”Three wagons struggle on the unkempt road, leading from your home in Estenweald to the distant town of Arrendale to the West. Thus far, your navigator, Baldrin, have steered clear of the worst of these wildlands, but you can’t shake the feeling of being watched. Surrounded by gnarly pine trees, the woods themselves seem conscious, ever-watchful, and now, a sense of dread have taken hold on the small caravan here, in the middle of nowhere.
You shiver at the thought of being surprised by something sinister away from the safety of Estenweald, but you knew the risks when you signed up for caravan duty. It’s been 5 days since you left Estenweald behind, and already, supplies are starting to dry up.
According to your navigator, Arrendale is still a three days ride to the West, and you have noticed how he too has been uneasy for days. But, for now, gathered around your make-do campsite, you prepare to settle down for the night, and rest your weary bodies for the journey ahead, unknowing of the horrors that is about to unfold..."
Designed for you, the Dungeon Master
The Crypt of the Blood Mother is a short, one-shot adventure that will take a party of 1st-level adventurers through roughly 4 hours of adventure in a dark pine forest and a forgotten crypt packed with secrets and strange rituals.
Will the adventurers rescue their lost navigator, and fight against the evil presence of blood magic and its corrupted servants - or embrace it, and use it against their unseen enemies?
This adventure was designed to be easy to read and use. This adventure provides:
Clear and easy to understand hooks for your adventurers to get them involved in the adventure and avoid any "why are we even doing this" issues.
Clear descriptions of the scenes and situations so you are never lost in details or walls of text that doesn't serve you during gameplay.
Portraits of key NPCs, along with their traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws.
Assistance when your adventurers go looking for alternative solutions.
Rich opportunities for combat, exploration and roleplay, making this a perfect one-shot for both first-timers and veteran players.
Opportunities for the adventurers to uncover mysteries and investigate to their hearts content, as they uncover the secrets of the crypt itself and its current inhabitants.
A one-pager summary of key information and key goals for each scene, ready to print and use at your table.
A beautiful map of the blood crypt, ready for use in Roll20 or just at your table.
Content Warning
This supplement contain themes that might be upsetting for some people, including mind control, body horror, deep fears and a strong theme of blood and evil rituals.
Playtesting
This one-shot was playtested in my own D&D group of four players at level 1, of which some were fairly new to D&D.
Artwork
The images in this document are mostly created using the MidJourney AI Art Generator. These images are published under the Creative Commons Noncommercial 4.0 Attribution International License, provided by MidJourney. A couple of images was taken from the DMs Guild art packs.
”Three wagons struggle on the unkempt road, leading from your home in Estenweald to the distant town of Arrendale to the West. Thus far, your navigator, Baldrin, have steered clear of the worst of these wildlands, but you can’t shake the feeling of being watched. Surrounded by gnarly pine trees, the woods themselves seem conscious, ever-watchful, and now, a sense of dread have taken hold on the small caravan here, in the middle of nowhere.
You shiver at the thought of being surprised by something sinister away from the safety of Estenweald, but you knew the risks when you signed up for caravan duty. It’s been 5 days since you left Estenweald behind, and already, supplies are starting to dry up.
According to your navigator, Arrendale is still a three days ride to the West, and you have noticed how he too has been uneasy for days. But, for now, gathered around your make-do campsite, you prepare to settle down for the night, and rest your weary bodies for the journey ahead, unknowing of the horrors that is about to unfold..."
Designed for you, the Dungeon Master
The Crypt of the Blood Mother is a short, one-shot adventure that will take a party of 1st-level adventurers through roughly 4 hours of adventure in a dark pine forest and a forgotten crypt packed with secrets and strange rituals.
Will the adventurers rescue their lost navigator, and fight against the evil presence of blood magic and its corrupted servants - or embrace it, and use it against their unseen enemies?
This adventure was designed to be easy to read and use. This adventure provides:
Content Warning
This supplement contain themes that might be upsetting for some people, including mind control, body horror, deep fears and a strong theme of blood and evil rituals.
Playtesting
This one-shot was playtested in my own D&D group of four players at level 1, of which some were fairly new to D&D.
Artwork
The images in this document are mostly created using the MidJourney AI Art Generator. These images are published under the Creative Commons Noncommercial 4.0 Attribution International License, provided by MidJourney. A couple of images was taken from the DMs Guild art packs.
Link to Product
You can find the one shot here: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/413645/Crypt-of-the-Blood-Mother?src=newest_in_dmg&filters=45469
I hope you will enjoy playing it as much as I enjoyed reading (and playing) it :)