. If the adventurer finds a way to safeguard the Flaming Fist recruits, or offers to bring the recruits along they have advantage on the check. If they are trying to convince Mischief to leave the recruits behind, they have disadvantage on the check.

The anathema begins waving its clawed hands and chanting a spell in Abyssal. A successful DC 14 Wisdom (Insight) check reveals that the anathema is an extremely powerful creature capable of easily wiping out all of the Flaming Fist soldiers. Without the adventurer’s intervention, the anathema casts divine word, killing all of the Flaming Fist soldiers in the vicinity and affecting the adventurer as per the effects of the spell.

Failure. If the adventurer kills the unarmed Yuan-ti woman or allows Mischief to kill her, it counts as a failure, increasing the nightmare’s power.

Survival. The anathema can not be convinced to ally with the adventurer. It can be convinced to spare the soldiers if the adventurer convinces it they are not interested in conquering the Yuan-ti civilization, with a successful DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion or Deception) check.

Nightmare. On a Failure, unlock the Rage ability.

2. ANATHEMA A chorus of hissing and raised voices pierces through the mists. As the mist clears, you see a group of eighteen Flaming Fist soldiers (bandit), surrounding a massive yuanti with a serpentine body, clawed hands and six hissing snake heads (yuan-ti anathema, VGtM). Despite their numbers, the Flaming Fist soldiers are cowering before the Yuan-ti anathema, under the effects of its Ophidian Aura.

Failure. If the adventurer allows the Flaming Fist soldiers to be killed. Nightmare. On a Failure, unlock the Wrath ability.

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3. BAT TEMPLE

successful, Nakhiri explains that this city was built by the yuan-ti hundreds of years ago, but was lost in a war against a powerful Chultan king. Now, the yuan-ti are trying to reclaim their lost city and the heritage they lost hundreds of years before.

A stone doorway, carved with the likeness of a strange batlike creature, comes into view. Beyond the doorway, you hear shouting, cheering and the smashing of pottery. The mist clears and you find yourself standing in the doorway of a small stone shrine. The thatched roof overhead is full of holes and drooping vines. The shrine is empty, save for a human sized statue of a bat-like creature against one wall, a small offering stone on which a single candle is burning, and a collection of dusty pottery painted with images of bats.

Ally. The adventurer can convince Nakhiri to accompany them if he believes they don’t want to harm the contents of the library, and they find a way to secure the library against the Flaming Fist (such as blocking the doorway using stone shape).

Four Flaming Fist soldiers (bandits, MM) are smashing the pottery and trying to find a way to put out the candle, which is burning with a continual flame spell. They intend to smash everything in the blasphemous shrine to bits.

Failure. If the adventurer doesn’t convince Nikhiri that they aren’t hostile to the yuan-ti library. Nightmare. On a Failure, unlock the Suspicion ability.

DEVELOPMENT

Ally. The adventurer can convince the Flaming Fist soldiers to accompany them with a successful DC 14 Charisma (Persuasion, Deception or Intimidation) check, but they insist on smashing the bat statue on the altar first.

When the adventurer has navigated all four encounters, proceed to Chapter 3, where they confront the nightmare that has been stalking them.

Failure. If the adventurer allows the Flaming Fist soldiers to smash the stone figure on the altar.

CHAPTER 3: CONFRONTING THE NIGHTMARE

Nightmare. On a Failure, unlock the Greed ability.

4. NECROMANCER A stone pillar, as thick as a tree trunk, comes into view. Someone has restored the frescoes covering the pillar, which depict a procession of Yuan-ti in bright colors bringing offerings of fruit and flowers to a serpent god. A yuan-ti speaking Common calls out into the mist: “Do not come any closer or you will die and be raised to defend the very library you seek to destroy.”

The massive central pyramid looms before you. Huge tiers of stone, covered in brightly colored frescoes depicting the lives and religious practices of the Yuan-ti rise hundreds of feet high, where a snaking pillar of darkness stretches towards the clouds. A single stone staircase which has become a flowing river of dark mist leads up the center of the pyramid.

The mist parts to reveal a small stone structure decorated in freshly painted frescoes. A yuan-ti with the torso of a human and a long serpentine lower body blocks the entrance to the building. He is holding a dagger in each hand and is coiled and ready to strike anyone who comes near. Four recently raised Flaming Fist zombies stand in front of him, waiting for a command. A successful DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals that within the building are stacks of books and wooden carvings like those burned in the Flaming Fist encampment.

As the adventurer makes their first move to climb the pyramid, the booming voice of the nightmare booms behind them. “Not one more step. You do not deserve to climb these stairs. You are nothing. You are no one. You are weak. You are insignificant. You will die here and you will be forgotten.”

The yuan-ti is Nakhiri (he/him, Yuan-ti necromancer (VGtM), lawful evil), who led the attack on the Flaming Fist the previous night. He is protecting the last library within the yuan-ti city that has not been looted or burned by the Flaming Fist already and will fight to the death to protect it. A successful DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion or Deception) check will convince Nakhiri that the adventurer is not there to steal or destroy the contents of the library. If

Read the following description of the nightmare. For each failure on the Mist Encounters, add the appropriate line to the description from the table:

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THE NIGHTMARE

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage and the target must succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. Add 9 (2d8) if the Nightmare is invisible.

Huge monstrosity, lawful evil

Armour Class 16 (natural armor) Hit Points 80 + 30 for each failed Mist Encounter Speed 30ft. (*40 ft.), *fly 50 ft. STR 18 (+4)

DEX 14 (+2)

CON 17 (+3)

INT 9 (-1)

WIS 13 (+1)

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 11 (3d10 + 4) piercing damage. Add 9 (2d8) if the Nightmare is invisible.

Nightmare Modifiers

CHA 17 (+3)

The Nightmare has additional abilities if the adventurer failed encounters in the Mist Encounter section of Chapter 2. Rage (Mischief encounter). The Nightmare gains an additional 10 ft. of movement speed. Additionally, when The Nightmare successfully deals damage to a creature it can make a slam attack using its bonus action.

Saves Str +8, Con +7, Cha +7 Skills Athletics +8, Deception +7, Intimidation +7 Senses darkvision 120 ft., truesight 15 ft. Languages all languages the adventurer who spawned it speaks

Suspicion (Necromancer Encounter). The Nightmare can cast invisibility at will. Additionally, when The Nightmare makes a successful attack while invisible, it deals an additional 2d8 psychic damage.

Legendary Resistance (2/day). If The Nightmare fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. Spellcasting. The Nightmare is a 9th level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks. The Nightmare can cast the following spells innately, with no material components:

Greed (Bat Temple encounter). The Nightmare gains a fly speed of 50 ft.. Additionally, when The Nightmare successfully deals damage to a creature, it drains their vitality, giving them disadvantage on their next attack or skill check until the beginning of The Nightmare’s next turn.

At will: vicious mockery 3/day each: cause fear, dissonant whispers, misty step

Wrath (Anathema Encounter). When the Nightmare targets a creature with a spell, that creature has disadvantage on saving throws to resist the effects of the spell. Additionally, a creature who fails a saving throw against a spell cast by The Nightmare takes an additional 2d8 psychic damage.

Actions Multiattack. The Nightmare makes one slam and one bite attack on its turn.

The nightmare that has dogged your steps, taunting and threatening you, emerges at last from the mists. It is a mass of writhing darkness, dragging a long, serpentine body forward with two massive claws. Dark mist trickles from between its slavering jaws.

The Nightmare attacks the adventurer, taunting them with each attack, repeating the disparaging lines it spoke when it appeared.

Mists Encounter

Add this description on an encounter failure

If the adventurer is reduced to 0 hit points. The Nightmare howls in victory and charges to deliver the death blow, but instead passes harmlessly through them as though they were a ghost. It continues to attack and taunt them, but can no longer cause any harm. The adventurer is left with 1 hit point.

Mischief

Shadowy arms grow from its back, ending in vicious black claws.

If the adventure defeats the nightmare. The Nightmare dissipates, its voice echoing out of the mist once more:

Anathema

Small mouths open up across its body, drooling and whispering foul words.

Bat Temple

Large, bat-like wings of darkness sprout from its back.

Necromancer

It radiates an aura of pulsing black shadows around it.

“You have conquered hate. You have conquered fear. You have conquered your own nightmare. You are significant. You are important. You are strong. You will never be brought low.”

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If the adventurer refuses to fight the nightmare or attempts to deescalate the conflict. The nightmare attacks the adventurer, but passes harmlessly through them, howling in rage and taunting them before dissolving back into the mists.

DEVELOPMENT With the voice of the nightmare echoing around them, the adventurer is free to walk or limp their way up the steps of the pyramid.

CHAPTER 4 - THE SOURCE Amidst a roiling cascade of mist, you crest the top of the pyramid. The wooden shrine that stood here hours ago is in ruins, and in its place a man with sun bronzed skin and polished Flaming Fist armor hovers in the air. The man’s wide eyes are solid white, peering into the sky above as snake-like black tendrils extend from his mouth into the sky, thrashing back and forth. Coiled around him is a yuan-ti woman with a long serpentine tail, an elaborate golden headdress, and purple tattoos that glow with unnatural magic. Dark mist bleeds from the exposed skin of both figures, tumbling down the pyramid to fill the city below. As you step forward, the Yuan-ti opens her eyes, and quickly unwinds herself from the floating Flaming Fist captain, then collapses to the ground in exhaustion.

The yuan-ti is Tishala (she/her, nightmare speaker, VGtM, neutral evil), the yuan-ti’s high priestess. A successful DC 10 Intelligence (Medicine) check reveals that she is exhausted (Tishala has four points of exhaustion). Tishala is visibly upset. She does not attack the adventurer, but will defend herself if provoked. Engaging her in conversation reveals that she seems to have lost hope and the will to carry on. She can provide the following information: Nightmare Speaker. Tishala is a Nightmare Speaker. Nightmare speakers feed fears and nightmares to the Night Serpent in exchange for power and visions from their deity. The Flaming Fist Captain. The Yuan-ti captured the Flaming Fist captain, Gamila Dan, because he is the chosen of the goddess of luck, Tymora. Tishala believed that he could use Gamila’s connection to his goddess to feed the Night Serpent the Nightmares of the Goddess of Luck and divine the future from the resulting visions. The Mists. The mists and nightmare creatures were an unintended side effect of the working of such powerful magic.

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REWARDS

The Nightmare. Tishala explains: “The Nightmare was built of all the hate and anger within you. A nightmare can hurt you; it can bring you to your knees; can make you think you are going to die, but it cannot kill you. It is not real. It exists only in your own mind and if you stop fighting, you will overcome it.”

If the adventurer kills Tishala, they find the following item around her neck: Dendar’s Eye Wonderous item, rare (requires attunement)

Visions. Tishala saw visions of a thousand possible futures while communing with the nightmare. In every future, the Yuan-ti were pushed out of their rightful homes and forced to live as refugees, huddled within caves and deep jungles. No matter what actions they take; no matter what battles they win; no matter whether they defeat the Flaming Fist today, every outcome eventually will lead to failure.

An amulet in the shape of a snake’s eye. While wearing the amulet, you can use it to cast commune to contact Dendar, the Night Serpent. This property can not be used again until the next midnight. If the adventurer kills Gamila Dan, they can loot the following items from his body:

CONCLUSION

• Half Plate +2 • Flame Tongue Longsword

In Tishala’s dejected state, she is unsure where to go from here, but urges the adventurer to not be party to genocide.

• 150 gold pieces

When freed, Gamila Dan, who is too weakened to cast spells or even lift a sword, orders the adventurer to kill Tishala and any other yuan-ti that they see, while Tishala, devastated by the futures she witnessed, can barely summon the will to stand.

AUTHOR’S NOTES

• Tishala can be convinced to take her Yuan-ti and abandon the city to live another day with a successful DC 13 Charisma (Persuasion) check. She does this knowing that if they leave now, the yuan-ti will never reclaim their city and will be on the run forever.

Some of the first books I ever read as a kid were the old “Choose Your Own Adventure” novels. Tabletop roleplaying games are sort of the ultimate expression of those brand of novels, where you can push the story and your characters in whatever direction you want. This adventure, in many ways, is my attempt at writing a story that pushes back; where the choices you make have direct, fast acting consequences on not only how the story progresses and the outcome of the story, but also the difficulty that you face in the final combat encounter.

• Tishala can be convinced to stand and fight against the Flaming Fist with the adventurer’s help, with a successful DC 13 Charisma (Persuasion) check. She does this knowing that many of her people will die in the battle and that more armies will come when this one is gone.

The adventure touches on a lot of other things that I have a lot to say about: dreams, nightmares, the immorality of colonization and destruction of native cultures, but I think most of my thoughts about these things are well explained in the adventure.

With the leaders of the Yuan-ti and the Flaming Fist both exhausted and helpless before them, it is up to the adventurer to influence how the conflict proceeds forward:

• Gamila Dan can be convinced to leave the Yuan-ti in peace with a successful DC 16 Charisma (Persuasion) or DC 16 Charisma (Intimidation) check. He leaves, with the intention of coming back with another, larger army in the future (he never leaves a fight unfinished). The adventurer can determine this intention with a successful DC 14 Wisdom (Insight) check.

AUTHOR BIO David Markiwsky is a writer, artist and graphic designer in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He has written or produced art for over 30 different publications and has an unnatural obsession with all things fey and horror. You can find him on Twitter at @DavidMarkiwsky.

• If the adventurer wishes to help the Flaming Fist press the attack against the Yuan-ti, Gamila Dan supports the course of action.

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ATONEMENT By Samantha Lavender & Miranda Mels This is an adventure for a fallen paladin. Not an oathbreaker or a death knight, but a fallible, well-meaning mortal who has stumbled on their sacred path. Their quest for redemption brings them into conflict with a newly-risen vampire, who seems as determined to plunge into darkness as the paladin is to rise above it. Over the course of a night the fallen paladin must strive to keep faith in their broken code while keeping their adversary from achieving her dark apotheosis. Content Warnings: potential failed suicide

LEVEL 11

ADVENTURE HOOK

Years ago Adalet retired to a small church (alternatively a shrine or sacred grove, depending on the deity or traditions in question), with only two acolytes and the village of Thornwell to look after. Evil still found her, however, in the form of a vampire eager to rid the world of her infuriating righteousness. During the conflict, one of Adalet’s acolytes, Ianthe, was killed and turned into a vampire spawn.

This adventure is intended for one paladin of at least 11th level who has broken the tenants of their Sacred Oath. A paladin’s moral commitments are demanding, and there are none living that can claim perfect virtue. But while this transgression is only natural, it is not without consequence. Until they have atoned, the paladin cannot expend or regain spell slots—including Divine Smite—and does not benefit from any features granted by their Sacred Oath, including their Channel Divinity.

Although it nearly killed her, Adalet managed to defeat and permanently destroy the vampire. Ianthe, shocked and overwhelmed by the sudden release from the vampire’s control, lashed out and attacked Adalet before her old mentor had a chance to recover. Ianthe killed Adalet, then fled into the nearby woods.

After the light of their power dims with the wavering of their conviction, the penitent paladin leaves their adventuring companions in search of someone who can guide them through absolution. A cleric of the paladin’s god or an older member of their order dwells in the village of Thornwell, and the paladin has recently arrived looking for them.

Ianthe is slowly coming to terms with her existence as a free-willed vampire spawn. She hasn’t killed anyone else in Thornwell—not yet—but she has attacked a few of the villagers. She has spent several nights digging herself a new grave out in the woods and filling it with earth from where she was originally interred. Her primary concern is collecting the power necessary to become a true vampire, which she intends to do by any means necessary.

ADVENTURE BACKGROUND

CHAPTER 1: DUSK The fallen paladin arrives in Thornwell shortly before sunset. Because of the village’s position tucked between two low rows of hills, each mostly covered with the halfferal Briarwood, night often sees Thornwell collecting a thin cloak of mist regardless of season. This evening is no different.

The individual the fallen paladin is searching for is Adalet Hanim. If the paladin serves a deity, Adalet is a respected cleric of that deity. If they are a member of a holy or knightly order instead, Adalet is a senior paladin of the same order. If the fallen paladin is neither, then Adalet is simply a holy woman whose reputation of wisdom and virtue has reached the paladin’s ears.

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THORNWELL

ADALET’S TEACHINGS “You need not carry the world, but neither can you let it fall.”

Named for the thick rose bushes that grow wild around town but particularly around the village well, Thornwell is a modest village of only a few hundred souls. Adalet Hanim’s church was the pride of the community, and her steadfast commitment to doing good has rubbed off on most of the townsfolk over the years. Still, the terror of Adalet’s death and Ianthe’s continued haunting is testing even their resilience. Fear and loss threaten to smother the light in many of their hearts.

“Everyone likes to think that knowing what the right thing to do is difficult. It distracts them from the truth—doing the right thing is simple. Difficult, yes, but simple.” “To be a virtuous person, you must always take the most virtuous choice. To make virtuous choices, you must merely be a virtuous person.”

Besides the church, the two most notable places in Thornwell proper are the Wild Rose Inn and Stables, run by Lowenna Half-Elven (half-elf commoner (MM), neutral good ), and Irja Hakondottir’s ( half-orc commoner, neutral good) smithy. There are also three large farms in the village, Twelve Mile Farm, Xiu’s Orchard, and Snowdown Ranch and Dairy.

THE TEST OF HONESTY Over the last few nights, Eun-ji has spotted Ianthe carrying dirt away from her original grave in the church’s graveyard. Eun-ji asks the paladin to promise not to attack Ianthe before leading them to her. Eun-ji wants to give Ianthe the chance to come back and seek redemption, and although she wants the paladin’s help, her sense of honesty won’t allow turning such an offer into a fight.

THE SURVIVING ACOLYTE Two acolytes served and studied under Adalet Hanim in her church, Ianthe and Eun-ji. After Adalet and Ianthe’s deaths, Eun-ji (she/her, human acolyte (MM), lawful good ) now lives there alone. While she has no intention of abandoning it, the church is a painful reminder of what she has lost. Eun-ji has spent a few sleepless days out amongst the villagers instead, trying to keep them safe from Ianthe. The hour before sunset finds her in the Wild Rose Inn checking up on Lowenna, who was the most recently attacked.

If the paladin agrees, Eun-ji leads them to Ianthe’s empty grave and waits for the sun to set, at which point the vampire spawn (MM) Ianthe comes out of the nearby woods to collect fresh grave dirt. Ianthe doesn’t initially attack without provocation, but she brushes off Eun-ji’s pleas to come home. She is curious about the fallen paladin and tries to learn as much as she can before fleeing. If the paladin initially refuses to promise non-violence, Eun-ji still tells them where to wait for Ianthe but goes ahead into the woods to talk to the vampire spawn alone. The paladin might be able to follow her through the Briarwood; if they do, they catch Ianthe attacking Eun-ji and drinking her blood. If the paladin initially agrees not to fight but attacks her anyway, Ianthe dodges for a few rounds before realizing she can turn into mist or a bat to escape. Either way, the paladin fails this test and Ianthe earns the Shapechanger trait of a true vampire (MM).

Eun-ji is happy to see a paladin arrive, even a fallen one, and escorts them to the church while explaining recent events. She stresses the tragedy of Ianthe’s transformation and expresses her firm belief that her fellow acolyte can still be saved.

ROLEPLAYING EUN-JI Like Ianthe, Eun-ji greatly admired Adalet Hanim. Unlike Ianthe, however, she understood that her mentor’s virtue was something greater than herself, a code of ethics that Eun-ji can still strive towards after Adalet’s death. Still, the tragedy of their deaths weighs heavily on her. Eun-ji is a far better healer than a warrior, and she doesn’t know what to do about Ianthe. She loved her fellow acolyte dearly, and desperately wants to find some way to free Ianthe from her dark existence without destroying her outright.

ROLEPLAYING IANTHE In life, Ianthe was devoted to Adalet Hanim, even more so than to the virtues the older woman preached. During their last conversation, Ianthe begged Adalet not to face the vampire head-on. Adalet responded, “Evil may enter the world, but it will not do so by my hand.”

If the fallen paladin seems in danger of giving in to despair, Eun-ji does her best to share some of her late mentor’s wisdom. She can’t always explain the lesson behind each phrase, and if asked encourages the paladin to meditate upon their meanings.

As a vampire spawn, Ianthe is convinced that nothing could be so foolish as those words. In her mind, there is no use trying to guess the repercussions of one’s actions, to separate right from wrong. Her former admiration for Adalet has turned to bitter disdain, but beneath it lurks insecurity as well. After all, it is only because of Adalet that Ianthe is free.

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Adalet died before she had a chance to cure them. There are seven affected villagers in total: three at Twelve Mile Farm, one at Xiu’s Orchard, two at Snowdown Ranch and Dairy, and the innkeeper, Lowenna Half-Elven. While poisoned they cannot recover from any reduction of their hit point maximum, which puts them in particular danger from Ianthe’s Bite attack.

She is desperate to ascend to the status of a true vampire, in the hope that power will quell her apprehension. This inner turmoil is also what sparks her interest in the fallen paladin. Ianthe knows enough about paladins to guess the circumstances that could lead to one breaking their sacred oath, and what to say that might undermine what’s left of their resolve. If she could stop the paladin from atoning, leave them alive but trapped in their own despair and self-doubt, it would go a long way towards proving her new ideology superior to Adalet’s. Each confrontation between Ianthe and the paladin should also be a conversation, a cautious battle of uncertain wills.

The exact effects of the shadow poison can be determined with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check. If the paladin examines Lowenna the DC is reduced to 11, as she is in the worst condition having been bitten by both the true vampire and Ianthe. Eun-ji can assist to grant advantage on this check. Like any poison, the shadow poison can be neutralized by the paladin expending 5 points of Lay on Hands while touching a poisoned creature. If the paladin chooses not to cure all the villagers affected by the shadow poison, or if the paladin cannot because they have already used too many points of Lay on Hands on themselves, they fail this test. Ianthe preys on the individuals already weakened by her former master, honing her ability to control and manipulate, and she gains the Charm action of a true vampire.

Don’t be afraid to use Ianthe to confront the paladin with the mistakes and flaws that lead to their own fall. Only by accepting their wrongdoing can they find redemption.

DEVELOPMENT Ianthe flees, but lets Eun-ji and the paladin know that the village will not be safe from her tonight. As the full moon rises, move on to Chapter 2.

THE TEST OF DUTY With their own powers diminished as the vampire’s grows, the paladin may be tempted to use the holy materials left behind by Adalet Hanim to complete an atonement ritual themselves. Such an act would leave the village defenseless for most of the night, however, as would any attempt to take a long rest. If the paladin attempts either, no absolution is given and no meaningful rest can be had under the circumstances. What’s more, the paladin fails this test, and Ianthe uses that time and the magic of the full moon to obtain a vampire’s Children of the Night action.

CHAPTER 2: NIGHT Now that night has fallen, it is up to the paladin to decide what to do about Ianthe and how best to defend the people of Thornwell. This section of the adventure can take place over several nights if you prefer, but the Test of Duty (see below) still applies. The paladin must be creative in order to protect as many villagers as possible, and while the people of Thornwell are good-hearted as a rule, the loss of Adalet and the ongoing vampire threat have put a strain on everyone’s ability to cooperate. Regardless, it is likely that the paladin will come into conflict with Ianthe several times. The vampire spawn still needs to drink blood, but she also wants to test her might against that of the paladin. She has some sense that she is growing in power as the paladin falls further from grace. She favors attacks that let her trade blows and words with the paladin, goading them further into despair before disappearing once more into the night.

THE TEST OF COMPASSION If at any point over the course of this adventure the paladin lands an attack that would reduce Ianthe to 0 hit points, Eun-ji arrives on the scene and calls out for the paladin to stay their hand. She does this even if she has been attacked by Ianthe. Eun-ji begs the paladin to have mercy, just once— to give her one more chance to save Ianthe before the paladin destroys her. If the paladin agrees, they can choose to withhold their attack. Ianthe is shaken to the core and flees immediately. If the paladin refuses to show mercy, attacks Ianthe as she runs away, or even tries to knock Ianthe unconscious at 0 hit points, fear and instinct awaken the ability to avoid destruction in her. The paladin fails this test, and Ianthe gains and immediately uses the Misty Escape trait of a true vampire.

THE TEST OF HONOR As the fallen paladin sees more of Thornwell and its people, they quickly notice that several of the villagers are not well. The vampire that was slain by Adalet Hanim infected several people with a shadow poison when it bit them, and

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DEVELOPMENT

DEVELOPMENT

When you feel that either the paladin or Ianthe definitively has the upper hand with respect to the villagers’ defense, their more personal and idealistic conflict, or both, move on to Chapter 3.

Once Ianthe has been slain, run away, or agreed to stand down, the first rays of sunlight begin to creep over the horizon. Move on to the Conclusion.

CONCLUSION

CHAPTER 3: DAWN

If Ianthe escapes both the paladin and the sunrise, which is more or less likely depending on what powers she’s acquired, she flees to her secret grave in the Briarwood. It’s up to you whether she can be tracked down and destroyed, or if she lives on to be a recurring villain. If Ianthe is destroyed, Eun-ji accompanies the paladin on a journey to another authority of their faith, where the paladin can finally be absolved.

By the dark hours of the morning (or the last of several nights), Ianthe is ready to be done with this little game.

THE TEST OF COURAGE Depending on how the previous tests have gone, Ianthe is feeling emboldened by her successes or frustrated by the paladin’s intervention. Either way, she makes a brash, final move. Using her knowledge as a former acolyte, she breaks into the church and desecrates Adalet Hanim’s chapel. She then rings the church bell as a challenge for the paladin to come face her.

If the paladin manages to sway Ianthe back to the light, she apologizes to Eun-ji, thanks the paladin, and walks out of the church to meet the sunrise. As the rays of dawn burn her away, however, a miracle happens—divine intervention wipes away the vampire’s curse, resurrecting Ianthe as a human acolyte. As they witness this, an answering dawn rises within the paladin. Their atonement is complete.

Eun-ji knows Ianthe, even a corrupted version of Ianthe, well enough to guess what the vampire spawn has done. It is clear to her that the Ianthe is trying to lure the paladin into a disadvantageous position.

REWARDS

If the paladin doesn’t take the bait, tries to get Ianthe to face them outside the chapel, or brings any allies besides Eun-ji with them, the paladin fails this test. Invigorated by her successful display of dominance, Ianthe gains a vampire’s Legendary Resistance trait.

The paladin earns 1,800 XP and regains all of their class features.

AUTHOR’S NOTES

THE FINAL CONFRONTATION

A lot of things we love went into the making of this adventure. We love the intimacy that can arise from playing 1-on-1 D&D, the vulnerable and intense stories you can tell with just one player and a DM. We love paladins, and the lawful good alignment in general, and we think that being either is a difficult, testing path that is well worth what it asks. In that regard we would like to give special credit to Laurie J. Marks and her Elemental Logic novels, which have been incredibly influential in how we think about ethics, paladins, and love.

The paladin and the vampire have one final battle before the sun rises. Depending on how their previous conversations have gone, the paladin may wish to simply slay Ianthe, or they may wish to convince her to seek redemption. To do so, they must succeed on three DC 20 Charisma (Persuasion) checks, out of at most five checks attempted. Each check takes one action. Of those five ability checks, apply disadvantage to one roll for each test the paladin failed, and advantage to one roll for each test the paladin passed admirably. The order in which they are applied is up to you.

AUTHOR BIO

The DC for the check can be raised or lowered slightly, depending on the paladin’s skill proficiencies and Charisma modifier. A DC of 10, 11, or 12 + whatever the paladin would add to a Charisma (Persuasion) check will make advantage and disadvantage feel meaningful without making either a foregone conclusion.

Samantha Lavender cut her teeth playing 2nd edition AD&D 1-on-1 with her older brother, and after more than 20 years of running the game it’s still one of her favorite ways to play. Miranda Mels met D&D at Sam’s table during the DnDNext public playtest, and she hasn’t stopped playing it since. Although she’s run games with up to 11 players before, she also prefers PC numbers at the lower end of the scale.

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THE HEIST OF HIGH HILL By Ally Sulentic Hired by a master burglar to complete the decades-old job they couldn’t, a lone thief is tasked with infiltrating High Hill manor during a party to steal a valuable object from its owner, Lord Auster Farwynd. With the help of a colorful cast of accomplices, the thief must contend with the noble, his guards, and a host of clever traps waiting to trip up the unwary purloiner who stumbles into them.

LEVELS 11-15

ADVENTURE HOOK

CHAPTER 1: THE PITCH

This adventure assumes that the lone adventurer is of a roguish bent, though any character type can play a valuable part in the eponymous heist. Most hooks assume that the adventurer and Helrae are at least familiar with one another.

Before beginning this section, roll on (or select, if preferred) the Heist Target table in the Adventure Appendix to determine what Helrae wants the character to steal, and the NPC Accomplices table to determine which teammates are available to hire. All tables are in the Appendix.

• The character is Helrae’s protege and trained for this heist for years.

MEETING THE MASTER

• Helrae hires them due to their reputation as a person that gets things done.

Helrae Silverhook (they/them, half-elf master thief (VGtM 216), chaotic neutral) is a legend amongst thieves, known for their daring burglaries against the rich and powerful. A lithe and androgynous half-elf with dark brown skin and close-cut red hair, Helrae now wears a silver hook in place of their missing right hand, and rumor says they’re just as adept with it as they were with their old thieves’ tools.

• The character has a grudge against Lord Farwynd and Helrae’s plan just happens to line up perfectly.

ADVENTURE BACKGROUND

Helrae invites the player to their safehouse, located in the basement kitchen of an abandoned guardhouse in the countryside, to talk business. The safehouse is surprisingly cozy, with a fire blazing in the hearth and comfortable chairs pulled up to a long table. Helrae offers them food and wine from their well-stocked cellar before getting down to business.

Ten years ago, Helrae Silverhook, master burglar, planned their greatest heist—the theft of Lord Auster Farwynd’s most prized possession from his fortified manor, High Hill. Caught when the heist went wrong—guard rotation changes, new wards, an unexpected lock, et cetera—Helrae lost their right hand, Farwynd’s way of ensuring that the thief would never work again. Now, ten years later, Helrae has found the perfect protege to complete their revenge against their nemesis, who is now celebrating his daughter Ayenna’s birthday with all the pomp and circumstance expected. With luck, patience, and a lot of skill, Helrae might finally get their one remaining hand on their elusive target.

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HEIST STRUCTURE There are five possible roles to play in the heist: The Confidence, who handles social interaction, The Infiltrator, who handles the actual burglary of the item, The Muscle, who handles physical combat and heavy lifting, The Gadgeteer, who handles magical matters, and The Distraction, who handles misdirection. The adventurer should have a good idea of which role they plan to fill before choosing their NPC accomplices, to ensure a well-rounded team. The random tables may result in multiple accomplices with overlapping skill sets and preferred roles. Feel free to reroll any overlaps (or present the list to the adventurer as-is and force them to compensate)!

DEVELOPMENT Once the player has assigned their accomplices, if any, Helrae grins and stands to shake their hand, promising to assemble their team within the week to plan the heist together. In the meantime, the adventurer has a few days to ready themself for the next phase.

CHAPTER 2: THE PLAN

“My friend, the time has finally come. One of my old contacts sent word that the bastard Farwynd is planning a debut for his daughter in two weeks, and he’s inviting every noble, merchant, and up-jumped landowner within a week’s travel of here. It’s the perfect opportunity to get inside and finally pay him back for this.”

Before beginning this section, roll on (or select from, if preferred) the following four tables in the Adventure Appendix: Guard Captain, Farwynd Defenses, Father/ Daughter Conflict, and Heist Target Location.

LEGWORK A few days later, Helrae invites the adventurer to their house. The adventurer’s accomplices are already there when they arrive and are eager to meet the mastermind. Once everyone has had a chance to talk, Helrae invites them to sit down around the table and listen to what they know.

They hold up their silver hook and grin. “You’re the only one I trust to lead the team. I’ve assembled a list of potential accomplices, if you’re interested.”

• High Hill is the ancestral home of the Farwynd family. When Auster Farwynd inherited the title, he also inherited the estate’s debt; he then invested heavily in business and local real estate, bringing income to the family at the expense of his reputation as a ‘proper’ noble. Lord Farwynd plans on using his daughter Ayenna’s upcoming birthday debut to secure a political marriage for her, bringing prestige back to the family.

Helrae has prepared a list of six potential accomplices. These NPCs don’t have stat blocks; choosing them as part of the team provides advantage or other bonuses during play. The adventurer should be aware of the advantages each accomplice provides before they make a decision. Helrae remains available for advice in choosing the rest of the team. They remind the adventurer that there are up to four additional (and optional) roles to fill, and that the adventurer can hire as many or as few accomplices as they wish.

• Ayenna’s mother, the late Lady Farwynd, died when she was a child. She was raised by a collection of governesses and nannies before being shipped off to a

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Example Actions

Ability Check

Information Gathered

Impressing an off-duty Farwynd guard with a feat of strength.

DC 15 Strength Check

The name of the current captain of the guard for the Farwynd estate and the general information available about them in the Guard Captain table.

Infiltrating the local guildhall where Lord Farwynd hires his trapmakers.

DC 15 Dexterity Check

The location of the manor traps and the result of the Farwynd Defenses table roll.

Interviewing a former High Hill butler.

DC 15 Intelligence Check

The location of the heist target from the Heist Target Location table. Additionally, they hear rumors that a mysterious rogue, the Silver Jackdaw, might make an appearance during the party.

Listening in on the local gossip.

DC 15 Wisdom Check

The reason why Lord Farwynd and Ayenna are fighting, from the Father/Daughter Conflict table.

Charming an influential noble.

DC 15 Charisma Check

The adventurer makes friends with someone on the inside. They gain advantage on a single Charisma skill check of their choice during the party.

DEVELOPMENT

prestigious school to finish her education. There, she fell in with a liberal crowd and now has far more progressive views that clash with her father’s more conservative ideals.

With their accomplices in tow, the player is ready to execute their daring act of burglary upon High Hill!

• High Hill is renowned as ‘impenetrable’ to thieves. There are extensive wards and traps throughout the house, not to mention the various locks and physical hazards therein. The type of energy damage caused by the defenses changes every few weeks.

CHAPTER 3 — THE HEIST Before beginning this section, roll on (or select from, if preferred) the Twist table. The Twist can occur at any point during this chapter and should be used to the best possible dramatic effect!

• The target of their operation is in one of three fortified positions within the manor: The vault, located in the basement of the manor; the library, located on the second floor; or the gallery, located on the main floor. Of the three, the vault is the most fortified; the library is the hardest to get to unnoticed, and the gallery is the hardest to escape from.

USING ACCOMPLICES During the adventure, accomplices, by design, never have to roll to accomplish their tasks. They always successfully gain entrance to the party by whatever means they choose and successfully bypass any particular hazards that they prepared for. In a case where something unexpectedly goes wrong, the adventurer must direct that accomplice in solving it or solve it themself. An accomplice will never use their once-per-adventure ability without explicit instruction from the adventurer.

Helrae also supplies the entire team with mastermind’s lavalieres for use during the heist. To get more specific information, the adventurer will have to do some legwork, represented by ability checks in the table below. Failure by less than 5 on any of these checks gives them the correct information, but also leads to potential difficulties during the heist. Failure by more than 5 results in the player learning the wrong information; reroll on the requisite table to determine what they learn.

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THE ENTRANCE

damage tuned to the Farwynd Defenses result. Unless otherwise noted, a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check spots each trap, and a successful DC 20 Dexterity check using thieves’ tools disables it.

When the adventurer arrives at the manor, read the following:

TRAPS

High Hill stands atop the rise that provided its name, lit by lanterns and the twinkling stars above. Carriages, carts, and riders on horseback line the road leading up the manor, waiting for their turn to unload guests in front of the large, double-doored entranceway. Several guards stand at attention at the gates to the manor’s long driveway, inspecting the vehicles that pass them with a close eye.

Elemental Burst: A pressure plate located on the floor leading to the location triggers a gout of energy, dealing 22 (4d10) damage on a failed DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, with half that on a successful save. Silent Alarm: When a creature comes within 15 feet of the heist target, this trap silently alerts every guard in the building. Initiate The Chase scene. Teleport Trap: When a creature touches the main door to the location, this trap deals 22 (4d10) damage on a failed DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, with half that on a successful save. It then forces a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw to avoid teleportation to a jail cell in the cellar. Luckily, no guards watch the cell for potential interlopers, allowing for a DC 15 Dexterity check with thieves’ tools to escape.

ENTERING VIA THE FRONT GATES The adventurer has to produce an invitation, real or fake, to enter the gate, or alternately convince the gate guards to let them in with a DC 20 Charisma (Persuasion or Deception) check. At the main entrance, the player must again produce an invitation or pass a DC 25 Charisma (Persuasion or Deception) check. Producing a fake invitation here subjects it to scrutiny by someone who knows what to look for, requiring a DC 20 Charisma (Deception) check to fool the majordomo.

A heavy container (AC 21, HP 20, Damage Threshold 5) with a very good lock (AC 23, HP 10) protects the item in addition to these traps, requiring a DC 25 Dexterity check with thieves’ tools to unlock it. The containers themselves are far too large and heavy to be taken from the room.

SNEAKING INSIDE Sneaky adventurers must pass both a DC 15 Dexterity (Stealth) check to avoid the guards patrolling the area and a DC 20 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to scale the manor walls and enter the building.

The Vault The cellar vault is heavily fortified. The DCs to spot, disable, or otherwise avoid the traps in this area are 5 higher than usual, and the traps deal 11 (2d10) more damage. The item is locked inside a small chest on a pedestal in the back area of the vault, surrounded by gold and platinum bars, bags of jewels, and magic items. Roll on the Treasure Hoard: Challenge 11-16 table (DMG 138) to determine the vault’s contents.

THE PARTY Once inside, the heist begins in earnest. The scenes below can happen in any order, or may not happen at all depending on the player’s actions.

The Art Gallery The single door to the gallery is guarded by two Farwynd guards at all times, though the two watching the door during the party are sharing an illicit flask of whiskey and playing cards. An additional successful DC 20 Dexterity (Stealth) check is required to sneak in past the guards and again to sneak out. The item is located in a locked display case at the far end of the gallery. Roll on the Treasure Hoard: Challenge 11-16 table (DMG 138) to determine the other treasures on display.

RUBBING ELBOWS The tension of the party revolves around trying to keep the Farwynds unaware of what’s happening just a few yards away, requiring a good amount of roleplaying and bluster to ensure they remain in the dark. Call for DC 15 Charisma, Wisdom, or Intelligence ability checks by the adventurer as appropriate.

THE SCENE OF THE CRIME

The Library The second floor is accessed by two different staircases: The grand staircase in the foyer is currently blocked by party guests, while the second is a servant’s staircase located in

Each of the three locations has the same traps laid for unwary thieves, unless noted otherwise. All traps deal

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the kitchen. In each case, two DC 20 Dexterity (Stealth) or Charisma (Persuasion or Deception) checks are required to slip past or convince any perceptive guests or servants that you belong where you are. The item is located in a wall-mounted display case above the fireplace. Roll on the Treasure Hoard: Challenge 11-16 table (DMG 138) to determine the other treasures kept here.

adventurer is at the party, every light in the room is briefly dampened as a young woman shrieks; when the room is again lit, the Jackdaw stands at a window, holding Auster Farwynd’s swooning daughter Ayenna in their arms. They make the following speech before leaping out the window as Farwynd calls for the guards:

THE CHASE

“Farwynd, you fool! I warned you I would take your greatest treasure from you at this party, and you thought it would be some petty trinket? Now your daughter is mine, and she shall become my greatest treasure, forever out of your reach!”

If the adventurer tips their hand at any point, e.g. by failing a Dexterity (Stealth) or Charisma (Persuasion or Deception) check, the guard captain (champion, VGtM 212)and three guards (MM 347) arrive within 5 rounds to apprehend them. With a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, the adventurer hears the guards coming 2 rounds before they arrive, giving them a brief head start to hide or otherwise escape. Success on a series of four saving throws allows them to escape the manor safely. Example calls include Dexterity saving throws to evade, Constitution to sprint, Charisma to blend in with party guests, or Intelligence to make quick decisions. The saving throws become increasingly difficult as more guards get involved and their search becomes more organized. The first saving throw is DC 10, and this increases by 2 for each check, ending with DC 16 for the final saving throw.

If the adventurer is upstairs before the Twist takes place, they come across a secret meeting between Ayenna and the Silver Jackdaw. Ayenna stands in the embrace of another

Each time the player fails a check, the guards close in, bumping up the DC of each subsequent saving throw by 2; if they fail three checks, the guard captain (champion, VGtM 212) and the three guards catch them, initiating combat. Two additional guards arrive every five rounds until the adventurer escapes or is subdued and thrown in the manor’s single jail cell, described in the Teleport Trap section above.

THE CONFRONTATION If the player fails a Charisma check in front of Lord Farwynd or otherwise tips their hand (via The Twist), a successful DC 25 Charisma (Deception) check is required to bluff their way out of the situation. If the check is failed, Farwynd calls for the guards, initiating The Chase scene above. Even if the adventurer succeeds, Farwynd remains suspicious, calling the guards immediately if the player fails another Charisma check for the rest of the night.

THE RIVAL THIEF This optional encounter takes place only if rolled on The Twist table (see Adventure Appendix). The Silver Jackdaw (she/they, human master thief (VGtM 216), chaotic good) appears during the party, a lithe figure in black with a silver raven mask over their face. If the

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young woman with a silver raven mask pushed up on her forehead. Ayenna frowns at the other young woman. “Kaelys, are you sure this is the right plan? What if he finds us after all?” Her companion grins. “He’ll be looking for the Silver Jackdaw, my darling, and I think it’s high time I retired this particular persona. By the time he discovers I’ve sold my shop, we’ll be long gone. Don’t worry.” She kisses Ayenna on the forehead and pulls her mask down, stepping back onto the open window ledge and bowing before leaping away. Ayenna watches the empty window for a moment before sighing and hurrying away toward the stairs.

Creative adventurers can use this situation to their advantage, capitalizing on the distraction the Silver Jackdaw provides during the party or, more deviously, alerting the guards to the Jackdaw’s presence before they make their appearance. If approached during the heist, the Jackdaw is willing to help the adventurer as long as Ayenna’s safety is assured, especially if it means the two lovers can escape together. If they are caught (or set up by the player to take the blame for the heist), the Jackdaw swears eternal revenge on the adventurer and becomes a thorn in their side from this point on.

DEVELOPMENT The heist is officially over once the adventurer escapes, having either done the actual pilfering or attended the party as the face of the operation. The team regroups at Helrae’s safehouse hours later for a debrief and to deliver the prize to the master thief themself.

CONCLUSION: THE NEXT JOB Helrae grins as they are presented with their prize, accepting it from the player and thanking them for finally finishing the heist they could not. Once the item is safely tucked away in a heavy lead-lined safe, Helrae congratulates the whole team on a successful run and presents them each with a small bag of gold and precious gems as a reward. Everyone goes their separate ways--until Helrae contacts the player again.

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AUTHOR’S NOTES/ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The half-elf’s eyes twinkle with mischief and excitement when they spot you. “My friend! Just the person I was looking for.” They approach you and clap you on the back with their good hand, grinning. “I just heard word of a king’s ransom worth of electrum bars coming in from the coast in a few weeks. What say we get the team back together for one more job?”

The original run of this adventure included almost double the tables and an entire extra chapter involving the capture and rescue of one of the player’s accomplices, but it had to be cut for length. Maybe someday I’ll polish it up and publish it as an add-on to this adventure.

REWARDS

Countless thanks to my husband Tom, the GM of the session that inspired this adventure, affectionately titled “The Hand Job.” Thanks as well to my adventuring crew, the Stormcrows--though this adventure doesn’t include the hijinks of Sachi, Vallech, Nhak, and Eileen, it definitely contains their spirit. I love you all--Cynisterra wouldn’t be the same without you!

XP REWARDS: Obstacle

XP

Each successful “Legwork” check

2,200 XP

“The Entrance”

3,400 XP

“Rubbing Elbows”

2,200 XP

“The Scene of the Crime”

3,400 XP

“The Chase”

4,687 XP

“The Confrontation”

5,100 XP

AUTHOR BIO As a child, Ally Sulentic wished that she could spend her entire life writing and playing games, and now as an adult she can’t believe how lucky she is to do just that. Her work has been featured on the DMs Guild and in publications by both White Wolf and Pelgrane Press. You can find her on Twitter @theuselessbard.

TREASURE REWARDS: Item

Value

Helrae’s payment

1500 gp

Mastermind’s Lavaliere

1000 gp

MASTERMIND’S LAVALIERE Wondrous item, rare These two small baubles are decorated with pearls and, when pinned to a collar and clipped to an earlobe, provide a way to communicate and be heard by anyone who is wearing another set within 500 feet. The communication is subvocal, not silent; characters must speak in a soft whisper and move their lips to be heard.

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APPENDIX: TABLES TABLE A: HEIST TARGET Roll 1d4 to determine Helrae’s prize. Result

Item

Description

1

Proof of a Contract

A scroll written in unintelligible infernal script, detailing an addendum to clause 47C-34E of a previous contract regarding the extension of the deal to the end of the undersigned’s natural lifespan. Lord Farwynd’s name is signed at the bottom in dark red ink.

2

A Coin from a Lost Kingdom

A single platinum coin engraved with the image of a throne beneath five stars.

3

The Box

A small lead-lined iron box with no obvious way of opening it.

4

Helrae’s Right Hand

Helrae gave up on claiming the prize they originally sought and instead wants to retrieve their preserved hand from Farwynd’s display case.

TABLE B: NPC ACCOMPLICES Roll 1d10 six times to determine available NPCs, rerolling any duplicate results. Result

Name

Preferred Role

Heist Advantage

1

Nevitash Hareth (he/him, Damaran human)

Confidence

Nevi’s dark hair and striking purple eyes are a sign of his connection to the Raven Queen. His pact sharpens the adventurer’s senses, giving the player advantage on a single Wisdom check.

2

Cass (he/him, tiefling)

Confidence

Cass is a handsome tiefling bard specialized in satirical music. He charms the crowd with a beautiful song, giving the adventurer advantage on a single Charisma check.

3

Symma Horcusporcus (she/her, forest gnome

Infiltrator

Symma’s youthful cheer and gnomish heritage causes many rivals to underestimate her thieving talents. She gives the player advantage on a single Dexterity check.

4

Bolhild Helcral (she/ her, shield dwarf)

Gadgeteer

Bolhild, a dwarven wizard, uses divination magic to forsee potential complications, allowing the adventurer to automatically succeed on a single check introduced by the twist.

5

Tamble (she/her, kenku)

Distraction

Tamble, short for Tamborine Jangle, is a white-feathered kenku entertainer. Her impromptu tambourine performance gives the player advantage on a single Stealth check to escape notice; in addition, Tamble will never betray the adventurer (see Twist table). continued on the next page

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Result

Name

Preferred Role

Heist Advantage

6

Naran (they/them, tiefling)

Muscle

Naran is a swashbuckling tiefling who jumps in to help the player fight off their pursuers. If the adventurer is forced into combat, Naran’s help gives advantage on all their rolls.

7

Cloud (she/her, tabaxi)

Infiltrator

Cloud, a tabaxi mage, uses her magical talent to enhance the player’s own, allowing the adventurer a single use of any spell of 3rd level or lower.

8

Portius (he/him, Telthyrian human)

Distraction

Portius wrote a best-selling memoir about his kidnapping by pirates, making him a minor celebrity. He gives the player advantage on a single Charisma check.

9

Ohsoss Sparkledart (she/her, kobold)

Gadgeteer

Ohsoss, a red-and-black-mottled kobold, loves explosions. Her ‘help’ allows the adventurer to bypass a single trap or lock, but also increases the damage of another trap by 3 (1d6).

10

Thieraven Alandrian (he/him, wood elf)

Muscle

Thieraven is a wood elf and former bodyguard. He intervenes during a chase, allowing the player to automatically succeed on one check to escape.

TABLE C: GUARD CAPTAIN Roll 1d6 to determine the guard captain. Result

Name

Description

1-2

Savroth Myanak (he/him, dragonborn)

A lithe dragonborn of black dragon ancestry known for his utter lack of empathy. Known to have bad eyesight, but refuses to wear glasses to correct it. The adventurer has disadvantage on Charisma checks against him, but has advantage on Dexterity checks related to sight against him.

3-4

Lagazi Melpurvatta (she/her, half-orc)

A powerfully muscled half-orc, Lagazi is more concerned about protecting the household, particularly Ayenna, one of the only people to show her true kindness. The player has disadvantage on Strength checks against her, but has advantage on Charisma checks against her when Ayenna is mentioned.

5-6

Ser Balama Ramondo (she/her, Calishite human)

A stern middle-aged human paladin, Ser Balama is devoted to her employer’s honor above all other things, though she’s not as fit as she used to be. The adventurer has disadvantage on Wisdom checks against her, but has advantage on Constitution checks made to outrun or otherwise outlast any pursuit she tries.

TABLE E: HEIST TARGET

TABLE D: FARWYND DEFENSES

Roll 1d6 to determine where the target of the heist is hidden.

Roll 1d6 to determine what kind of damage the manor’s wards are tuned to this month. Result

Damage Type

Result

Damage Type

1

Cold

1-2

The basement vault

2

Psychic

3-4

The second-floor library

3

Lightning

5-6

The main-floor art gallery

4

Poison

5

Necrotic

6

Roll again on this table, or choose another type of damage.

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TABLE F: FATHER/DAUGHTER CONFLICT Roll 1d4 to determine why Ayenna and her father are in disagreement. Invoking or otherwise exploiting this conflict during the heist gives advantage on a single check involving it. Result

Conflict

1

Lord Farwynd recently caught Ayenna romantically entangled with Kaelys Gardener, a young woman who owns a small flower shop in town. He’s angry that Ayenna would risk an advantageous marriage to be with a ‘common florist’ like Kaelys.

2

One of Ayenna’s friends, a rock gnome named Tanrin Mollycoddle, wasn’t invited to her birthday party by order of Lord Farwynd, something Ayenna finds outright racist and classist.

3

Ayenna discovered that her father sold her late mother’s bridal jewelry to pay off a debt, and is livid that he would do that to a precious keepsake.

4

The upscale bakery that prepared Ayenna’s marzipan birthday cake wasn’t informed of Lord Farwynd’s allergy to almonds, an oversight made by Ayenna herself in her haste. Lord Farwynd’s high temper isn’t improved by his uncomfortably itchy skin and swollen, red eyes.

TABLE G: THE TWIST Roll 1d8 to determine what goes wrong during the heist. Result

Twist

1

The adventurer’s information is wrong! Reroll one of the Chapter 2 tables for the true result, re-rolling identical results.

2

The adventurer is spotted by the guards! Initiate the Chase scene.

3

This result does nothing and causes a reroll on this table, unless the player failed a legwork roll by 5 or more. In that case, initiate the Confrontation scene.

4

One of the adventurer’s accomplices betrays them! At some point during the night when the player invokes the chosen accomplice’s ability, the exact opposite happens.

5

During the climax of the heist, the adventurer is interrupted by the Silver Jackdaw. Initiate the Rival Thief scene.

6

Lord Farwynd has increased security at the manor. Increase all DCs involving avoiding, interacting, or escaping the guards by 2, and double the number of guards during the Chase scene.

7

The item targeted for the heist was replaced prior to the party with a very good forgery. Roll on the Heist Target Location table to determine the true location of the actual item. A DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check identifies the forgery as a fake.

8

Roll twice on this chart, ignoring this result if rolled again.

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TAKE A WISH FOUNDATION By Leon Barillaro A wealthy wizard has disappeared, presumed dead, and the Zhentarim loan shark from which he borrowed money has repossessed his tower. The Zhents are holding an open house in hopes they’ll be able to sell a piece of real estate that is too out of the way and likely too haunted to be of use to them. On the surface it’s a chance to dress up, inspect a property, and enjoy the expensive hors d’oeuvres. But towering above the party is the true prize: a scroll of wish that can be used by any spellcaster. And, much less important than the ability to cast the most powerful spell in the world, the truth of Rozpero’s disappearance.

LEVEL 15

ADVENTURE HOOK

Weave, the more it warped him until, one day, it consumed him. Rozpero did not die; his relentless pursuit of his goal transformed him into a nothik. He continues to skulk around his tower, unbeknownst to the Zhentarim who could not tell the difference between him or any other weird monster lurking around.

This adventure is intended for one 15th level adventurer who has something to gain from a scroll of wish and no qualms about obtaining it without a meaningful monetary transaction. Work with your player to build such a character, and then tell them that their adventurer heard about the open house on the lips of a patron at their local tavern. Or perhaps, as a successful level 15 adventurer, they were solicited directly by the Zhentarim as a potential buyer. Any ne’er-do-well worth their weight in gold would jump at the opportunity to visit, and subsequently steal from, such a place.

CHAPTER 1: BUILD THE TEAM In this chapter, the adventurer enjoys a lovely reception at the open house of Rozpero’s Tower, where they learn the secrets that lie above and meet several other party guests who look like they may be of use against the mysterious forces of the tower.

ADVENTURE BACKGROUND

THE PARTY

All magic in the Forgotten Realms is accomplished through manipulation of the weave, which DMs may read more about in Chapter 10 of the Player’s Handbook. For the uninitiated, the weave can be a little tricky to work with. You either spend your youth buried in books, or you sign your life away to a god, an ideal, or otherwise powerful and unknowable force. Maybe, if you’re lucky, you’re born with it. Rozpero noticed the divide between people who performed magic and people who did not and sought to correct it, with scrolls that could be used without years of intensive training, cheaper artificial components, and arcane spells that healed wounds instead of opened them. The deeper Rozpero descended in his research of the

For the open house, the Zhentarim have pulled out all the stops: rows of champagne flutes laid out on tables, little cubes of cheese with toothpicks stuck in them, a full buffet. The whole nine yards. A zhent named Andrea (human bandit (MM), she/her, lawful evil) dressed in her finest stands at a large easel, upon which rests a floor plan of the tower. The first floor shows a large, “YOU ARE HERE” sign. The second, third, fourth, and top floors all have the word “DANGER” written over them in big red letters. The big nebulous area in the center of the map, representing the fifth floor to the penultimate floor, has many question marks scribbled all over it.

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THAVMA AND ARDWAITHE

Andrea is the acting real estate agent for Rozpero tower. She’s asking 200,000 gp for the tower, which she believes is a steal. The Zhentarim haven’t bothered to clear out the tower, which is why the asking price is so low for an old wizard’s tower that is, according to her, “definitely chockfull of magical valuables.”

A young tiefling woman in purple robes and a young half-elf man in a fine suit bicker at a table. The woman looks about ready to dump her full champagne flute on the smug man.

The Zhentarim know the types of people who come to these things, so they haven’t let anyone inside who is holding a weapon, components pouch, or obvious spellcasting focus, such as a wand, orb, or crystal. In order to sneak one of these items in, the adventurer must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity (Stealth) check for weapons or a DC 15 Charisma (Deception) check for a spellcasting focus.

“Relax, Hornbuns,” says the man to the seething woman. “You let me go up there with you, and I’ll make all your wishes come true.” “I wish you’d leave me alone,” she growls before showing profound restraint and walking away.

The stairs at the end of the hall lead up to the rest of the tower, but they are guarded by two Zhentarim assassins (MM) who alert the whole floor if they notice anything funky.

Thavma (tiefling, she/her, chaotic good, see Appendix) and Ardwaithe (half-elf, he/him, chaotic neutral, see Appendix) are childhood best friends and on-again-off-again lovers. Thavma is a wizard who knows and can prepare an insane amount of spells. If the adventurer isn’t a spellcasting class, encourage them get Thavma on their side. A wizard school dropout, Ardwaithe is a rogue in every sense of the word. He’s sneaky, charming, and knows his way around a set of thieves’ tools. Ardwaithe learned that Rozpero had been working on a wish spell scroll before he died. He’s here to steal the rumored scroll for a quick buck. Thavma wants to salvage any research that Rozpero may have been working on before the buyer of the tower clears it out and it’s lost to the world.

THE GUESTS There are several notable guests at this party who are both planning on and capable of scaling Rozpero Tower for their own gain. The adventurer has the opportunity to meet and confer with all of them.

HEIST RULES Each of the heist NPCs has strengths, weaknesses, and motivations for heading into Rozpero’s tower. They speak freely to the adventurer of their strengths and weaknesses, but they hold their motivations close to the chest. The player may choose two characters to bring with them: one to be a sidekick, whom they control, and one to be a DM-controlled companion. The rest become rivals for the DM to control. All DM-controlled characters act according to their motivations, meaning they may betray the adventurer in pursuit of those motivations at any time.

RAZMUTH A muscular tiefling man with cloven hooves finishes the snack in his hands. He looks around for somewhere to deposit his napkins and, finding none, peels the floorboard back and places his trash underneath. You’re pretty sure you’re the only one who saw.

Character

Strength

Weakness

Motivation

Thavma

Spells

Physical Combat

“I want to preserve the magic knowledge stored in his tower.”

Ardwaithe

Stealing and Dealing

Magic

“I want to make a quick buck, and maybe impress my ex, Thavma.”

Razmuth

Strength. The physical kind.

Manners, Charisma

“I was hired by the Church of Mystra to destroy anything that could be too dangerous in the wrong hands .”

Miranda

Strength, Healing

Stealth

“I have taken an oath to put right my family’s mistakes.”

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If you’re looking for muscle, Razmuth (tiefling, he/him, lawful neutral, see Appendix) is your man. He knows about the wish scroll and wishes to destroy it, along with anything else that his employer, the Church of Mystra, would find too dangerous in unqualified hands. Razmuth believes wholeheartedly in the sanctity of a deal. He refuses to violate an agreement, and he wreaks havoc on those who do.

• The walls are made of stone and 5 feet thick, making stone shape impossible. • The ceilings are usually about 20 feet high. • Unless otherwise stated, the tower is lit by continual flame lanterns.

HEIST RULES II If the player wishes to exchange their sidekick for another of the NPCs at any point, they must backstab their current sidekick. To perform a backstab, the player must make a series of checks: Charisma (Deception), Dexterity (Sleight of Hand), and Wisdom (Insight). If the average of these checks is greater than or equal to 13, the backstab is successful. The player and DM must then describe and roleplay the nature of the deception and the dramatic reveal. When the adventurer says, “It’s nothing personal; it’s just business,” the transference is complete; the player controls the new sidekick, and the DM controls the old one, who becomes a rival.

MIRANDA A middle-aged woman in plate armor lurks just behind the crowd listening to the realtor’s speech. She scowls with every word. When the realtor announces the asking price, 200,000 gold, she speaks up: “How much does it cost if you’re the rightful owner?”

The woman in the middle of causing a scene is Miranda (human, she/her, true neutral, see Appendix), Rozpero’s daughter. She has not seen her father since she was very little. That absence, mixed with Rozpero’s reputation of fraternizing with the Zhentarim, has marred Miranda’s view of her father. She has sworn a Paladin’s oath to set right the wrongs of her father, which she plans on doing by regaining the tower and destroying whatever monstrous things lie above.

FLOOR 2: THE GREENHOUSE The stairs from the ground floor lead up to an unlocked door with a glass window. The adventurer is able to see inside.

THE TOWER

Light and heat both spill out from this room, even before you open the door. Inside the room is teeming with greenery, and plants of all different colors and shades. The plants are arranged in rows, and halfway through the room, on either side of it, are two tall metal stands with light beams emanating from them. Across the way, another door leads out of the room.

The adventurer’s first test is making it up the stairs without being seen. Getting past the random Zhents on the main floor requires a successful DC 18 group Dexterity (Stealth) check. If the heist team causes a distraction, the DC lowers to 13.

DEVELOPMENT Once the heist team successfully sneaks out of the party and up the tower, they’re free to explore.

The two metal stands are both holding sun blades, which have been left on to give the plants sunlight. Razmuth would very much like to have one, considering he lost his weapon at the door. If anyone who is not Rozpero gets close enough to inspect these blades or attempts to harm the plants, the greenhouse’s guardian stops them. Sempevirus (treant (MM), they/them, lawful good) is a cypress tree whose forest was destroyed decades ago. They agreed to protect and grow the greenhouse in exchange for a new place to live. Sempevirus takes their job very seriously, but worries that they have not heard from Rozpero in months.

CHAPTER 2: UP THE TOWER Each floor of the tower is described here. The heist team would do well not to make noise on floors two through four; it would likely alert the Zhentarim below. The following is true about the tower: • There are no windows to look inside.

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Tempestuous Familiar. Rozpero’s familiar Cal (imp (MM), they/them, lawful neutral) is here among the monsters. They fly between the cages, tending to them, monitoring them, feeding them water with little berries. Cal’s last instructions from Rozpero were to look after the menagerie, but instead, Cal locked them all up because they were afraid. Cal doesn’t know why these monsters are here, but they can be persuaded to hand over Rozpero’s research notes on a successful DC 20 Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check. Cal isn’t afraid of the heist team; if their HP were to drop to 0, they would be sent back to the Nine Hells and therefore freed from this boring job.

Sempevirus is a treant with these changes: • Sempevirus is resistant to fire damage. • Sempevirus can use an action to call on two awakened trees (MM) to join in protecting the greenhouse. They must complete a long rest before they can use this ability again. An adventurer who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Nature or Arcana) check recognizes that the majority of the plants grown here are used as material components in many spells. Sempevirus’s own wood is popular for making wands as spellcasting focuses. Sempevirus can be convinced with a DC 20 Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check to allow the adventurer to harvest anything for spellcasting purposes if they believe it will help Rozpero. If the heist team would rather use Intimidation, the DC on the check is 25.

If Cal feels as though they are being swindled or deceived, they begin to free the creatures in the menagerie. Cal can free one per turn using the ring of keys they carry. Cal thinks it best to leave Silas the Shark in the tank. If Miranda attempts to assert she is the daughter of Rozpero, Cal says Rozpero never mentioned

FLOOR 3: THE MENAGERIE

children. In fact, they don’t recall Rozpero having much contact with anyone in the 15 years they worked for him.

You hear the cacophony while you’re still climbing the stairs to the next floor. The room is littered with creatures, restrained by chains or in cages. A small shark sits inside a large tank. Chained to the wall is an umber hulk, who snaps its jaws with terrifying vigor as you enter the room.

Locked Up. In addition to the shark in the tank, five monsters are imprisoned: an earth elemental (MM), a black pudding (MM), two grells (MM), and an umber hulk (MM). The locks on the cages can be picked with a successful DC 20 Dexterity check with thieves’ tools, or broken apart with a successful DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check. An umber hulk is chained to the wall on the far side of the room, right in front of the next door. The team must deal with the monster if they want to progress, but rousing it rouses the suspicion of the Zhentarim down below. An earth elemental named Pierre (he/him, true neutral) also resides here. He seems perturbed by being imprisoned in a cage, as that was not the agreement he and Rozpero had reached. If any in the heist team speaks Primordial, Pierre offers them valuable gemstones, including diamonds, grown from his own body, in exchange for his freedom. He asks to be banished back to the Elemental Plane of Earth. The gems Pierre leaves behind have a total value of 1,000gp, but using them when casting spells causes a surge of magic. Roll on the Wild Magic Surge table in chapter 3 of the Player’s Handbook to determine the effect.

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This modified magic mouth spell listens for a response. When it hears the name Mystra, it opens up a portal to Floor 5. The portal is door-shaped, and pitch black. No one can see through it.

ROZPERO’S NOTES Augury works just fine with teeth instead of the cleric’s typical choice of bone. Silas loses a few naturally every month. Where else can we substitute expensive materials? The gems from Temmach’s body contain too much magic; spellcasting is hazardous.

If the heist team takes longer than a minute to come up with the answer to the riddle, the lights return. The adventurer must interact with the bookcase and hear the magic mouth again to solve the riddle.

FLOORS 5-???: ???

FLOOR 4: THE LIBRARY

Floors four through who-knows-how-many straddle the space between the material plane and a personal demiplane of Rozpero’s creation. The only way to access this demiplane is through the specific bookcase in the library. Any attempts to enter it from another way, such as reaching the tower from outside, are met with an impenetrable black void, as though you were viewing solid stone made of magical darkness.

The walls on this floor are lined with so many books your eyes begin to cross just looking at them. When they taught you about wizards in school, this was exactly what you pictured. But the room isn’t all books; there are also several tables and chairs from which you may read the books. Doors, staircases, or windows, however, are nowhere to be found.

Inside the pocket dimension, it’s pitch black, even if one were to try to light their way. The only thing visible in this darkness is the weave and how it flows through everything. The team manifests as a splash of different colors, as though you were looking through an infrared sensor. Magic items and spells gleam and pulse with brilliant divine or arcane light. Creatures with fey ancestry glow as though under the effects of faerie fire. Creatures with infernal ancestry glow in hellish reds.

Rozpero lived a very long time, and that’s reflected in the number of books he’s amassed over the years. Most books here are worth at least 5gp each, but many are worth much more. Thavma speculates that the books in this library could cover a third of the Zhents’ asking price for the tower. Mystra’s Adversary. The books in the forbidden magic and religion section are all centered on one thing: Mystra’s control of the Weave. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check reveals that many of these books offer pieces of information not commonly included in the popular texts used in wizarding and cleric schools. One tome, Secrets of the Weave Revealed, is worth 1,000gp to the right buyer.

There is a nothic (MM) many floors above. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check reveals the likelihood that it’s Rozpero, corrupted by his studies and unrecognizable in this form. He does not remember his life. His only desire is to learn more, and he finds the minds of those now in his demiplane fascinating. Rozpero asks invasive questions of the heist team, such as their strongest desires, their deepest insecurities, and their greatest regrets. For each truthful answer, Rozpero creates a staircase and ushers the team to the next level.

As an employee of the Church of Mystra, Razmuth recognizes that this tome includes knowledge Mystra purposefully conceals from mortals to prevent it from being misused. He insists on destroying it, as well as the rest of the section.

Rozpero may not know which questions are the hardesthitting and may ask the adventurer to suggest questions for the companion or rival characters, so the adventurer has a chance to expose the DM-controlled characters as well.

Suspicious Bookcase. An adventurer with a Passive Perception of 13 or above notices one bookcase on the back wall, away from the others. Interacting with it at all, causes the room to go dark, as a voice shrieks out the following:

After 5 truthful answers, Rozpero creates a door to exit the pocket dimension. This door leads to the tower’s top floor.

Speak the name of tyranny Who weaves her magic tapestry The woman fair, but partial to hose with the gold and privilege true.

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TOP FLOOR: PROFIT

REWARDS The primary reward for this adventure is the scroll, but if the adventurer gave it away, they receive a reward from the following table:

This disheveled mess is unmistakably a wizard’s workshop. Alchemical tools, with pots long boiled over and burned out, are scattered across one desk. Some kind of alchemical slime leads from this desk to the portal behind you, as though whoever was working there had once traveled to that demiplane. Gemencrusted weapons lean up against the gnarled leg of a wooden chair. Notes cover every scrap of paper in the place. And there on the center desk is the piece de resistance: a spectacular scroll.

Spellcasters recognize the scroll as containing the instructions for wish. The NPCs react in the following ways if controlled by the DM: • Thavma wishes to take it to Blackstaff Tower in Waterdeep to study it.

Recipient

Reward

Thavma

5 spell scrolls of level 7 or lower of the adventurer's choice

Ardwaithe

A wink and an invitation to his next adventure

Razmuth

A binding IOU redeemable for his service in any one (1) adventure

Miranda

50% of the profits of all the treasure acquired

• Ardwaithe wishes to use it on something superficial.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

• Razmuth wishes to destroy it so it never falls into the wrong hands.

Much love forever to Willy, who makes me want to tell stories more than anyone.

• Miranda wishes to sell it, as it’s worth 200,000 gp.

AUTHOR BIO

If the adventurer’s decision contrasts the motivations of the DM-controlled companion, that companion betrays them. The characters present take sides and begin to duke it out, although Ardwaithe and Thavma will not attack each other.

Leon Barillaro should have started writing this adventure much earlier, but they didn’t. They live in New Jersey with the loves of their life: a puppy and a pirate. If they could wish for one thing, it would be for an end to student loans. Find them on twitter @barilleon.

Treasure. The rapier, greataxe, and javelin in this room are all +2 magical weapons. A bag of holding on one of the desks holds 100,000gp worth of precious gems, many of them diamonds, which Miranda could use to revivify any victims of this skirmish.

DEVELOPMENT If the adventurer is victorious, they are granted the scroll.

CONCLUSION To the victor goes the spoils. The adventurer decides what should be done about the wish scroll. After the fight on the top floor, no one argues about it. If the team reaches the conclusion that the nothic was Rozpero, they likely know only a wish spell could bring him back. If that’s what they use the scroll for, Rozpero thanks the heist team, uses his magic to scare the Zhentarim downstairs away, and offers everyone one item from his tower.

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THAVMA

ARDWAITHE

Medium Humanoid (tiefling), chaotic good

Medium humanoid (half-elf), chaotic neutral

Armor Class 14 (17 with mage armor) Hit Points 126 (23d8 + 23) Speed 30 ft.

Armor Class 17 (studded leather armor) Hit Points 75 (15d8 + 15) Speed 30 ft.

STR 10 (0)

DEX 14 (+2)

CON 12 (+1)

INT 20 (+5)

WIS 11 (0)

CHA 14 (+2)

STR 12 (+1)

DEX 20 (+5)

CON 12 (+1)

INT 10 (0)

WIS 10 (0)

CHA 18 (+4)

Saving Throws Int +9, Wis + 4 Skills Arcana +5, History +5 Damage Resistances fire Senses passive Perception 10 Languages Common, Elvish, Sylvan, and Undercommon

Saving Throws Dex +9, Wis +4 Skills Acrobatics +14, Persuasion +14, Sleight of Hand +15, Stealth +15, Perception +4 Senses Darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 14 Languages Common, Elvish

Magic Resistance. Thavma has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Evasion. If he is subjected to an effect that allows him to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, Ardwaithe instead takes no damage if he succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if he fails. He can’t use this trait if he’s incapacitated.

Flames of Phlegethos. When Thavma deals magical fire damage, she is wreathed in magical flame until the start of her next turn. Any creature who touches the flame takes 1d4 fire damage.

Fey Ancestry. Ardwaithe has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put him to sleep.

Spellcasting. Thavma is a 15th-level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 18, +12 to hit with spell attacks). She has the following wizard spells prepared:

Sneak Attack (1/Turn). Ardwaithe deals an extra 24 (7d6) damage when he hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of Ardwaithe’s that isn’t incapacitated and Ardwaithe doesn’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.

Cantrips (at will): fire bolt, light, mold earth, control flames 1st Level (4 slots): detect magic, mage armor, magic missile, ice knife 2nd Level (3 slots): invisibility, phantasmal force, web 3rd Level (3 slots): counterspell, fireball, sending 4th Level (3 slots): wall of fire, banishment 5th Level (3 slots): Rary’s telepathic bond, scrying 6th Level (1 slot): chain lightning, true seeing 7th Level (1 slot): force cage, delayed blast fireball 8th Level (1 slot): demiplane

Actions Multiattack. Ardwaithe makes three attacks with his +2 rapier. +2 Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (1d8 + 7) piercing damage.

Innate Spellcasting. Thavma’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 15). Thavma can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: Cantrips (at will): Thaumaturgy 1/day each: Hellish Rebuke, Darkness

Actions Dagger. Melee or Ranged weapon attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft. Or range 20/60 ft, one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.

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RAZMUTH

MIRANDA

Medium humanoid (tiefling), lawful neutral

Medium humanoid (human), neutral

Armor Class 16 (+2 leather armor) Hit Points 105 (15d8 + 45) Speed 30 ft.

Armor Class 18 Hit Points 54 (12d8) Speed 30 ft.

STR 20 (+5)

DEX 16 (+3)

CON 16 (+3)

INT 12 (+1)

WIS 14 (+2)

CHA 8 (-1)

STR 18 (+4)

Saving Throws Str +9 Dex +7 Skills Athletics +9, Perception +6, Stealth +7 Damage Resistances fire Senses Darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 16 Languages Common, Infernal

DEX 14 (+2)

CON 10 (0)

INT 12 (+1)

WIS 14 (+2)

CHA 20 (+5)

Saving Throws Dex +6 Skills Athletics +8, Medicine +6 Senses Passive Perception 12 Languages Common Divine Smite (2/day). When she hits a creature with a melee weapon attack, Miranda may deal an additional 3d8 radiant damage.

Innate Spellcasting. Razmuth’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 11). Razmuth can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

Spellcasting. Miranda is a 15th-level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 18, +12 to hit with spell attacks). She has the following paladin spells prepared:

Cantrips (at will): minor illusion 1/day each: disguise self, invisibility Indomitable (3/Day). Razmuth can reroll a saving throw if he fails. He must use the new roll.

1st Level (4 slots): bless, compelled duel 2nd Level (3 slots): zone of truth, aid 3rd Level (3 slots): dispel magic, revivify 4th Level (2 slots): destructive wave, raise dead

Actions Multiattack. Razmuth makes two weapon attacks.

Actions

Greataxe. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5ft, one target. Hit: 11 (1d12 + 5) slashing.

Multiattack. Miranda makes two weapon attacks. Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5ft, one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) slashing. Lay On Hands. Miranda touches a creature and restores a number of hit points from her pool (75/long rest). She can expend 5 points from her pool to cure disease or neutralize poison. This has no effect on undead and constructs.

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