The Kobolds have you covered with four new adventures for Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons.

Over at Paizo.com you’ll find two new adventures for Pathfinder RPG:

Beyond the Ghostlight Reef is a convention favorite by Christina Stiles, now available for the first time:  a group of 6th-level adventurers investigates the mysteries of a reef that hides vast treasures from ancient cities, and the odd women to delve its depths and return with arcane treasures.

The Buried Palace by Mike Franke is a dungeon adventure for 7th-level PCs level, who descend into a buried palace beneath a city-state in search of a powerful magic item and find themselves embroiled in a growing conflict between the city’s Lord Marshall and his enemies.

We also have two new adventures for 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons at DriveThru RPG!

Fury of the Lords of the Sea by Teos Abadia sends a party of characters level 16-20 up against the Mharoti to prevent the summoning of the Isonade, the ancient and terrible lord of the deep.

The Iron Secret by Brian Liberge pits adventurers level 1-3 against a band of mad mercenaries who plan to flood the kobold warrens and ignite a war between dwarves and kobolds.

If you run any of these for your group and post an actual play report, let us know! We’d love to share your stories from the table.

Encounter Codex presents encounters you can quickly slot into any adventure. They are system neutral and easily adapted to any edition (and other game systems for that matter) with little effort—just add stats from your favorite monster manual.

[previous encounter]

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Features of the Chamber

• This cramped chamber has a domed ceiling nearly 15 ft. overhead. It is covered in an elegant fresco of subjects around the edge of the dome worshipping a radiant queen in the center.

• A single ray of light shoots down through the apex of the dome, illuminating a marble bust set into a niche. The bust is fixed in place.

• Rising from the floor below the niche is a stone altar, its surface angled sharply like a scribe’s desk. Nine small painted panels in three rows of three are fixed on the altar’s surface.

• The scent of burning glass singes the air.

This dungeon chamber contains one encounter element: the sliding picture puzzle…

The Sliding Picture Puzzle

This sliding picture puzzle (3 ft. by 3 ft.) conceals a key and a small cache of treasure. All eight tiles can be slid—one at a time using the blank space where a ninth tile is missing—on the grid but cannot be moved beyond the 3-square-by-3-square area or into a spot already occupied by another tile. A tile cannot slide diagonally.

When the first tile is moved, the ring of 13 servants in the fresco glows magically. Each time a tile is moved, one of the servants fades to darkness. If all 13 servants darken before the puzzle is solved, the mechanism locks, and the bust fills the chamber with an arcane mist. Those who fail to save against the gas are rendered illiterate for a time.

Reward

If the dungeoneers solve the puzzle, a bell chimes, and a hidden panel opens at the base of altar. The skeleton key inside radiates magic, and a chainmail pouch contains a modest sum of coins, several potions, and a single scroll tube. Inside the tube is a quill that never runs out of ink and allows the bearer to read and write in one or more additional languages.

Making Your Own Sliding Picture Puzzle

It’s easy. Here’s how:

1) Find a painting or illustration you like on the web. If you have a wide playing space or an especially large group, choose a high-resolution image that can be cut into big tiles that are easy to see.

2) Print it out or load the image into your favorite digital photo editor.

3) Cut it into a 3×3 pattern (or 4×4, or 5×5…).

4) Discard or erase the bottom left or bottom right cell.

5) Shuffle the image by moving the cells one space at a time, just as the players would have to when unscrambling it. Ten to fifteen moves ought to do it, depending on how large a grid you slice the image into.

6) After printing your shuffled image and cutting it out, lightly number the cells on the back. Use the numbers when you lay them out for the players.

Encounter Codex presents encounters you can quickly slot into any adventure. They are system neutral and easily adapted to any edition (and other games for that matter) with little effort—just add stats from your favorite monster manual.

[previous encounter]

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A three-headed skeleton encased in ceremonial plate armor surveys this pillared hall from atop a throne of glass.

Features of the Chamber

• The air in this wide hall is cold and drafty. It carries the faint odor of incense and burning wax.
• Two rows of columns support a vaulted ceiling. The pillars are inscribed with hundreds of screaming faces; iron torches are set into them at two humans’ height.
• A three-headed skeleton wearing plate mail etched with arabesques sits on a black glass throne. It clutches a bone staff topped with an elf skull, and its central head wears a crown of platinum.
• Three black marble pedestals stand before the throne. There are closed tomes with a silver bookmark threaded between the pages atop each.
• A wrought iron scale also stands on the altar…

Encounter

This dungeon chamber contains four encounter elements: the oracle, the trial of fate, the trial of faith, and the trial of fortune. The trial of fate begins when any dungeoneer enters the chamber.

The Oracle: Dungeoneers drawing close to the three-headed skeleton—or oracle—notice the glass throne is hollow and vibrates with the muted wail of spirits trapped inside it. The three skulls speak in discordant unison.

Dungeoneers with expert knowledge in religious history or legend lore recall tales of a three-headed undead seer who challenges adventurers with a series of trials. Those who successfully complete the tests are granted the boon of a long-dead god; those who fail are destroyed. Though sages are not certain of the oracle’s motives, it exists so that only the most worthy visitors live to enter the halls of its patron deity.

The Trial of Fate: When the dungeoneers enter the chamber, the oracle welcomes them, and explains that, by their incursion into the hall, they have accepted the first of three trials. If the heroes flee or refuse the trial, two invisible stalkers descend from the ceiling and attack. They fight until destroyed and pursue the dungeoneers wherever they go.

If the dungeoneers accept the oracle’s challenge, it bestows on them one of the following quests (choose or roll randomly). They have three nights to complete this quest: if they succeed, the oracle believes they are heroes spoken of in the myths of its people. If they fail, the oracle’s chamber disappears, and two invisible stalkers are sent to hunt the party.

1. Bring the oracle the heart of a legendary monster without slaying it.
2. Map a route to the center of a deadly labyrinth and return the map to the oracle.
3. Find the tomb of an ancient templar to prove or disprove a cryptic statement the oracle makes about him or her.
4. Refill a mystic hourglass with arcane dust before it expires. The oracle does not provide them with said dust.

The Trial of Faith: If the dungeoneers complete the trial of fate, the oracle motions for them to open the first tome to the bookmarked page. Opening it to any other page triggers a fireball trap, and the party fails the challenge. The same occurs if any of the books are opened out of order.

Each book contains a question, which the dungeoneers must answer to the oracle’s satisfaction. Only one dungeoneer need speak for the party. If the query is answered correctly, the oracle’s left skull opens its maw, and out flies an undead crow. It settles on the left side of the scale. If the question is answered incorrectly, the right skull opens, and the crow perches atop the right side. Do not reveal which side of the scale represents success or failure! Certainly the oracle makes no remarks about the correctness of their replies.

The answers are left to you—you might have specific answers in mind that tie to the milieu, or you could simply accept answers that are especially thematic, interesting, or well thought-out. Of course, you should act as if specific answers were expected…

• Book One: “What is the highest virtue of mortal life?”
• Book Two: “What is to be done with heretics and blasphemers?”
• Book Three: “Where must all souls travel when they pass?”
• Book Four: The ink in this tome has faded and run, rendering the question illegible. The oracle is unmoved by this fact and demands an answer nonetheless.

If the dungeoneers answer more questions correctly than incorrectly, they proceed to the final trial. Otherwise, they are banished from the chamber, the invisible stalkers dispatched. If the scales are evenly weighted, the oracle spares the lives of the dungeoneers, on the condition that they leave the chamber, never to return, and vow never to enter the halls of his deity.

The Trial of Fortune: On completing the trial of faith, the oracle produces two chipped bone dice from its side, each with eight painted faces. Each dungeoneer is instructed to roll both dice—refusing to roll fails the trial.

Consult the table below to determine the results of the throw:

2. Death—the dungeoneer dies or is energy drained.

3. Ruin—the dungeoneer loses one or more possessions.

4. Agony—the dungeoneer becomes susceptible to damage for a time.

5. Pestilence—the dungeoneer contracts a disease.

6. Darkness/Silence—the dungeoneer goes either blind or deaf (oracle’s choice).

7. Firelight—the dungeoneer is marked as an intruder in the dungeon.

8. Curse—the dungeoneer’s saving throws worsen for a time.

9. Warding—the dungeoneer is protected from magic for a time.

10. Truesight—the dungeoneer gains true seeing for a time.

11. Resistance—the dungeoneer is protected from damage for a time.

12. Shadow—the dungeoneer becomes partially invisible for a time.

13. Rejuvenation—the dungeoneer is healed of all damage and disease.

14. Favor—the dungeoneer’s saving throws improve for a time.

15. Revelation—the dungeoneer gains a level (or equivalent experiential reward).

16. If any dungeoneer rolls this result, the entire party passes the trial. Effects already bestowed by the dice, good and bad, remain.

If half or more of the dungeoneers roll a 9 or higher, the trial is successful. Otherwise, they must render a great sacrifice unto the oracle’s deity or fail the challenge.

Rewards: If the dungeoneers complete all three trials, the oracle congratulates them and offers words of wisdom from his enigmatic deity. Reward the PCs with considerable experience, valuable treasure, potent magic items, crucial hints, or all of the above.

Encounter Codex presents encounters that can be quickly slotted into any adventure. They are system neutral and easily adapted to any edition (and other games for that matter) with little effort—just add stats from your favorite monster manual.

[previous encounter]
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A radiant yellow orb—like a miniature sun—gleams from beneath a veil of crushed rubies. Hieroglyphs inked onto the wrappings of nearby mummies shimmer in kind…

Features of the Chamber

• The air in this small crypt is stale with the odor of dried parchment and salt.

• At the far end of the chamber stands an ornate dais, and atop it sits a gold claw clutching a glowing orb. A layer of crushed rubies covers the orb and mutes the light it casts.
• A regal mummy lies in an open sarcophagus on either side of the crypt. Hieroglyphs that glow the same color as the orb are inscribed on its wrappings.
• Peeling murals set in niches depict a pharaoh holding a sun between his hands.
• Light in this chamber filters through a haze of sand and dust.

Encounter

This dungeon chamber contains three encounter elements: the murals, the mummies, and the sun orb.

The Murals: Four murals—two on either side of the tomb—are set into 4-ft.- by-8-ft. niches. All four depict the same pharaoh holding a sun between his hands, casting rays onto smaller figures surrounding a pyramid at his feet. A perceptive dungeoneer may note a third eye painted on the pharaoh’s forehead. An insightful dungeoneer notes that only the mummified figures at the pyramid’s base embrace the sun’s rays; the rest appear to writhe in agony.

One mural conceals a secret alcove, which opens if the third eye is pushed inward. It contains a small collection of valuable art objects, including a gold headdress and a jade cat.

The Mummies: Dungeoneers inspecting the sarcophagi note they are hewn from obsidian and filled with treasure—gold coins, scroll tubes, and jewelry. Each mummy wears a headdress, an amulet, and a bracelet made of coiled jade. The wrappings radiate scrying and warding magic.

If either the mummies or the treasures surrounding them are disturbed, they animate and attack the dungeoneers, fighting to the death. The mummies each wield a magic khopesh, and their wrappings have been treated to give them resistance to fire and acid. Their amulets deflect normal missiles.

In addition to their enchanted weapon and rotting slam attacks, each mummy can cast spells as an evil cleric. If a mummy casts a spell while close to the orb, the effect is heightened. Also, once per encounter, a swarm of scarabs issues from each mummy’s eyes and mouth.

The Sun Orb: The orb atop the dais thrums with energy when one or more of the dungeoneers draw close. If examined closely, it radiates powerful scrying and warding magic. The crushed rubies that coat the orb are embroidered into a silk veil that can be brushed aside.

The dais is inscribed with pictographs showing a pharaoh gazing into the sun from atop a pyramid. A dungeoneer who deciphers hieroglyphs through knowledge or magic learns that the great king Ihmrahotep, progenitor of his dynasty, was the first mortal to look on the face of the Sun without perishing, thus earning deific power.

An arc of searing light lashes out and attacks any creature that peers into the orb after removing its ruby veil. Creatures that fail to save against or resist the effect are disintegrated, reduced to a pile of burnt sand.

If a creature gazing into the orb first wraps itself in the glyphic bindings of the mummy guardians, however, it instead receives a beneficial vision they know to be true. The premonition might reveal the location of a powerful artifact or sought-after enemy, or it may bestow a crucial hint that helps the dungeoneers in their current quest.

(This post is Product Identity.)

“Encounter Codex” presents individual encounters that can be quickly slotted into any adventure. They are system neutral and easily adapted to any edition (and other games for that matter) with little effort—just add stats.

[Previous Encounter]

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A narrow catacomb stretches toward a T-intersection roughly 20 paces ahead. The jaw and limbs of a four-armed gargoyle statue peek out from the darkness of the left corridor. The repetitive pinging of iron against stone echoes from the passageway to the right. Chunks of debris litter the uneven floor, saturating the air with the musk of ancient masonry.

Dungeoneers reaching the intersection find that the passageway to the left is merely an alcove in which a large, lime-stained statue of a gargoyle stands. Dried blood and pieces of broken stone lie strewn about its base. Close inspection of the detritus reveals that it is the shattered remains of petrified dungeoneers—arms, legs, shoulders, torsos, and one complete head…

The corridor to the right leads 40 ft. toward a stone door reinforced with spiked bands. Dozens of wrought iron spears thrust across the hallway from holes in the walls at erratic intervals, chipping long scars into the opposite stonework. Dungeoneers with particularly good vision notice poison on the spears.

A creature entering or starting its turn in the hall is attacked by the spears. The trap deals only modest damage although the poison it delivers is highly lethal.

When the dungeoneers enter the gargoyle’s line of sight, it speaks in a guttural voice: “Only the hallowed dead may pass through the maw of teeth.”

To move through the gauntlet of spears safely, the dungeoneers must convince the gargoyle that they are, in fact, undead. This might be accomplished in a number of ways:

• Casting a spell or ritual that causes undead or other creatures to perceive you as undead.
• Demonstrating superior or intimate knowledge of the undead and their habits.
• Expert bluffing or disguising.
• Being undead.

If the dungeoneers convince the gargoyle that each member of the party is undead, it will beckon them to pass through the “maw,” breathing a thick cloud of green gas upon them. Those who fail or choose not to resist are affected as if by a stoneskin spell for 1 minute, with the additional benefit of being rendered immune to the poison.

If the gargoyle is threatened or if attempts to deceive or confuse it fail, it will breathe a cloud of dark grey gas upon the party; those who fail to resist the gas are petrified. The gargoyle then animates and attacks, fighting until slain. It will not pursue the party into other chambers.

Award the players experience points for earning the gargoyle’s boon or defeating it in combat—whichever occurs.

“Encounter Codex” presents individual encounters that can be quickly slotted into any adventure. They are system neutral and easily adapted to any edition (and other games for that matter) with little effort—just add stats. [Previous Encounter]

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An arched, 10-ft.-wide corridor stretches far into darkness ahead. Wispy cobwebs drift on the chilly air, gliding along deep shadows that sink into the recesses of the cracked masonry. The pervasive musk of ancient stone is broken only by a hint of what smells like a distant campfire. A floating humanoid figure wreathed in a faint azure light studies you from the gloom.

Floating in the hallway is the ghost of a well-dressed male elf named Valarel. He greets the players in a jovial albeit raspy voice, eager to strike up conversation after centuries of loneliness. His topics of choice are card game strategy, tailoring, and his lover Fiona…

If asked, he reveals himself to be a bard who perished of dehydration after becoming lost in the dungeon. He was initially accompanied by two companions—a human fighter, Bruntor, and a halfling thief, Slice. All three were separated by a teleporting trap.

If the dungeoneers are friendly, he will regale them with a pair of rumors he learned in life. One of the rumors, Valarel asserts, is true, while the other is false. He does not recall which is which:

• First rumor—There is a false wand of invisibility in this dungeon to trap thieves; the real wand is hidden somewhere else.
• Second rumor—The wand of invisibility is guarded by a four-armed gargoyle.

If threatened, Valarel fights, fleeing only if reduced to 1/10 his hp.

Branching from the corridor is a 40-ft.-long-by-20-ft.-wide, rectangular hall lit by smoldering cressets. At the far end of the hall is an altar draped with a black tapestry, above which hovers a crystalline wand. Set into the wall behind the altar is a 13-ft.-diameter stone face hewn in the likeness of a sneering skull wearing a three-horned helmet. The skull face exudes the odor of sulfur.

Both the wand and the stone face radiate magic if detected for.

The wand is illusory and disappears in a cloud of ash when any creature attempts to grasp it. The stone skull in the wall then fires two rays from its eyes; one or two targets within line of sight of the face are attacked. Creatures reduced to 0 hp in this way have their bodies disintegrated and possessions utterly destroyed.

The face will fire two rays each round until no creatures are within line of sight, at which point the trap resets and the illusion reappears.

If the dungeoneers correctly deduce the true rumor and avoid the false wand, or if they defeat Valarel in combat, award them XP. Award no XP if they ignore the trap and puzzle entirely and move on to another chamber.

The false wand’s counterpart—the wand of invisibility—is hidden elsewhere on the current dungeon level.

Solving the Puzzle

The true rumor can be deduced by way of a “truth table.”

If the first rumor is assumed to be false and the second is presumed to be true, it would follow that the treasure the PCs see at the end of the hall must be the “real” wand (as no decoy exists); however, no gargoyle is in sight to guard it, making the second rumor false as well. Since both rumors cannot be false, this must not be the case.

Conversely, however, if the first rumor is assumed to be true and the second rumor is presumed to be false, no contradictions arise—no gargoyle is seen, and the wand is, by inference, a deadly ruse.

If necessary, caution the players against over-thinking the puzzle. Valarel will reiterate that he is certain that only one rumor is true and the other is false, and he has lingered in the hall for centuries, witnessing no changes.

(This post is Product Identity.)

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Patches of ochre fungi illuminate this yawning cavern with preternatural moonlight. A waterfall tumbles from a fissure in the high ceiling, splashing down into a wide pond of murky water shrouded in mist. Through the dripping miasma, a totem pole can be seen jutting from the water, its submerged base surrounded by a halo of dozens of lily pads, atop which rest toads of various colors.

The pool of water is choked with weeds and slime, and runs 5 ft. deep at its center… A dungeoneer observing the toads for a moment notices that there are four distinct varieties: grey, spotted crimson, light blue, and black. Casting an effect that dispels magic on a toad transforms it into a dungeoneer of a class based on the color of toad affected: grey—wizard, spotted crimson—fighter, light blue—cleric, black—rogue. The GM shall determine the behavior and disposition of the restored dungeoneer.

A 10-ft.-high totem pole, hewn from emerald-colored soapstone, rises from the bog. Perched on top of the totem is a large stone idol depicting a toad with six clawed limbs and vestigial wings. There are glyphs inscribed on the side facing away from the waterfall, which appear exactly as below:

D            A            S            T

R            N            W            O

O            C            I            .

P            H            M            S

.            O            .            H

.            R            .            O

.            .            .            R

.            .            .            E

Close inspection reveals that each letter can be pushed into the totem like a button.

Pushing “P” in the first column, “A” in the second column, and “S” in the third and fourth columns—in that order—causes a viscous sloshing sound to emanate from behind the waterfall. Pushing any other rune permanently polymorphs the victim into a toad unless he or she saves against or resists the effect. The buttons reset immediately after the trap is triggered.

Pushing three incorrect sigils causes the cavern to shake, awakening an acid-breathing hydra ghoul that sleeps in a deep bed of silt beneath the water.

A black stone archway—15 ft. wide by 20 ft. tall—is hidden in a shallow cave behind the waterfall. Set into the archway is a thick “door” made of flowing, continually regenerating green slime. Fishlike faces and octopoid tentacles appear to push against the slime from within at unusual intervals. If the totem puzzle has been solved, a 10-ft.-diameter hole appears in the slime, allowing entry into a vault carved out of cyclopean blocks of soapstone. It contains a treasure hoard of moderate size.

Award the players experience for solving the puzzle and defeating the hydra ghoul if awakened. The GM may award additional experience for restoring polymorphed dungeoneers.